In the meantime, she had to do something. But how to escape? She sat on a wooden pallet boxed in by other wooden pallets. There was no way she could free herself from the ropes that the man had taken pleasure in pulling hard against her delicate wrists. The coils had dug deep and drawn blood, while the skin was already beginning to swell around them, digging the rope deeper into the cuts.
The hours crept passed and Kezia was alone with only the rats, the chill salty wind which found its way through the cracks in the walls and her own thoughts for company. With each moment her spirits sank lower as hope of discovery deserted her.
As the sun lowered and shone its rays around the ill-fitting doors, the scene was further illuminated and she noticed a jagged-edged palette several feet away. Although she could not move her hips, after several attempts she managed to swing her feet up from the floor so that she was lying horizontal across the pallets, her head close to the broken wood. Stretching out her hands above her head, she could just manage to reach the jagged edges.
Thank the Lord that man had been stupid enough to use worn rope on her ties. Not decrepit enough for her to break free by sheer force but, with the aid of a rough surface? She could but try.
The sun was long gone and darkness had fallen and she’d only just managed to cut the rope from around her wrists. Her swollen hands worked awkwardly to untie the rope which held the filthy gag in place. Once free she spat it out in disgust and tore a piece of her shift, ready to stuff into her mouth when her captors returned. She untied the rope around her waist, her hands fumbling with tiredness and pain, when she heard footsteps stumbling along the alley beside the warehouse. She had no time to work on the ropes binding her feet. Instead, she jumped toward the place where she’d seen the knife. After grabbing it, she returned to the place where she’d been left.
She rammed the cloth into her mouth and loosely tied the rope over it, swiftly putting her hands behind her, clutching the one thing that could save her.
The man practically fell into the room, lantern swinging uncertainly on its hook.
“Milady.” The voice was loud and the words slurred. Kezia didn’t know whether to be relieved or concerned at his condition.
“Bin waiting here have you, my love? Bet you could hardly wait.”
Nearer. Come nearer, she thought.
“Want a bit of me do you, before you leave us?”
He swung the light into her face and she reeled back, scared the switch in gag would be discovered.
“Got a kiss for me, my darling?”
He tossed his knife to one side and fumbled with the rope behind her neck. She watched his face carefully, waiting for the moment to strike. As the rope fell away, the realisation of what she’d done hit him.
“Why you…”
He swept his fist back, but before he could strike her face she brought her hands forward and, with the full force of her body, thrust the knife into his belly. The lantern fell to the floor, extinguishing the only light in the room. As he doubled over, she slammed her heels into his groin. He crashed to the floor, rolling in agony, before scrabbling away toward his own knife which had fallen to the ground. He reached it before she did, turned and for one moment time froze, and their eyes locked. She knew it was either him or her and she plunged her knife into his body, aiming higher than his belly this time. One stab was all it took. He fell back lifeless.
She stood trembling, the bloodied knife still in her hands, as she listened for his breathing. There was none. She’d killed men before, in the forest, when they were under attack. But it seems her new life had made her grow soft and she had to grip her knees and gasp for breath.
She sat on the floor and cut the bindings around her feet. She had only just finished when she heard noises close by. There were shouts, followed by the cracking of splintered wood and the thud of body against wall, then all was quiet. She froze.
Footsteps approached the door from outside and she saw a large shadow hesitate while their eyes became accustomed to the near blackness. She kept deathly quiet. She didn’t want to attract one of the man’s sidekicks to her, to take up where he had left off.
She could feel her breath escaping into the night air that swept in from the river, sending clouds of fog into the warmer air inside. She tried to reduce the telltale sign but felt breathless and giddy with fear instead. She tried to check her shivering but to no avail. She held her breath and listened as the footsteps receded. Her back slumped in response and she nearly passed out with the pain, cold and fear.
Suddenly a light appeared from the doorway, the same dark shadow moving behind it, coming closer and closer, illuminating all ahead of him and nothing of himself. She flinched under its probing beam.
