Seduced (Thrice Blessed Book 3)

by Kirsten Osbourne

  Marina wasn’t sure how to answer that question. “My mother died when I was young. She died in childbirth.”

  “Not when she was having you?”

  “No, during her second pregnancy. She died having our brother.” Marina looked down at her hands. “I always felt like it was my fault that she died, because I couldn’t save her.”

  “Why couldn’t you? You’re a healer.”

  “I wasn’t strong enough.”

  He frowned at that. “That’s not what people say about you.”

  “Have you been listening to the rumors about me? I assure you, I’m not a witch.” Marina was becoming more uncertain of him by the moment. She leaned back as their trenchers were filled. “Do not listen to what people say about me. Ask me if you want truth.”

  “I heard rumors of your beauty and your ability to heal.” Jarrett’s hand found hers, and he held it tight. “They were true.”

  Marina studied him for a moment before pulling her hand away. His touch did not warm her from the inside out as Charles’s did. Instead it made a shiver crawl up her spine. No matter. He could give her children the same as Charles could.

  After supper, the table was pushed to one end of the room so they could dance. Eva set up the orchestra on top of the table, and the three couples formed a circle. They danced two dances, before Marina stepped away. It didn’t feel right dancing with another man while Charles watched.

  “I need a drink!” she exclaimed, rushing to the table to take a sip of her drink from earlier.

  Jarrett followed her to the table. “Perhaps a stroll outside to cool off,” he suggested.

  Marina frowned even as she nodded. If she didn’t take the time to get to know him better, she would never be able to marry him. “I’d like that.”

  Charles shook his head. “No, she needs one of the three of us to escort her if she’s going to go outside.”

  Jarrett stared at the other man for a moment. “You may follow five paces behind.”

  Charles swallowed his anger and nodded. “I will. I can’t let her go when I don’t feel like she’s safe with you.” Charles was the man’s trainer during the day, but at night, the other man acted as if he was better than him. That wouldn’t be allowed to continue for long.

  Jarrett shrugged. “Your feelings aren’t in question, are they?” He offered his arm to Marina who took it, fully aware of Charles watching them.

  “What do you like to do when you’re not working?” she asked softly, trying to draw him into a conversation where he actually talked about himself. She knew very little about him, and it seemed as if he knew all there was to know about her.

  “I like to practice fighting. I enjoy hunting.”

  “Oh, hunting is one of my very favorite things! I’m very good with a bow and arrow.” She and her sisters hunted together at every opportunity, which wasn’t nearly as much as they’d like lately.

  He led her outside to the very cold grounds. “I probably shouldn’t have brought you into the cold,” he said as she shivered.

  “I don’t mind at all,” she said softly. As they walked, she asked questions. “Do you read?”

  He laughed. “Read? No, I never learned. I never had a desire to learn. There was always another weapon to learn to use.”

  “I see.” She asked question after question, and he told her little in his answers.

  Finally, he looked back over his shoulder at Charles. “We should run from him. Go where he cannot see us so I may kiss you.”

  Although she had kissed Charles many more times than she could count, the idea of kissing this man was repugnant. “No thank you. I don’t feel like I know you well enough to share a kiss yet.”

  He seemed annoyed by her answer, but didn’t argue with her. When they walked back to the entrance, he did lean down and kiss her cheek. “Until tomorrow.”

  She frowned as he walked away, realizing he was assuming he was invited to supper again. Well, she’d given him every right in the world to assume that. She’d made it very clear she was interested. Had she made a mistake?

  She took the few steps into the manor just as Charles caught up with her, he took her arm. “I think you need to stop giving him false hope.”

  “False hope? Why would you say I’m giving him false hope?”

  “Because you won’t marry him. Ever. You and I both know it.” Charles walked past her and up the stairs. Her father was still at the table, so he didn’t worry she might not be safe.

  Marina frowned, narrowing her eyes. Yes, she would marry him. If he asked, she would definitely say yes. If only to make Charles crazy.

