by Connie Mason
There it is, Raj,” Dominic said, indicating the large, square structure surrounded by a high wall that loomed before them. The bell in the chapel began tolling the hour of Sext as they approached the gate. They had made good time, Dominic thought as he checked the position of the sun in the sky.
Dominic reined his destrier before a heavy oak gate and dismounted.
“Shall I ring the bell, master?” Raj asked.
Dominic glanced up and saw a large brass bell with a rope attached to its handle mounted atop the gate.“Aye, ring away, Raj,” Dominic growled.
Raj grasped the rope and set the bell to clanging. It was so loud Dominic covered his ears with his hands to dull the noise. Then he waited. And waited.
“Try again, Raj,” Dominic said, his patience slowly eroding.
Dominic clenched his teeth as Raj set the clapper in motion again. The second time produced results. Dominic watched in grim satisfaction as a woman clad in black and wearing a white wimple on her head approached the gate.
“How may I help you, sir?”
“Open the gate. I wish to speak with your two new arrivals.”
Sister Isolda gave her head a negative shake.“Men are not allowed inside. I will relay a message for you.”
“Not good enough,” Dominic returned impatiently. “My business is with Lady Nelda and her daughter. Either let my man and me inside or send them out.”
Raj stepped from behind Dominic, giving Sister Isolda the full benefit of his impressive height and rather ominous scowl.
“I… I will summon the abbess,” Sister Isolda said, scurrying off.
“Damn!” Dominic cursed. “I do not want to speak to the abbess,” he called after the frightened nun. “If you do not send out Lady Nelda and her daughter, my man and I will break down the gate.”
Sister Isolda’s response was to pick up her skirts and run.
Think you the little blackbird will send out Lady Nelda and her daughter?” Raj asked.
“We can only hope,” Dominic said.
Dominic paced before the gate, his patience wearing thin. If someone did not appear soon, he was fully prepared to break down the gate. It should not be difficult to find a battering ram from among the fallen logs he had seen while passing through the forest
“Someone comes,” Raj said.
Dominic swallowed another curse when he realized the woman approaching was neither Lady Nelda nor Rose’s twin. He was in no mood to bandy words with another holy woman, but it looked as if that was precisely what he was going to do.
The nun, stout of body and round of face, planted herself before the sturdy gate and stared at Dominic. Dominic knew the exact moment she saw Raj, for her eyes widened and she took an involuntary step backward.
“I am the abbess. Sister Isolda said you wish to speak with Lady Nelda and Starla. They are newly arrived and resting after their journey. State your name and business.”
“I am Lord Dominic Dragon of Dragonwyck. My business is personal,” Dominic said in his most intimidating voice.
The Dragon Lord,” the abbess gasped, obviously aware of his name and reputation. It took a few minutes for her to regain her composure. The gate cannot be opened to you or any man, my lord.”
“My temper hangs by a thread, madam,” Dominic bit out “If I cannot come inside, send out Lady Nelda and her daughter so that I may speak with them. I mean them no harm. Lady Nelda is mother to my wife.”
The abbess studied Dominic with shrewd brown eyes. After what seemed like an eternity, she nodded, turned and walked away.
“Think you the black crow will send out Lady Nelda and her daughter?” Raj asked.
“Your guess is as good as mine, Raj, but I vow I will not take no for an answer. I refuse to return to Dragonwyck without the truth. I want to know if I was tricked into wedding the wrong daughter… and why.”
“It appears that your wish will be granted, master,” Raj said. “Lady Nelda and Lady Starla are approaching the gate.”
“About time,” Dominic grumbled. Arms crossed over his chest and a ferocious scowl on his face, Dominic watched them draw near.
Lady Nelda knew why Lord Dragon had come, but she had not expected him so soon. What had Rose done to make him suspicious? she wondered. She could not suppress a chuckle despite the graveness of the situation. Rose was a resourceful lass. Nelda trusted her daughter to find a way to allay Dragon’s anger when he learned that he had been duped.
The Dragon looks angry, Mama,” Starla whispered, sidling closer to her mother. “I would never forgive myself if he hurt Rose on my account.”
