Mystique

by Amanda Quick

  A small shiver went through her. Alice drew the folds of her night robe more closely around her. All her plans for the future had been irrevocably altered. There was no going back, no changing her mind. She was committed.

  The door opened without warning behind her.

  She turned her head quickly as Hugh entered the chamber. “Welcome, my lord.”

  She was relieved to note that he was alone. Apparently Hugh had decided to eschew the custom of a boisterous escort to the bridal bed.

  “Good evening … wife.” Hugh lingered over the last word, as though he found it of great interest.

  His black leather boots made no sound on the carpet as he came toward her. He was truly a creature of the night, a dark sorcerer who absorbed the firelight and gave off shadows.

  He wore one of the new black tunics embroidered with amber thread that Alice had had made for him. His black hair was brushed straight back from his high forehead. His eyes were brooding in the firelight.

  Alice jumped to her feet. She glanced at the table where two cups and a flagon had been set out. “Would you care for some wine?”

  “Aye. Thank you.” Hugh stopped in front of the fire. He held out his hands to the blaze and watched Alice as she poured the wine. He cleared his throat.

  “Have I ever told you that your hair is the color of a brilliant sunset in that moment before it is enveloped by the night?” Hugh asked quite casually.

  The flagon trembled in Alice’s hand. She felt the blush rise in her cheeks. “Nay, my lord. You never mentioned it.”

  “‘Tis true.”

  “Thank you, my lord.”

  Hugh’s brows rose as the wine splashed into a cup. “You are anxious.”

  “Is that so very strange under the circumstances, sir?”

  He shrugged. “Mayhap not for most women, but you are not like most women, Alice.”

  “And you are not like most men, sir.” She turned to him with the cup in her hand.

  His fingers brushed lightly against hers as he took the wine. “In what way am I different from other men?”

  This was not the sort of conversation she had planned to have on her wedding night, Alice thought. She wondered if he expected a serious answer to his question or if he was engaged in some new stratagem designed to disconcert her.

  “You are more intelligent than the other men I have known,” she said cautiously. “Deeper. More difficult to comprehend at times and yet, at other times, much clearer.”

  “Is that why you married me?” Hugh met her eyes over the rim of the wine cup. “Because I am more clever than other men? More interesting? Do I intrigue your curiosity? Arouse your questioning nature? Do you regard me as an unusual object, one worthy of adding to your collection, mayhap?”

  A trickle of unease went through Alice. She was suddenly very wary. “Nay, not precisely.”

  Hugh began to prowl the chamber, wine cup in hand. “Did you marry me because I proved useful?”

  She frowned. “Nay.”

  “I did rescue you and your brother from your uncle’s hall,” he reminded her.

  “Aye, but I did not marry you because of that.”

  “Was it to gain permanent possession of the green stone, mayhap?” Hugh asked.

  “Of course not.” Alice scowled. “What a ridiculous notion, my lord. I would hardly marry merely to possess that strange bit of crystal.”

  “Are you certain?”

  “Quite certain,” Alice said through set teeth.

  Hugh paused near one of the posts of the huge, black bed. He smiled his dangerous smile. “Was it because of the passion, then?”

  Anger flared in Alice. “You are taunting me again, sir.”

  “I merely seek information.”

  “Bah. You believe that I would wed you simply for the pleasure of a few kisses?”

  “Not for the kisses alone,” he mused, “but for what follows upon them. You are possessed of a most passionate nature, madam.”

  “Sir, this has gone much too far.”

  “And there is your great curiosity.” His voice roughened. “Your appetite for sensuality has been whetted and you wish to experience more of it. The only practical way of doing so is in the marriage bed, is that not true?”

  Alice was stunned. “You did it deliberately, did you not? Twas all a stratagem. I had begun to suspect as much.”

  “What did you suspect?”

  “That you kissed me and touched me and made love to me until I was breathless because you thought to ensnare me with passion.”

  “If you think that what you have experienced thus far is interesting, wait until you discover how much more there is to learn of the subject. Mayhap you should keep a pen and some parchment beside the bed so that you can record your observations.”

  “Oh, you are a demon, my lord.” She slammed her cup down on the table. She clenched her hands into fists. “But you are wrong if you think I would have wed you simply to secure more of your lovemaking.”

  “Are you certain?”

  “I do not comprehend your goal in this unpleasant conversation. Nor will I participate in it.” She started determinedly toward the door.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “To my own chamber.” She wrapped her fingers around the iron door handle. “When you have emerged from this odd mood, you may send word to me.”

  “What is odd about a man wishing to know why his wife married him?”

  Alice whirled around, outraged. “You are far too intelligent to play the fool, sir. You know full well why I married you. I did so because I love you.”

  Hugh went utterly still. Something dark and desperate swirled in his eyes.

  “Do you?” he finally whispered.

  Alice saw the lonely hunger in him and forgot all about escaping to her own bedchamber. She knew the depths of his emotions because she had experienced them herself.

  “My lord, you are not nearly so alone in this world as you seem to think,” she said softly. She released the doorknob and ran to him.

  “Alice.”

  He caught her up in his arms, holding her so tightly that she could not breathe.

