“Dominique... my love... my precious little sister...” His voice trailed suddenly. And then he frowned, seeming to regain hold of himself. “My presence here does naught but undo the good we’ve worked so hard to achieve. Can you not see that?”
Reluctantly, Dominique nodded.
“The truth is that while I crave this alliance above life itself, I cannot trust myself to remain under the same roof with Blaec d’Lucy. You witnessed the truth of that today—nor do I trust the bastard any more than I trust myself in his presence. I cannot abide the man. No, ’tis best I go. There is too much to be lost else wise. And you shall see... all will be set right in the end,” he assured her, releasing her chin abruptly and thrusting her face away, as though it disturbed him suddenly.
“You must trust me,” he said. And then he grasped her arms suddenly, startling her. “Do you trust me, Dominique?” He shook her gently when she did not at once respond. “Do you?”
Dominique nodded, and allowed him to draw her once more into his embrace, although he held her a little too tightly this time, a little too intensely. God’s truth, but she thought he would squeeze the breath from her lungs! Gasping for air, she felt the sudden inexplicable need to pull away, distance herself, but she did not. She held him back, though somewhat rigidly, telling herself it was merely that she was unaccustomed to such affections between them. She frowned at herself... This was good... this was what she wanted... wasn’t it?
“Good,” he said, and sighed heavily, releasing her.
Relieved, Dominique at once stepped back out of his reach, drawing in a shaky breath.
He frowned at her reaction, but overlooked it and said, “Listen to me closely, Dominique... You must find a way to hasten the ceremony. You must lead Graeham to the altar as soon as possible. It simply cannot wait, for I fear Blaec d’Lucy would thwart us if he could. Do you understand me?”
Dominique nodded. “He does not trust us,” she agreed, and then averted her eyes as her heart twisted painfully. Her brows knit. “I do believe he despises me, in truth.” She dared not glance up at William in that instant, dared not... for fear that he would see how very much the notion pained her.
Not when she could not comprehend it herself. Sweet Mary, but why should she care what Blaec d’Lucy felt for her? Yet somehow... somehow... she did.
“I understand,” she said, gazing up at him as tears once again welled in her eyes. God’s love, but she was so confused. “I swear I’ll not disappoint you, William.” She shook her head. “I swear, I will not.”
He studied her a moment, and Dominique fidgeted under his intense scrutiny. “Nay,” he agreed, his expression hardening abruptly, “you’ll not.” His eyes pierced her as he cautioned, “See that you do not.”
Try as she might, long after William departed Drakewich, Dominique still could not abolish from her thoughts the warning in his glare. Something about the way he’d looked at her as he’d ridden from the gates filled her with dismay, for it left her with a sense of impending doom.
Following their discourse, William had not even remained long enough to take the evening meal with her: rather he and his retainers returned to Amdel, hoping to utilize the remaining daylight for their ease of travel.
At table, Dominique was especially quiet, reticent even, listening to the bantering of the men, and trying not to feel a hostage in the enemy’s court. For truth, that was what she felt like, even despite that Graeham d’Lucy seemed intent on smoothing the way before them. He entertained her with stories of his and his brother’s youth, while Dominique tried not to wonder what his devil brother was up to, conspicuously absent as he was.
Scarcely able to bear the tension of awaiting his inevitable arrival and the burden of smiling when she did not feel like it, Dominique was unable to muster the slightest appetite. She excused herself early and escaped to the solitude of her chamber.
With Alyss’ help, she prepared herself for bed and crawled beneath the covers, fatigued by the ordeal of the day. Though still, even into the blackness of night, sleep eluded her.
Forsaken and afraid as she felt, the overwhelming sense of doom intensified.
Something was not right, she knew.
She could feel it just as surely as she breathed.
Or perhaps it was simply guilt... guilt because along with her brother’s face, another face swam before her eyes, as well.
Not Graeham d’Lucy’s.
