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Chapter One

1299 England

WILLIAM DE BOHUN stood hidden in the shadows of the castle’s stone walls and looked at his nepheho sat in theenclosure, Rowan’s golden hair bathed in sunlight, his handso in concentration as he studied the manuscript before hi man had come to mean to him over the years Roas the son he wished he had been able to breed

As William looked at the tall, broad-shouldered, sliain wondered how that dark, ugly Thal could have bred so of Lanconia but he wore ani past his shoulders, and he ate and spoke like the barbarian he was Williausted by him and only allowed hi Edward Williaiven the man the hospitality of his estate and had instructed his steward to plan entertainarian, but Willia man

Now, looking at Rowan, Williauish While Willia, his beautiful, kind, dear sister, Anne, had been falling in love with the odious , Anne was so deeply bewitched by theto kill herself if she could not have hi didn’t even see her immortal soul by the mere mention of suicide

Nothing William said could dissuade Anne William pointed out the repulsiveness of Thal’s person and Anne looked at him as if he were stupid “He’s not repulsive to a wohtly queasy as he thought of that dark greasy man’s hands on Anne’s slim, blonde person

In the end, King Edward had made William’s decision for him He said there weren’twanted a rich English bride, he should have her

So King Thal married William’s beautiful sister Anne Willia that when he sobered it would all turn out to be his iination But when he woke from his drunken stupor he saw Thal, a head taller than his tall sister, swooping down on her, enveloping her fair loveliness with his darkness

Nine months later Rowan had been born From the first William had been inordinately fond of the pretty blond child His own childless ry for a son Thal showed no interest in the babe “Bah! It screa to worunted in that strangely accented English of his He was h to return to his bed

Willia toys for the boy, playing with the child, holding his chubby fingers as he took his first steps Roas fast beco

When Roas just over a year old, his sister Lora was born Like her brother, she was a pretty blonde child, and looked as if she had inherited nothing from her swarthy father

When Lora was five days old, Anne had died