“Remain silent, Starla,” Lady Nelda warned. “Let us see how much Lord Dragon knows before we jump to conclusions.”
“My lord,” Nelda began, “the abbess said you wished to speak to me and Starla. May I inquire about Rose’s health first? I trust my daughter is well.”
“I have not harmed her, if that is what you think.”
“What brings you to the convent so soon after your wedding?”
“As if you did not know,” Dominic snorted. His gaze slid to Starla, who reacted to his glare by cringing behind her mother.“Tell me the name of the twin I wed,” he said in a deceptively calm voice. “If you lie, these walls are not high enough to save you from my wrath.”
Nelda tried not to flinch beneath Dragon’s threat. She had heard that the Dragon Lord was a hard man, and she did not trust him. She had no choice, however, but to answer his question truthfully, whether or not he chose to believe her.
“You wed my daughter Rose, my lord,” Nelda said.“I would never lie about something as important as that. Why do you ask?”
Dominic pointed to Starla. “She is the one I thought I wed.”
Starla gave a little squeak and recoiled in fear.
“I wanted a submissive wife,” Dominic continued, “not a defiant termagant. I was duped.”
“How so, my lord?” Nelda asked sweetly. “You chose Rose of your own free will.”
“Trickery!” Dominic charged. ” Tis my belief that your daughters switched places. The bride I chose wasnot the one I wanted.”
Starla clung to her mother. “Mama, do not let him take me. I will die if I have to wed him. I am meant for God.”
“We all witnessed a wedding, my lord,” Nelda said evenly. “You married Rose; the nuptials were blessed by Father Nyle. Go home and try to make the best of your marriage. But if I hear you are mistreating Rose, I will ask my brother Murdoc to rally to her defense.”
“Murdoc,” Dominic repeated. “Ah, yes, the Scotsman. Fear not, lady, I will attempt to keep my hands from Rose’s throat if she will sheath her sharp claws. Nevertheless, you owe me the truth. Explain how I wed an acid-tongued shrew instead of a pious little mouse?”
“Look at Starla, my lord,” Nelda said. “Really look at her. She is her sister’s image but her opposite in every way. Ever since she was a small child her dream was to become a nun. A man of your vast experience and appetite would gain no joy from her. Is that what you want? A wife who will cower and weep and cringe away from your touch?”
Dominic shrugged. “Perhaps I prefer that to being slashed to pieces by a sharp tongue. ‘Tis done now, there is naught I can do to change it. But know this. I will never forgive Rose for duping me, nor will I play the fool for her. She wanted to become my wife, and so she shall be, in every sense of the word.”
Seething with fury, Dominic mounted his destrier.
“My lord,” Starla called out, finally finding her voice. “Do not hurt my sister. She did naught but make it possible for me to pursue my dream. I will pray for her.”
“Mayhap you should pray for me,” Dominic replied. “I have to live with that harridan.”
Touching his spurs to his destrier’s sides, he thundered off.
“What do you suppose Rose did to anger him?” Starla asked as Dominic rode off in a cloud of dust.
Nelda heaved a rueful sigh. “Knowing our Rose, she could have said or done anything.”
She paused thoughtfully. “Why could she not have held her tongue a little longer? Despite the odds against their happiness, I feel that the match between Lord Dragon and Rose is a good one. I wonder which of them will recognize it first.”
“I wonder who will kill the other first,” Starla said dryly.
Dominic rode as if chased by the devil. He was angry. Damn angry. He had wanted Starla and through trickery had wed Rose, but truth to tell, seeing Starla again made him glad he had not married her. He thought he had wanted a submissive, unobtrusive wife but felt fortunate that he had not wed the pious twin. That did not mean, however, that he was any the less angry with Rose for making a fool of him.
“You will ride your horse to death if you do not slow down,” Raj said as he caught up with Dominic.
Cursing his stupidity as well as his gullibility, Dominic pulled back on the reins. “I do not enjoy being tricked. She will pay, Raj. Aye, Rose will pay for her duplicity.”
