manner of man he was, had heard of his reputation for exacting utter destruction
on anyone so unwise as to encroach on what was his. That he had never sought
revenge on a woman before mattered not. He had only needed to decide what would
be an appropriate retaliation for one of her sex, and he had had ample time to
do that while he had searched for Isabella.
That had been a fruitless endeavor. When one of his messengers had returned to
tell him that his future bride had not arrived at Fulkhurst, he had been
thankful for a reason to delay his own arrival there. But searching for her had
been an effort in frustration. There were simply too many different routes she
could have taken along the way to Fulkhurst. Finally, he had left the matter of
finding her to her father, who was certainly more upset by her disappearance
than he was himself. And that had annoyed him, too, that it was more thoughts of
this wench here that had plagued him the whole while, when he should have been
concerned only with his missing bride.
She sighed, and Warrick?s breath held, waiting, willing her to open those large
sapphire eyes. Her lips were parted. He remembered the lushness of them,
remembered the hot feel of them against his skin whenever she had had to work
harder at coaxing his body?s response. Her flaxen tresses were in two thick
braids, one beneath her, the other curled across her breasts. He remembered
those breasts, full and tempting, but never his to touch or taste, revealed to
him only to inflame his senses, to aid in his defeat. He had them to touch now,
and it was all he could do not to rip her gown open. But not yet. Not yet. She
had to be fully aware of everything he did to her, just as he had been
agonizingly aware of everything she had done to him.
She stretched, making a soft sound in her throat, then stilled, except for her
hand. He watched the fingers of the hand that rested on the chains feel the cold
iron links, watched the frown that creased her brow as she wondered what it was.
?A souvenir/? he explained.
?From Kirkburough.?
Her eyes flew open, enormous eyes dominating her small oval face. She made
another sound, as if she were strangling. Her fear was palpable, but it was too
much, more like utter terror. He would be furious if she fainted again.
Rowena wished she could. God?s mercy, no wonder she had spent these weeks in a
dungeon. It had naught to do with her properties. She was going to die, but not
by mere deprivation as she had thought. She remembered this man?s hatred and
knew he would probably torture her to death. She knew now why he had fought so
violently against her rape of him. He was no villein to be in awe of her, but a
powerful warlord, a man no one would dare treat as they had done. And Gilbert,
that utter, utter fool, had not even known he had captured his worst enemy. Like
as not Fulkhurst did not know who she was, either, or that it was his own worst
enemy who had captured him.
A laugh bubbled up in her throat. She could not stop it. If she had not already
lost her mind, she soon would. And he just stood there beside the bed, frowning
down at her. Had she thought him handsome? A delusion. That mouth, those
chilling eyeshe was a living nightmare, her nightmare, a man who defined cruelty
with every line of his face.
She began to shake in reaction. He swore foully and brought his hand to her
throat with firm pressure. Her eyes flared even wider.
?Do you faint again, I will beat you he growled.
Was that supposed to reassure her? But he released her and moved away from the
bed. In self preservation she watched him, but he only went to the cold hearth
and stood there staring down at it.
From behind, he was not a monster, just a man. His dark gold hair was not really
curly, yet it curled at his neck. It looked soft, though she had never dared to
bring her hand that close to his face to touch it. His body was still appealing
to the eye. She had known he would be tall, just not this tall. And he held
himself so taut with emotion now, the tunic pulled tight across his broad back
and shoulders.
Minutes passed, then more minutes, and he did not turn to look her way. Rowena
stopped shaking and took several deep breaths. Her torture would not begin yet,
not here in his solar. He had brought her here likely only to frighten herand to
gloat. The captive was now the captor.
?Have you calmed yourself, wench??
Calm? Would she ever know that state again? But she nodded, then realized he
could not see it, for he had not looked at her to speak.
?Aye.?
?Though ?tis my right to do so, I do not mean to kill you.?
Rowena had not realized she had held herself as stiffly as he until she sagged
into the mattress with her relief. Under the circumstances, she would never have
believed she could be so fortunate, nor would she have thought him to be
merciful enough to tell her. He could have left her with her terror. He could
have? but he was not finished.
?You will be punished. Doubt it not. But my retaliation will be in kindlike for
like.?
He turned then to see her reaction, but he saw only incomprehension, so he
explained.