  Marina was surprised to see that Charles had been assigned to guard them the following day. He was standing in Hugh’s usual place in the hallway outside of Christiana’s bedroom, staring straight ahead. Hugh had been their guard every day since his marriage to Eva.

  She slipped into Christiana’s bedchamber, frowning at Eva. “Why isn’t Hugh out there guarding us? I don’t want Charles there!”

  Eva smiled. “Yes, you do. You know it, and we know it. Why do you keep making eyes at Jarrett?”

  Marina plopped down onto the bed of their jail. “I want to marry, and Charles isn’t interested. Jarrett’s the first nobleman I’ve seen since we became prisoners in our own home.” She picked up her embroidery and stabbed it with a needle. “We never exactly had a lot of visitors in our remote corner of the world.” Her eyes met Christiana’s. “I always wonder how Walter found his way here to become betrothed to you.”

  “I think his father made it happen.” Christiana frowned for a moment. “Sometimes I wonder if Walter isn’t the master we’re fighting against.”

  Marina gasped, sensing that Eva had been surprised as well. “Do you really think so?”

  Christiana nodded slowly. “I do. I don’t think I did until I said it, but I really do! I remember sensing evil when Father was brought back to us. It’s possible that it was Walter who I was sensing.”

  “That…Christiana, that would explain a lot. How the evil ones know so very much about us. I think you may be right.” Eva walked across the room to Christiana. “We must tell Roland.”

  “But we’ve no proof.” Christiana shook her head. “No, I’m not ready to give him a name just yet. He’ll go out looking for a fight, and we all know where that will get us.”

  Marina nodded. “With the forces divided. Roland would take half his men and leave half his men. The manor can’t withstand a siege with half forces. Maybe after Roland’s castle is completed, but not now.”

  “We’ll keep doing what we can to be certain, but we can’t tell them. Not yet.” Eva sat down on the bed beside Marina. “We have to stay together to protect Marina.”

  Marina frowned. “I wish I didn’t always have to be the one being protected.” She understood she was the weakest, but it felt as though it was always her who couldn’t do as much as the others.

  Christiana smiled down at her youngest sister. “Even if your powers were stronger, you’d still be the one we protect. You can heal us.”

  “But I’m as good with a bow and arrow as the two of you are!”

  “Yes, you are. But not everyone knows that.” Christiana got a strange look on her face. “Just a moment. Roland is speaking to me.” She closed her eyes. “Oh, my goodness.”

  Eva eyed her warily. “What?”

  “Jarrett has just asked Roland for Marina’s hand.”

  Marina froze. “But…I’ve known him two days.”

  “Roland told him that he may ask, but you have the final say in who you do and don’t marry.”

  “I can’t marry someone I’ve known for such a short time, can I?”

  Christiana shrugged. “Many ladies never meet their husband before they marry. I married Roland the day after I met him, and we have a love that I never imagined would be mine.”

  Marina bit her lip for a moment. “Excuse me.” She left the room, closing the door firmly behind her. She had to talk to Charles. He had to k
now what she was thinking about doing. “Jarrett just asked Roland’s permission to marry me.”

  Charles stared at her as if she’d lost her mind. “You’re not really contemplating marrying that oaf, are you?” He couldn’t stand by and watch her go to another man.

  Marina shrugged. “I want children. You’ve made it very clear you want nothing to do with me, and I don’t know what I should do.”

  Charles closed his eyes for a moment, knowing it was time to say something or see her marry the other man and be unhappy. “I don’t want you to marry him.”

  “Why not? You don’t want to marry me, so what do you care if I marry him?”

  He sighed. “I care, because I do want to marry you. I just want time to make my fortune first.”

  “Why? Why do you feel you need a fortune? I will never live apart from my sisters. We’re tied together by our powers. We need each other.” She shook her head. “Fortune or not, we’ll need to live close to them for the rest of our lives.”

  “But…you truly don’t care to be the mistress of your own home? You don’t mind that your sister is in charge? That this is her household?”