This face was swarthy... scarred... the eyes too knowing, scathing... and still—God have mercy upon her wicked, unrepenting soul—she craved those beautiful, demanding lips upon her own...
The very memory stirred to life within her the most disturbing heat. She tossed and writhed upon the bed, breathless and perspiring, betrayed by her traitorous body, unable to find respite. Nor could she resolve the man Alyss spoke of with the one she knew. Kind? Compassionate? She could not conceive it, and yet Alyss’ words held some truth, though it seemed it was only Dominique who inspired such viciousness in Blaec d’Lucy, for he had been concerned for Alyss.
Dominique was confused.
And God help her, when at last she succumbed to sleep, it was of the Dragon she dreamt.
Chapter 16
The almoner had collected and distributed much of the previous night’s offerings, but Dominique felt it her duty to see that the villagers received more. After all, these would soon be her people—regardless of what she felt for their lord—and somehow she felt responsible after seeing their homes ablaze in the night. Many still worked diligently to repair their incinerated huts, while others searched for strays from their animals, gathering them together to rebuild their fences and cages.
Early this morn, Dominique had requested permission from Graeham to dispense items of need: blankets, clothing, and some food. Closeted with his odious brother, he’d refused to see her, but had granted his express permission for her to take whatever was necessary to them. In that, he’d been generous, as somehow she’d known he would be, but the fact that he continued to avoid her made her feel less than welcome in his home. Dominique couldn’t help but wonder, bitterly, that if he found her so repulsive, why he would risk the alliance. How could she inspire in one man such hatred, and the other such indifference?
God’s truth, but she was becoming so very confused.
Free to come and go as she chose, she conveyed what she could to the village and was surprised that they received her offerings with such mistrust. Truth to tell, they eyed her as though they expected her to hand them poison instead of the comforts she bore. Dominique didn’t care. Let them mistrust her if they would. For now. Soon enough they would see that she meant to be mistress here in every way—and that meant caring for them in the manner she’d never been able to for the villein at Amdel. Twas something she aspired to, and she would prove herself to them all.
Without being asked to, she began a stew of leeks and cabbage for one of the larger families, showing the woman, Maude, how to employ the most common spices to flavor the broth. While Dominique was no master of the simples, she certainly knew enough to enlighten them. Alyss, on the other hand, was quite skilled, and Dominique vowed to bring the maid along on her next visit. There would be much Alyss could teach them, Dominique was certain—including how to grow some of the more useful herbs themselves. Maude, for her part, stood guard over her shoulder, as though she expected Dominique to add a pinch of mandrake instead. No matter that she told herself she was not insulted, she was. She could not help but be.
Later, wearied of trying to prove herself to the parents, she played hide-and-seek with the children, keeping them occupied whilst their mothers and fathers labored to set things aright From the children, she received a more ardent welcome. In their innocence, they held no prejudice against her, and she found herself, for the first time in days, able to forget that she was an unwelcome stranger in their midst.
Still, their honesty was staggering, bewildering.
“My da says your devil brother burned our house
,” one older boy told her.
The laughter died in Dominique’s throat. Caught in the middle of tying the scarf about the boy’s eyes, she unraveled the knot and whirled the lad about to face her. “Nay! ’Tis not so,” she told the lad, seizing him by the shoulders, trying to make him see the truth. “Your da is not right! My brother was with me during the fire—within the castle! Do you understand? He most certainly did not burn your homes!”
She released him when he nodded mutely, but her own expression remained stricken, for the damage was done. She could play no longer with her heart so heavy. God’s truth, but it seemed that when her brother was innocent, he was guilty still. It was unfair!
She offered the day’s farewells with a smile, though it never reached her heart. Even with hugs from the children and a penitent glance from the boy who had accused her brother, she could not regain her former resolve and lightheartedness. Nor could she so soon return to the castle. Instead, she mounted her palfrey and sought sanctuary in the distant meadow. There she dismounted and sat wearily upon the plush grass, and before she could stop them, tears sprang to her eyes.