The way I see it,” Raj mused, “you got the best of the bargain. Piety belongs in the church, not the marriage bed.”
“You are a wise man, Raj, but in this you are wrong. Rose must be shown the error of her ways. She knew what she was doing when she duped me into wedding her. She will accept me in her bed or suffer the consequences.”
Raj chuckled. “You sound like a man eager to bed his wife, master.”
” Tis my right. God’s nightgown, man! Rose is my wife; she owes me her maidenhead.”
Think you she will surrender it without a fight?”
Dominic’s expression turned feral.“She has no choice. Mayhap I will take her maidenhead, then send her to the convent with her mother and sister and fetch Lady Veronica to Dragonwyck. Now, there is a lady who knows how to please a man.”
“If you say so, master,” Raj said. “Were I you, I would not act precipitously. Pluck your Rose but have a care for her thorns. Mayhap, master,” he said, sending Dominic an amused smile, “you will enjoy being pricked.”
Dominic could not suppress the smile that lifted the comer of his mouth. “Mayhap you are right.Raj.”
Rose was a nervous wreck that night. She had expected Dominic to appear for the evening meal, and when he did not, she was both worried and relieved at the same time. She was worried because she had no idea where Dragon had gone, and relieved because she did not have to sit beside him at the table and wonder if he would force her into his bed.
What would he do if she locked her door against him again tonight? she wondered. Would he break it down and take her roughly? She wouldn’t put it past him to hurt her. Men could be beasts when thwarted.
Fortunately, Dragon did not appear and the meal progressed peacefully. Afterward, Rose and her ladies sat before the hearth in the solar, embroidering a new altar cloth for the chapel.
“Listen to the wind,” Lady Emily said, looking up from her work. ” Tis howling something fierce. It would not surprise me to wake up to snow tomorrow morning.”
Lady Blythe yawned and stretched. “I am for bed, ladies.”
After Lady Blythe left, Lady Emily folded up the cloth and set it aside. “Can I help you undress, Rose? Shall I summon Tyra?”
“Nay, thank you, I can manage on my own.”
“Think you your husband will return tonight?”
“Since Lord Dragon did not see fit to tell me where he was going, I know not when he will return. He can stay away forever for all I care. Good night, Emily.”
“Good night, Rose. Sleep well.”
Rose undressed, washed and slid into bed, pulling the bed coverings up to her nose. The days and nights were growing colder, and the sound of the howling wind sent shivers down her spine. It would soon be Christmastide. She closed her eyes and remembered Christmas last, when her father was still alive. How happy they had been; how blessed and carefree.
Suddenly the joyous memory was shattered by Dragon’s image, bringing to mind her father’s untimely death and the fact that she had not been allowed to properly mourn him. So much had happened that she had not found the opportunity to shed tears for the exceptional man who had sired her and Starla and had loved them with his whole heart. Rose and Starla had been so fortunate to have Edwyn for a father. He had never complained about the lack of a son and had lavished his love upon his twin daughters equally. Now she would never know that love again.
A terrible grief consumed Rose as tears spilled from her eyes. They fell down her cheeks in a steady stream, soaking her pillow. Her sobs were loud and soul-wrenching, coming from deep within her. She cried until she had nothing left to give, and still she cried.
Tired and chilled to the bone by the raw wind, Dominic entered the keep and strode to the hearth to warm his hands. He was hungry, but saw that no one was awake to fix him a meal.
“Sit and warm yourself, master,” Raj said.“I will fetch us something to eat from the kitchen.”
“What would I do without you, Raj?” Dominic said as he pulled a chair close to the fire.
That is something you will never have to worry about, master,” Raj replied.
Dominic stared into the dancing flames, his thoughts suddenly consumed with Rose. He wondered if she was sleeping and imagined her tucked cozily into bed, waiting for him. His groin tightened as he imagined her nude body, warm and flushed from sleep. He shifted and adjusted his clothing as his cock began to thicken and harden. He hadn’t had a woman since Veronica, and he needed one now.
