“Heloise was kind enough to help me dress for the evening.”
“She may have helped you get ready, child, but she was definitely not kind. The woman is a fool. She had no notion of what is fashionable and what is not.” Without waiting to be asked, Veryalda began to repair some of the damage. There was nothing she could do about the dress but with deft fingers, she began to remove the hairpins that held the black locks in such a restraint. There was no form to the hairstyle and the calotte that Heloise had placed on Bianca’s head merely smashed down what few locks that had escaped the multitude of pins. Veryalda wondered to herself if Bianca had even bothered to glance in her looking glass before she descended from her chambers. Many a head must have turned to look at the usually refined Beauty de Neige. It was apparent that Heloise had taken the absence of her noble husband to make a fool of her stepdaughter. As the locks came free they fell about Bianca’s shoulders in a loose cloud of soft black curls. Veryalda was not shocked at the short length of her granddaughter’s hair. She had heard through her sources about the rescue of Lord Draco’s young brother. Bianca’s selflessness did not surprise her at all. She had always known that her granddaughter had beauty that went deeper than her skin.
“There, that is much better. Now you look beautiful, like your mother. What was Heloise thinking to dress you as a staid old damsel?” Veryalda stepped back and looked at the gown Bianca wore, shaking her head in disgust as she clicked her tongue.
Unable to do much with the immodestly cut gown, Veryalda finally thought to untie the large red silk scarf that she wore about her waist. She encircled Bianca’s shoulders with it, wrapping it about her back and around to the front to tie a large bow to hide the exposed cleavage that the gown did not come close to covering.
“There, now at least you will look more like the Beauty every man in there expected to see instead of an aging maiden no longer desirable for a man to take to wife.”
“That could very well be what I am looking for, grandmother.”
“He has asked you to marry him?”
“Well, no. And after the way he insulted me, I am not sure that I want him to. I am not sure that I know him well enough to put myself in his hands.”
Veryalda stared at her granddaughter for a long moment. “He did not like your gown, did he, child?” At the surprised look her question drew, Veryalda knew that she had guessed correctly. “You cannot blame him for his criticism, Bianca. It is what Heloise planned when she helped you to dress this evening. She tries to stir things up between you two. I do not know what her motives are but she has her reasons. My advice to you would be to follow your heart. If you truly love and want this Lord Draco, you must be willing to fight for him. Remember, child, until the words are out of his mouth and the ring is on your finger, he is fair game for any maiden who sets her cap for him. Go back in there and tempt him. Tempt him and every other man with your beauty and womanly wiles. Jealously is a woman’s tool, use it.”
Bianca listened to all her grandmother had to say and decided to take matters a step further. “I think that I will search out Leia in the kitchen and have her help me change into something more appropriate for the revelry. I know just the gown.” Bianca’s eyes sparkled in the bright moonlight. She turned and ran from the garden with Veryalda’s laughter following her.
“Just like her mother.”
* * * * *
Draco knew as soon as he saw Carmen that she had been sent by Jabulani with a message for him. The sultry gypsy beauty had a look in her eyes that spoke to the fact that she wanted to speak to him, alone. He hesitated about taking such a chance, especially if Bianca were anywhere close to witness the tryst. He had no doubt that Carmen would use her wiles to try to lure him into a sexual assignation for which he had no desire. She may be a lovely, sensual woman but he had no use for her other than as a messenger.
Draco nodded when Carmen’s eyes settled upon him in question. She smiled in return and then with practiced moves she began to sway in a sensual dance that was meant to hold every man’s gaze. Her movements were amazing as she very seductively started wending her way across the hall, weaving in and out of the other dancers and performers all the while moving closer and closer to her objective.
When she reached the head table, Carmen moved behind each man seated there, giving each the attention that had him thinking that she wanted only him and then she would move on to the next. Loud laughter and ribald jokes followed each encounter. As Carmen worked her way down the table, it seemed only natural that when she came to Draco he received like attention. When she finally did reach him, she pressed her full breasts against his back as she ran her soft hands over his wide shoulders and down his arms. She teased his ear with her lips and tongue, drawing more lewd suggestions as to what Draco should do with the gypsy dancer. He chose to ignore all but the soft voice that whispered in his ear the information he had been waiting to hear. With her purpose accomplished, Carmen moved on to the next man never changing her performance, never giving a clue that she had just played informer.
Fortunately for Draco, every man’s eyes around him followed the gypsy beauty as she moved seductively around the table, giving him the opportunity to gather his thoughts. The information Carmen had relayed both stunned and enraged him. His hands clenched into tight fists, leaving his knuckles white from the strain. It was the only outward sign of his fury. Draco sat frozen for several moments staring straight ahead with unseeing eyes. Then he came back to himself and swiftly searched the tables below for the person who had tried from the first to do away with Bianca in one manner or another.
