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.“Take him to the dungeon,” the duke ordered Guy, pointing at Richard.“He can stay there until he sees sense.”“But father,” protested Rosamunde.“No,” said the duke.“I will not hear it.He might have seduced you with his good looks and clever words, but he will not have you.”Seeing that Guy hesitated, Richard turned to him and said, “I will not struggle.I will walk with you.” Guy nodded sadly and led him away.Rosamunde tried again, “Father, please.”“No.You have taken leave of your senses if you think I will hand you over to such a man.He is here because of the dishonesty of his father.That is not the kind of family I should wish you to marry into.”“He is here because he is too honourable,” she said bitterly, “And could not bear the shame of what his father had done.”“Rosamunde, I did not expect to find you a husband that you could love as well as Simon, but I have found you one who will give you the status that you deserve.”“No,” said Rosamunde, as she defied her father for the first time in her life.“I will go into a convent before I marry anyone other than Sir Richard.”“You are behaving like a foolish lovesick girl.”“It is true that I love him,” she said.“But I do not wish for position or riches.”“No,” said the duke angrily, “It is I who must make sure that you achieve those things.Now, leave me, I have much to consider.”Rosamunde obeyed with a heavy heart, unsure how she could make her father change his mind, but certain that she must do so.The duke was not a cruel man and Richard found his dungeon reasonably comfortable.There was a palliasse for him to sleep on and even blankets, although he slept little when night came, thinking of Rosamunde.Since it was above ground, the dungeon was not even very damp.He had spent the daylight hours pacing the small space, trying to work out what he had done wrong and what he could do to retrieve the situation.Short of escaping and managing to abduct Rosamunde himself he could not see how he was to achieve his aim of marrying the woman he loved.Richard did not doubt that Rosamunde, unlike Louise, would wait for him forever, but she would also obey her father if he wanted her to marry someone else.He knew her well enough to know that she would respect his wishes, as a good daughter should.She would not want to marry another man, but if that was what the duke wanted, she would obey him.Richard was not even sure that she would come with him if he tried to make her leave the castle.Although she loved him and had said she would marry him, her word was worthless if her father said no.The virtue that he prized in her was the very thing that would frustrate his desire.He punched the wall in frustration.He should have waited longer and let the duke get to know him before he had asked for Rosamunde.He should have found out the terms of his ransom; it might have been possible to achieve his freedom and then marry Rosamunde.Now it was too late.The duke had someone else in mind for Rosamunde and Rosamunde’s own preference was to be ignored.The duke’s choice would obviously bring Rosamunde the status that she deserved.For a moment Richard considered whether it would be better for Rosamunde to forget him and marry this other man.Love counted for very little among the nobility when a woman was to be married.If the other man had status and wealth it might be better for Rosamunde to marry him rather than an enemy with no money.Then he remembered her anguished cry.Rosamunde knew the man.She had said nothing to him, but she knew who her father intended her to marry and she had not seemed happy at the prospect.He had heard her protest that she would enter the convent if she could not marry him, but she would not be able to do even that without her father’s permission.No, unless he could convince her to leave with him, she would end up marrying her father’s choice and she would be unhappy.He punched the wall again and tried to be reasonable.Rosamunde had said that she would have married Sir Walter if her father had said she should.She was pragmatic about marriage.Since she had lost Simon, her first love, she had learned not to hope for love.She would make the most of any marriage, even if she did not love her husband and she could not love him while she loved Richard.Now he was assailed by doubt.She had not told him that she loved him, as he had not told her that he loved her.She had said only that he was pleasing to her.Perhaps she did not love him
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