The Succubus

by Sarah Winn

  Isabel didn’t know how to answer his question, but then her horse stopped and she looked ahead to see Daniel glaring at the two of them. “Test yourself by leading this horse for awhile,” he said in a curt voice.

  Sir Robert instantly moved ahead to change places with Daniel, who waited for the horses to start again and fell in beside Isabel, but kept his distance, apparently warned off by Chloe’s disgruntled frown over the loss of her hero.

  Isabel wondered why Daniel kept glaring at her. Does he resent my innocent conversation with Sir Robert? She was finding it hard to act contrite when he was being so unreasonable. She pretended to be unaware of him and rode in silence until Chloe began to whine and twist and Isabel felt wetness seeping through the sling.

  She looked at Daniel. “Ah-I need to stop.”

  The creases between his eyes became caverns. “We’ve barely started.”

  “Chloe needs changing.”

  He made his displeasure obvious with a disgusted huff, but called a halt near a grove of oak trees. When he approached to help her dismount, Chloe’s whines became full-fledged cries. Not as frantic as her earlier howls, but nevertheless showing her dislike of Daniel.

  He looked stricken and stepped back, calling, “Robert, can you help Lady Isabel down?”

  The young knight came quickly, but rather than reaching for Isabel, he said, “Take the sling from around your neck.”

  Isabel followed his suggestion, grateful to have the weight removed from her shoulder. Through the sling’s cloth, Robert grabbed Chloe around the waist, and held her so she could watch her mother while Daniel lifted Isabel to the ground.

  From there on, every time they stopped to change napkins or allow Chloe to privately nurse, Sir Robert held the babe as Daniel lifted Isabel. It was obvious Daniel knew little of babes and felt intimidated by Chloe’s negative reaction to him. Isabel realized this caused him pain, but there was nothing she could do under the circumstances to correct it, and did she want to correct it? Chloe’s reaction might cause him to lose interest in the child and decide he no longer wanted her around.

  * * * *

  Because of the slow-moving cart and the many stops caused by the babe, they did not arrive at Tewsbarrow until early twilight. Daniel was totally out of sorts by the time the castle’s towers came into view. The babe—his babe—seemed to hate him and yet had quickly accepted being handled by Sir Robert. This made him wonder if Chloe had seen Sir Robert before, if perhaps he had been paying visits to the cottage in Whitmere. He and Isabel seemed friendly enough. Thoughts of how “friendly” they might have been made Daniel’s jaw twitch.

  Their arrival caused the usual stir. Stable boys ran to hold horses’ heads and servants to unload the luggage. Daniel barely managed to get Isabel’s feet on the ground before the maid, Tess, ran up, intent on taking the babe. He felt somewhat better when Chloe screamed at her attempt.

  While Master Ambrose rushed up to Daniel with a dozen unnecessary questions about how and when and what he wanted for the evening meal, the women hustled Isabel toward the residence hall, saying all her things had been moved there.

  This definitely did not comply with the orders Daniel had left, but he noticed the way Isabel’s shoulders slumped and her feet shuffled and knew she was exhausted from her daylong struggles with Chloe. While it was her own fault for not having the proper servants to care for the child, he had no desire to drag an exhausted woman, stained with baby piss, up to his chambers.

  Isabel did not come to the hall for the evening meal. When Daniel saw servants bustling from the hall with trays of food and asked where they were going, Master Ambrose replied most humbly that Lady Isabel was so tired she had requested food be sent to her room. Lady Lavinia added some jabber about the time it takes for a babe to adjust to new surroundings.

  Daniel didn’t reply. These people—his people—seemed to be conspiring to circumvent his orders. He could not allow them to succeed, but tomorrow would be soon enough to take a stand.

  Chapter 8

  By the next day, Isabel realized the servants were engaged in a concerted effort to keep her away from the great hall. She didn’t know why Master Ambrose was insisting on bringing all her meals to the residence hall or why Tess hovered by her side, offering to fetch anything Isabel might want, but she decided to trust their judgment and stay in the two rooms prepared for her and Chloe.

