by Anne Herries
‘I believed that you must,’ she said, her lips soft and moist as she gave him a shy smile. ‘I was angry for I thought you meant to use me as my father intended—and I was afraid that in time you would come to despise me for my weakness in loving you.’
‘Despise you? No, not that…’ He smiled as he touched her cheek and then bent his head to kiss her lips. ‘I am not sure that I love you, Melissa, for I have forgotten how to love—but I know that I want you so much that my life would be useless to me without you. If that will content you, then we shall not seek an annulment—but speak now for if you do not it will be too late.’
‘Rob—’ she gazed at him uncertainly ‘—can you forgive me for what he did to you?’
‘It was not your fault,’ Rob said, his hand stroking the satin arch of her back. ‘I blamed you in my bitterness, but I cannot put you out of my mind and must find a way to deal with it for both our sakes.’
Melissa nestled against him, comforted by the warmth and strength of his body. This was where she belonged, in his arms, held close to his heart. ‘Then let us forget the past.’
Rob’s arms tightened about her, his lips seeking hers in a kiss that left no need of words. As his tongue sought the warmth and sweetness of her mouth, she opened to him, giving herself up to the pleasures of his loving. His kisses made her melt with a fierce wanting deep inside her. His hands caressed and stroked her, his finger touching her in a place that had her gasping with sudden need, her body trembling with anticipation. Then he circled her nipples with his tongue, the slightly rough texture of his tongue making her breathe faster, her body arching to meet his as he entered her.
At first the pain was sharp but he hushed her cry with a kiss that soothed and reassured her, his body moving slowly, sensuously as she felt an answering need deep within herself. And when he withdrew, she reached for him, a cry of protest on her lips. But he thrust into her again, teasing her a little as he felt her instant response, her desire now as great as his own. Their bodies melded one into the other in a sweet coupling that swept them on a crest of love and passion to end in gasping pleasure as he gave a shout.
Pulling her with him, he rolled over to his back so that she lay half across his body, her face nestled against his chest, the tears trickling down her cheeks. His hand caressed her head, stroking the back of her neck.
‘Do not cry, little one,’ he said. ‘It will not be painful another time. It is only the loss of your virginity that causes pain.’
‘It hardly hurt at all,’ Melissa lied, and she raised her head to look up at him. ‘Besides, it is forgotten. My tears are of happiness, for I did not know that loving could bring such joy.’
‘We have only just begun,’ Rob promised her, his fingers running through the glory of her red-gold tresses. ‘We shall learn to please each other even more as we go on, for we have all our lives before us.’
‘Yes,’ Melissa said, and snuggled against him. ‘Nothing shall ever part us again.’
She lay nestled into his body like a trusting kitten. His power was like a mantle, wrapping her about, protecting her. Now that she was his, she believed that she had nothing more to fear. No one could take her from him now, because she was truly Rob’s wife.
When he came to her again and again that night, seeming as if his hunger would never be bated, she clung to him, giving herself up to his caresses with the abandon of a loving heart. She was his and it was all she wished to be.
‘I love you, Rob,’ she whispered as he slept beside her, the first rosy fingers of dawn seeking entrance at the window. ‘I shall always love you no matter what.’ And yet he had not said that he loved her. He wanted her, desired her…but did he love her?
Chapter Six
Rob was in the courtyard watching as his instructions were carried out. Before he could move on to take the castle of Leominster, he must secure Gifford. He could not afford to leave many of his men behind, and though many of Gifford’s men-at-arms had come over to him, he could not completely trust them—or Lady Gifford. He would have to leave at least twenty of his own men here to help keep it for the King, for otherwise it might slip from his grasp. He was considering whether it might be as well to take those men that had come over to him when he left, for they would be more inclined to fight against Leominster than their lady of Gifford. She had sworn that she would never take up arms against a king of England, but an ambitious mother might do anything for her son’s sake.