Her total concentration was on the approaching person. Or rather, persons. There were two of them. The first a man, the second a woman.
The man swung the lantern and she cried out as both Rufus’s face and the fearful face of Lady Charlotte were illuminated. Never had she been so relieved to see him.
“Kezia!” Rufus set down the lantern. “Are you hurt?” He knelt before her and held her gently by the shoulders, searching her face.
She shook her head, too full of emotion to speak.
He held her hands briefly before spotting the blood. “You are hurt!”
“No!” The word came out in a half-sob. “It is his blood. He came off worst.”
“By Christ, I’ll hunt down whoever is behind this!”
“She’s safe now, Rufus, and that’s all that matters,” said Lady Charlotte.
Rufus sucked in a shuddering breath and knelt down before her. “Everything’s all right now, I have you.”
“Thank God you found me.” Her voice, unused for hours, came hoarse and husky. “I followed a man who said he was taking me to you, Lady Charlotte.”
Lady Charlotte bent to her, and she could see tears in her eyes and anguish in her expression. She touched Kezia’s face. “Are you truly not harmed?”
“The skin is cut and swollen but otherwise I haven’t been touched.”
“Thank the Lord!” said Rufus, lifting her into his arms.
“I couldn’t have lived with myself if anything had happened to you,” murmured Lady Charlotte. Rufus didn’t hear but Kezia did. And she wondered at the sudden change in manner.
“But why did you leave my lady mother, Kezia? She says you simply wandered off.”
Kezia frowned in confusion and looked at Lady Charlotte who turned away quickly. “Come, we must get her home,” Lady Charlotte said.
Within minutes she was seated before Rufus on his horse, nestled under his cloak. No one spoke as they retraced their steps to Wanham. She looked up at him. His face was stern, unreadable. He didn’t look at his mother, only focused on the road ahead, his jaw clenched, his eyes narrowed and watchful.
Kezia’s head was too full of questions and confusion to speak anyway. She went over and over in her mind what had happened, trying to gather her wits which appeared scattered by the kidnap and lack of sustenance.
Who was the man who’d said he was taking her to Lady Charlotte and why? It evidently wasn’t for robbery, because she hadn’t been searched; and it wasn’t for immediate satisfaction, as she hadn’t been touched. Someone had wanted her kidnapped and the only person she suspected had brought Rufus to rescue her, ending that line of thought.
At some point she must have dozed, or fainted, because the return journey was quicker than the outward, and they were soon entering the gatehouse of Wanham castle. From the quiet and dark of the road she was suddenly surrounded by bright lights and shouts and concerned questions. After a few abrupt exchanges between Lady Charlotte and Rufus, Kezia felt his arms around her, gently lifting her from the horse.
Amid cries of shock from Rufus’s sisters, who made way for Kezia, Rufus set her down on a cushioned settle before a blazing fire and called for wine. He knelt beside her and took hold of her hands, his sharp intake of breath signalling the moment he saw her woun
ds.
“Katherine! Bring dressings for Kezia’s wrists.” While the sisters fled in all directions to gather healing ointment and food, Lady Charlotte stood apart, watching them. Rufus searched Kezia’s face and stroked her cheek. “I will get to the bottom of this, Kezia. We will go over your movements later, after you’ve recovered, and I will find who did this to you and deal with them.” He shot a dark glance at Lady Charlotte and stood back as his sisters descended on Kezia to care for her.
“Are you very much hurt?” Katherine asked anxiously.
She shook her head. “Only a little.” She raised her wrists which Katherine took and began to treat. She couldn’t stop the shivers from racking her body.
She sat by the darting flames of the fire, encircled by the concerned eyes of Rufus, William and his three sisters. Behind them she saw Lady Charlotte’s white face, ghostly in the shadows of the hall.
