The Lady's Choice

by Bernadette Rowley

  ‘Can it really work?

  ‘All that is required is that your gift be sufficiently attractive to the prince for him to wear it. You know his taste.’

  Ramón nodded, his thoughts racing as he pieced the plot together. ‘I will purchase the ring tomorrow and come straight to you. I do not want Benae to be tormented a night more than is necessary.’

  As Benae brushed her hair, her haunted eyes gazed back at her. She had not seen Ramón since yesterday, when he told her he would help. He had not helped and now she had endured another night of torture from her husband. Soon she must again meet him in his rooms. Where was Ramón? What was he planning? Was he planning anything? She berated herself for relying on him but a part of her wanted to be rescued. She sighed. Wasn’t that how she had come to be in this state? Seeking rescue from Prince Zialni for her people? When would she ever learn?

  It was time to meet her husband. Benae checked her appearance and sighed again. No matter what she did, she could not banish the dark smudges beneath her eyes. Pulling on her thick dressing gown, she left her room and walked down the hall to Jiseve’s chambers. He answered the door at her knock and drew her into his bedchamber, pushing her down on the bed.

  ‘Can we not dispense with the straps tonight, Jiseve? I am worried someone will see the bruises.’

  ‘You had better ensure no one notices your injuries.’ He pulled off her dressing gown and pushed the sleeves of her nightgown above the elbow. With practised efficiency, he secured the leather straps above her elbows and tightened them until they pinched her skin. She tried to suppress the whimper that his rough treatment brought but she could not and Jiseve smiled at her distress. Once he had her arms tied, he moved onto her ankles and fastened them so tightly that within seconds she lost all feeling in her feet.

  ‘What present will you give me tomorrow, wife?’ Jiseve said. ‘The news that you are with child would be welcome.’

  Benae gasped. Had he guessed? He must not know yet. ‘It is too soon to know if I am pregnant,’ Benae said through gritted teeth. Her arms burned and her fingers were going numb.

  Jiseve pushed up her nightgown to reveal her naked lower body. She was so vulnerable like this, spread-eagled and trussed so that she could barely move. ‘Your lover has already given me my birthday gift.’ He waggled his right hand at her. A signet ring with a ruby stone adorned his right ring finger. ‘Is it not handsome?’

  Benae could not speak. She nodded because she had learned not to ignore her husband. Why had Ramón given Jiseve a gift? It was the last thing she would have expected. She did not understand. Was he trying to lull Jiseve into a false sense of security?

  Jiseve fell upon her bare chest and bit her on the nipple. A scream ripped through her, tears springing from her eyes. Damn her weakness. Now Jiseve would gag her and she hated being gagged. Sure enough, he pulled a square of cloth from his sleeve and stuffed it into her mouth then returned to alternately kissing and biting her all over her breasts.

  She was choking, saliva pooling at the back of her throat, fear and tears making it difficult to get her breath. Was this it? Would she die in this moment, her child unborn? Benae writhed under him, her pelvis jerking as she tried to pull against her bonds. Through a mist of tears and a fog of semiconsciousness she watched her husband drag his breeches from his hips, ready for the coupling that was a finale to his torture.

  His rod freed, Jiseve knelt over her and plunged himself into her core, making her scream anew. Tonight he was more frantic than ever before, thrusting harder and harder as if he were trying to burrow into her. Fear for her unborn child almost overcame her fear of asphyxia. Surely her babe could not withstand this treatment? She tried to think of a tranquil lake but the only picture that came to mind was a storm-tossed sea.

  Suddenly he stiffened and then collapsed upon her, his whole body trembling with his release. The first of several couplings for the evening was over. Benae tried to swallow the moisture that pooled in her throat but it was nigh impossible with the rag in her mouth. She sobbed, wriggling under him, desperate for him to remove her gag. Surely he would do that much?

  But Jiseve did not move. His body relaxed, his weight pressed down upon her and a new panic gripped Benae. She wiggled and bucked but his weight would not be shifted no matter what she did. What was wrong? He was not breathing. He was not moving . . . Could Jiseve be dead? With the thought that she was stuck under the body of her dead husband came sheer mind-blowing panic. She thrashed about, trying to tip him off her but his deadweight held him fast. In her struggles, her fist must have flown out to the side for the bedside lamp fell to the floor with a crash. Oil spilled across the carpet and flame exploded along with it. The carpet beside the bed was alight in seconds, the flame creeping towards the bedcovers. Once it reached the bed she would be beyond help.