Hell’s fire! How had his intentions become so snarled? A chill raised the hairs at the nape of his neck as Draco turned his head to gaze at the empty place beside him. Fear squeezed his gut. How could he be so careless as to let Bianca out of his sight at such a perilous time? He cursed silently as he continued to peruse the hall. He could have taken care of this threat long ago had he but known the truth of the matter. And now when he had the information he needed, he realized that his carelessness could very well cost him dearly. The villain was not present and that meant that he was most probably stalking Bianca at this very moment. Draco rose slowly to his feet fighting the urge to run from the hall in search of her. He fought back the panic that was slowly taking hold.
He made his way around the edge of the crowded tables, scrutinizing the room carefully as he went. It was not until he neared the door that he came across the old gypsy, Veryalda. Very likely she might know where Bianca was at the moment.
“Where is she?” He wasted no time coming to the point. But Veryalda knew whom he was asking about. She had come to the hall to wait for Bianca to return. She was curious as to see the effect of her granddaughter’s new appearance on Lord Draco. But the look on the giant warrior’s face frightened her.
“What is wrong, my lord?”
“Bianca is in great danger.”
In the many years Draco had spent battling one enemy or another, he had witnessed an abundance of misery and terror, but never had he witnessed such fear as he did in the violet-blue eyes of this old woman.
“I just left her only moments ago. She went up to her room to change her gown.”
Draco looked at the high ceiling above them, as if he could see through the layers of carved stone to Bianca’s tower chambers. He knew, instinctively that danger awaited her above and he needed to get to her as quickly as possible.
“Go!” Veryalda’s hands pushed at him.
Draco ran down the corridor and up the sweeping stairs, ignoring the curious looks of the servants who were moving in and out of the Great Hall. Several jumped quickly out of his way so as not to be knocked down. The Black Dragon of Normandy had not earned his reputation by allowing an obstacle to thwart him from his objective. No one stood in his way or they would have been run over without a second thought.
* * * * *
By the time Bianca reached her tower room, she was not feeling well. Dizzy and sl
ightly nauseous she found that she had to rest several times, leaning against the cool stone wall. By the time she reached the top of the stairs, most of her strength had been sapped and Bianca had difficulty putting one step in front of the other. In truth, she felt as if she should perhaps lie down and take a long, refreshing nap.
It was very strange though. In all the years she had resided in the high tower, the climb had never before bothered her as it did tonight. But even as the thought flickered through her head, it became lost in the haze of confusion that seemed to be closing down her brain. Bianca shook her head as she walked unsteadily up the last steps and moved slowly down the corridor to her chambers. She excused her stupor as being caused by the strenuous week she had had and the lack of sleep the last two nights.
Pausing at her door, she managed to move the latch and push it open. It barely registered to her that the fire was out and the candles had not yet been lit.
“Leia has been neglectful this night. I will have to reprimand her for her negligence.” The words were thick in her dry mouth. She hoped that Leia had at least left a jug of watered wine for her to drink. She moved to the table at her bedside and felt around with clumsy fingers for the flint to light a candle so she could see to remove her gown. But she came away empty-handed. That was indeed a puzzle and her brow wrinkled with a frown. Then in the moonbeam that slanted through her open window she noticed the flint lying on the floor beside the table. “There you are.” She bent down to retrieve it.
The motion sent the world spinning madly around her and she grasped her head as she fell forward. The last thing she remembered seeing before blackness claimed her was a pair of highly polished black boots. As the world faded away, she thought that she heard someone speaking to her in a Russian accent. And then she knew nothing.
Chapter Twenty-One
“What were you thinking, Tomas?”
“I told you to set a guard up the path. Get off your fat arse and do it!”
The sharp command brought the large man who had been squatting beside the campfire slowly to his feet. He had been helping himself to a portion of the rabbit that roasted over the flames. Greasy, dirt-covered fingers tore a large chunk of meat from the carcass and shoved it into his mouth before he rose to face the leader of this rag-tag band of outcasts. It was a major accomplishment for the older man because of the crippled leg he sported. Several months before, Tomas had been cut up badly during a raid on one of the lesser landowners’ holdings in a province south of Castle Neige. Tomas cursed loudly as pain shot through the mangled muscles, which had not healed well.
Ignoring Tomas’ grumbling, Evgenii rounded on him, cursing at the big fool for not carrying out his orders sooner. “I do not want to be taken by surprise if that bastard D’Ensoleille happens to track us down.”
As Tomas rose to his full, towering height looking less than pleased at being rebuked, Evgenii gulped back his belligerence and softened his words. He knew that it was extremely risky to put his trust in this large outlaw he had been forced to hire, or in any of the others that came with him.
“I do not altogether trust Gorge and Edo to take care of the Black Dragon. D’Ensoleille is a seasoned knight with a fierce reputation for bringing down any enemy. He has not survived this long because he was foolish or careless. Nay. I would feel much safer knowing that I have at least one guard out there to warn of the approach of anyone coming up the trail. That is what I am paying you for, Tomas. I want the bastard dead; I do not care how it is done as long as it is done.”
Evgenii nearly sighed aloud in relief when the large outlaw did no more than give him a hard look before turning and disappearing into the darkness.
“Bastard,” Evgenii muttered as he eased down to help himself to a large portion of the roasted meat. He ate in silence for several long moments before he glanced toward the mouth of the large cave he had chosen to use for a shelter.