It seemed hopeless. Could these people ever forget the bitter battles fought by their fathers and accept her as she was? She had been willing to lay her grudges to rest. It was her own father, after all, who had perished at the hands of Gilbert d’Lucy! If she could forget these things for the sake of peace... could not these people even try?
Dominique knew it was pointless to feel sorry for herself. She knew it would solve nothing, and yet she could scarcely keep the sadness and sense of loss—a loss she’d not even experienced at the death of her own father, at least not so acutely— from enveloping her. And then there was the loneliness. With William gone from Drakewich, she truly had no one.
No one at all.
Nor could William truly care for her when he’d left her here alone to endure as best she could in his enemy’s home. Nor had he promised he would return for her nuptials. On the contrary, he’d admitted that he could not stomach the sight of her with Graeham d’Lucy. It was as though she were being exiled. So, then, he would sacrifice her and abandon her so easily? Would he never again be able to bear the sight of her? What sort of an alliance was that to be?
It was no alliance but war, a little voice answered.
And she was its casualty.
Plucking a new blade of grass from its pale green sheath, she studied it, turning it between her fingers. Then, suddenly tossed the blade into the breeze and watched as it was carried away. Lifting her gaze toward Drakewich, she thought that, like the solitary blade, she was lost, caught in the wind between heaven and earth... or rather, hell.
As the blade fell to the ground in the distance, she knew that selfsame fate would be her own.
‘It was hell that awaited her.
A soft sob escaped her and was muffled at once, for as she glanced behind her to be certain she was alone, she caught sight of a figure on horseback, watching silently from the shadows of the woods.
Gasping in startle, she scrambled to her feet, her heart racing as she turned to face the rider.
She thought—God’s love—she could not be certain, but it looked to be William! She would recognize his odd helm from any distance, uncommon as it was. Made of a darker metal, with rivets and bands and a nose guard that fell well below his chin, dividing his face full in half, it was a sight that would have frightened her silly were it not so familiar. Yet it was, and the possibility that it might be William lifted her spirits at once.
Had he changed his mind? Had he returned?
Waving, Dominique hailed the rider, but the figure did not so much as stir. Yet she knew it was him—she knew it! Why he did not make himself known? It was him, she knew it. Tossing caution to the wind, she lifted her skirts and began to race toward him, but even as she closed the distance, the figure retreated into the trees. Dominique called out his name, and ran faster, though her sides ached with the exertion.
“William! Wait! William!”
She shouted to no avail, stopping and gulping in a breath as the rider disappeared completely from view, swallowed by the trees. Still, she was too close to simply stop where she stood. It was him. She knew it. It had to be! Once again she lifted her skirts and ran, stopping to catch her breath only when she entered the threshold of the woods. Unable to go farther, she leaned against a tree rather than collapse to her knees, resting as she took in her surroundings, seeking some sign of the rider.
He was gone.
Her side ached, and she clutched it, winded and disheartened.
The area was undisturbed, as though the horseman had been naught but an apparition. But it could not be...
The hairs at the back of her nape prickled, rising. She could not have imagined him.
She had seen a rider.
Shaking her head, she covered her face with her hands and gave way to a rare burst of hysterics. Had she wished so much for her brother’s return that she would imagine him here? God’s truth, but she thought she would go mad in this place alone!
“Looking for someone, demoiselle?”
Startled by the unanticipated voice, Dominique straightened at once, pushing herself from the tree to face Blaec d’Lucy. She frowned. Her tormenter. For an instant there was only silence between them as she composed herself. “You!” she exclaimed suddenly.
Like some doomster, he sat his mount, looking down at her, saying nothing, though his brows lifted, mocking her once again.
Her hackles rose, and her hands went to her hips in outrage. “It was you!” she accused him. “You all along! What right have you to stalk me this way?”
