Her nipples peaked against the rough cloth as she remembered how his fingers had played with them until she’d been all but senseless.
She listened for his returning footsteps. At first all she could make out was the call of the birds, twittering loudly in the trees surrounding the cottage, but as she strained to hear more she made out the low rumble of nearby voices.
She sat bolt upright, all thoughts of lovemaking fleeing. Someone could be out there, hurting Braedan, while she lay there doing nothing.
She slipped quickly out of bed and donned her clothes. Braedan’s sword lay abandoned on the floor of the cottage and she picked it up, nearly dropping it under its surprising weight.
She hefted it over her shoulder and slowly opened the door to the cottage. It squeaked slightly on its hinges, but the noise became easily lost in the birds’ early-morning chorus. She would still have the element of surprise.
She tiptoed down the steps and edged along the side of the cottage, keeping its wooden wall to her back.
She stopped to listen when she reached the corner.
She realised the voices were nearer than she’d anticipated. The deep tenor of the speech suggested a group of men, but it was hard to make out any words. She thought she caught ‘two days’ and ‘enough food’. No voices seemed to be raised in anger.
Her heart raced anyway. What if the two men from yesterday had followed them and brought reinforcements? If they were talking so calmly then it probably meant Braedan had already been taken out of the picture. He might have thought he hadn’t needed her help against those men but he’d been wrong. With a wound as serious as his he was not as strong as usual—although he was too stubborn-headed to realise it.
She edged forward, praying that they had left Braedan alive. She knew then that she would sacrifice herself for Braedan’s safety. If the men wanted to take her to Copsi she would allow it if it meant Braedan could walk free.
She tugged the sword from its scabbard and slowly edged around the corner. What she saw made her drop the weapon in surprise.
‘Careful, Ellena—my lady,’ said Braedan, taking a step towards her.
She took a moment to acknowledge that he was fully dressed before her attention turned to everyone else.
‘You’re all alive,’ she whispered. ‘I thought...’
She was looking at the full company of Braedan’s men. Even Eluard, pale and bandaged, sat atop a horse, smiling shyly at her.
Merrick jumped from his horse and bowed towards her. ‘We’re all very pleased to see that you are safe, my lady. We hoped you and Sir Leofric would come this way, and we’ve had patrols scouting the area for days. Walden found you this morning, and we’ve arrived to escort you to your father’s castle.’
He moved to stand next to Braedan, who didn’t say a word, his gaze fixed on a point somewhere behind her head.
She glanced at his face, willing him to look at her, but he didn’t. His expression was stony and gave no hint as to what he was feeling.
A fine trembling started in her fingers and quickly spread to the rest of her body. She tried to hide her shaking hands, but everything suddenly seemed too much. She let out a sob, and was embarrassed when she couldn’t contain it. She slammed a hand over her mouth and backed away towards the comfort of the cottage, tears streaming down her face.
Aldith dropped down from her horse and hurried towards her, surprising her by muttering, ‘Hush, my lady. Everything is all right.’
Ellena allowed Aldith to pull her into her arms, but her whole body protested in confusion. Why wasn’t Braedan comforting her? Why hadn’t he moved from his position beside Merrick? Had the last week meant nothing to him? Now that he’d had her in his bed had he lost interest in her? And why was Aldith being so kind and gentle when she had only been surly before?
It was as if the world had gone mad in the last few moments.
Aldith tugged her into the cottage, rubbing her back sympathetically while she did so.
Ellena stumbled into the room and stopped.
Right here she’d found bliss with a man she’d never imagined liking. Had it meant anything to him at all or had she simply been a convenient body? Someone to relieve his pent-up frustrations? But he hadn’t taken his own pleasure. It made no sense.
The rumpled bedcovers would tell anyone who cared to look exactly what they’d been up to the night before. Tactfully, Aldith made no comment, only going over to the bed and fetching a blanket and wrapping Ellena tightly in it.
‘I’m sorry I wasn’t the best maid to you before,’ said Aldith as she bustled about the room, looking for firewood. ‘I’ve had much time to think on this journey and my behaviour has been awful. Merrick gave me a fine roasting after we were separated. I was so worried that we wouldn’t find you alive and I’d never get the chance to apologise. Please say you’ll forgive me.’
Ellena hadn’t the energy to work out what had caused this shift in behaviour, although it fleetingly crossed her mind that her new maid wanted to stay with her because it would mean contact with Merrick. She didn’t care—nothing really mattered any more.
Aldith looked so contrite as she bent to light the fire, and Ellena realised she didn’t have the energy to question her maid’s change of heart. It only mattered that she had a friendly face near her.
‘Did you encounter much trouble on your journey, Aldith?’ she asked, in the calm voice she’d perfected over years of hiding how she really felt.
She held her hands out to the tiny flames and saw Aldith’s body sag in relief; she’d obviously feared Ellena’s rejection. Aldith began to describe the encounters they’d had with some of Copsi’s men, none of which seemed as serious as her own run-ins with the man himself.
Despite the direness of the situation, Ellena’s mind began to wander. Braedan hadn’t been next to her when she woke and she was still wondering why.
