The Bride and the Brute

by Laurel O'Donnell

  Nicole cast a surprised glance at Reese, which transformed into a victorious grin. She whirled and raced into the hallway after her brother’s new wife. “Jayce!”

  Jayce didn’t stop at Nicole’s cry. She stormed down the hallway, her fists clenched.

  Nicole caught up to her and seized her wrist, bringing her to a halt. “Jayce!” She smiled. “You were wonderful! I couldn’t have done better---” Her words died on her lips as her gentle eyes focused on Jayce’s face. Only then did Nicole realize Jayce’s cheeks were wet with tears, and her trembling wasn’t from anger, but from misery. “Oh, my dear,” she murmured, pulling Jayce into an embrace.

  Chapter Seven

  The great hall was silent that night. Where there was once raucous laughter and loud music, there was now only muted conversation and the plucking of a few harp strings. Many of the peasants and servants cast Reese tentative looks as he sat in his chair on the raised platform that filled the west end of the room.

  Reese met the stares with a harsh glare. He refused to feel guilty about returning Jayce to her father. He did not love her.

  Still, he had to admire her courage and conviction. No woman had ever stood up to him, spoken to him in such a manner. He was angry, and he knew he should have been insulted. But he wasn’t. Instead, he found himself admiring Jayce. Most other women would have slunk away sobbing to their fathers without saying two words to him. But not Jayce. Her eyes had sparked like the hottest part of a flame.

  She was right. And that thought angered him the most. He had only thought of himself; not once had he considered how she felt. He hadn’t even attempted to speak to her. And because of these damnable guilty feelings, he had allowed Nicole to invite Jayce to dine in the great hall before she left in the morning. Jayce sat on the opposite side of Nicole, only two seats away from him. He could feel her presence there; tingles tickled the nape of his neck.

  A movement at the far end of the great hall caught Reese’s attention, and he swiveled his head to see Dylan McNaught approaching with the usual spring to his step. Dylan was an eager, innocent, naive young man who had been recently knighted. Reese had hired him instantly, seeing in him the excitement and youth he had missed. Dylan had worked for Reese for a year now and they had become friends. His blond hair and large, boyish, brown eyes promised that in time he would break many women’s hearts. He marched up the center aisle, heading directly for the head table.

  Reese watched as he greeted Nicole with a bright smile. “It’s good to see you safe, m’lady,” Dylan said with a slight bow.

  Nicole returned the smile. “Thank you, Dylan,” she answered.

  Reese started to rise, but froze as Dylan turned his eyes to Jayce.

  “You must be Lady Jayce,” he said, reaching across the table to take her hand. He bent and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “I am honored to have you as my lady.”

  “Dylan,” Reese called, trying to correct him.

  But Dylan’s eyes alighted on Jayce’s face, and dread pierced Reese’s stomach. He opened his mouth to stop Dylan’s words, but knew he wouldn’t be quick enough.

  “I vow with all my heart to protect you and serve you as I do Lord Reese,” Dylan promised Jayce, a smile crossing his lips.

  Reese groaned and sank back into his chair, shaking his head. Dylan’s grandiose sense of honor was going to cause him untold trouble. Dylan was not a man to break his vow easily. But this was one vow that would have to be broken.

  Dylan turned to him. “Lord Reese!” He moved to stand before him. “The border lands are secure. I’ve—“

  “Dylan,” Reese said, lowering his voice, “we can discuss business after the meal.”

  “Of course,” Dylan replied, rounding the table.

  In the face of Dylan’s youthful vibrancy, Reese suddenly felt old and tired.

  *****

  It was late when Reese finally meandered up to his room. He paused before the door to his chambers. Jayce was in there. He couldn’t bring himself to kick her out of his room, too. He returned to the great hall, moving toward the hearth. It was quiet; all the servants had finished their tasks and were preparing for bed. He stopped in the middle of the room, finally noticing the room’s sole occupant.

