by Sharon Green
“Aren’t you allowed to travel alone, or are you just afraid to try it?” she couldn’t help asking as he turned back to her, interrupting whatever he’d been about to say. “If I were you, I’d resent being treated like that.”
“I see we aren’t finished with the amusing dialogue yet,” he said, his folded arms and the expression on his face telling her that amusing was the last thing he’d found her comment to be. “Don’t forget to let me know when you feel ready to act like an adult instead of a child.”
“If acting like an adult means letting someone ruin my brother’s rescue, I’ll never be ready,” she retorted, immediately folding her own arms. “But I might be mistaken about that. Why don’t you hold your breath while you wait to find out.”
“Hasn’t it occurred to you that charging off to Gardal’s rescue is exactly what his kidnappers want you to do?” the man demanded, ignoring the rest of what she’d said. “If they manage to get their hands on the both of you, Gardal will die immediately and your father won’t live all that much longer. Is that what you want? To see most of your family killed?”
“I know that capturing me is probably what they have in mind, but it isn’t going to happen,” Elissia assured him, letting her expression show what she thought about his worries. “And even if by some chance it does, that won’t help their plans. In order to get anywhere Waysten would have to marry me, and that I’ll never let him do. Threatening Gardal’s life won’t help them, not when I know he’d be killed as soon as the ceremony was over. If necessary I’m willing to kill myself to keep Waysten from winning over my family, but I don’t think I’ll find it necessary.”
“I can’t help noticing that our own marriage wasn’t mentioned anywhere in among all those plans,” the savage commented, obviously still far from pleased. “Don’t you consider that a snag in Prince Waysten’s plans?”
“You expect a temporary arrangement that’s soon to be over to matter in all this?” Elissia asked with a sound of ridicule. “Why would it?”
“Because that temporary matter isn’t over yet, and may not ever be over,” he responded immediately, cat pouncing on a mouse. “But even if it is soon to be ended, it isn’t over now. Your husband told you what he wanted you to do, and you disobeyed him. On top of that you refuse to listen to a single word of reason, so I think it’s time you paid for all of it.”
He moved forward fast to take her by the arm again, and Elissia found it impossible to avoid him or pull free. His hands were so disgustingly big that one of them wrapped completely around her arm, and it took only a fraction of his strength to move her wherever he wanted her. At the moment that happened to be next to a straight-backed chair, which he immediately sat down on. The next instant she was pulled across his knees, which made her yelp in protest.
“You miserable coward, let me go!” she shouted, struggling uselessly against his accursed strength.
“Only a stinking coward would beat a woman, and if you try to do it again I’ll make sure everyone knows what you are!”
“You’re not going to be beaten, you’re going to be spanked,” he corrected calmly while ignoring her struggles as he lifted her tunic and reached to her trousers. He had to turn her sideways to do all that, but he had very little trouble accomplishing it. “And this time there won’t be a skirt to protect you, so the lesson ought to be a bit sharper. If even that doesn’t impress you, I’ll find something even better for next time.”
“Next time,” she echoed with a snarl as he began to take her trousers down, helpless to keep it from happening. “If you do this, I promise you won’t survive for there to be a next time!”
“I’ll take my chances,” he replied with what sounded like amusement, and then a big hand stroked her bare bottom. “This is much better than the last time. Your drawers were short and without any lace or frills, so they were easily taken down. That’s what you’ll wear from now on even when you’re back in gowns. If I let you wear anything at all. I may want to see this behind of yours even if I’m not about to spank it.”
Elissia screamed wordlessly with frustrated rage, at the same time choking on humiliation. He’d nearly stripped her naked and then he’d caressed her, and he had no right! He didn’t want her, not for any purpose, so his treating her like that simply wasn’t fair!
But then his hand came down on her bottom without any gentleness, and the smack nearly made her yelp again. He added more of the same in quick succession, one, two, three, and not yelping became even harder. The smacks hurt more than they had the first time, and he’d only just started. She quickly put her right hand back in an effort to protect herself, but he refused to allow that. He took her arm in his left hand and held it out of the way, then calmly went on with what he’d started.
By the time he was through, Elissia was twisting and kicking and fighting not to cry as loudly as she wanted to. Her bottom ached to the constant smack! smack! of his hand coming down, and she was close to being desperate. His punishment was painful as well as being horribly humiliating, and if there was one thing she knew in this world it was that she never wanted to face the same thing again.
“Are you ready to apologize yet?” the beast asked as he paused in the torture. “If you are I’m ready to listen, but if I don’t like what I hear we’ll have to continue until you really are ready.”
“I – I don’t know what you want me to say,” Elissia hedged, hating the idea of apologizing to the beast almost as much as having the beating continue. “Do you expect me to apologize for caring about my brother?”
“I expect you to apologize for disobeying me, and I expect to be told that it will never happen again.” The beast’s tone was flat with unshakable decision, not the least hesitation to be heard in it. “And I do recommend that you make the effort to convince me of your sincerity and truthfulness. You won’t enjoy what happens if I don’t believe you.”