Maybe he’d heard the voices and gone to investigate. But surely he would have woken her first? It wasn’t like him to leave her vulnerable and alone, or to dress himself carefully before rushing towards danger. He’d have wanted her to run if the voices had turned out to be Copsi and his men.
The only conclusion she could reach was that he’d left before she’d awoken in order to get away from her.
Last night had meant something to her. The feel of his lips and tongue running over her skin had unlocked long-repressed desire. For so long she’d thought her body was a thing to be ashamed of and that it was next to useless. Lord Swein had taught her that lesson over and over again. She’d believed that only pain could be experienced for a woman when it came to bedding.
Braedan had shown her differently. The care he’d taken of her and his obvious delight in her pleasure had thrilled her. But he was obviously regretting his actions this morning. The connection she’d thought they’d formed was not real, and only served to highlight her naivety. Bed-play obviously meant something very different to men than it did to women.
She twisted the blanket around her fingers and tried to concentrate on what Aldith was saying.
‘I’ll fetch some water, my lady. You can have a wash and we’ll tidy your hair.’
Ellena touched her shortened locks as Aldith bustled from the room. She’d forgotten how different she must look now. Her head was lighter without the burden of all that hair falling from it, but it wasn’t the way a lady should look. No matter. Her veil would cover what was left, and no man would see her without it ever again.
Aldith had kept Ellena’s personal bags. After she’d fetched some water they spread her clean clothes over the bed and she picked a simple deep red dress to change into. After Ellena had washed her body, Aldith helped her to step into the dress. Ellena thought about destroying the dress she’d worn for days, but for some reason she wanted to keep it, so she folded it neatly into her saddlebag.
While Aldith put her hair
into a simple braid Ellena slipped Braedan’s signet ring off her finger and placed it into the purse dangling from her belt. She rubbed the finger where the ring had sat and blinked back tears at the sight of her bare hand.
Once her hair was in place, she and Aldith attached her veil. Finally she smoothed down her cloak and exited the cottage without a backward glance towards the bed.
She was so pleased to be reunited with Awen that for a few minutes she forgot about everything else as she stroked her horse’s long neck. But once they were moving again reality came flooding back. She would be seeing her father very soon. And the one man she’d thought was her ally could not even bring himself to look at her.
She was alone once more.
Braedan barely spoke to her for the rest of the day. When he did he was all formality, calling her ‘my lady’ and all but bowing to her whenever he left her company. If it hadn’t been so depressing it would have been funny. He showed her far more deference now that they’d been intimate than he had at any point during their acquaintance before.
With nothing to occupy her mind as they travelled through Hexham Woods, she couldn’t stop an endless debate with herself as to why their passionate encounter in the hut had happened.
She tried to convince herself that his blood had been up after the fight in the woods and he’d used her body as a way to slake his lust. But no sooner had she decided that this was fact than she remembered he hadn’t actually spent his desire during their encounter. It had all been about her.
She was bewildered and angry and a little bit lost. If his intent had been to distract her from Copsi then he had succeeded completely.
She longed for him to take her in his arms again. Her mind continually tormented her with visions of his strong hands roaming over her body.
After they’d set up camp for one last night she lay awake, hoping he would come to her after Aldith had fallen asleep, but he didn’t.
The following morning they emerged from the protective confines of Hexham Woods and she allowed herself to be cocooned in the middle of Braedan’s riders—much as she had been when they’d first started out all those days ago. This time she didn’t complain. She was desperate for this endless journey to be over and yet equally keen for it never to end.
From her position in the pack she could watch Braedan as he rode out front. His eyes constantly swept the horizon but they never turned to her. He hadn’t looked directly at her since they’d left the cottage, preferring to look over her shoulder whenever they spoke.
She shook her head irritably. All her thoughts were centred on this man and he obviously wasn’t thinking about her at all. She needed to pull herself together and plan what she was going to say to her father. Her future happiness depended not on Braedan’s kisses but on whether her father believed she was competent enough to run Swein’s castle by herself. She must forget all about the distracting knight and concentrate.
But no matter how hard she tried her gaze kept wandering back to him. It was incredibly frustrating.
Chapter Thirteen
Ogmore’s formidable fortress walls came into view early the following day, but it took a whole morning of hard riding to reach the impenetrable castle. Merrick carried her father’s standard so that they would be identified by the soldiers guarding the walls, although Ellena doubted anyone would mistake Braedan, even from a distance. His chain mail glinted in the autumnal sun and his broad figure sat unmistakably self-assured atop his horse.
They slowed to a walk as they approached the large stone gatehouse. Ellena shivered, despite the warmth of the sun warming her back. Ogmore’s great castle had been built to intimidate and repel potential invaders, and it had worked. There wasn’t a hint of welcome in the imposing walls.
‘The Earl will come to great you,’ Braedan said, and his words were clearly meant for Ellena, despite the fact that he didn’t turn in his saddle to look in her direction.