He decided that all was well and he would go in search of Melissa, and a little smile touched his mouth as he recalled their loving of the previous night. They had been wed for two weeks now and every night their pleasure in each other became more intense. Rob sometimes wondered at himself, for he had never expected to feel so much for a woman. Had he not been strict with himself, he could have dallied at her side all day and left his work—but he knew that he could not afford to neglect anything. At the back of his mind a shadow hovered. He had dismissed warnings from the priest that perhaps his marriage was not entirely legal in the eyes of the church. It seemed that the ceremony for Melissa’s betrothal had begun, though it had never finished—and of course there was the marriage contract. Leominster might be entitled to claim her as his promised wife.
Leominster’s life was forfeit to King Henry, but while he remained at large there was a danger. Rob did not believe that the marquis would try to snatch her back, but kings were capricious creatures, and if Leominster were to treat for his lands, he might also be awarded his promised wife.
He would never give her up! Rob’s expression was harsh. Melissa was his now, and he was determined to put his doubts behind him, though he had not quite been able to dismiss them.
He was about to go inside when he heard a shout and a moment later a rider came cantering into the courtyard. His frown deepened as he saw that it was one of the four men he had sent to escort Gifford to the Tower of London.
The man came up to Rob, bending his knee before him. ‘Forgive me, lord, the news is not good.’
‘I do not punish the bearer of ill news,’ Rob said with a growl. ‘Tell me the worst.’
‘We watched the earl day and night, for you told us not to trust his word too much. There was always two of us on guard when we camped for the night, but last night when I rose to take my turn I discovered that the guards were dead. They had been taken from the rear, their throats cut. My companion was also wounded and I left him to make his way home as best he could while I rode to give you the news. I do not know why I was not murdered in my sleep, sir—except that I always rest sitting up with my sword across my body.’
‘Perhaps you were meant to live to warn me,’ Rob said, his mouth set in a grim line. ‘I am at fault, Eric of Bolwood, for I should have sent him in chains as the King bid me. I granted him the dignity of an honourable surrender and therefore it is my blame.’
‘Sir, I think the earl planned his escape, for we had camped some ten leagues beyond the boundary of the Marquis of Leominster’s estate, and I think it was there that he would have gone for sanctuary.’
‘Yes, I think you are right,’ Rob said. ‘He will have gone there with the news of what happened here.’
‘Will they come against us, sir?’
‘Perhaps. I have been preparing for such an eventuality. I had hoped to leave Gifford safe and then attack Leominster, but it is possible that he may come here…’ Rob looked thoughtful. ‘We shall make our plans for often surprise will win the day…’
‘You were a fool to surrender to him without a fight,’ William, Marquis of Leominster growled. ‘I told you to come to me with your men and the women. We could have withstood a siege here for months had you heeded me. We might have traded for your manor when they wearied of the fight.’
‘What if the King had sent more men to subdue us?’ Gifford asked. ‘Even here, we could not hold out forever against larger numbers. I thought it best to give my bond and then trick my guards and come here alone.’
The Marquis gave
him a look of disgust. ‘Now you have nothing and your bond is broken. Henry Tudor will have no mercy for you now, Gifford. If you do not end on the block, you will never be allowed to return to Gifford.’
‘Unless we take it back from Melford,’ Gifford said, his eyes narrowing. ‘Henry has the throne, but who says he can hold it? It may be that if we show that we are not to be tamed others will follow. Richard may be dead, but his sister’s son lives—and he may yet rule in the Tudor’s place. In the meantime, we should teach Melford a lesson.’
‘And how may we do that?’ Leominster demanded, his narrow-set eyes glinting with temper. ‘Had you held out I might have come to your aid. As it is you have lost me my bride and the lands that are hers by right. And now you ask that I aid you in this struggle. Give me a reason—what benefit to me?’
‘If you want the girl I know how we may get her back—and draw that upstart Melford from Gifford.’