Raj returned from the kitchen with a tray, shattering Dominic’s erotic thoughts. Raj pulled a table over to the hearth, set the tray down and joined Dominic. Together they demolished a small round of cheese, thick hunks of bread, cold capon left over from the evening meal and slices of roast beef, quaffing ale between bites.
“Remind me to compliment the alewife on the excellence of the brew,” Dominic said as he emptied the tankard.
“More, master?” Raj asked as he refilled his own tankard.
“Nay, I’m off to bed,” Dominic said, rising. “Find your own bed, Raj. We’ve had a full day.”
Dominic glanced toward the solar, wondering if Rose had locked him out again tonight. Anger rose inside him—anger and another, stronger emotion that sent hot blood pounding through his veins. Determination hardened his features as he strode up the stairs and marched resolutely along the gallery. He was in no mood to be thwarted, and woe to his wife if she locked the door against him tonight.
A grim smile curved his lips when the door to the sitting room opened at his touch. He advanced toward the bedchamber, ready to do battle if he found the door locked. His hand froze on the door latch when he heard heart-wrenching sobbing coming from inside the chamber.
Rose was crying! Crying as if her heart were breaking. Had something happened while he was gone?
Testing the door, he found it unlatched and pushed it open.
Rose could not stop crying. She had loved her father dearly and found it difficult to accept his death and all that had happened since. She was alone. Her mother and sister were gone, and her beloved home now belonged to a hard-hearted man who seemed to care naught about her grief or the loss she had suffered.
Rose was still sobbing uncontrollably when she heard the click of the door latch and the sound of footsteps. She suddenly recalled that she hadn’t locked the door after Emily and Blythe left.
Rose sensed Dragon’s presence, and a moment later a candle flame lit the chamber. He cleared his throat, the sound harsh and obtrusive in the waiting silence. She turned slowly and looked into his eyes. Dark currents swirled within their depths as he held her gaze. She shifted uncomfortably beneath his intense perusal and dashed away the tears dampening her cheeks.
The look in his eyes, his scent, the way he stared at her caused a stirring deep within her. His mouth was moving, but Rose heard naught above the pounding of her heart as treacherous warmth began to spread through her. She hated the feeling and called forth all the hatred she felt for the Dragon Lord.
“Did you not hear me? W
hy are you crying?” Dominic repeated.
Concentrating on his mouth, Rose finally heard what he was saying.
“What are you doing here?” she choked out.
“I belong here. This is the lord’s solar, is it not?”
“Go away. I wish to mourn my father in private.”
“Is that the reason for your tears?”
He sounded relieved, and that made Rose wary. “You did not allow me time for grieving.”
Unable to stop herself, Rose burst into a fresh round of tears. Dominic muttered a curse. Then he settled beside her on the bed and awkwardly patted her shoulder.
“Wh … what are you … do… doing?” Rose hiccuped between sobs.
Trying to comfort you,” Dominic replied gruffly. “Your tears disturb me.”
“Why do you care? You let the king murder my father.”
“I did not even know your father.”
Rose believed him, but it did not make her father’s death any less difficult to bear, nor did it soften the blow of having her home possessed and renamed by the king’s champion.
“I am fine now; you can leave,” Rose said dismissively. She did not want this hard, overbearing man in her bedchamber. She had no intention of sharing her bed with him, or letting him use her to sate his lust.
Dominic paid scant heed to Rose’s words. He had just become aware that she was naked beneath the covers. His hand on her shoulder stilled, his fingers tightening around the fragile bones. She was his wife. He could take her now with or without her consent. She belonged to him; her body was his to do with as he pleased.
He pulled her roughly into his arms, his body hardening with anticipation. Rose must have realized his intention, for she protested vigorously and pushed him away.
Her rejection made Dominic remember where he had been today and what he had learned. His temper flared and his grip tightened. “Do you know where I went today?”
“Nay. You did not see fit to tell me.”
“I visited your mother and sister at the convent.”
An involuntary cry escaped Rose’s throat. “What did you do to them?”
Her words brought a scowl to Dominic’s face. “What makes you think I harmed them? I admit I had good reason, but I have never hurt a woman before.” His next words held a hint of menace.“Of course, I’ve never had a wife before.”