In a quandary as to what she should do, Jacqueline fought a silent battle within herself. She could either try to find Terric here in the woods, or find her own way back out of them. She had not really been able to see in which direction he had headed. If she tried to follow, she risked the chance of meeting up with the earl's men, as well.
Hitting her fist on her thigh, Jacqueline cursed. There really was only one option. She had to work her way back to the castle without Terric.
* * * *
Edwin stretched his stiff back. He had been standing way too long. When the hours ticked by and there was no sign of Jacqueline or Terric returning to the castle, he had climbed the stairs to the walls. Sleep would be an impossible task with those two still somewhere out there near the earl's camp.
Standing on the walls, watching the camp below, made him feel a little bit better. As long as no hew and cry was raised, then Jacqueline and Terric were safe. If it did occur, then he was prepared to try something, anything to help.
At some point during the night, Sir Guy had come to share his vigil. Worry lines were etched into the older man's face. "Still no sign of them?" he calmly asked.
Edwin shook his head in response to his query. "Nay, nothing. But as long as there is no activity below, I take that for a good sign."
"I agree. I should still wring the lass's neck for pulling this stunt, though. I think she has aged me another twenty years this night."
Beneath the gruffness, Edwin could hear the deep concern Sir Guy was feeling for Jacqueline. "She can take care of herself. She will find a way to set Terric free."
Sir Guy grunted. "Aye, I know she will. I just wish she would not take such risks. She has a son to think about."
Both men fell silent. Not long after, the sound of footsteps ascending the stairs at the far end of the wall brought them out of their silent reverie. Each man turned and watched as Beth stepped onto the walkway. Sir Guy noticed how Edwin stared longingly at her.
Before Beth reached them, Sir Guy said, "I will leave you two alone." He then turned to look at Edwin. "Do not give up on her, lad. The time will come when she will be ready to accept you." Seeing the shocked expression on the squire's face, he smiled and winked at him. "I may seem old to you, but I am not dead yet." With that said, he then left the two young people alone.
* * * *
Beth paused on the walkway to watch Sir Guy take the stairs down to the bailey. She looked questioningly at Edwin once they were alone. "Where is he off to?"
Edwin sheepishly answered, "He is giving us some privacy."
Moving to stand beside him, Beth smiled. "Sir Guy is cannier than I thought."
Even though dawn was closely approaching, the chill of the night still could be felt. Beth wrapped her arms around herself. Noticing what she did, Edwin pulled her to stand in front of him so he could hold her in his arms. He was not too sure what her reaction would be, but he felt pleasantly surprised when she allowed it.
They stood in that position, not speaking for a few minutes. Beth was the first to speak. "You are worried about him. Terric must mean a lot to you. Am I right?"
"Aye. He is like a brother to me. If not for Terric, I doubt I would be alive today. I owe him so much."
Leaning further back into his embrace, Beth realized how much she missed this, being held tenderly by a man. "Everything will be all right, Edwin."
Edwin kissed the top of her head. She fitted nicely under his chin. "I have told myself that very thing time and again."
Watching as the dawn broke over the horizon, Edwin decided not to let this moment slip between his fingers. There was no telling how this day would end. He might not have another opportunity to speak his mind for days, even months to come. Working up his courage, he then dove in feet first.
Turning Beth in his arms so she faced him, he stared down at her. She looked back at him expectantly. "I know right now, I have nothing to offer you. But Terric has promised to knight me soon. Do you think, after I am knighted, you could consider me worthy of you?"
Beth could see a wide range of emotions flitting across his face. She knew this cost him much. His feeling of uncertainty could be easily read in his eyes. And she loved those green eyes. She would always love William, but Edwin had wormed his way, slowly albeit, into her heart.
Sending up a silent pray for forgiveness if William was watching over her, Beth smiled up at Edwin. "Aye, Edwin, I would happily accept you." And to show him what she was feeling, she went up on tip toe and placed a kiss on his lips.
Crushing Beth up against his chest, Edwin kissed her back. He poured his heart and soul into the kiss. She reciprocated in kind.
As the kiss continued, the dawn's sunny rays reached the castle walls. The bright light washed over the embracing couple with its warmth, outlining them in gold.
Chapter Twenty Five
The time it was taking to return to Nunney was more than it had taken to enter the woods. Afraid to come across the men searching for Terric and her, Jacqueline stopped every few minutes to listen for sounds of movement around her. A few times she could hear a snap of a twig coming from behind her or in front. But the trees distorted the sounds, making it hard to judge the exact location they were coming from.
By the time she reached the edge of the trees, the sun was high in the sky. Sweat ran down her back and between her breasts, making Jacqueline wish she could have a bath. Her breasts ached from a build up of milk, reminding her she had to get back to Jordan very soon. It would not be at all well to have her milk dry up now.
From the corner of her eye, she spied a group of men exiting the woods about twelve feet from where she stood. Jacqueline quickly took a step back inside the tree line.
There were four of the earl's men, and they had Terric with them. She did not think, she only acted. She ran after them. They did not see her at first, so she was able to reach the last man of the group and throw her full weight against his back. Unprepared, the man fell to his knees. Using the momentary confusion, Terric slammed his fist into the jaw of the man standing at his side. He dropped like a stone.