  Jayce stood before the hearth, her hands folded before her, staring into the fire. Reese walked toward her. He stopped two strides behind her as a waft of roses met his nostrils. He knew he should leave, but then he suddenly found himself speaking. “I’m sorry about all of this,” he said quietly.

  He watched as she drew herself up. “So am I,” she finally answered in a curt voice.

  The firelight shimmered in her luxurious brown hair. “You’re a lovely woman. I’m sure your father will have no trouble finding you another husband,” Reese said, trying to be reassuring.

  She turned to him then, and her blue eyes sparkled like liquid crystal. “Apparently not lovely enough,” she answered, and moved by him.

  Reese cringed slightly at her words. She was lovelier than he had imagined. He reached out and clasped her arm, halting her movement. A shock scorched through him at the touch. “You could have been Helen of Troy. It wouldn’t matter. I will not be forced into marriage.” He held her arm a moment longer before releasing her.

  Jayce didn’t say a word. Reese only heard the soft padding of her slippered feet as she walked out the door, and out of his life.

  Chapter Eight

  Reese could not sleep that night, and the next day came all too soon. As the sun climbed into the morning sky, he stood at the window, looking down into the courtyard. He blinked away the sun’s glare and watched as Dylan helped Jayce mount her horse. The young knight and another of Reese’s most trusted men would escort her back to her father. Dylan swung himself up onto his horse, reining the prancing animal in to cast an angry glare up toward Reese.

  Reese watched Jayce’s dark hair wave in the breeze as if bidding him a farewell.

  Dylan was not talking to him.

  Something inside Reese tugged at his heart. He would never know what it felt like to touch her hair.

  Nicole was not speaking to him now, either.

  He would never know what kind of passion her spirit hid.

  Reese clenched his fingers into a fist. If only things had been different between them. He might have courted Jayce. But with the anger and resentment burning in his heart, the poor girl had no chance. This is the best way, he told himself. The only way. I will find the woman I am fated to marry. I will find the woman I am destined to love.

  The three horses started forward, moving beneath the portcullis. Reese watched them go until Jayce was just a speck on the horizon. He sighed slightly as if a weight had been removed from his shoulders. Then why did he feel as if he had just lost something precious?

  “M’lord.”

  Reese turned to see James standing in the doorway. He held out a piece of rolled parchment, sealed with a stamp of wax.

  “This just arrived,” James told him.

  Reese snatched the missive from James’s hand, inspecting the seal. It was the seal of a physician. Reese ripped it open, his eyes scanning the words. A scowl crept over his face. He clenched his jaw, dragging his gaze from the parchment to lock eyes with James.

  “Stop her,” Reese ordered. “Don’t let her leave.”

  “I’m afraid she’s already gone, sir,” James replied.

  “Then saddle my horse. I’m going after her.”

  Chapter Nine

  Jayce stared down at the pommel she gripped so tightly it made her knuckles turn white. She should have been worrying about how she was going to explain to her father that she had lied to him, that she was still a virgin, that her marriage had not been consummated. Instead, all she could think about was the feeling of betrayal stabbing her heart. Why had Reese turned her out without giving her a chance to prove herself? He had almost been repentant at the hearth the previous night, almost civil. Almost a man she could call husband. She had begun to hope that maybe he wou
ldn’t return her to her father, that they could try for a life together. But this was not to be.

  There was no reason she should feel hurt at his cold dismissal. Reese had not chosen her. He had been tricked, forced into marrying her. Yet, even knowing this, the pain of his rejection would not fade.

  She knew she should forget him. She would never see him again. But he haunted her thoughts like a vengeful apparition.

  Suddenly, her horse began to slow. She turned her gaze to the two guards before her. They were straining in their saddles, their stares focused on something behind her. She turned her head to see a horse riding toward her down the road, a small cloud of dust trailing behind the animal.

  As the rider approached, Jayce saw his dark hair rippling behind him like a banner, announcing his arrival. He was bent low over the pommel, driving the animal hard to overtake them.

  She knew instinctively who it was. Unwillingly, her heart beat faster, pounding in her chest with hope.

