The Crusader's Handfast

by Claire Delacroix

  Her smile faded, her expression turning wary.

  “And so I would propose to you a handfast, a commitment of but a year and a day.”

  “Is that not a marriage?”

  “It is similar but requires no priest and can be secret between man and woman. It is the nature of such pledges to be renewed if both are willing and able, though after that year and a day, both are free to do as they will.”

  “So it is like a marriage.”

  “Not quite. It is a vow between man and woman, and one that both can honor or nay. There will be none to enforce it when we are apart, and your lady may not hold it in regard.” He held her gaze. “I will honor it, Radegunde, though I will not blame you if you choose to abandon it.”

  “My word is of greater merit than that!”

  “But your lady might compel you to wed another.”

  Radegunde studied him.

  Duncan shook his head. “This is a compromise, Radegunde, for it is a vow that I hold in esteem, but not the one you would desire of me. I cannot offer for your hand for my future is not mine to determine. I will not take your maidenhead and leave you alone with any repercussions. This is a compromise, but it is one offered with honor.”

  “What if Fergus’ father releases you from his service?”

  “Then I will ride back to your side more swiftly than any might believe possible.”

  Radegunde looked pleased with this prospect, and leaned closer. “And do you love me, Duncan MacDonald? Even just a little?”

  Duncan hesitated at that. Though he knew that he did, he also guessed that making such a confession might keep Radegunde from forgetting him if he did not return, or making a happy life with another. “I admire you,” he said. “I like how you laugh and that you are stubborn and outspoken. I admire how you savor life, and that you believe you can make matters be as you desire.” He let his gaze sweep over her and knew that heat lit his eyes. “And I find you more alluring than any woman I have ever known.”

  If Radegunde was disappointed by this confession, she hid it well. “That is a fair beginning to a match,” she said with a smile. “I accept your offer of a handfast. Tell me what we must do.”

  Duncan felt a profound relief. He took her right hand in his, and her left hand in his, their hands crossing between them as they faced each other. Her expression was expectant.

  “And so I vow to you, Radegunde of Valeroy, that I will treat you with honor from this day forth, for a year and a day, that I will hold you in my heart when we are apart and treat you well when we are together.”

  Radegunde smiled. “And so I vow to you, Duncan MacDonald, that I will treat you with honor from this day forth, for a year and a day, that I will hold you in my heart when we are apart and treat you well when we are together.”

  Duncan did not recall being so powerfully affected when last he had pledged himself in a handfast, but it seemed on this day as if a fist tightened around his heart. “I will take responsibility for any child of our union, whether our vows are renewed or not,” he vowed.

  “I will take responsibility for any child of our union, whether our vows are renewed or not,” Radegunde echoed.

  Duncan gave her hands a slight squeeze. “I will defend you and I will be faithful to you, and do my best to ensure our union fares well.”

  “I will defend you and I will be faithful to you, and do my best to ensure our union fares well.” Radegunde smiled outright, her delight so clear that Duncan could not believe his good fortune.

  He bent his head to kiss her and seal their vows, but Radegunde ducked his embrace. Her eyes sparkled, so he knew she did not evade his affections. “We said naught of soundly seducing each other, and with regularity,” she said.

  “I believe that is implied.”

  She squared her shoulders. “But I shall add it all the same. I vow, Duncan MacDonald, to surrender myself to you in the pursuit of pleasure, to welcome you abed and acknowledge you as my man with pride, whether we be together or apart.”

  Duncan smiled. “And I vow, Radegunde of Valeroy, to surrender myself to you in the pursuit of pleasure, to welcome you abed and acknowledge you as my lady with pride, whether we be together or apart.”

  She flushed at that. “I am no lady.”

  “You are to me.”

  “Be warned, sir, that I mean to claim your heart and keep it as my own forever,” she jested, her manner merry.

  Duncan smiled, rather than confess that she already possessed it. “Come here, lass, and seal our vows,” he said gruffly and she laughed.