  Marina shook her head. “All I’ve ever really cared about is healing people and spending time with the people I love. If we all live together it’s easier to spend our time together, and I can heal the peasants every day. If I move away, I start all over again, with them believing I must be a witch if I have the power to heal. Half the peasants here still believe that.”

  Charles stared at her. “You’re not lying to me? Not trying to make me think that you wouldn’t feel as if you’re marrying beneath you?”

  She stepped closer to him, doing what she’d vowed she would never do again. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. “You’ve never been beneath anyone, Charles Nobilis.”

  He caught her hips in his hands and crushed her to him, his mouth coming down hard on hers, his tongue swiftly invading her mouth as he kissed her. “I thought you were going to marry that awful man, and I’d have to stand by and watch!”

  She shook her head. “No. Never would I ask that of you.” And she knew now she couldn’t. As much as she wanted children, she would wait for Charles. He was the only man she could ever love. How could she not have seen that before?

  He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Then marry me, Marina. I don’t care if you have strange powers. I need you in my life. And I need to keep you away from Jarrett. He is beneath you.”

  Marina laughed. “But I must tell him that I won’t marry him.”

  Charles frowned. “Tell Christiana to have Hugh come up here to take my place. We’ll go tell Jarrett together.” After a moment, he shrugged, a grin crossing his face. “I suppose we should tell Roland as well.”

  “You would do that?”

  Charles laughed. “I would do it with great pleasure.”

  She nodded, walking back into the bedchamber her sisters were in. “There’s going to be a wedding, but I’m not marrying Jarrett. Please have Hugh come up here, Christiana. Charles and I are going to talk to Roland and Jarrett right now.”

  Christiana nodded, closing her eyes to talk to her husband and have him send Hugh, while Eva flew at Marina, hugging her tight. “You will have the most beautiful wedding of all. We have time to plan yours. We’ll start on your dress tonight.”

  “I’m not sure that Charles wants to wait, sister.” Marina blushed as she said the words, because she still had no idea what would happen after marriage, but now her sisters would finally have to tell her. “Tell me about the marriage bed!”

  Eva shook her head. “Not yet. I want to know when you’re marrying first. We’ll tell you the night before you marry.”

  “You are not being very sisterly!” Marina frowned at her sister. “It’s your duty to tell me!”

  “It will be my duty to tell you before you marry. Not right this instant.” Eva looked over at Christiana. “Is Hugh on his way?”

  “Yes, he should be here in a moment.” Christiana rushed over to hug Marina. “I haven’t told you how happy I am for you yet.”

  Marina smiled. “You didn’t have to tell me. You don’t think I can see it on your face?” Marina had always felt closer to Christiana than she did to Eva, but it had taken Eva’s husband for her to understand why. She and Eva could both communicate directly with Christiana in their heads, but they couldn’t with each other. It made it much easier for them to be closer to Christiana.

  There was a knock on the door, and Charles stuck his head in. “Hugh is here. Let’s go talk to Roland and Jarrett.”

  From behind Charles came the words, “Jarrett is ill. He returned to his tent after a short talk with Roland.”

  “That will make it easier to find him,” Marina said, her eyes not leaving Charles’s face. “Let’s get this over with.” She wasn’t looking forward to crushing Jarrett’s feelings, and she could only imagine what Roland would say. Before leaving the bedchamber, she looked back at Christiana. “Did you tell Roland?”

  Christiana shook her head. “I thought I’d leave that to you two.”

  Charles took Marina’s hand and walked with her down the stairs. “What will people think if we walk outside holding hands?” she asked him when they were about to open the huge, wooden door to the outside.

  He shrugged. “They’ll think that we care for each other. Or maybe that we’re getting married. Would either of those things be untrue?”

  Marina shook her head. “Eva wants us to have time to plan a large wedding.”

  Charles shook his head adamantly. “That’s not going to happen. We’ll marry tomorrow.”

  She laughed, not at all surprised. She and Charles had been passionate for one another from the first moment they’d met. “I was expecting that.”

