Chapter 20
“May I have this dance, my lady?”
Hearing Adelstan’s voice from behind her, Rhiannon breathed a sigh of relief and turned with a smile. Though everyone had been kind thus far, she still felt as if she had few friends here, and it took all her will not to lunge into his arms.
“Of course,” she said, nodding demurely, aware of Malgor’s searing gaze. The dance was a slow one, and as she took his hand, she squeezed it tight.
I miss ye. I want ye. Take me far, far away from here.
The dance brought them face-to-face for the space of two counts, and she looked into his eyes.
Meet me tonight.
Though she had only been at Almeron for mere hours, she felt like it had been weeks, if not months, since they had been together, her every move being watched by countless people.
So different from Castle MacKay, where she had had more freedom than she’d realized. Not so here. She would be lady of the keep soon, and life as she’d known it would never be the same. No more stolen moments. Even now Malgor watched her with jealousy in his eyes.
“How are you this evening, Lady Rhiannon?” Adelstan asked, his voice cordial.
Her heart leapt upon hearing her name on his lips. She felt the familiar burning in her veins, the yearning that coiled in her belly, and the wet heat that settled between her thighs. “I am not at all well.”
The dance took them away from each other, but soon they were side by side, and his long, warm fingers wrapped around hers. “What do you mean?”
She glanced toward her betrothed to see him talking with an auburn-haired woman. The woman’s look was venomous as she turned to stare at Rhiannon.
Her angry voice rose above the music, and Malgor took her by the arm and pulled her toward the door. “His lover is not happy I am here.”
Adelstan met her gaze. “He will send her away.”
“God, I hope he does not.”
His gaze searched hers.
“Meet me tonight, Adelstan. Please.”
“It is too risky.”
“Our chambers are in the same tower, yours right below mine.”
The music ended much too soon. Rhiannon bowed and looked up to find her betrothed standing beside Adelstan. The older man grinned widely, his face flushed. “My men must be exhausting you with all the dancing.”
“I quite enjoy dancing,” she said, irritated by his presence.
“Lady Rhiannon, thank you,” Adelstan said with a curt nod, before walking toward Jorden.
Malgor reached out, touched her cheek with his hand in a loving gesture. His hands smelled of venison and onions. She nearly pulled away, but felt all the eyes in the hall watching her, including Adelstan’s.
Her cheeks turned hot when Malgor’s hand slid to her throat. Horrified, she actually began to tremble.
She felt helpless, alone, desperate.
He lifted the necklace. “Do you like your present?”
“Aye,” she said, refusing to meet his gaze. She instead looked at the grease spot on his tunic. Throughout the meal he had slurped his soup and paid little mind that half the contents of the bowl had ended on him, rather than in his mouth.
His brows furrowed as he lifted the other necklace she always wore, his thumb brushing over the cross.
“It was my mother’s,” she blurted out before he asked the question.
“A nice trinket to be sure, but it cannot compare to the jewels I shall give you.” He lifted her chin with coarse fingers, and she was forced to meet his dark, penetrating gaze. “Beautiful jewels for a beautiful woman.”
The crowd had hushed to the point one could hear a pin drop. Rhiannon yearned to run away, far from this castle and this man, but instead she stood her ground, letting him grope at her while she ached to spit in his face, and tell him she knew what kind of man he was, no different than her own father, who had abused her mother terribly.
“I cannot wait to marry you. Indeed, I have sent word to my liege, Lord Renaud, asking him to come to Almeron posthaste so that we can be wed immediately.”
Her heart sank to her toes. From what Adlestan said, Braemere was but a day or two away from Almeron.
She wanted to tell him no, that she was not ready to wed him, but when she opened her mouth, his fingers squeezed just the slightest bit as though he knew exactly what she yearned to say.
Pressing her lips together, she bit the inside of her mouth and forced herself to meet his gaze.
“By this time next week we will be man and wife.” His dark eyes glittered with lust.
“My lord, I am tired and I would very much like to retire to my chamber, with your permission.”
Disappointment slid over his features and he dropped her hand abruptly. “Of course, my lady. I shall retire as well.”
He cleared his throat loudly. “We shall be retiring! Continue to feast and celebrate the arrival of Lady Rhiannon this night, for in one week she will be my wife.”
Roars and loud applause followed the declaration.
Shaking from the top of her head to the soles of her feet, Rhiannon managed to smile when inside she was dying. As she walked toward the door on the arm of her betrothed, she passed by Adelstan and Jorden. They were probably the only two people, aside from herself and Elspeth, who looked disturbed by the news. She caught Adelstan’s stare for only a second before looking away. If she wasn’t mistaken, he was as miserable as she.
* * *
By the time Adelstan reached his chamber, he was more conflicted than ever. His mind told him one thing, while his heart told him yet another.
Pushing the door closed behind him, he reached behind his neck and pulled off his tunic, tossing it aside. He sat down in the chair before the fire, staring into the flames while he worked the laces of his chausses and slipped off his boots.
Running his hands through his hair, he cursed, and stood so fast the chair flew onto its back. How had he made such a mess of both their lives? He reached for the pouch at his waist and took out the ring. He had not worn it since Castle MacKay, and now he looked at it in the firelight.