She took a sip of the wine, feeling its warmth and power slide into her body, giving her the strength she needed. She drank a little of the broth which Lora had brought. Her body tingled with heat but her skin still felt chill. She closed her eyes and the haunting image of the man pushing the filthy rag into her mouth, and the sound of rats and chill damp of the river filled her thoughts and body as if she were still there. She opened her eyes with a gasp.
“What is it?”
“I can’t forget that man, and that place. I felt…” She stopped herself immediately before she could give herself away. For the truth was she’d been in more dangerous positions in the past, but she’d never felt the same. In the past, it had been her against the world with not a thought to anyone else. But she remembered the one thought which had pressed against her mind, had filled her soul every minute of her captivity. She’d never see Rufus again, never feel his body inside hers, nor his eyes upon her, never experience the touch of his hand on hers, one finger brushing another, conveying more meaning than speech. It wasn’t the loss of herself she’d feared but the loss of Rufus. And in that moment, she realized that he meant more to her than life itself.
“What did you feel?” Katherine asked gently, the compassion in her face easing Kezia’s chills like no amount of good food and wine could.
Kezia’s eyes were drawn to Rufus’s who stood over her, one hand protectively on her shoulder. “I felt lost.”
He squeezed his fingers gently around her shoulder. “No longer. You’re home now. I have you. Tell me, is there anything you want?”
At that moment, no one else existed: not his sisters, his brother, or mother. There was only the two of them in the world that mattered.
She took a deep breath. “What I want? It is simple. I don’t want to be let go.”
A snort from Celestria broke the spell. Rufus pressed his eyes closed briefly before shaking his head and shooting a look at his youngest sister.
“What?” she exclaimed, her fiery eyes, so unlike her gentle eldest sister, shooting daggers at Rufus. “You two are all lovey-dovey while it seems someone wants to dispose of your wife?”
Rufus looked back down at Kezia. “Aye, my annoying sister is correct for once.”
Another grunt from Celestria. “I’m always correct.”
Rufus ignored her. “To keep you safe we need to get to the bottom of what happened in Yarmouth today. Can you tell me what happened, Kezia?”
She shook her head, trying to remember. She narrowed her eyes as the memories came into focus, slipping one by one into a pattern which had been elusive before. “Lady Charlotte and I were watching the boats and talking about the trade.”
Kezia glanced at Lady Charlotte who said nothing but, instead, stepped away.
“And then she said she had to go somewhere and that I should stay.”
All heads jerked to Lady Charlotte who shook her head in denial. “No, no. That is not how it was. Don’t you remember, Kezia? You wandered off.”
Kezia scrunched up her brow, her mind hazy with wine now. “No, I’m sure it was you. I remember you telling me to stay by the cog being loaded with wool. Yes, that’s it.” She felt triumphant at dredging up the detail which would prove her version of events.
“No. We became separated and then I couldn’t find her. It wasn’t until much later that I heard she’d been taken and I sent word to Rufus. We discovered her tied up in a warehouse.”
“But why would anyone take her?” Katherine asked.
Rufus put his arm around Kezia, lending her his strength. “Kezia,” he asked gently. “Can you remember anything else?”
She nodded. “The man said I would be taken onto a boat that would be sailing when the tide was right. Why, I don’t know. Where, I don’t know.”
“A boat?”
Kezia looked across at Katherine whose hand was pressed in horror against her mouth. “But why?” Lora asked. “Who would gain from sending Kezia away? She has no money, no friends, no one wanting her overseas. Who would gain from this?”
Kezia noticed Rufus exchange looks with William. But it was his youngest sister, Celestria, who spoke clearly and directly.
“We would, stupid. If Kezia was gone, she’d have deserted Rufus and the marriage would be annulled. Then Mother would insist on Rufus marrying either Lady Maud or Lady Alice to end the conflict between our families and the king.”
A stunned silence followed as all eyes moved to Lady Charlotte, who stood outside the ring of light from the fire and torches. Her shadow flickered. Without a word she turned and left the hall.