  When it came time for the midday meal, however, a rap at her door and a short conversation between Tess and a servant revealed that Lord Daniel had refused to allow the main meal in the hall to be served without Isabel’s presence. Tess tried to bluster excuses about why her ladyship wasn’t able to come, but Isabel knew she couldn’t avoid Daniel forever. She grabbed up a wimple and veil and called to the servant that she’d be right along.

  She found everyone standing and waiting for her when she arrived in the hall. Daniel gestured for her to take the chair beside his, and only when she was seated did he allow the others to sit and the servants to bring in the platters of food.

  “I’m sorry I kept everyone waiting,” she said. “But I’m trying to stay close to Chloe until she becomes accustomed to her new surroundings.”

  Lady Lavinia nodded. “It takes time for wee ones to adjust to new surroundings.”

  “Is the nurse I ordered present?” Daniel asked

  “Yes, but Chloe is shy of her,” Isabel replied.

  Lady Lavinia again offered up words of wisdom. “It will take Lady Chloe time to adjust to new faces as well new surroundings.”

  Daniel glared at the woman to let her know her opinions were not welcomed. Then he turned back to Isabel. “I’d like to show you some changes I’ve made to the solar after the meal.”

  Isabel glanced at Lady Lavinia and those seated near her. Seeing their tense expressions, she frowned slightly. “I should return to Chloe as quickly as possible.”

  “These changes concern Chloe so I’m sure you’ll want to see them.”

  There was an awkward silence around the table. Then Sir Alfred asked Daniel if he’d like to join some of the hunting parties due to go out in the next few weeks to fill the castle’s larder with meat. Daniel started asking questions about where and when, apparently having something to do in the next few days that would prevent his participation. His response brought more nervous glances at Isabel from the other diners. Do they know of the sword hanging over my head? She turned her full attention to her food, although uneasiness made it difficult for her to swallow.

  * * * *

  Isabel stared around the solar. At the moment it was a room in chaos. Wooden packing crates stood on the floors, and Kendrick’s precious scrolls were scattered about on every flat surface. “When I ordered Father Clemens to send these to a nearby monastery for safekeeping, I didn’t know he’d insist on sorting them out before doing so, but he assures me the work will be done within a week. Then I intend to make part of the room a work area and the rest of it into a sitting area where I can entertain small groups of guests,” Daniel said.

  She wondered what he’d done with Kendrick’s bed, but didn’t ask.

  Father Clemens hurried into the room. “If it won’t bother you, my lord, I’ll get back to my sorting. I know you want this area cleared as quickly as possibly.”

  Daniel glared at the priest. “Take an hour to let your meal settle. Lady Isabel and I will have finished our talk by then.”

  “But, my lord—”

  Daniel grimaced and made an angry gesture with his hand. For the first time, Isabel saw a resemblance between Daniel and his uncle. As the priest hurried from the room, he cast a worried glance her way. How do all the residents of the castle know of the ill will between Daniel and myself?

  “Now I want you to see what I’ve done in the tower.” He gestured toward the opening in the corner that led to the spiral stone steps.

  Isabel swallowed her fear and started toward the stairs. Is Daniel going to punish me now? What will he do? He is of Kendrick’s blood and
has all the rights and privileges of a lord. No one can stand against him. Even if he chose to murder her, they could only send a complaint to the king’s court after the fact.

  But she couldn’t imagine the Daniel who had once been such a considerate lover committing violent acts against her.

  At the second story room in the tower, Daniel brushed against her as he stepped forward to open the door. His scent triggered memories she didn’t want at the moment. The hideous cradle Kendrick had commissioned stood in the middle of the room. Fortunately the carved head of the dragon had been swathed in thin linen and drapes trailed down to the bed so they could be pulled over the opening and further shield the babe. Around the rest of the room were all the articles nurses might need to keep a child in comfort. She wondered if one of the two pallets rolled in a corner were meant for her.

  “This seems to have all a child will need, but is it wise to put Chloe’s chamber so far from mine?”

  “Your chamber will be in the room above.” He gestured toward the stairs.