  Then she stretched to her toes and kissed Duncan sweetly. “What changed your view?” she whispered against his mouth, her gaze searching his own.

  Duncan smiled and caught her nape in his hand. “You did, with your challenge. You were right.”

  Radegunde’s smile was joyous. “Aye, there is a better start to a match—you declaring that I am right!”

  Duncan laughed then kissed her again, ensuring that the embrace was long and lusty. Radegunde met him touch for touch, her breasts crushed against his chest, her tongue dueling with his own. He lifted her against himself and deepened their kiss, loving how passionate and willing she was.

  He stepped back with an effort, then unfastened his cloak and cast it upon the ground. “Come here, lass,” he said, his voice rough. “Let us celebrate our union as it should be done.”

  Radegunde cast her own cloak atop his with a flourish. “You wear too much garb,” she complained, and though he knew that they would meet leisurely at some point, on this day, he was glad to see that she shared his desire for haste.

  “I can be rid of it faster than you,” he challenged her and she laughed aloud.

  “I take your dare!” Radegunde kicked off her boots and shed her stockings. In a heartbeat, she cast aside her girdle and her kirtle, her dark eyes dancing as she watched his progress.

  Duncan shed his own boots and gloves. It took cursed long to unlace his jerkin and she laughed at him, coming to unfasten the lace with her nimble fingers. He stole a kiss for her impatience and she dropped her hands to the buckle of his belt. “I am not in need of such assistance,” he growled, loving how merrily she laughed.

  Radegunde’s hair was unbound and her chemise shed with lightning speed. Even though she paused to tuck what had to be the volume from Lady Eudaline safely beneath her belt and added the crucifix that had been between her breasts, still she was nude far sooner than he. His plaid was yet around his hips and he wore his chemise when she confronted him, toe tapping. He yet wore his chemise, as well.

  “Indeed, sir, I think you do not share my enthusiasm for our path.”

  “Do I not?”

  “You linger over your garb, as if I should wait yet longer.”

  “Some things are better with a wait.”

  Radegunde propped her hands upon her hips and regarded him with mock disapproval. “Aye? What spoils for the victorious then?” she demanded, her eyes so filled with merriment that he wished that she only ever had cause to smile.

  Duncan grinned and shed his belt. He unfurled his plaid, casting it aside, then tugged his chemise over his head. “All I have to give,” he purred and Radegunde’s delight with the view was more than clear.

  “’Tis more than your legs that are fine, Duncan,” she teased.

  “Aye, I have no complaint with my view, either. Come here, lass.”

  She laughed when he swung her into his arms and deposited her on the cloaks, then he silenced her with a kiss that he had no intention of ending soon.

  * * *

  It was impossible for Radegunde to fear intimacy when she was with Duncan.

  To be sure, this was all new to her, but she trusted him fully.

  She had told no lie about him being fine and she liked the differences between his body and her own. He was toned and trim, his body honed like a fine blade for its task. He was tanned as well, the back of his shoulders of the darkest hue of gold. She could see scars on his flesh that
were the mark of his trade, but there were fewer of them than she might have expected. They were on his arms, one on his thigh, several on his back. She did not like that the one on his shoulder was so fresh, but he was so hale that she knew he would heal quickly. The hair on his chest was dark and she followed the line of it to his erection, the size of which made her catch her breath.

  Duncan cast her a little smile at that, a confident smile that echoed the gleam in his eyes. She knew he found her as alluring as she found him, and that was more heady than the finest aphrodisiac. His kiss was pure pleasure, the feel of his hands upon her bare skin as satisfying as she had expected. It was easy to surrender to sensation and to trust him to guide her on this new adventure.

  She loved when he caught her in his arms, then deposited her on the cloaks like a prize he meant to savor.

  Radegunde was on her back, Duncan looming over her, the luxurious fur lining of his cloak beneath her. He kissed her with a hunger that echoed her own, his mouth feasting upon hers as his hands roved over her. Radegunde locked her fingers into his hair and pulled him closer, arching her back to rub her breasts against his chest as he followed her to the ground. He kissed her ear, her throat, the underside of her chin and she laughed at the tickle of his whiskers against her flesh.