Katherine sat weakly on a chair, as if all the energy had been drained from her. Rufus went to follow Lady Charlotte, but William put a firm, restraining hand on his shoulder. “Stay, brother. You must not follow.”
“It is my fight, Will.”
“And that is exactly why you must leave it to me. We cannot afford to fight amongst ourselves. Leave her to me.”
The muscles ground in Rufus’s jaw, flickering under the light. The dark pools under his eyes deepened his look of savagery. But he overcame it and nodded.
He turned to Kezia, leaving William to follow Lady Charlotte.
Chapter 17
A subdued silence fell on the hall, as the sisters moved quietly, tending to Kezia’s wounds, adding wood to the fire to banish the chills which lingered in her body, and pressing upon her more food and wine. After a short time, Rufus insisted on carrying her upstairs to their room, where he quickly stripped and lay next to her, under the covers, the heat from his body warming her more effectively than anything else.
He took her hand and kissed the bandages around her wrists, kissed the swollen bruise on her cheek and brought her gently into his arms.
She kissed his chest, sweeping her lips against his warm skin. “Love me, Rufus,” she murmured.
He smoothed her hair gently, too gently, as if she were something too precious to touch. “You’re hurting. You have cuts and bruises. I’d rather hold you like a jewel, than caress you in case I add to your pain.”
She eased herself up in bed and looked on him. His fierce features softened as they looked at her. And she felt a flood of overwhelming love and something more. “You could not give me pain.” She held his gaze with hers as she sat next to him, ignoring the twinges to her sore muscles. “Only pleasure.” She lifted the bedclothes to reveal his full arousal. Her mouth watered at the sight and she lowered and kissed him. He groaned and his cock twitched under her touch. She smiled and kissed the tip, before taking him into her mouth. He tasted of everything she wanted and, after savoring him for a few moments, relishing her power over him as his breathing quickened and he trembled under her touch, she drew away.
She eased up, positioned herself over him before sinking onto him. She felt weak as she sat, her buttocks caressing his heavy, tight sac. As the sensations shot through her, she rose and fell with a slow, regular movement that tightened the grasp of pleasure around and in her, swirling her mind into a mind-numbing haze of pure sensation.
But it was too slow for Rufus who growled and with one s
wift move—her injuries temporarily forgotten—rolled her onto her back and thrust into her. It was as if all the frustration and fear of the past few hours came together in his claiming of her. His thrusting was relentless, only ceasing when she cried out and her body sucked his cock of all he had to give. She was greedy and wanted it all deep inside so he belonged to her fully.
Only when he rolled off her but held her close to his side, with the feel of his seed inside her, as she tightened her muscles to stop it from leaking out, did she feel that she truly had come home.
Kezia was late waking the following morning. She felt stiff from the ropes which had bound her, but also stiff from the lovemaking which had continued into the night. Stiff, but relaxed and sated. She looked out the window. The sea was benign this morning and there was a warmth and fragrance of flowers in the air.
Kezia suddenly saw a future opening up before her. While Rufus might never proclaim his love for her, she could see in his eyes the connection he felt to her when they were in bed together. But she also knew that he would sever that connection if required, for his loyalty to his family. If only they could win their battle against the de Montmorencys, the threat to his land and their livelihood would be gone and he’d have no need to marry anyone else. She could stay by his side, at Wanham, and watch the seasons come and go, and with luck, have many children. And maybe, he would come to love her as much as he desired her.
But there was one big hurdle standing between her and happiness—the battle with Gilbert de Montmorency. And in that moment, she determined to do anything in her power to win that battle. Beginning that morning. She had to persuade Rufus to let her continue to carry messages to and from the hermit.
When she descended into the hall, she found only Katherine, seated, going over the books and accounts. Kezia was surprised as that was usually Lady Charlotte’s role. A sense of unease fluttered inside her.
Defending His Lady (Norfolk Knights Book 4) Page 17