“Who is it from?” came the soft voice from the bed.
Evelyn sat up on an elbow, allowing the blanket to drop. Her large breasts with rose-colored nipples peeked out at him, and to his surprise, his cock didn’t stir.
He placed the ring on his finger. “Evelyn, I am tired.”
She looked as though he’d called her a whore. “You must be jesting. You are never one to turn down sex, Adelstan.”
He walked to the bed, stood at the edge. “Perhaps, but I am now. I am exhausted.”
Her brows furrowed and the blanket slid from her fingers. A heartbeat later she was on her knees before him. She had a pleasing body, and she knew how to use it, but he had already had her too many times and his body craved only one woman.
It was common knowledge Evelyn had been sleeping with the majority of soldiers at Castle Almeron since her arrival. One man in particular, a newly knighted soldier, had already declared his love for her. Unfortunately the girl would use him until she grew tired of him, as was her custom.
Evelyn laid a hand on his chest, her fingers sweeping over his nipple. She leaned in, kissed his neck, her tongue tracing a path up his throat to his chin.
He reached out and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Not tonight, Evelyn. I am tired.”
Her arms were around his neck before he could blink, her breasts pressed flush to his chest, and she kissed him.
Behind him he heard the door open, and when he turned, he saw a face in the crack. There one moment, gone the next.
Rhiannon.
His heart pounded hard.
“Who was that?” Evelyn asked, suddenly concerned with her nudity.
“I do not know, but perhaps you should get dressed and return to your chamber before that person returns.”
She nodded, and was off the bed and dressing. “Perhaps I can return tomorrow?”
“Your uncle would not t
ake your visits to my chamber lightly, Evelyn.”
“We can find other places.”
The woman obviously didn’t take rejection well. Having lost his patience, he walked her to the door and showed her out.
* * *
Rhiannon felt ill.
She still could not believe what she had seen. Thank goodness Elspeth had been there to pull her away from the door, and safely back to her chamber before being discovered by Adelstan and his whore.
She’d had a horrible feeling about that woman from the second she’d seen her welcoming Adelstan. The two had been lovers, and would continue to be…and nothing would change that.
“Sit down and I shall brush your hair,” Elspeth urged.
“Nay,” Rhiannon said, walking toward the side table and the warm wine there. She lifted the goblet to her lips and took a few swallows.
“Perhaps she went there of her own accord. After all, he still had his braies on.”
“He was half naked, Elspeth.” Her voice broke and she took another drink.
“I am sorry, my dear,” Elspeth said, kissing her cheek.
Rhiannon nodded, her mind racing. “We must leave here.”
Elspeth went completely still. “Rhiannon…”
Rhiannon’s heart clenched. “Ye would not leave with me?”
“Remember what your father said to ye? He is bound by this agreement, as are you, Rhiannon.”
“Then I shall leave alone.”
“Do not be foolish. How will ye survive?”
“I shall find a way.”
“Ye are not used to a life of hardship.”
Rhiannon shrugged. “I would prefer a life of hardship rather than marry a man I despise, or watching the man I do love flaunt his lover before me.”
“Love?”
“Aye, I love Adelstan.”
Elspeth closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “If ye wish to leave, I shall go with ye.”
Hope filled Rhiannon for the first time in days. She hugged her friend tight. “Thank ye.”
Elspeth started to pace the chamber. “In the coming days we must prepare for our journey. Your every move is being watched, so I shall find the food we will need. Perhaps Adelstan can help?”
“Nay, he must not know. I will not put him in jeopardy, and swear to me ye will not tell Jorden.”
Nodding, Elspeth sat down in the nearest chair. “I swear. But how will we escape if Malgor is always watching?”
“I shall find a way.”
Elspeth folded her hands together. “Perhaps in time being the Lady of Almeron would not be so horrible.”
“I find my betrothed repulsive and he has a leman. When we marry, what makes you think he will not bring her to our bed, Elspeth? I have seen the way he looks at me. I do not put anything past him, even sharing me with his lover is not beyond him. I watched the same happen to my mother, and she was soon cast aside. The difference between us is that I do not love Malgor, nor would I ever.”
Elspeth frowned. “Perhaps ye should consider telling Jorden at the very least.”
“Do ye wish to stay because ye want Jorden?” The words almost sounded accusatory.
Elspeth’s gaze fell between them, her cheeks crimson. Rhiannon had often wondered about what happened between her and the two men at the loch that day.
“I will not lie…I am enjoying myself.”
Rhiannon sat on the floor beside her maid and rested her head against her knee. “I wish I could be like ye, Elspeth. How easy it would be to make love to whomever ye chose, and not let your emotions become involved.”
Elspeth brushed her fingers through Rhiannon’s hair. “It is not that I don’t care for the men I become involved with. I fell in love once, and he crushed my heart. I do not wish anyone to experience such pain, especially ye.”
Rhiannon looked up at her, shocked she had not told her so before.