Ellena doubted her father would bother; she wasn’t that important to her family. She was the only girl in a gang of more useful boys—a pawn to be used in her father’s complicated game of chess. She knew her mother loved her, but she’d been busy producing boys throughout Ellena’s childhood, and hadn’t had a great deal of time for her only daughter.
Ellena was an afterthought for everyone. For once she wished somebody would put what she wanted first.
She glanced at Braedan and then away again.
She knew that was a young girl’s dream. She had to be the one in charge of her own destiny, and the next few days would be critical in achieving that.
As the horses slowed to a stop, silence descended on the group of riders. All Ellena could hear was the creak of saddles and the soft clink of chain mail as the warriors shifted in their seats. Guards stood at either side of the open gateway. No one moved to block their path, but no one moved to welcome them either.
She let out a long, slow breath.
‘We might as well...’ she began—and then stopped as the sound of many approaching feet reached her.
Instinctively she leaned back in her saddle, her heart pounding. The urge to flee pressed upon her but she held her ground. This was her parents’ fortress; there would be no trouble from Copsi here.
Even as she told herself it would all be all right her fingers trembled against the reins and her eyes sought out Braedan’s reassuring presence. His hands were relaxed, but she noticed that one hovered near the hilt of his sword. Obviously he was braced for trouble.
Finally her father appeared, surrounded by his personal guards and other hangers-on. He was greying at the temples, grizzlier than when she’d last seen him, but he still towered over his compatriots.
But although he commanded attention by his very presence, Ellena barely had eyes for him. Next to his imposing figure was a tall, slender woman she’d recognise anywhere. With eyes just like her own, her mother stood smiling, her expression full of love.
Without conscious thought, Ellena jumped down from Awen and ran.
‘Mama!’ she cried as she threw her arms around her mother’s neck.
The slender woman laughed and hugged her daughter in return. ‘Ah, my darling girl, it is good to see you. You have grown even more beautiful.’
‘Of course she has,’ came her father’s gruff voice. ‘She takes after her mother.’
Tears gathered at the corners of Ellena’s eyes and she squeezed them tightly shut. Her father wouldn’t want her to show an excess of emotion in front of all these people, but she didn’t think she’d ever heard him say anything so positive about her before.
Maybe he’d mellowed over the years. If so, perhaps there was some hope that he would be lenient towards her request after all.
‘Let’s get you inside,’ said her mother, relaxing her hold. ‘I ordered a bath to be prepared as soon as you were spotted from the battlements. I’m sure you’ll want to get clean after your long journey.’
Ellena allowed herself to be tugged along in the maternal warmth, promising herself that she wouldn’t turn around and look at Braedan, but the temptation was too great.
Just before they disappeared from sight, she turned. He was looking straight at her, his expression unreadable.
* * *
Braedan watched as Ellena was taken away from him and into Ogmore’s fortress. He rubbed his chest, where an uncomfortable ache had taken root since his men had arrived yesterday morning. It had grown steadily worse as they’d ridden relentlessly towards Ellena’s destiny.
He caught a last glimpse of her cloak as she disappeared around a corner and out of sight. This was it; the last time he would be in her company had come and gone.
He tightened his grip on his reins to stop himself from charging after her. He wanted to grab her and take her to a place far away from here—a place where they could both forget their responsibilities and think only of themselves.
He shifted in his saddle; he knew he couldn’t do it and he’d never hated his circumstances more.
‘You and I have much to discuss,’ said the Earl of Ogmore, breaking into Braedan’s thoughts and reminding him of where he was.
He tore his gaze away from the spot where he’d last seen Ellena and turned his attention to his liege. Ogmore was studying him intently, and Braedan instinctively gripped the hilt of his sword. He wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of such a look, and it wasn’t a comfortable sensation to find the hard stare aimed at him.
‘Of course, my lord. Would you like to speak with me now?’
‘Yes. Have your men stable your horse and join me in the solar.’
Braedan nodded to Merrick, who had heard the exchange. Without a word Merrick took Ffoi’s reins as Braedan jumped down from the horse’s back. Braedan had been right about Copsi’s horse. The animal would be a fine addition to their stables and Braedan would enjoy riding him—not just because of the physical pleasure but also because he’d always know he’d taken Ffoi from his despicable owner.
He fell into step beside Ogmore and the Earl’s personal guards followed them into the highly fortified building. Ogmore didn’t speak, and Braedan didn’t volunteer any information. He was used to Ogmore using silence as a way of breaking his adversaries. He’d long since learned not to say anything if this tactic was used against him.
Many a man had spilled their secrets to Ogmore in this way, and now Braedan had more secrets than most.
He knew that Ogmore would have no compunction about running him through with his sword if he so much as suspected Ellena had been naked and willing in his arms only two days before. Hell, he should run himself through for the liberties he’d taken. She could never be his, so why had he acted as if she was?
Any woman of high birth would expect a marriage proposal after the way he’d acted, and Ellena deserved such an offer from him. Even if she’d ultimately turned him down he should have got on his knees and asked her that night. But in the end he’d prevaricated, and fate had dealt him an untimely blow with the arrival of his men. Their appearance had put an end to their privacy and to his secret hopes.
The Warrior Knight and the Widow Page 15