?As you and your brother intended to take my life if I had not escaped, yours
now belongs to me, and I find it of little value. As I was treated, so will you
be. You have had a reprieve only because I wanted to know first how great was
your guilt, if you had succeeded in your theft. We both know that you have. So
as you took the child from my flesh, so will it be taken from you when it is
born.?
?No,? she said quietly.
?No!?? he exploded incredulously.
?Possession is nine tenths?
?We do not speak of properties! Tis flesh of my flesh you stole!?
God?s mercy, how had she dared defy him and tempt him to this level of rage? He
was livid with it, a mere inch from coming after her and breaking her in two.
But she could not let him include the child in his vengeance.
She continued softly, praying he would see reason.
?I hold it, I will bear it, and I want it for itself, for no other reason than
it will be mine.?
?Never will that child be yours. You will be no more than a vessel to succor it
till it is born.?
He did not shout that, nay, he said it too coldly.
?Why do you want it?? she cried.
?It will be no more than a bastard to you. Have you not enough of those to
satisfy you??
?What is mine is minejust as you are now mine to do with as I will. Argue with
me no more, wench, or you will immediately regret it.?
That was a promise she could not ignore. She had pushed him too far, had dared
much more than was wise at this point. She might know the man intimately, yet
she knew him not at all. But time would tell, and she had time now. He had
allowed her that, allowed her her life. The issue would definitely be raised
again, however, for ?twas too important to her to let it be. But she could wait
until she had more hope of winning. She left his bed to stand beside it. She was
surprised that she had even been put on it, as despised as she
was. And he had
every right to despise her. She wished she could not see his side of it, but she
did. She wished he could see her side of it, but he would not. Twould not matter
to him that she was sorry for what she had done, that she had not wanted to do
it. She had still done it. Verily, she deserved whatever retribution he demanded.
And to be fair, she did not deserve the child either, not if he considered it
stolen from him, as he had said, onlyshe could not be fair where the child was
concerned. She was becoming tense again under his chilling regard, but finally
he said with sneering contempt ?It should not surprise me that you lack
intelligence, considering the plan you devised to keep Kirkbur?
? Twas Gilbert?s plan, not mine. He wanted it, not me.?
?You still display naught but stupidity. Never interrupt me again, wench. And
never mention to me again an excuse for what you did. Your Gilbert was not the
one who came to me and forced me?
He was too angry to finish. Rowena became alarmed once more as his skin darkened
in hue.
?I am sorry!? she blurted out, knowing it was inadequate, yet knowing not what
else to say.
?Sorry? You will be much sorrier, I promise you. But you may begin appeasing my
outrage now. I hardly recognize you in clothes, wench. Remove them.?
Chapter 16
Rowena?s breath had stopped completely. Her eyes closed in dread. Fulkhurst had
said like for like. She had known that meant he would force her as she had
forced him. And ?twould be no more pleasant for her than it had been then, which
was no more than it should be. But why would he choose this way to punish her
when he hated her so, could not really want to touch her? But of course, the
revenge was more important to him. Already she understood that about his nature.
But to have to remove her clothes for him?
?If I must assist you??
Another threat of she knew not what, but she did know she did not want to find
out.
?Nay, I will do it,? she said in an abject whis per She turned around to untie
her embroidered girdle, but in a few steps he was behind her, his hand gripping
her shoulder painfully as he swung her back around. Whatever she had done wrong,
his anger was high again. But he did not make her wonder why.
?You know I need the sight of you disrobing to wet my appetite. Tis why you
stripped for me before. Whoever advised you, wench, advised you well. But know
this. If I cannot accomplish what I intend through lack of interest in what you
have to offer, you will have the blame for it. But you will not have another
reprieve if that is what you think, because what I cannot do, I will bring in
another to donay, ten others. I doubt you will disgust them as you do me.?
Rowena met his eyes as he stepped back and wished to God she knew if he really
meant that, or if it was just an idle threat. He looked cruel enough to do it.
He looked angry enough to do it. But he wanted like for like, and watching her
being raped by others would not be the same. Would it?
She dropped her girdle on the floor and reached quickly for the laces on the
side of her bliaut. She could not take chances with him, not with such
terrifying consequences. But she tried to remember Mildred?s advice and could
not recall a single thing. The chamber was too bright with daylight, her skin
too hot with embarrassment, her fingers too clumsy. She knew she was not the
least bit enticing.