Unarmed, Jacqueline jumped onto the back of one of the two still standing, and placed her hands over his eyes. Unable to see, he tried to shake her off. She tenaciously hung on until Terric finished taking care of the final man. She jumped off before Terric's fist met the man's face.
With three down and one still struggling to gain his feet, struggling against the weight of his armor, Terric grabbed Jacqueline's hand and began to run. They ran straight into the earl.
Her father was not alone. He had at least a handful of men with him. Terric valiantly tired to get them through, but sheer numbers won out. He was roughly subdued by the earl's men. Leaving Jacqueline to stand by herself to confront her father. The earl stared at her, trying to intimate her. Throwing up her chin in defiance, she boldly stared back.
Taking her arm in a steely grip, the earl started to lead her away toward the castle. "I admire your boldness, daughter, but on a woman, it is an unseemly trait. It seems I have misjudged you."
Jacqueline did not respond to his words. Instead, she looked behind her to see if Terric was still with her. He was being held by a man on either side of him, with a third bringing up the rear. That man used his sword to jab into Terric's back to urge him on.
Her father did not miss her show of concern. "You love him. I can see it. Shall we test your love for him? How far will you go to save the life of a mere landless tournament knight?"
"He is more than that. He is my husband," Jacqueline said through gritted teeth.
The earl pulled her up short, almost jerking her off her feet. "Has the marriage been consummated?" When Jacqueline defiantly refused to answer, he gave her a hard shake. "Answer me, girl! Has it been consummated?"
Putting a sweet smile on her lips, she said, "Aye, well and truly."
Pulling her once more into motion, her father marched her to the castle causeway. "You just signed your husband's death warrant.
Nunney is mine and nothing will stand in my way of claiming it."
In a load roar, the earl yelled up at the castle, making their presence known to those within. A minute later, Sir Guy appeared at the top of the wall. His face fell when he saw Jacqueline standing beside her father.
"Lower the drawbridge, now, or I will be forced to take drastic measures."
When his threat engendered no response from the man above, he hissed at Jacqueline, "Order that old fool to do as I say."
She shook her head without meeting the earl's eyes. "Nay."
With a snarl, the earl ordered Terric brought to them. "I will ask you one more time. Give the order."
Terric caught Jacqueline's eye. He gave an infinitesimal shake of his head. She knew what he was asking her to do. But she did not know if she could follow through.
"I see your decision is made. So be it." Her father turned to his men. "Kill him."
* * * *
Terric kept his eyes firmly clamped on Jacqueline's face. The last thing he wanted to see was her. He knew the earl would not dare harm her. She was too valuable to him. He, on the other hand, was expendable. A sacrifice he was all too willing to make to protect his family.
The man, who had been at his back with sword drawn, moved to stand before Terric. With the point held at his chest, the earl's man waited for the order to press it home.
Jacqueline clenched her hands into fists. Her nails bit deeply into her palms. She felt ill. Watching her father raise one of his hands to give the signal, the feeling intensified. She closed her eyes, unable to watch what would happen next.
The blast of a horn reverberated throughout the encampment, causing all the participants in the grisly tableau to freeze and search for the source of the sound. Desperately, Jacqueline scanned the surrounding area, hoping their luck had changed.
At the sight of a large party of mounted riders, she felt a renewed surge of hope. Their numbers were much larger than the men her father had under his command. And there was something about one of the lead riders that she found very familiar. When the party grew nearer, it became easy to discern that there was a woman riding up in the front.
Squinting, Jacqueline peered closely at the woman. When she recognized her, she let out a loud whoop of joy. The earl flashed her a quelling look. She laughed. "It seems you have lost after all, father. If I am not mistaken, my mother leads that large party of soldiers approaching."
The utter fury that crossed the earl's features was terrible to behold. Snapping around, he grabbed the sword aimed at Terric's chest from his man. With a growl, he drew it back to thrust it through her husband's heart.
"Nay!" she yelled. Throwing herself at her father, she barreled into him, pushing him away from Terric. The instant the feel of a cold steel blade resting against the base of her throat broke into her awareness, Jacqueline froze.
"You have made my life very burdensome of late, daughter. Once I am through dealing with your husband, I will make you regret ever crossing me."
"I think not, William." Both caught up in their own struggles, neither the earl nor Jacqueline noticed the arrival of Lady Elizabeth and her party. It was she that had spoken.
Swinging a leg over her horse's back, Lady Elizabeth dismounted and went to her husband. "Lower the sword, William. It is over." When he did not quickly comply with her order, she stepped closer to him. "I suggest you take a good look at the soldiers I have brought. They are the king's men and wear his colors."
The earl's face blanched quite white as he found his wife's words to be true. She had brought a large force of the king's men with her. He slowly let the sword fall away from Jacqueline's throat.
The knight who had moved to stand next to her mother took the earl by his arm and said, "By order of the king, you are to quit Nunney and return to London, my lord. The king commands your presence there."
Defeated, the earl allowed himself to be led back to the encampment below. His men were escorted back with him.