  “Well, it’s either that or I’ll come to your room tomorrow night anyway. I’ll let you choose.”

  “Tomorrow sounds wonderful,” she said, blushing. Now her sisters would have to tell her immediately. She only hoped what they told her wouldn’t frighten her away from marriage.

  Charles pulled her toward Roland. “I’m marrying Marina,” he announced when they were standing in front of his brother.

  “That doesn’t surprise me.” Roland looked at Marina. “You’ve agreed to marry the oaf? Even though he doesn’t begin to deserve a woman like you?”

  She nodded. “I’m taking pity on him.”

  Roland grinned. “You’ll be twice my sister. There’s not another woman I would choose for that.” He leaned down and pressed his lips to her cheek.

  “Thank you, my brother.” Marina stepped back, leaning closer to Charles. As much as she loved and respected Roland, it felt strange to have her sister’s husband kiss her anywhere…even her cheek. “Now we must seek out Jarrett.”

  Roland frowned. “He said he was feeling ill earlier, and he retired to his tent for the day. He hasn’t been working for me for long enough to take time away from his training.”

  Marina nodded. “Do you know which tent is his?”

  Charles started walking away from his brother, her hand still in his. “I know which is his.”

  When they got to the edge of the courtyard, he nodded to one of the tents. Marina wasn’t sure of the protocol. Should she talk to him through the tent?

  Charles had no worries, he threw back the flap, but then quickly tried to shield Marina from seeing what was happening inside. “I thought you were ill,” he said angrily.

  Marina saw just enough to realize he wasn’t alone. Bethanie, the camp follower, was in the tent with him, and she was wearing almost nothing. “I don’t feel like I owe him any kind of explanation now!” Marina said, turning on her heel.

  “Marina, wait!” Jarrett called. “I am ill. I was lying there, trying to sleep, and she threw herself at me. I was afraid to hurt her by pushing her away.”

  She looked at him, his chest bare as he chased after her. “Funny, but you don’t look ill. Exactly what’s wrong?” She reached her hand
toward him, but he flinched away, obviously knowing she could ascertain his truthfulness with a touch.

  “I had an upset stomach. I’m better now.”

  “I see.” She nodded to Charles. “Charles and I are marrying tomorrow. I wanted you to know from me, before you heard it from another.”

  Jarrett looked angry. “Then why were you trifling with my affections?”

  “I wasn’t. I didn’t know that Charles returned my feelings,” she said softly, feeling guilt wash over her. Jarrett’s face was full of rage, and she was frightened of him.

  Bethanie chose that moment to step out of his tent, her clothing set to rights. “Jarrett, I thought we were going to have a little fun. What are you doing with this…lady?”

  Jarrett turned to the camp follower, one hand moving up quickly. It was too late by the time Marina saw the knife in his hand. He’d already sliced Bethanie’s neck open. She fell to the ground, still sputtering unintelligibly.

  Marina moved to help her, but Charles held her back. “No. It would take too much from you. She’s not worth it.”

  “All life is worth saving! All!”

  “Not hers. Trust me.” Charles pulled her to him, forcing her face into his shoulder. “I will see to it that you are dismissed,” he said to Jarrett. “You cannot come here and kill indiscriminately.”

  Jarrett shrugged. “She’s just a camp follower, and I was angry.”

  “But you weren’t even angry with her!” Marina said, her voice muffled slightly by Charles’s tunic. She felt responsible for Bethanie’s death, and it hurt her, even though the other woman had only been ugly to her.

  “I’ll be gone within the hour,” Jarrett promised, striding back into his tent.

  Charles called after him. “Make it half an hour.”

  Marina stared down at the dead woman on the ground. “She’ll need a proper grave dug. I’ll get the priest.” She couldn’t even let Bethanie lie there on the cold ground, without a proper burial. It had nothing to do with the quality of person the camp follower had been, and everything to do with who Marina was. It wouldn’t happen. Everyone needed more compassion than that.