“How am I supposed to convince you of anything in this position?” Elissia wailed, almost to the point of true distress. She really did want to cry, and then she realized she was being a fool. Men weren’t all that difficult to manipulate, especially when tears were used.
“I don’t know what I can possibly say,” she continued raggedly, finally letting the tears and sobbing come. “You won’t believe that I’ve never regretted anything as much as having disobeyed you, and you won’t believe that I’ll never do it again. I don’t know what to say, I just don’t.”
By then the sobs shook her body, and she let her head hang down without making any effort to hold it up. Crying was easy after what the beast had done to her, but she wasn’t certain about how effective a ploy she’d used until the savage finally released her arm and turned her around in his lap.
“All right, I do believe you so you don’t have to cry,” the beast said, holding her to him and stroking her hair. “It’s all over now, so you don’t have to worry. Calm down and you’ll realize that everything will be fine.”
Elissia cried even harder at that, but only to cover her exultation. Her plan had worked perfectly, and she hadn’t even had to lie. She would cry herself into exhaustion, and then she would fall deeply asleep.
And in the morning, before she tiptoed out to continue on her way alone, she would tie all the savage’s clothes into complex and stubborn knots!
Derand held the girl until she fell asleep, the shuddering in her breathing easing but not disappearing entirely even then. Her clothes were still disarranged, but rather than risk waking her he carried her to the bed and put her down gently, then covered her with the quilt. When she woke she could see to her own clothes, and by then it ought to be less painful. He hadn’t held back much as he spanked her, using his anger as a spur and thereby easing it.
But now his anger was all gone, washed away in the girl’s tears. She’d obviously been trying again not to show them, but at last had lost the battle. There was no doubt she’d deserved that spanking, but now he was beginning to feel like a bully.
And th
at was something he didn’t enjoy, so he pushed the thoughts away and went downstairs for a meal. His men would be free to eat once he returned, and until then they would make sure no one disturbed the girl. After the day she’d had she needed the sleep, and tomorrow they could talk – before he sent her back to her father under escort. She refused to understand just how much danger she was in, which made her position even more dangerous.
Rather than letting his anger at that flare again, Derand had his meal and then returned to his rooms. The girl lay in the same place he’d left her, apparently not having moved a single muscle while he was gone. His body let him know that it would have enjoyed having her awake, so maybe it was a good thing she still slept. If the marriage was to be annulled he had no right to touch her, but it was becoming harder and harder to remember that. He’d seen only one part of her bare, but that one part had made him want to see the rest. It was a shame she’d given in that easily
Derand shook his head hard to dislodge the nonsense, then he began to get out of most of his clothes. He would sleep all the way under the bed’s two quilts while the girl slept between them, and that way he ought to be able to control himself. But that referred to his actions. His thoughts were another matter entirely, and as he blew out the lamp and made his way to the bed, he knew it would be a long time before sleep was able to conquer them.
Elissia awoke as easily as she always did when she had something to get up for at a particular time. The darkness beyond the windows said it wasn’t yet dawn, but it ought to be close enough that getting out of bed was called for. She remembered just in time that she had to be quiet about it, which was a lucky thing. When she tried to sit up she found that the remnants of what the beast had done to her still made sitting uncomfortable. Her breath drew in silently rather than with a hiss, and then she had eased herself to standing.
That was when she noticed two things: her clothes and even her boots had been left just as they’d been, and the beast was asleep on the other side of the bed. She hated the thought of having slept in her clothes, but that was a good deal better than having had them taken. Making herself presentable took only a moment, and that length of time was enough for her to confirm one of her previous conclusions: the beast had no real interest in her. He’d shared her bed, but still hadn’t tried to force himself on her. When a man doesn’t even care enough to want to force himself on a woman, his disinterest goes well beyond the ordinary.
Accepting that didn’t do a thing for Elissia’s self esteem, but that was beside the point. Getting out of that inn without anyone noticing was much more important, so Elissia set about doing that. But first she located the beast’s leather trousers and tiptoed over to them, then put a good knot in the legs. That should tell him what she thought about the way he’d treated her.
Her first objective after seeing to the trousers was groping her way into the second bedchamber. It was difficult to see in the dark, but most servant bedchambers had a back entrance so the servant could come and go without bothering his or her master or mistress. It took a few moments of feeling along the wall, but eventually Elissia found the door, unbolted it, and let herself out. The other door was being guarded by the beast’s men, but this door led to the back stairs and was completely unwatched.
Slipping down the stairs to her own room took very little time, and so did collecting her saddlebags. At the same time she appropriated a cushion, which she’d probably need in order to stay in the saddle.
She was determined to go on her way no matter what, but the cushion would make it a bit easier.
The inn’s night man took care of fetching bread and cheese for her rather quickly, and after she’d paid for the food she made her way out to the stable. Her horse was already saddled just the way he was supposed to be, so she gave the boy another copper, put the food in the saddlebags and the saddlebags on her horse, and then she was ready to go. But first she led her mount outside, to spare herself having the boy see her put the cushion in place. It was embarrassing enough to have to use the thing; having someone else see her do it would have been too much.