  Reese reined in his horse beside Dylan, announcing with an explosive pant, “She’s returning to the castle.”

  Jayce saw the satisfied grin curling Dylan’s lips, but when she turned gladdened eyes to Reese, he would not meet her gaze. Slowly, her happiness faded and apprehension rose inside her. “Why?” she demanded, finally drawing his gaze. “Have you decided to call me wife?”

  “No,” he replied, and offered no further explanation.

  Jayce’s scowl deepened. “Then why the sudden change of mind?” she inquired, refusing to budge her animal until he gave her a reason.

  Reese’s eyes narrowed slightly before he turned his face toward the breeze.

  Anger flared in Jayce. He was toying with her, playing some sort of game. “Are you convinced I’m not a part of my father’s plot to gain a husband?”

  The soft ripples of air weaved their way through his dark hair like fingers. His stubborn jaw was set.

  “Or have you suddenly developed an unselfish streak?” she asked spitefully.

  He slowly turned his ice-blue eyes to her. “Your father is dead,” he answered. “Wanted or not, you are my responsibility.”

  Dead? For a moment she thought he was lying to her. Then, Reese held out a piece of crumpled parchment to her. With numb fingers she took the paper, her dazed eyes drawn to the scroll. It was a missive from her father’s doctor. Her fingers trembled as she read its contents. Her father had been sick for months, and had finally succumbed to death.

  Jayce read the note three times. Why hadn’t she known?

  Her father had kept his distance from her during the past months, but she had no idea he was harboring a deadly illness. Distantly, she heard Reese instructing the guards to head back to Castle Harrington.

  Father is dead.

  A numbness slowly crept through her body. Father is dead, her groggy mind repeated. How can this be? She heard her name called and numbly turned her head toward the voice. Reese was staring at her, but she could read nothing in his expression.

  “Are you all right?” Reese was asking.

  Jayce felt herself trembling and fought to keep her composure. Alone. The word exploded in her mind. “Yes,” she whispered, and didn’t know if she succeeded in controlling her weak voice.

  She watched Reese turn his back on her. The shaking in her body grew until she could barely hold the reins.

  Father is dead, her mind repeated. She found she still held the parchment in her hands. The words blurred together, and Jayce swiped at her eyes. I can’t let Reese see my weakness, she told herself firmly. And even as she said this to herself, a lump rose in her throat.

  An overwhelming urge to get away filled her. But where could she go? Who would take her in? She lifted her gaze to search the landscape, as if someone would materialize there and offer her refuge. Instead, her gaze was drawn to Reese, who wavered before her tearing eyes. He sat stoically in his saddle, staring at her.

  I can’t let him see my pain, she thought. I don’t want to see his scorn. She spurred the horse forward, past him, desperately blinking back her tears. If she could just ride in front of him, she was sure she could keep a straight back. She was sure that when the tears came she could keep her shoulders from shaking.

  The horse walked forward, jarring loose a tear. It slid over her cheek and down her chin. With any luck, he had missed it. Jayce’s horse moved past his, and she knew she had made it.

  But then Reese’s hand shot forward to capture the reins of her horse, halting her animal’s progress. Jayce didn’t turn her gaze to him; she didn’t move, willing her tears to stop, willing him to release her.

  “Jayce,” he said, and his voice was full of compassion.

  It was agony. She bowed her head, squeezing her eyes closed on the tears now flowing freely over her cheeks. She couldn’t turn to him. She couldn’t be fooled by his gentle tone when she knew so well he wanted nothing to do with her.

  Then, his arm was beneath her shoulders, drawing her from her horse, pulling her onto his lap. She resisted at first, fighting the comfort his arms offered. Reese pulled her tight against his chest, her weak struggles no match for his strong arms.

  “It’s all right,” he whispered, his words spoken into the hair at the top of her head.

  Jayce buried her face in his strong chest, sobbing. His arms around her were warm and soothing. She sobbed most of the way back to his castle, and when there was nothing left but exhaustion, she succumbed to a deep sleep.