  “What manner of fur is this?” she asked, digging one hand into his cloak.

  “Wolf,” he admitted, then drew a trail to her nipple with the tip of his tongue. He circled the areole and the cool air made the peak tighten even more, then he closed his mouth over her and suckled gently. Sensation flooded through Radegunde from that point and she found herself clutching at his hair as she gasped in pleasure.

  “Why wolf?” she managed to ask.

  “Because their pelts are thick and warm,” he murmured against her flesh, moving to tease the other nipple the same way. “A lady’s bed should be piled high with their pelts, as guarantee of both her warmth and her safety.”

  “How many?”

  “Six to line a cloak. Maybe seven.” His teeth grazed her nipple and she caught her breath.

  “Did you kill them all?”

  Duncan lifted his head and eyed her. There was a gleam of resolve in his gaze. “What do you think?”

  “That you stalked them alone and slaughtered them alone, skinned them and wear their pelts as your trophy.”

  His smile was quick, and she knew he was pleased that she understood him. He captured her lips once more and kissed her deeply, his hand sliding down the length of her. Radegunde felt his fingers slip between her thighs and caught her breath at his sure touch upon her there. She gasped his name, and he whispered a command that she should part her thighs. Radegunde did, only to gasp in wonder at the surety of his caress.

  She reached down and touched him, caressing the hard length of him and hearing him catch his breath. He whispered her name with urgency and she smiled, liking the power she had over him. She might have become even bolder, but Duncan moved, making a trail of burning kisses down the length of her until his mouth replaced his fingers.

  Radegunde fell back against the fur with a cry. His touch was intimate and beguiling, his tongue and his teeth teasing her as she had never believed was possible. She felt aflame with desire, yet yearned for more and more. Duncan continued when she thought she could bear it no longer, and she cried out when a tide swept through her. She gasped aloud and whispered his name, though he did not cease his assault until she was trembling in the aftermath.

  Then he chuckled at the sight of her and braced himself above her once more. “Temptress,” he whispered, easing himself between her thighs. Radegunde welcomed him, arching her back as his strength slid inside her. He surrounded her. He filled her. He closed his eyes and leaned his brow upon her shoulder, shaking before he began to move within her.

  She was possessed, and happy of it.

  Against all expectation, Radegunde felt the storm rise within her again. She held fast to Duncan, her nails digging into his shoulders, her legs wrapped around him to draw him closer, her kiss his to claim. She thought she would be devoured or consumed, but she wanted more and more.

  “More,” she whispered to him and Duncan’s eyes flashed. “All of you, Duncan,” she urged. “Claim me fully and make me your own.” He caught her nape in his hand and kissed her with fervor, moving so that her own passion rose to a crescendo once more. She might have cried out with pleasure, but he devoured the sound, then roared against her throat in his own release.

  He kissed her neck and her ear softly then, and she ran her hands over him in wonder. Radegunde was both hot and shivering, her heart pounding and her skin warm. She felt both sampled and treasured, claimed and content. She held Duncan close and he lowered himself to the cloak beside her, drawing her into his embrace and pulling the cloak over them both.

  Radegunde was surrounded by the soft fur, nestled against Duncan’s strength. There was nowhere else she would rather be than in Duncan’s embrace in this sunlit glade.

  “Slower the second time,” he vowed, his voice rough.

  Radegunde smiled as she dozed, well content.

  * * *

  Duncan supposed they should rise and return to Valeroy.

  The sun had moved across the sky as they loved and dozed and loved twice more. Soon it would dip below the highest branches of the trees. The air would chill and he did not wish Radegunde to become cold. Still, he felt as if they had stolen an interval for themselves, away from their responsibilities, and wished to prolong this golden afternoon as much as possible.

  Radegunde dozed contently against his shoulder, her softness curled against him and her legs entangled with his. He stroked his fingers through her hair, savoring all they had shared. Her passion had not been a surprise, but it had been a delight.