He cocked one brow higher. “Is that what I am doing?”
He sounded bored, as though he could not care a whit that she’d caught him spying. Dominique’s blush heightened with her outrage. “You know very well what you are doing, my lord! Tell me what it is you hoped to discover by following me—spying!” she accused outright. Let him be offended, if he would, for she had no desire to mince words.
“What is it you hoped to hide?” he countered, dismounting, tossing the destrier’s reins over its withers.
Dominique eyed him warily as he approached. And then it struck her that, for the first time, he’d not donned his raiment of war. Nor had he worn the ominous black. Instead, he’d worn a shorter, light gray tunic with simple blue embroidery, and dark blue hose. Nothing remarkable. But the breeches, unlike the ones he’d worn the day before, were shorter, and all but indiscernible beneath the tunic, leaving his hose completely exposed to view. Dominique had seen the fashion worn on occasion, though never quite so indecently. Having never been to court to witness the changing fashions, she was rarely subjected to such revealing sights. And her brother’s men—her brother, included—had not the coin to follow the newest trends. Praise God for that, for the sight of his near bare legs left her dumbfounded.
Standing before him now, faced with his state of dress, she forgot everything, forgot his scarcely veiled accusation, forgot her wariness, forgot her anger, forgot even her good breeding. Her gaze rose the length of his well-muscled calves to his perfectly delineated thighs, and she was struck speechless. “I...” She swallowed convulsively, her gaze returning to his face briefly and then back to his disclosed limbs.
A shudder coursed through Blaec at the look she gave him. “You what, demoiselle?” His voice sounded strange to his own ears. God curse him, she didn’t know what trouble she was courting with that look. Were he any other man... and she any other woman...
Christ... were she not to wed his brother...
It didn’t matter what she wore, or for that matter, that she was dirty after serving in the village and rollicking with the children, she was beautiful—too beautiful for his own good. He’d watched her from the castle walls, for it had struck him as odd that she’d wish to aid the villagers when it was her own brother who had caused so much destruction... or perhaps that was why she wished to help. Guilt was an effective moti
vator. Or at least, he’d begun to believe it was so until he’d spied her here, waiting—he’d not missed the rider on horseback, watching from the distance. Dominique must have known him, expected him, for she’d waved. But the rider had disappeared upon spotting Blaec’s approach. That she’d not realized he rode toward them told Blaec only that she’d lost all thought at the sight of her... lover, was he? The mere possibility sat like acid within his belly.
“You seem to be struck dumb of a sudden, Lady Dominique.” His jaw tightened with displeasure. “Was it something I said?”
Her gaze remained fixed upon his limbs. “Something you said,” she repeated. Her brows knit, and her tongue darted out to lap at her lush, full Lips.
Heat surged through his veins. “Lady Dominique...” Blaec shut his eyes, willing his own body to restraint. When he reopened them again, it was to find her staring still, and he shuddered, undone by the desire so evident in her brilliant blue eyes. Eyes that were too knowing by far. It was a gaze that enticed and teased, for she knew very well he could not have her.
Would not.
Did she tease him on purpose? He wondered.
It led him to wonder, too, though he had no right to, how oft she’d issued such blatant invitation before. It led him to wonder how oft such temptations were met. Once again, it led him to anger.
And then he reminded himself that he had every right to consider his brother’s interest. The very last thing he intended was to allow her to foist some bastard’s by-blow upon Graeham. Graeham was too accepting by far. His anger rose, and with it his determination to discover the truth about the little vixen standing so defiantly before him.
Who had she intended to meet... her lover, by God, or was it her brother’s spy?
Either possibility burned his gut raw.
She was no innocent, he vowed. Nothing about her bespoke it—not her too ripe bosom, nor her long, lean legs, made to wrap around a man’s waist in bawdy pleasure. Again he shuddered, more affected by the sight of her than he cared to acknowledge.
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