Warrick?s blood was already raging for her. Her fear was exciting him, that was
all. Not that becoming flush to her cheeks. Not her virginlike demeanor.
Certainly not the small though exquisitely curved body he remembered, and which
was about to be revealed to him again. He realized, with chagrin, that he could
not continue to watch her, or he would not be able to do all that he had planned
to do.
With a silent oath, he moved to the other side of the bed and picked up the
chain. He had meant to make her stretch it out beneath the bed and position it
as he directed, just to increase her trepidation, but he did it himself now for
the distraction. Only it did not take long, not as long as it was taking her to
disrobe.
Her red outer gown was on the floor, her longsleeved chemise on top of it. But
she still wort a thin linen shift, though her fingers were grip ping the hem,
had been in the process of lifting it over her head, when she finally noticed
what he was doing.
?Please, no,? she pleaded, looking from the manacle still in his hand to his
cold eyes.
?I will not fight you. I swear it.?
He did not even hesitate in his implacable re ply.
?It will be the same, exactly the same.?
Rowena stared at the chains he had brought up on the outside of the posts at the
end of the bed, positioned so the posts would prevent her from closing her legs.
?That is not the same.? she said.
?Allowances must be made for the differences in the gender of the body chained.
My legs had no need to be open. Yours do.?
She closed her eyes at the vivid mental picture his words evoked. Like for like.
And she could not prevent it, could not even beg for mercy, for he had none. He
was ruthlessly determined to do this to her, and it would be exactly as had been
done to him.
?You are taking too long, wench,? he warned softly.
?Do not try my patience more.?
She yanked the shift over her head and climbed swiftly to the center of the bed,
anything to get this over with so this sick dread would leave her. She lay down
before he ordered her to, but her body was as stiff as a board. She kept her
eyes closed, tightly, only she could still hear him, and the sound of his steps
took him to the bottom of the bed.
?Spread them.?
She groaned inwardly, but she did not dare to defy him.
?Wider,? he added, and she did that, too.
But she still gasped as his fingers went around her ankle to hold it until the
cold iron was locked on. The manacle did not fit tightly as it had on him, the
weight of the chain pulling it down to catch on her arch and heel. Her other
foot was quickly done the same, but he uttered a curse when the chain did not
extend far enough over the top of the bed to reach her wrists. It had been cut
to his stretched length, which was much longer than hers.
? Twould seem another allowance must be made.?
Disgruntlement was clear in his tone. Hope stirred, that he would now forgo the
chains entirely. She should have known better, for he merely left her to come
back with two strips of cloth that he bound to her wrists, then to the manacles.
Like for like, so she had to hear the creak of the chain if she moved, as he had
heard it; feel its weight dragging on her limbs as he had felt it.
She tested the bounds and experienced an overwhelming panic. My God, was this
how he had felt? So helpless, so afraid? Nay, he had not felt fear, only rage.
She wished she could bring that more powerful emotion forth to sustain her
through this, but anger that he would do her thusly was the farthest thing from
her mind just then. So it would not be exactly the same. She would not twist and
from the bed. She could only hope these differences would not matter to him and
make him angrier still.
Her eyes opened in surprise when the gag was shoved between her lips. She had
forgotten about that, but he had not. He did not want to hear her entreaties any
more than she had wanted to hear his, though their reasons were not the same. He
was feeling no guilt, as she had felt. He was enacting vengeance. She had only
tried to save her mother?s life.
Satisfaction at her helplessness blazed from his eyes. She wished she had not
seen it, or that he had removed his clothes before he fetched the gag. The
evidence of his readiness, however, gave her small relief. She need suffer only
his rape of her, then, not that enforced by many others while he watched. And
she already knew what he would feel like inside her. She could bear itshe would
have to.
?Are you virgin here, I wonder, as you were there??
His hands came to her breasts to tell her of what he spoke, both hands, and his
eyes went there, too, to watch what he did. Rowena stared only at his face so
she could gauge the moment he finished toying with her. And that was all he was
doing. There was no need to caress her and coax her to readiness as she had
found it necessary to do to him. He was already in that condition. ?Twas
unnecessary that she be. And she felt no more than the heat of his palms, and
Prisoner of My Desire Page 11