  Chapter Ten

  Her head pounded and Jayce eased her eyes open from the dark comfort of sleep. Her gaze swept her surroundings and she recognized where she was immediately. Reese’s room. Slowly, she sat up. She was in his bed, tucked beneath luxuriously warm blankets.

  She was alone. She swung her feet from the bed and had no sooner set them on the cold floor when the door opened and Nicole entered the room, a basin of water in her hands.

  Nicole’s eyes alighted on Jayce, and a smile lit her face. “Welcome back,” she greeted.

  Jayce winced and rubbed her head.

  Nicole sat on the bed beside Jayce. “I’m sorry about your father,” she said earnestly. “Truly I am.”

  Jayce shook her head, scowling. “He didn’t seem sick,” she mused. “I don’t know what happened.”

  Nicole patted her hand. “He probably didn’t want you to become alarmed.” Nicole rose and paced to the basin resting on a table. “So he hid whatever illness he had.” She dipped a rag into the water, returned to the bed, and wiped off Jayce’s face.

  “Please,” Jayce said, gently removing the rag from her hands. She stared down at it for a long moment. “Did Reese bring me back here?”

  “Yes,” Nicole answered. “He carried you into the castle and tucked you in by himself.”

  Jayce turned surprised eyes to Nicole. “Really?”

  Nicole nodded her head, her beautiful blond hair bouncing.

  “Where is he now?” Jayce asked.

  “In the great hall, breaking his fast.”

  Jayce remembered Reese’s gentle touch and his comforting warmth. She could almost feel his arms around her, holding her tight. “Do you think Reese would mind if I joined him?” Jayce wondered.

  Nicole appeared troubled for a moment, then said, “No. I don’t think he’d mind at all.”

  ***

  Jayce entered the great hall with Nicole beside her. Reese was sitting in the middle of the raised table, engaged in animated conversation. Her heart faltered, as did her steps, when he turned his gaze to her. His penetrating blue eyes seared her to the spot. She barely noticed the man with whom he had been speaking lift his dark eyes to her.

  Reese stood and moved down the center aisle as she approached. He was coming to meet her. Had something changed inside him? Was he truly going to see her differently? A grin tugged at Jayce’s lips; anticipation burned through her veins.

  But Jayce noticed with dismay that his large steps and agitated gait were not those of a happy man. With each step that brought h
im nearer, Jayce felt an uneasiness spreading through her. Her hopes fell as he stopped just before her. His jaw was clenched, his blue eyes hard with anger. His gaze swept past her to Nicole. “Is this your idea?” he demanded.

  “Your wife wished to dine with you,” Nicole answered.

  Jayce placed a gentle hand on Nicole’s arm and stepped forward to face Reese. “It was my idea. I thought...” Her voice faded as Reese’s blue eyes snapped back to meet her gaze. They were cold and dark, emotionless. She felt tears of disappointment sting her eyes. Surely she had not imagined his arms around her last night, his tender words in her ear.

  “I will have your meal brought to you in my room,” he told her. “Now return there at once.” With that, Reese whirled, presenting her with his back, and moved toward the head table.

  Jayce stared slack-jawed at his retreating back. The peasants near her murmured at his curt dismissal of her. The disappointment and crushed feelings were suddenly buried beneath a whirlwind of fierce anger. What right did he have to treat her like… like a common slave?

  Jayce’s fists clenched tight, and she marched forward after his retreating form. She would not obey him like some humble lapdog!

  He stopped just before the head table and Jayce almost ran into his back. She stepped around him, forcing a false smile to her lips. But she couldn’t quite unclench her teeth as she said, “Thank you for inviting me to dine at your table, m’lord.” She added a mock curtsy for insult and took a seat beside the dark man who sat beside Reese.

  She felt Reese’s eyes at her back like daggers, but didn’t turn. Finally, Reese too, took his seat.

  A healthy serving of venison was placed on a trencher before her.