Jacqueline, unable to hold back any longer, threw herself into Terric's outstretched arms. She desperately clung to him. He held her equally tightly.
"Tell me. Do I have a new son-in-law?"
Releasing Terric, Jacqueline embraced her mother. She then stepped back and reached for her husband's hand. "Aye, mother, you do." Looking at the now overflowing encampment, she asked, "How did you manage all this?"
Lady Elizabeth chuckled. "I am not completely useless, though your father thinks I am. During the grand tournament, I decided to make some connections of my own. While you were off playing knight, I gained the queen's favor. Let us just say, I pulled some strings and was able to speak with the king and queen. The earl is going to have to do some quick talking to explain his actions here. The king is displeased with him at the moment."
Now that the frightening episode was at an end, all three relieved the tension by laughing at what the earl would have to endure to gain the king's favor once more.
The sound of a baby's wails drifted over the castle walls. Jacqueline cringed in response. "I think I had better get myself back to the hall. Beth must be ready to pull her hair out." As if on cue, the drawbridge lowered and there stood her friend with a very distressed Jordan in her arms.
"Do you think, Jacqueline, now that you are no longer busy, you could please feed your son? He has made his displeasure known about having to take the cow's milk we gave him."
Taking pity on her, Jacqueline laughingly shook her head, then went to retrieve her son. "Of course, Beth."
* * * *
With Jordan happily fed, Lady Elizabeth claimed her grandmotherly rights and spirited him down to the hall, leaving Terric and Jacqueline alone in the lord's chamber. Both had bathed, changed into fresh clothing, and now sat on the bed feeding each other from the tray of food Alice had brought up to them.
Jacqueline could not get the smug smile to leave her face. Everything was now as it should be. Terric was her husband, and the earl had been put in his place. On the morrow, the king's men would be taking him back to London.
Having had her fill, she sighed and then lay back on the bed. Terric removed the tray and fell into her outstretched arms. His lips covered hers greedily. After making her completely breathless, he pulled away and began to work on unbuckling the belt circled around her hips. Impatiently, Jacqueline shoved his hands away to remove it herself. Terric smiled at her eagerness.
"I hope you never tire of me, wife."
Jacqueline tossed her belt to the floor and then began working on Terric's tunic. "Never. You will not be rid of me so easily. I do not give up on things I have to fight so hard to keep."
Terric reached for the hem of her tunic and began to ease it up her body. "I am pleased. No more talk, I have waited long enough to make love to you properly. There will be time to talk later. Much later." To be sure of her silence, he claimed her lips once more.
Jacqueline groaned with pleasure. There would be more than enough time for talk. A lifetime of it. Her tournament knight was now hers. Nothing could break them apart. The last coherent thought she had before she let the pleasurable sensations take her over was to send up a prayer of thanks.
Pushing Terric onto his back, Jacqueline slowly stripped away each piece of clothing he wore. When he tried to help, she only slapped his hands away. "You will lie there and behave yourself. I want to have my way with you."
Terric groaned. "Do you not think I have had enough torture? Do you really want to send me to an early grave?"
Jacqueline smiled saucily at him. "No, I do not. I just want to give you pleasure."
Spreading his arms wide on the bed, Terric said, "Then I give my lady wife permission to pleasure me anyway she sees fit."
Straddling Terric's thighs, Jacqueline ran her hands across his hard chest and then let her fingers trail down to his engorged shaft. Grabbing it with one of her hands she gently squeezed then pulled down. She then let her hand slide back up to the tip. Terric's hips rose up off the bed, moving as she w
orked him.
Becoming just as aroused as Terric by what she was doing to him, Jacqueline released him and inched forward so the tip of his shaft nudged at her opening. Tipping her hips at the right angle, she pushed down, fully sheathing him inside her body. They both moaned.
Unable to not touch her any longer, Terric grabbed Jacqueline by the hips, lifted her slightly then pushed her back down onto himself, showing her how to ride him. Jacqueline moaned at the feeling of having Terric so deep inside her. Doing as he had shown her, Jacqueline slid up and down on Terric. As her climax inched ever closer, she increased the pace. When it hit her, she let her head fall back, groaning with her release. Terric pushed up, hard, once more then emptied himself into her.
* * * *
It was some hours before Terric and Jacqueline joined the others in the hall. The need to reaffirm their bond had not been something they could ignore so easily. Now with that desperate need fulfilled, at least for the moment, they emerged from their chamber.
Lady Elizabeth, who held her grandson in her arms, was the first to notice their arrival. "So you have finally come up for a breath of air, I see."
Jacqueline flushed bright red to the very roots of her hair. "Mother!"
Her mother laughed. "My marriage to your father might not be made from the stuff of dreams, but I do recognize true love. I see it in the love you and Terric have for each other. It is nothing to be ashamed of."
Kissing her mother on her cheek, Jacqueline noticed Jordan was fast asleep in his grandmother's arms. "Let me take Jordan to his cradle. Alice will not mind watching him until he wakes up."
"You will do nothing of the sort. He is perfectly fine here. He is content and so am I."
"Very well, have it your way mother. But I want to hear exactly how you managed to acquire some of the king's men."
A Tournament Knight Page 22