‘She belongs to me.’ Leominster’s gaze hardened. ‘You say that the betrothal by proxy went ahead as planned. If that is so, she is mine by right and I shall take her from him. If he remains at Gifford yet, we may lay siege to it and…’
The earl shook his head. He had lied about the betrothal, but he needed the marquis’s help. ‘He is too clever for that, Leominster. He will have fortified it for a siege by now—but there is another way. We may take Melissa and draw the fox from his lair.’ It would not suit him to have his manor laid waste by his ruthless neighbour. It would be much better if the fighting took place here at Leominster. ‘You may withstand his attack far better than I could have had I refused to surrender.’
The Marquis gave him a withering look. He suspected the earl had taken the easy way out for his own reasons, but he had no such scruples. If it were possible to snatch Melissa from Gifford Towers without a fight so much the better. Once he had her within the walls of the castle, no man on earth could take her from him.
He looked at the earl thoughtfully. Gifford was more of a fool than he had believed. Yet if he knew a way to spirit Melissa away from the upstart Robert of Melford, he would have served his purpose. If the earl were disposed of, the Gifford lands might pass to him by right of force. Gifford had a young son, but children died easily and then with Melissa as his wife, he had as much right to his former friend’s lands as anyone. His promised wife was a considerable heiress and he could come out of this with a great deal more power and wealth than he had expected.
‘Tell me how this magic may be worked,’ he said, for he could see no other way to gain his rights other by laying siege to the fortified manor house.
‘There is a way in that no one but I knows of,’ the earl said. ‘It needs only one man to enter and snatch her from him…’
‘If one man may pass then so may many.’ Leominster growled. ‘We could take a band of men in and come upon them by surprise.’
‘You think that I shall reveal my secret to others?’ Gifford tossed his head scornfully. ‘No, that is not my intent, sir, for I should never lie easy in my bed again. The secret is passed down from father to son and shall never be told to others—but I will go in and bring her out to you, and then we shall return here. You will then promise to help me gain possession of Gifford once more when the upstart has been dealt with as I choose. I want him hanged, but not before he has been made to suffer.’
‘Very well,’ the marquis agreed. His narrowed gaze revealed nothing. Once he had the girl, he would dispose of this fool—but he would learn the secret of Gifford if he could. ‘Bring her back to me and I shall help you gain what is rightfully yours.’ A sword thrust in the dark once the deed was done, and the matter would be ended.
Melissa was singing as she worked at her sewing. She had finished mending the linen she had taken as her share of a dreary task and now she was planning a tapestry that she would take with her to her new home. It was to be a wall hanging for her husband’s bedchamber at Melford, and she had decided that it should tell the story of the great struggle between the houses of York and Lancaster. Rob had told her that Henry’s advisors wished him to marry Elizabeth of York, the lady with perhaps the most claim to the throne of England. If he did as they begged him, it might put an end to the wars that had lasted for so many years.
‘Melissa…’ She looked up as the door of her chamber opened and her husband came in. He was dressed in leather hose and a fine wool shirt that lay open to the waist, and her heart turned over at the sight of him. He was so handsome and she loved him. She never noticed the scar that marred one side of his face. ‘Come down and walk with me, my lady. It is a warm day and you sit too long up here alone.’
Melissa got up and went to him, giving him her hand. ‘I have been busy with the mending,’ she told him with a smile. ‘I did not wish to come down too soon for I thought that I might be in the way. I have seen how busy you are. Your men seem to train all day.’
‘It is the only way to keep them fighting fit while we linger here,’ Rob said. ‘I wanted to talk to you, because I think we must leave soon.’
She looked at him anxiously. ‘You are going to Leominster. I do not think the marquis will surrender as easily as my uncle did, Rob. I have heard that he is a harsh man and very proud.’