  Of course, he had to escort Fergus all the way home to Killairic, for he had given his word, but such was the marvel of Radegunde that Duncan was giving serious consideration to the merit of breaking his word.

  What if he remained with her? Would Fergus understand? Would his father?

  She deserved more than the uncertainty of the wife of a man-at-arms, to be sure. That was what had truly held Duncan’s tongue. But what if he could offer her more than that?

  What if he could claim what once he had spurned? He had not considered his legacy in years, and had not thought it worth the inevitable battle that would be required. With Radegunde’s hand as the prize, Duncan wondered.

  He frowned then, for the sun sank and they could linger no longer. He kissed her brow and rose from their bed, dressing with impatient gestures.

  Radegunde rolled over and stretched, then propped her chin on her hand to watch him. “I suppose we must go.”

  She misinterpreted the reason for his impatience and he was glad of it, for he had no argument with her.

  She had a gift for making him desire more and to choose to strive for it. Did she guess the adventure she would set him upon? She could not.

  He cast her a smile. “Indeed, we have hours yet to ride and must make the gates before the evening meal.”

  Radegunde showed no inclination to move. She stretched like a cat and burrowed deeper into the cloak. “It was wondrous,” she said. “Though perhaps you have known more wondrous days abed.”

  “How so?”

  “With courtesans,” she replied, no charge in her words. “They know what they do, while I could only enjoy.”

  Duncan smiled. He crouched down beside her, catching her chin in his hand. “You are wondrous,” he corrected. “And all the more wondrous for your enthusiasm and lack of wiles.” She smiled before he granted her a lingering kiss. “But you will be chilled if you do not dress. The sun is dipping lower already.”

  “Will you come to me at night at Valeroy?” Her smile was impish. “Now that I know of this pleasure, I am disinclined to be without it.”

  Aye, Duncan could agree with that.

  “I do not know whether it would be wise.” He frowned. “I would like to,
but should confer with Fergus.”

  “He will likely agree, for he knows of your custom. It is my lord Gaston and Lady Ysmaine who might forbid it.” Radegunde grimaced and rose to her feet. She tugged her chemise over her head and tied the cord at the neckline. “My lady will not like these tidings, to be sure. She may think I would destroy her plans apurpose.”

  “Will she think you defiant?”

  “I do not know.”

  Duncan wondered whether the lady might dismiss Radegunde from her employ in such circumstance. Would Radegunde go with him to Scotland then? Or would she not want to leave her mother so far behind?

  Again in so many moments, his thoughts turned to Inverness, as they had not in years.

  Radegunde granted him a glance. “You fret over some detail. Do you regret what we have done?”

  “Never!” Duncan held her gaze until she smiled. “You?”

  “Never,” she whispered with heat.

  Another kiss was necessary then, and yet again, it was a kiss that did not readily end. Duncan put her aside with reluctance, stroking her cheek. “We must return,” he reminded her and she nodded agreement. He fastened his belt over his plaid and checked his weapons, then heard the crack of a breaking twig.

  Duncan froze. Radegunde stared at him, for she had evidently heard the sound as well. He lifted a finger for silence, though it was not necessary, then drew his knife. Radegunde quickly fastened her girdle and tucked the crucifix away, then bound the book into the purse that hung from her belt.

  There was another rustle in the forest and the horses snorted.

  Someone pursued them. Duncan seized his cloak and Radegunde grabbed her own. They made as one for the horses, but a shadow lunged through the woods toward them to intervene. Duncan could see only the silhouette of a man and the gleam of an upheld blade.

  The assailant lunged through the undergrowth, evidently realizing that he’d been seen and determined to make his attack while he could. The horses spooked and ran, bolting back toward the road.

  Radegunde gasped and might have fled after the horses, but Duncan seized her hand and ran in the opposite direction. It was immediately clear that the assailant came after them. Footsteps pounded in pursuit and Duncan urged Radegunde to greater speed.