  ‘Benae! Are you here?’ Ramón’s voice floated to her through the haze of her fear and she spied his face at the door of the bedroom. ‘Goddess!’

  He charged over to the bedside and rolled the carpet over the top of the fire to starve it of air then hurled a blanket across the top of it all. He pushed Jiseve’s body off her and Benae flinched at the horror on his face. But it was only there a split second before he dragged her nightdress down to cover her and pulled the gag from her mouth.

  Benae drew in a long, ragged breath once the cloth was removed and her gaze found the body of her husband. The startled expression on his face would have been funny if she had not been so afraid for herself, her unborn babe and now Ramón. He had the leather cuffs untied in mere moments and stood massaging the blood back into her lifeless extremities. He did not speak. The stormy look on his face made Benae hold her tongue. What now?

  ‘Say something, Ramón,’ she said. But he gave her ankles another brisk rub and pulled her to a seated position on the bed before retrieving her gown and pulling it around her shoulders. He scooped her up against him and carried her from the room, back down the hall to her chambers. Ramón sat her gently in the chair in her sitting room where there was still some heat from the fire and stalked back out.

  Benae did not know how to feel. She could not rejoice in the death of another being but it was an enormous relief to be free of his torment, to know she did not have to endure even one more night of Jiseve’s attentions. Her breasts throbbed with the injuries he had inflicted just moments ago and she knew she would carry the scars for weeks. She tried to slow her breathing, using the flames in the hearth to distract her from the image of her husband lying stiff upon her. She heard a noise and when she looked up, Ramón stood in the doorway.

  ‘I have called the guard and the physician. I laid the prince out and covered him with a sheet and disposed of the leather cuffs. There is no need for others to know what torture you have suffered.’ Ramón looked as if he had been tortured as well. He had a wild look in his eyes that Benae had never seen before.

  ‘Are you well?’ She loved him even more for protecting her in this moment but her insides buckled when she thought of how he had found her.

  ‘I should be asking you that, Benae,’ he snapped. ‘How could you allow him to treat you like that? You should have told me sooner.’ He pushed his hand through his blond locks. ‘Weeks and weeks of torture and I never knew. Why?’ He stood before her, his fists bunched and his eyes desperate.

  ‘Let us not talk of it now. It is over.’

  ‘We must talk. There will be questions. What happened?’

  ‘Jiseve collapsed while in the act. It must have been too much for his heart to bear.’

  Ramón walked away, seeming to struggle with her words. When he faced her again, his gaze was even more troubled. ‘Tell me exactly what happened.’

  Benae shrank inside. ‘Must I?’

  ‘Benae!’

  She shook her head. ‘Not now, I can’t do this now, Ramón.’

  He looked as if he would argue further and then his face softened and he nodded. ‘I am sorry. You have had an ordeal this night. I will meet
the guard and the physician and speak on your behalf and then in the morning perhaps you will feel more able to endure these questions.’ He bent and kissed her cheek, then pulled her up, lifted her and walked into the bedchamber. He laid her gently on the bed and pulled the covers over her. ‘Rest now. I will visit you later.’

  Ramón’s mind boiled with questions that had no immediate answers. The prince was dead. Dead. The word left a flat, empty feeling inside him. It might be his fault. What had Hetty done to that ring? Or was it coincidence? Should he tell Benae what he and Hetty had cooked up between them? No! Better to see what she had to say first and talk to the physician.

  He paused outside the prince’s chambers and drew in several slow, deep breaths. His racing heart calmed a little. Ramón squared his shoulders and knocked on the door. It opened and Ramón stepped aside for two soldiers, who carried the burnt carpet past. Lieutenant Vorasava stood, hands on hips, in the middle of the sitting room.

  ‘Ah, Zorba, I believe you found the prince,’ he said, his dark eyes narrowing. ‘Come in.’

  Ramón stepped over the threshold. ‘Strictly speaking, Princess Benae found him but I arrived soon after.’