‘Yes, I think that is true,’ Rob agreed. ‘We did not meet in battle, but I heard that he fought well and hard. It is because of his reputation that the King is determined to subdue him. Although the Crown has been won, it is not yet secure. Henry knows that some of the nobles will rebel against him. There are others with a claim to rule in his stead.’
‘I think I understand,’ Melissa said, ‘and I know you must leave for it is your duty. But I shall pray for your safety.’ Her eyes opened wide as she looked at him. ‘What would you have me do?’
‘That is my dilemma,’ Rob said, and raised her hand to his lips to drop a kiss within the palm. ‘I am not sure whether to send you back to Melford with an escort—or to leave you at Gifford until I can return for you.’
‘May I not come with you?’
‘A soldiers’ camp is not the place for a lady,’ Rob said, and smiled at her. ‘I know you would accept the hardship without complaint, and I should like to have you near—but it would be too dangerous. I think you would do better to wait here until I come, though you may go to Melford if you wish.’
She knew that he could not truly spare the men to accompany her. Besides, Leominster was not so far away and he would send for her as soon as he was in a commanding position.
‘I shall remain here until you send for me,’ she said, and touched his cheek, her fingers moving over the scar, which was still livid though no longer throbbed with pain. ‘But I shall pray that you come to me soon, my love.’
‘I shall be no longer from your side than duty demands,’ Rob told her, his voice hoarse with emotion. ‘But I gave a promise and it must be kept, Melissa.’
‘You would be less than yourself if you gave up your duty for my sake,’ she said. ‘When must you leave?’
‘I think tomorrow at first light,’ Rob said. ‘We shall dine with the men in the hall this evening, and then I shall come to take my leave of you.’ He longed to hold her in his arms and know the sweetness of her flesh, for it would have to last him some time, perhaps weeks or even months. He would not think that it might be the last time, for if he weakened he might stay here and never leave her at all.
Melissa dressed in her husband’s favourite gown of green over a kirtle of cloth of gold. A net of gold sewn with pearls held her hair, and she wore the chain of emeralds about her waist. In bed the previous night, she had worn them and nothing else for Rob loved to see the jewels lie against her breasts. Her cheeks flushed a becoming rose as she remembered the way he had loved her, and she found that she was longing for that night when he came to her again. It would be for the last time until he returned—and who knew when that would be.
A little shiver ran through Melissa, a feeling of impending doom shadowing her as she dismissed her maid and prepared to
go downstairs to the hall. Men oft died in battle, and Rob was not a man to hide at the rear while his soldiers were cut down in front of him. Her throat tightened with fear, for she did not know how she would feel if she never saw him again. She had given him her heart, but she was not sure of his and if he died she would never know if he had truly forgiven her.
Shaking off her anxiety, she left her chamber and made her way along the gallery. She was determined to show no distress, for this night was to be one of celebration. The men were in merry mood, though she knew that only watered ale was being served that night; it was a precaution against sore heads in the morning, for they would need to be ready to march soon after it was light.
A rousing cheer greeted Melissa as she entered the vast hall, for she was popular. Most of the men served Rob’s family in one guise or another, though some were merely yeomen farmers and would return to the plough when he told them to go home. She smiled at them as she passed, her head held proudly, walking like a queen. Yet her pride had not prevented her from aiding the men in whatever way she could these past days, and many of them had benefitted from having their clothes washed in barrels by the women Melissa had sent to do their chores.
Rob stood to greet her as he always did, taking her hand and kissing it as he led her to her place at his side. He had provided more of the sweet wine she liked, and they toasted each other and their friends before the feasting began.
There were ribs of spit-roasted pig, pies of eel and trout, capons and pigeons in red wine, together with apples cooked in cider and boiled cabbage with bacon and cheese. Everyone ate heartily, entertained by the minstrel who had sung at Melissa’s wedding feast.
Afterwards, she and Rob danced together, and some of the women from the manor joined in the merry jig that followed. It was growing dark outside when Rob suggested that Melissa might like to go up to her chamber.