  Isabel obeyed, but her steps grew leaden, and she pressed one hand heavily against the stone wall as she rose toward the upper room. Did he somehow intend to include Chloe in his revenge? Surely not. He is the child’s father. But she’d seen no sign he had any feelings for her.

  He opened the door, and she saw Kendrick’s large bed. The dark curtains had been replaced by ones made of a tapestry of woven flowers against a red background, but it was unmistakably the heavily carved posts and headboard she’d always approached with dread during her marriage. “Isn’t this your bed?” she asked, knowing full well the answer.

  “Which I mean to share with you,” he said in a smug voice.

  Is that all he wants? For me to once again share his bed? Hope began to build. “Let Chloe and me stay where we are and I’ll come to you during the night.”

  “And how will you do that? Walk through the hall filled with sleeping servants?”

  “No, no. There’s a door behind the large tapestry in the solar. It opens directly into the end room in the guests’ hall. Kendrick and I used it to pass unseen to your room.”

  “Ah—” An ugly smirk twisted his lips. “I wondered how you managed that. But it makes no difference. I don’t intend to spend time waiting for you. This tower is where you’ve always lived at Tewsbarrow, and you will go on doing so.”

  She stared up at him with horror-filled eyes. “But everyone will know I’m sharing your bed.”

  “Yes. The good people of Tewsbarrow will finally know the truth about you.”

  “But what of Chloe? You said you didn’t want to brand her a bastard, but if you brand her mother a-a—”

  “Whore?” he helpfully suggested.

  “Her future will be tainted. No man of good family will offer for her.”

  “Don’t worry about Chloe. As soon as she’s weaned from her dependence on you, she’ll be fostered to a woman of spotless repute. You’ll not be allowed to infect her with your evilness.”

  Isabel staggered backward, appalled by what he had said. As tears began to pool, she cried out, “I’m not evil. I obeyed my husband as the church says I should.”

  Daniel’s smirk had changed into a sneer. “Don’t blame my poor lame uncle for your wicked ways. You were the one who needed to bear an heir to protect your position as the Baroness of Tewsbarrow. The idea to trick me was probably all yours.”

  She stared at him in disbelief. How could I ever have thought myself in love with this cold, hate-filled man? “You never intended to let me keep Chloe, did you?”

  “You deny me the right to be her father; why shouldn’t I deny you the pleasure of being her mother?”

  She stumbled blindly toward the doorway.

  “Be careful of the stairs!” Daniel shouted at her.

  She sensed him moving behind her, perhaps to stop her from leaving, so she turned up the stairs, finding it faster to hoist her skirt out of the way and run until she reached the top and yanked the door open to the turret platform. She stepped out onto the circular area, meant to serve as a watchtower in times of peril. The wind whipped at her wimple and veil. She wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands and took large gulps of air.

  After Chloe’s birth, Isabel had held the babe in her arms and thought of her as a gift from Daniel—a part of him she could always have, no matter who her husband was. Now she realized Chloe was so much more. She was all Isabel had in the world that was truly hers, and Daniel meant to take her away. How can he be so cruel?

  How foolish she had been to imagine Daniel a better man than Kendrick. They were of a kind, both cold and selfish. And now she was trapped in Daniel’s clutches and he planned to rob her of her child and any respect the people of Tewsbarrow held for her. She had escaped from the horror of being married to Kendrick only to be again snared by another heartless Baron of Tewsbarrow.

  She bumped against the stone wall that edged the turret. Through her tears she saw she was in front of one of the crenels that punctuated the wall. Bracing her arms against the stone, she leaned out as far as she could and stared down at the hard-packed ground of the outer ward. Is this the only way I can escape my torment?

  “What are you doing?” The sound of Daniel’s voice caused her to twirl around. He stood in the doorway, one hand outstretched toward her, poised on the balls of his feet as if he were about to dash forward. Does he mean to push me through the crenel?

  She quickly stepped away from the opening. As long as Chloe was here, she would need her mother. Resolve flowed through Isabel. She wouldn’t make it easy for Daniel to steal her child. He would have to tear Chloe from her arms.