“I was only five and ten, and he twenty. He wasn’t very attractive, but I liked his smile. At the time I was a lowly maid in your father’s keep, and he worked in the kitchens as the cook’s apprentice. He flirted with me constantly, and at first I had no interest, but as the weeks went by, he became more and more handsome to me. One day, he pulled me into the pantry and kissed me.”
Elspeth’s lips curved into a soft smile. “I could barely sleep that night for all the excitement I felt. For weeks we carried on like that, stolen kisses, and then he grew bolder, touching my breast, squeezing my buttocks. He told me he wanted to marry me, and being young and innocent, I believed him. So after much convincing, he took me to his home in the village. That night he made love to me, and every night thereafter for at least three months. I was desperately in love, so much that when our nights together became fewer, I didn’t notice his attention had turned to another servant.”
“Oh, Elspeth,” Rhiannon said, her throat tightening, reminding her of how she felt seeing Adelstan with Evelyn.
“At the time I didn’t understand, and worse still, I found out I was with child. The healer confirmed it, and when I went to his house to tell him the news, I found him in bed with the servant.”
“What did ye do?”
“I screamed at both of them, and I remember him scrambling from the bed, and the girl just lay in the bed gloating at me as the man I loved told me he was marrying her.” Elspeth closed her eyes, took a deep breath before opening them again. “I went to the healer, and I told her to mix me a concoction that would make me lose the child.”
“Elspeth…”
Elspeth took Rhiannon’s face between her hands. “I tell ye this because I want ye to know that even though your heart might be breaking, there is a tomorrow and ye shall love again.”
Chapter 21
Elspeth lay naked, flat on her belly on the blanket she had brought with her, in the only room in a weathered old hut outside the village of Castle Almeron. She had taken a chance by coming here, but she needed to see Jorden before she left. Needed to let him know she would never forget him for as long as she lived.
She heard a horse’s hooves, and taking a calming breath, she watched the door expectantly.
The door opened suddenly, and Jorden appeared, looking as handsome as ever. “Elspeth,” he said, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth as he shut the door with his foot and walked toward her, untying his braies.
He was out of his clothes before she could blink, his powerful body glorious in all its splendor.
Her thighs tightened as his gaze slid down her backside and he grabbed his cock, caressing himself from root to fat crown and back again.
She guessed he might scare many of his lovers, but he didn’t scare her. She reveled in his openness, his eagerness to please, his intense sexuality that might make a meeker woman run.
But not her. He excited her in ways no other lover had.
They had not spoken of Dante since the three of them had made love in the river. The younger officer always beamed whenever she walked by or stopped to talk to him, and she had a feeling Jorden had warned him to say nothing to anyone. Once she had noticed Jorden watching the two of them closely, and to her surprise, she had thought she saw jealousy in his eyes.
Whether that jealousy had been directed at her or Dante, she had no idea. It didn’t matter. He had given her some much-needed confidence, and she would be forever grateful to him for that.
“Do what ye will with me,” she said, sounding less nervous than she felt.
He flashed a devilish grin that made her heart beat in triple time. “That is quite an invitation.”
He started kissing her toes, and worked his way up to her ankles, her calves, the backs of her knees, to her thigh.
He spread her legs apart, pulled her hips up and kissed the dimples above her buttocks, before licking her slit from one end to the other.
Her fingers fisted the bedding beneath her.
“Jorden,” she said on a ragged whisper and he laughed under his breath, a wicked sound that thrilled her.
He flicked his tongue over her throbbing clit, and over her back passage. Her insides clenched with the need to have him fill her.
His fingers followed his tongue, probing inside her slick heat, while his thumb eased into her ass. He pressed past the tight ring of muscle, and let out a groan. “Mmm, so tight.”
“Ye want me there, don’t ye?”
His silver eyes turned a darker shade. “Aye, I do.”
“But you are soaking wet here,” he said, moving his fingers against her sweet spot inside her vagina.
She came against his fingers, enjoying the rippling of his chest as he groaned against her back.
He removed his fingers and thrust his cock inside her, her weeping walls gripping him tight. She arched her back, taking him fully, loving the feel of his heavy sac slapping against her folds.
Taking a handful of both breasts, he played with them, teasing her nipples into tiny little buds, the sensation sending a pulsing pleasure throughout her, centering at where he filled her.
She looked back at him, saw the intensity in his wolf-like eyes. He flicked her clit again and again and she came hard, her inner muscles clenching his thick length tight.
When the last tremors had faded, he pulled out of her, his heavily veined cock still hard and slick.
Her stomach clenched when he placed the head at her back passage and slipped past the band of muscle. “Bear down,” he whispered, and she did, biting her lip against the pain. He was so much larger than Dante and she wasn’t sure if she could take him.
With a single thrust, he buried himself balls-deep and she cried out at the mixture of pleasure-pain that rippled through her.
Trembling and staying completely still, he bent over her, kissing the nape of her neck, whispering French love words in her ear.
She began to relax, and only then did he begin to move. Instantly her body came back to life, and he knew exactly where to touch her, a hand on her breast, the other at her sex, rubbing her clit and sliding into her heat with expert skill.
The familiar stirring began deep in her belly, and soon she was reaching for the stars, and crying out his name. He followed right behind her, moaning as he filled her with his cream.
The Conquest Page 18