Elissia pretended to head for the road, but as soon as she was out of sight of the inn she turned into the woods and headed northeast. Gardal had told her about a little-used road in that area – more a cow path, really – that led to a hunting cabin that was free for the use of anyone who happened to be hunting in the area. Those who used it were supposed to either replace the supplies of food kept there, or leave enough silver to cover what was consumed. If Elissia found the cabin already being used she would have a problem, but if it stood empty it would do beautifully for a place to stop and let the beast charge ahead after her supposed trail.
As the sky began to take on color with the coming of the new day, Elissia’s horse moved with more confidence through the woods. She let him move at his own pace, and it wasn’t long before they found the cow path and turned left to follow it. Elissia hated the idea of having to delay for any reason, but the beast had given her no choice. He would charge ahead to the city, blunder into whatever Waysten might have set up to trap him, and then she would be able to enter without any trouble. One of her former girl servants had married a man from the area near Ramsond, and they now lived on a farm only a few miles from the city. They would be able to get her inside without anyone noticing, and then she’d be free to locate Gardal without anyone interfering.
Elissia kept going until it was somewhere around noon, and then she stopped to eat some of her bread and cheese. As hungry as she was she wolfed it down, but didn’t give in to the temptation to eat more of it. If the cabin turned out to have nothing in the way of food, she’d be glad she hadn’t made a pig out of herself. She also lay on the ground for a while to give her horse a chance to rest and graze, and when she remounted she found she no longer needed the cushion. She folded it awkwardly and stuffed it into one of her saddlebags, deciding to keep it even though she wasn’t likely to have need of it a second time. If she never saw that beast again, it would be three years and seven days too soon
Derand awoke slowly, still held delightfully by the dream he’d had. Without thinking he reached over to where the girl in his dream was sleeping, distantly wondering if he might bring that particular dream to life – and then sat bolt upright. The other side of the bed was empty, and touching his hand to the pillow showed there was no longer any trace of the warmth that would have been left. That meant the girl hadn’t only just gotten up, so he had to find out where she’d gone. It couldn’t have been too far, not after she’d given her word to obey him from now on
The new day was just beginning beyond the windows, which meant he had no trouble looking through the apartment. The private sanitary facilities were empty and so was the servant’s room – but that room’s door was no longer bolted. He’d checked himself to see that it was before he’d gone to sleep, and now the bolt was open.
Muttering under his breath, Derand strode back to where he’d left his clothes. He’d been a fool to believe that girl, an utter fool who deserved to be beaten over the head for his foolishness. But when he caught up with her, he wasn’t the one who would be beaten. She’d learn the difference between that and a spanking, damned if she wouldn’t!
As angry as he was, Derand had no chance to see the trap that had been left for him. He grabbed up his leather pants and began to force his leg into them as he always did – only this time his leg didn’t go all the way in. His foot was stopped only a short way in, and trying to force his way past the obstruction only served to destroy his balance. He hopped frantically for a moment, trying to stay on his feet – or, rather, foot – but it was no good. He went down hard on his backside, and only then was he able to see the knots made with his pants legs.
The cursing he did then should have turned the air blue for miles around, especially when it took him time to unknot the pants legs. When he caught up to that girl again, he’d begin seeing to it that she spent the rest of her life standing up – even if she lived to be a
hundred!
It took much too long for him to dress, but after that things went faster. He found out when the girl had left the inn, and also learned that she’d headed for the road toward Ramsond. Five minutes later he and his men were also on the road, riding hard in an effort to catch up to the most stubborn woman in the world before she got herself killed.
It wasn’t quite sundown when Elissia found the cabin, and as luck would have it there was no one else around. A relatively small shed stood right next to the cabin, and looking inside showed Elissia a tiny stable with two stalls. There was also oats in a bin, so she unsaddled her horse, rubbed him down, then gave him some oats in the stall she’d put him into. Tomorrow she’d let him graze before they went on, but right now he deserved a bit of pampering.
Elissia found that the cabin itself had two rooms, not very large and definitely not very clean, but still useable in what she considered an emergency. She lit a lamp in the front room before closing the door, then carried the lamp through to the back room. With the large, crudely made bed it was obviously the cabin’s bedchamber, so she unshuttered a window while she looked around. The room needed airing as well as dusting, sweeping, and scrubbing, but all she was equipped to do was the first.
The bed’s mattress seemed to be stuffed with feathers, but it was completely bare of linens as well as pillows and quilts. At first Elissia thought that that was the way the hunters used it, but opening one of the two chests the room also held revealed sheets, pillows, pillow covers, and quilts. None of it was what might be called fresh, but despite the common cotton it was all made of it seemed to be fairly well kept. Did those who used the cabin actually wash the linen they used, or did a girl come by after them to see to the matter?
Elissia had no idea, and the second chest, being empty, did nothing to enlighten her. Putting the linens on the bed was a challenge for someone who had never done such a thing before, but somehow she managed it without making a total hash of it. Once the quilts and pillows were in place she thought about the need to wash the things after she’d used them, but that was completely out of the question. Even if she’d had the time to do something like that, she had no idea how it was done. She decided to leave a piece of silver rather than waste time fiddling with the unknowable, and hope that that would be enough. If it wasn’t, there was still nothing she might do to change the situation.