  Vorasava frowned. ‘Where is she now? I will need to speak with her.’

  ‘I have escorted her to her chambers. She was distraught. I think you should wait until morning.’

  ‘Perhaps. The Goddess knows there will be enough here to keep me busy all night. This is an appalling mess.’

  Ramón held his tongue.

  ‘How did you happen to be near the prince’s chambers?’ Vorasava asked. He was no common soldier. Ramón knew he would have to be careful or he would dump himself in the swill.

  ‘I usually do one last walk along the hallways before turning in. I smelt smoke and decided to investigate. I found the prince slumped upon his wife and flames licking at the bed covers. His Highness was already dead.’

  ‘What I don’t understand is how the fire started.’

  ‘That happened in the lady’s struggle to get out from under the body of her husband, I think,’ Ramón said.

  Vorasava winced. ‘A grisly business.’

  The physician appeared in the doorway to the bedchamber. ‘You can remove the body to the cellar now, lieutenant.’

  ‘What is the cause of death, doctor?’ Vorasava asked.

  ‘It is too early to say. I have taken some samples that may tell me more. It could be a weak heart. I will let you know when I have completed my investigations.’ The doctor nodded to them both and left.

  Vorasava shuddered again. ‘Physicians set my teeth on edge; poking about in other people’s corporeal fluids and digging amongst dead bodies. Are you listening, Zorba?’

  Ramón was jerked back to the present by Vorasava’s sharp tone. ‘What? Oh yes, not a job for everyone I expect. If you will excuse me, lieutenant, I will take some rest while I can.’ Ramón nodded and left before Vorasava could object.

  Benae pushed herself from her bed, finally giving in to the realisation that she would not sleep. She hardly recognised the face she saw in the mirror. Haggard was the only word that fitted. Her mind shied away from the reason for her appearance. Her mind shied away from everything since her wedding to the prince. It had been a nightmare, only worsened by last night. If she dwelt on it now, she would become unhinged. Better to keep looking forward, to concentrate on what might be. She no longer need fear her nights with Jiseve and her babe would be safe in her womb.

  There was a quiet knock at the door and Joletta arrived. Seeing Benae, she paused inside the door and curtseyed. Her gaze held uncertainty and fear.

  ‘Come in, Joletta,’ Benae said. She hurried on before the maid could speak. ‘Let us not speak of the events of last night.’ Joletta was sure to have heard of Jiseve’s death. ‘Instead, please do your best to make me presentable for the day ahead.’

  ‘Of course, Your Highness.’ Joletta’s eyes travelled over Benae and she immediately called for the bath to be filled. While they waited for the water, Joletta sat Benae in a chair and massaged her shoulders and temples, her skilled fingers easing away some of the tension that had Benae’s head throbbing. Perhaps she will make a suitable ladies’ maid after all?

  The bath prepared, Joletta washed Benae’s hair. For precious moments, Benae relaxed as the maid’s fingers massaged her scalp, but all too soon, the pampering was over and the soap washed from her hair. Still, Joletta’s attentions had worked their magic and the woman who emerged looked almost her normal self. Benae was even able to raise a smile in thanks as Joletta left.

  Clothed in her only black dress, a gown that fitted to just below her breasts then fell into a full skirt with a short train at the back, Benae made her way to the breakfast room.

  Ramón was already there, looking just as tired as she felt. Oh, how she longed to run into his arms so that he could make her forget the events of the night.

  He turned as she entered and it was as if she were seeing him for the first time: his golden locks tied back from his face, his favourite blue shirt tucked into dark grey breeches, his feet encased in soft black leather boots. But his eyes had changed since their first meeting. They were no longer the eyes of a young man but of a man who had experienced life; weary eyes.

  ‘You never cease to amaze me, lady,’ he said. ‘Even after the horror of last night, you are beautiful.’

  ‘And you, Ramón, are kind.’ She smiled and the effort lifted her heart. All would be well— somehow. She and Ramón would be together— somehow. She placed her hand on her abdomen and the movement attracted his attention.

  ‘Are you well?’ he asked, anxiety flaring in his gaze.

  She nodded and crossed to the table to pour herself a cup of steaming tea. Ramón drew a chair from the table and she sat. He piled fresh rolls onto a plate and began breaking them into pieces and spreading them with butter and honey.