  “Why did you come up here?” he asked.

  “I needed a bit of air.” She rushed toward the doorway, feeling an urgent need to get off this platform. Daniel wouldn’t let her pass him. Instead he took hold of her arm and led her down the stairs at a ridiculously slow pace. Is he trying to protect me or proving he can control everything I do?

  When they reached the solar, he said, “Shall I tell the servants to move your things to the tower?”

  “I’ll do it,” she said and walked away from him with her back stiff and her chin high.

  * * * *

  Isabel ignored the curious glances that came her way as she hurried through the hall, cut across the inner ward, and entered the quests’ quarters. In the room where she and Chloe had slept the night before, she found Berta, the new wet nurse, leaning over the small cradle Isabel had brought from Whitmere.

  “I’ll do that, Berta.” She edged the plump young woman aside.

  “But the tykes ’ungry and the lord said—”

  “The lord isn’t here now, so I’ll feed her.” Isabel gathered Chloe in her arms. Her actions must have been too abrupt for Chloe began to whimper. Immediately contrite, Isabel held her daughter against her shoulder and paced about the room patting Chloe’s back.

  Finally, she sat down and unlaced her gown. When the child was contentedly sucking, Isabel noticed Tess poised over one of the clothes chests, but watching Isabel. With a sigh, Isabel accepted the fact there was no reason to try and hide the truth from Tess or any other servant. In fact, everyone at Tewsbarrow would soon know where she slept.

  “Stop unpacking. We’re moving to the baron’s tower.”

  Tess didn’t meet Isabel’s gaze as she asked, “And where should we put your clothes, my lady?”

  “In the upper chamber.”

  Tess huffed. “I can’t believe the young lord is doing this. He seemed like a good man.” Her eyes glowed with indignant fire. “And he decided to do it before he even met you.”

  “He is the lord now so we must all do what he says.”

  Tess nodded sorrowfully. “Aye. ’Tis a man’s world, no doubt o’ that.”

  Isabel felt Chloe’s tug on her breast and returned her attention to her daughter. This might be the last time she could nurse the child, and she wanted to savor the event. She stroked the silky, rust-colored hair on Chloe�
��s head, and then rubbed her downy cheek with the back of one finger. Is there anything softer than a babe’s skin? She had to fight back tears at the thought of soon being parted from her darling child.

  Why did my life turn out to be so incredibly unfair? She’d had to marry Kendrick to protect her family. She’d had to use Daniel to get pregnant in order to please Kendrick. Now Daniel was punishing her for what Kendrick had forced her to do. Have I wronged Daniel so terribly? Once he was no longer under the influence of Wanda’s potion, he’d bedded her quite willingly with no worry about leaving behind a poor, pregnant maid.

  It seemed to be the plight of all women to live under the yoke of male cruelty. Esmeralda was the only woman Isabel had ever met who was free to choose how she lived her life. A shocking thought when one considered how she lived. Isabel had tried not to think about the tall, sensuous woman Kendrick had paid to come to Tewsbarrow and teach Isabel the art of seduction.

  Most of the time, she been so shocked by the things Esmarelda did that Isabel had paid scant attention to what she said. Now she wished she’d been more attentive. She seemed to remember something important the woman had said during her last night at Tewsbarrow.

  Isabel had been summoned to Kendrick’s bed in the solar where she found Esmarelda waiting. Kendrick had plopped into a chair near the bed. With an impatient wave of his hand, he said, “Tonight I’ll watch, and perhaps Esmarelda can teach you to be something other than a cold fish.”

  Isabel didn’t understand what he meant, but Esmarelda took her hand and led her closer to the bed. Then she slowly removed both of their robes. After what Isabel been through for the last four days, she shouldn’t have felt ashamed at being naked in front of her husband and this woman, but still she lowered her head. Esmeralda, moving in her usual languid style, climbed onto the bed holding one of Isabel’s hands. On her knees with flickering candlelight dancing along the ivory column of her body, she smiled and gently pulled Isabel toward her. Awkwardly, Isabel crawled onto the bed.