His sculptured lips spread into a sly smile and his dark eyes glittered with excitement and lust. With every bite of the savory meat, a very different hunger rose in Evgenii. The memory of the luscious beauty who now lay unconscious in the dark cavern rose in his mind’s eye and his body responded wholeheartedly. Yea, it would be a very different kind of hunger that would be satisfied this night, he swore it. He would take the young Beauty de Neige and make her his bride no matter her objections. Evgenii would even welcome a little resistance from her. It would make the consummation that much more sweet. The battle, the conquest, the pleasure of forcing her to his will. Yea, he looked forward to it. That and the power and wealth she would bring him. His smile deepened at the thought of it.
Bianca groaned aloud. Her first conscious thought was to the pain that sliced through her head. The throbbing was almost unbearable. When she moved, she learned quickly what a mistake that was. The motion left her gasping and she had to fight the nausea that threatened to overcome her. Rolling slowly to her side, Bianca drew her legs up, curling into herself where she stayed until she could gain control of her composure.
What had happened to her?
Bianca tried to remember but even that proved too much at the moment. Instead, she concentrated on her present surroundings. She felt the cold hard ground beneath her and the odious smell of horse welled up from the questionable blanket she lay on. It was certain that she was no longer in her tower chamber.
Where was she?
Bianca forced her eyes open only to find she was in total darkness. A frown marred her brow. She could not remember much after she had left Veryalda in the kitchen garden. The subsequent moments were but a blur of strange twisted scenes. She did recall that she suddenly felt lightheaded and very strange. She remembered climbing the stairs to her tower chamber but she had little recollection of how she got there and even less after she did enter her room. If indeed, she had made it that far. As hard as she tried, she could not recall and the effort to do so only made the pain in her head worse.
A slight sound behind her had Bianca turning her head quickly. The movement sent more pain piercing through her head and a low moan escaped her lips. She closed her eyes and prayed that the agony would fade. After some time, she finally drifted off to sleep but nightmarish dreams filled her restless slumbers.
Bianca was not sure how long she slept but when she woke up, it was to find that the throbbing and nausea she experienced earlier had faded significantly. She reached up to push her hair back from her face when her fingers came in contact with a painful lump behind her left ear causing her to gasp. Carefully Bianca probed the swelling with gentle fingers trying to determine the damage. Fortunately, it seemed insignificant. How it got there was another mystery, which she had yet to solve, but that would come later. For now, she needed to understand where she was and more important, who had brought her there.
The only thing that she had determined so far was that she lay on a filthy blanket on the cold, damp ground in a very dark place. Bianca glanced around searching for some small relief from the darkness but could not discern where she was. As she lay very quiet, she listened for some clue as to who might be there with her. The only thing she could make out was the sound of dripping water somewhere behind her. A draft of cool air brushing against her hot skin came from in front of her, causing goose bumps. Then suddenly a faint light flickered in the distance and soon filtered in giving her the first view of her surroundings and they were bleak to say the least. Dread swept through her at what she discovered. How had she come to be there? Then horror took hold of her as she wondered who was responsible for her being there.
Bianca slowly sat up. She faced the mouth of the cave, wrapping her arms around herself to fend off the cold that seeped into her very bones. Beyond, she could make out the shadowy forms of two men standing before a blazing campfire. She could not make out what they said but she had no intention of moving any closer. She did not want them to know that she had regained consciousness. Her gaze flickered to the fire and she coveted the warmth and comfort of it. Bianca suddenly felt
much colder and terribly helpless.
As she sat in the dark watching the fire and the threat that stood before it, Bianca reflected over the past few days. From the moment Lord Draco and his entourage had arrived at Castle Neige her whole world had been turned upside down. In her attempt to seduce the great Black Dragon, she had paid attention to little else that went on around her. Her carelessness had gotten one man killed and nearly another. Jabulani would still be alive if she had not insisted on riding out to meet Draco without a guard to accompany them. That fiasco had also nearly cost Draco his life as well.
Then there was the attack on Theron, the poor little boy. Who could have done such a thing? Had the chimney sweep returned to take revenge on his small helper because he felt himself cheated? It seemed inconceivable but who knew?
After thinking it over, Bianca decided that the ill fate that seemed to have taken over the castle was more than that. It was as if a malevolent incubus had taken up residence in Castle Neige and the results had turned virulent.
Bianca shook her head at the wild speculations that flew about her mind. It seemed that from the moment Heloise announced an open contest for her stepdaughter’s hand by all eligible bachelors no matter what age or rank in society, Bianca’s life had become a series of near accidents and deaths. Not only for her, but also for those she truly cared for. Even her father had fallen prey to the ill fortune. For no apparent reason he was seriously ailing when only a week ago he had been as healthy as a horse.
What was happening? Even Galen could not give her an answer. She knew he suspected Heloise of something but he would not tell her the truth of the matter. Was it possible that Heloise meant to punish Bianca for her defiance in not accepting the suitor of her stepmother’s choice? It was an absurd notion, but after a second thought, Bianca decided that she would put nothing past her stepmother’s scheming.
Kiss of the Dragon Page 36