Seeing Him Again

Amelia Callahan paced anxiously around the drawing room.

She was so nervous that she did not realize she had been biting her fingernails until the lord of Callahan entered the room.

The sharp clack of his heavy cane against the floor broke the silence, and Amelia quickly hid her hands behind her back. “Have I not warned you time and again to stop that disgusting habit?”

Her father’s words sent a chill through her and Amelia lowered her eyes to her feet. “F-Forgive me, Father…”

“You had better not embarrass me, girl. You have been far more fortunate than you deserve. If your disgraceful behavior brings shame upon our family name, I will not forgive you.”

She opened her mouth, trying desperately to form a proper response, but fear gripped her spine. “I-I w-w-w… I shall… I shall d-d-do as you c-command, F-Father. W-When he c-c-c-comes, I w-w…”

Amelia did not need to look up to know her father was grimacing. Whenever he heard her speak, disgust always appeared across his face. “I-I… I w-will p-p-persuade him t-t-to… t-to stay i-in this m-m-marriage…”

“Enough!” Her father struck his cane against the floor. “Is it truly so difficult for you to speak properly for one day? Can you name a single man who would want a stuttering wife?”

“I…I…”

“As you know perfectly well, Ryder is no longer merely a lowborn knight. He is now regarded as one of the finest swordmasters on the entire continent! If he wishes it, the church would gladly grant him an annulment!”

The lord stopped to catch his breath, pressing one hand against his temple as if the thought of a divorce was an unbearable disgrace.

“I will not allow the eldest Callahan daughter to be cast aside by a lowborn knight! I will not stand by while my half-witted daughter destroys the reputation of this family!”

Amelia bit her lip, swallowing the words that burned bitterly in her throat because it was not her fault neither she nor Ryder had ever asked to be married but her father alone had arranged the union.

“If only you were half as beautiful as Vivian… No, if only you were normal! Then I would not have to lower myself before that lowborn man and indulge his every demand!”

Amelia’s half-sister, Vivian, was beautiful, graceful, and admired like a rose in full bloom.

At the mention of her name, whatever little courage Amelia had gathered slipped away and her face turned deathly pale, but her father showed no mercy.

“King Adrian may wish to make Ryder his son-in-law, but there is nothing he can do if Ryder refuses this marriage! If you had managed to win your husband’s affection, you would not be facing an annulment now! You have no one to blame but yourself!”

“B-But he… he left for the c-campaign the day after… after the w-wedding…”

Amelia had barely been given the chance to speak to Ryder but before she could finish defending herself, a blinding flash of pain tore through her side as her father brought his cane down against her.

“How dare you answer back to me?” the lord answered. “Even thinking about that wretched impediment of yours is enough to enrage me!”

Amelia immediately nodded in submission, terrified that another blow would follow. Her father lips tightened, as if he was preparing to unleash another torrent of cruel words.

A knock at the door spared her and the lord turned sharply toward the sound, and a maid’s timid voice came from the other side. “Your Grace, the Ashbore Knights have arrived.”

“Show them in!”

Terror flooded Amelia’s face as she finally lifted her eyes toward her father. He leaned closer, his voice low and threatening. “Make sure Ryder understands that this marriage will not be annulled and, in case you have forgotten....if you bring shame upon our house, you will pay the price.”

Only after she was sure he had gone did Amelia sink against the window.

She struggled to steady her breathing while waiting for the pain in her side to ease.

She clasped her trembling hands together to regain her composure.

For a noblewoman, divorce was almost like death. She would become the subject of ridicule and bring disgrace upon her entire family but who could possibly duel Ryder?

Richard Callahan had no sons, and none of his relatives or sworn knights could hope to defeat him. Ryder was a renowned swordmaster who had slain a dragon. Who could possibly stand against him, much less emerge victorious?

It seemed inevitable that she would bring disgrace upon her family but her father would never forgive her. He might even arrange for her death through some convenient “accident” before the annulment could be completed. 

I must do everything I can to prevent that but would Ryder even listen to her?

Three years earlier, when news had spread throughout the kingdom that the dangerous black Dragon had awakened from its long slumber, King Adrian had summoned his warrior and ordered them to join the campaign against the beast.

Lord Callahan and his forces were legally bound to participate, but he had found a way to avoid his obligation by marrying his daughter to Ryder.

Amelia shuddered as she remembered her wedding day. The hall had been filled with guests whose thinly veiled insults had followed her like whispers. Ryder, a lowborn knight, had no choice but to obey the lord and appear at the ceremony.

Amelia had been terrified by his face. He had looked as if he were struggling to restrain something fierce beneath his calm exterior.

If I were half as beautiful as Vivian, could I have won his heart?

Ryder was an extraordinarily handsome man even Vivian, who often looked down on his humble origins, could not hide her blush whenever she saw him dressed in the ceremonial uniform of his order.

Ryder could have chosen any woman he desired. How could he possibly be interested in a plain, stuttering woman like her? Especially now that his accomplishments had lifted him far beyond the lowborn status he had once carried?

The night following their wedding had been the only night they had spent together. Ryder had departed for the campaign the next morning without saying a word, and throughout the three years he had never sent her a single letter. Amelia did not even know whether he truly considered her his wife.

She covered her face with her hands as dark thoughts overwhelmed her. “What a sight you are.”

The familiar, displeased voice startled Amelia and she looked up to find a towering man standing in the doorway, his expression dark. She had not even heard him enter.

“A wife trembling in fear while waiting for her husband to return from mortal danger.” Ryder’s voice carried a trace of mockery as he walked slowly toward her.

He wore silver armor over a navy-blue tunic that resembled the robes of a monk. He was broader and far more imposing than Amelia remembered, and his presence alone seemed to fill the room.  “I never expected a warm welcome, but must you tremble as if I were carrying the plague?”

His cold tone snapped Amelia from her thoughts. The moment she realized she had somehow displeased him within minutes of his return, the color drained from her face. “I…I am r-relieved t-to see you un-unharmed…”

Her voice faded away because she had no idea what else she could say, nor was she certain how she should address him. Calling him Ryder felt too intimate, while Sir Ryder seemed as if it might invite his ridicule.

She instinctively stepped backward as he continued to stare at her but why was he looking at her like that?

Ryder’s face hardened when she retreated. In one swift movement, he caught her arm and pulled her back toward him. “At least pretend you’re happy to see me,” he murmured threateningly and Amelia froze.

They were standing far too close awakening memories she had desperately buried for the past three years.

Heat radiated from his powerful body, while his intense eyes seemed capable of seeing straight through her.

He had looked at her that same way on their wedding night, like a hound preparing to sink its teeth into fresh prey.

Amelia lowered her head, unable to endure his stare and her cheeks burned as memories of that night came rushing back.