  ‘You spoil me.’

  ‘You need protecting, looking after. I have failed you and so has your husband.’

  Benae frowned. ‘You have no cause to blame yourself for my predicament. You have done everything in your power to protect me. Is there any news of what killed Jiseve?’

  Ramon shook his head. ‘None.’

  A spike of pain and nerves stabbed her stomach as she contemplated the changes her husband’s death might bring. The death of a prince of the realm would not go without consequences. The king would want to find a reason for the death of his brother, someone to blame. The power vacuum in Brightcastle would concern him as well. Benae did not know how much responsibility, if any, would now fall upon her shoulders as Jiseve’s widow. Would Jiseve’s cousin move into the castle and if he did, where would that leave her?

  Where did it leave her unborn child? When her pregnancy was revealed, she would be the mother of the heir to the throne unless she told the truth. Would Ramón keep her secret or would his need to be acknowledged as the father interfere with her plans? Could she lie about her baby’s parentage? And when the child was old enough to be told the truth, what then?

  ‘Ramón, we need to talk about the future.’

  He stood and moved to pour himself another cup of tea as the door opened to admit Vorasava.

  The lieutenant’s eyes flicked from her to Ramón and back. ‘Princess, I must talk with you.’

  Ramón stepped forward. ‘Have a care, man,’ he hissed. ‘Princess Benae has had a harrowing night and is breaking her fast.’

  Vorasava frowned and cleared his throat. ‘Yes, a most difficult night. How do you fare this morning, Your Highness?’

  ‘That is a difficult question to answer, lieutenant. I find I cannot accept what has occurred and yet I must.’ Benae’s voice broke as a sob escaped her.

  ‘Quite so,’ Vorasava cleared his throat. ‘I would like to ask you some questions if I may?’

  ‘Have you come to tell me the cause of death, lieutenant?’

  He frowned again. ‘It is much too early for that. I am but a humble soldier an
d the physician must examine the body. It appears on the surface to be a failure of the heart.’

  Benae’s thoughts fluttered in her head like moths around a flame. How could Jiseve’s heart have failed? He was a vital and energetic man. She felt her face heat. Lately he had been too energetic. She raised her gaze to Vorasava and found him watching her, his eyes intense.

  ‘Can you tell me anything that might explain your husband’s death, princess? Had he complained of any ill health?’

  ‘I cannot think of anything that would point to a health problem, lieutenant. His death has shocked me.’

  ‘The squire tells me that the prince died in the act of coupling with you. Is that correct?’

  Benae drew in a deep breath. Images of the night before flashed through her head and her chest constricted. Oh Goddess, let this day be over!

  ‘Yes, lieutenant, that is the truth of the matter. I do not wish to discuss it further.’

  ‘But we must, Your Highness. The prince is dead and you were the last person to see him alive. Perhaps I should be more direct. Did you contribute in any way to your husband’s untimely demise?’

  ‘Lieutenant, you are out of order!’ Ramón leapt to his feet, his face in Vorasava’s.

  ‘I think you are rather too quick to come to the lady’s defence, Zorba.’

  The two men glared at each other. Benae felt the need to escape from both of them.

  ‘Ramón, I thank you but there is no need to defend me.’ She turned to Vorasava. ‘Lieutenant, I know no way in which I contributed to my husband’s death. Now please leave me, both of you.’

  Benae could see neither man wanted to depart but in the end both of them did, giving her short bows and leaving her blessedly alone. She sank into a chair and wondered how she would survive the day.

  Guilt gnawed at Ramón’s gut. What had he done? What had Hetty done? That signet ring he had given the prince was only supposed to cause impotence, not kill the man. Should he see Hetty and ask her? Would she tell him the truth? She was hardly going to come out and say she had cursed the man who had once tried to kill her. At least Benae was now spared her nightly torture and the babe might be safe, but what if the physician or Vorasava or the king decided Benae was responsible? King Beniel had been summoned. In the end, it would be his decision. Perhaps it had been a natural death as it seemed, but the coincidence of the ring was not to be overlooked. How could he tell Benae that he might be responsible? The thought of keeping another secret from a woman he cared about tied his stomach in knots. Enough secrets! He had to tell her and face the consequences.