  Then, without a word, he untied her night robe and let it fall to the floor. Alice trembled as he put her down on the white linen sheets.

  He jerked off his own clothing, tossing them aside in a careless heap.

  When he stood before her, Alice drew in her breath at the sight of his heavily aroused body. A torrent of emotion washed through her. She was disturbed, excited, and apprehensive, all at once. She reached out to catch hold of his hand.

  “My wife.” He sprawled on top of her, crushing her into the bedding.

  She glimpsed the aching need and the raw passion in his golden eyes as he bent his head to take her mouth. She knew in that instant that the turbulent gales that howled at the core of his being had been freed at last.

  She was lost in the storm of his embrace. It was unlike anything she had yet known with him. This was no slow, calculated seduction. This was a furious ride on the winds of a savage tempest. She was buffeted and tossed about until she could barely breathe.

  She was aware of his callused hand on her breast. The instant her nipple firmed, Hugh took it into his mouth. His teeth grazed lightly across the sensitive bud. Alice shuddered.

  A ragged groan surged through Hugh’s chest. His hand went lower, flattening across her belly, searching out the soft, tangled thicket. She gasped and squeezed her eyes shut when she felt him moisten his fingers in the dampness that materialized between her legs.

  And then, before she could catch her breath, he was parting her thighs, settling himself between them. Big, he was so big. And warm. And hard. Alice felt as though she were being swallowed alive. The words of his beautiful compliment came back to her. Sunset before it is enveloped by the night.

  Hugh levered himself up on his elbows to look down at her. His features were starkly drawn, his eyes brilliant in the firelight. He captured her fac
e between his strong hands.

  “Tell me again that you love me.”

  “I love you.” She smiled tremulously up at him, unafraid. In that moment she could see the secrets of his soul. You need me, she thought, just as much as I need you. Someday I pray you will comprehend that truth.

  He surged into her with stunning force.

  She loved him.

  A long time later Hugh lay back against the plump pillows and contemplated the embers on the hearth. He was aware of a curious sense of peace. It was as though the dark storm winds that had raged within him for so long had quieted at last.

  She loved him.

  Hugh savored the memory of Alice’s passionate declaration. She was not the kind of woman who would say such words lightly, he assured himself. She would not say them at all unless she believed them to be true.

  He stirred and stretched cautiously in the great bed, not wanting to awaken Alice. She was snuggled close against him, her hips fitted neatly into the curve of his body.

  Her skin was so soft, he thought. He touched the curve of her thigh with a sense of deep wonder. So warm. And her fragrance was more compelling than the rarest of spices.

  She shifted slightly, responding to his touch even in her sleep. He tightened his arm around her when she nestled closer. He had chosen well, he thought. Alice was everything she had appeared to be that night when she had bravely faced him in her uncle’s hall and dared to bargain for the future of herself and her brother.

  Everything and more. He was the most fortunate of men, Hugh told himself. He had hoped for a wife who possessed the qualities of courage, honor, and intelligence that were so important to him. In addition he had gotten one who loved him with a sweet, hot passion that took away his breath.

  “You look pleased with yourself, my lord,” Alice murmured in a drowsy voice. “What are you thinking?”

  He looked down at her. “That, contrary to your early fears, I was in no danger of being cheated when I paid your bride price. You were definitely worth two full chests of spices.”

  Alice gave a muffled giggle. “Sir, you are a rogue and an unchivalrous scoundrel.”

  She scrambled to her knees, grabbed a pillow, and began to pummel him unmercifully.

  Hugh gave a shout of laughter as he made a halfhearted attempt to defend himself. “I surrender.”

  “I want more than surrender.” Alice whacked him again with the fluffy weapon. “I want an apology.”

  He grabbed the pillow from her hands and tossed it aside. “How about a compliment instead?”

  She pursed her lips, considering the matter closely. “I will have to hear it before I can determine if it will satisfy me as much as an apology.”

  “Your breasts are as sweet and round as fresh summer peaches.” Hugh cupped one gently.

  “That is a very nice compliment,” Alice conceded.

  “There are more where that one came from,” he promised.

  “Hmm.”

  He tugged her down on top of him. She tumbled across his chest, warm and soft and so enticingly female. He stroked the edge of her fine-boned cheek. Memories of the day he had saved her from the robbers in Ipstoke came to mind. He recalled the way she had run to him. As if she had known, even then, that she belonged in his arms.

  “Many more,” he whispered.

  Alice folded her arms on his chest. “Well, my lord, compliments are certainly very pleasant and I shall look forward to hearing more of them, but I think that in this case they will not do.”

  “You still want the apology?”

  “Nay.” She chuckled. “What I want is a boon.”

  “A boon?”

  “Aye.”

  “What sort of boon?” he asked, suddenly cautious. He threaded his fingers through her tousled hair. She looked so lovely lying here in his bed. He shuddered to think how if it had not been for an old legend and the whim of fate, he might never have found her.

  Then again, Hugh thought, mayhap he had been destined to find her from the day of his birth.

  Alice smiled beatifically. “I don’t know yet. I wish to hold this boon in reserve, so to speak, until such time as I decide to collect it.”

  “I shall no doubt regret this, but I am in no mood to bargain with you again tonight. You may have my promise of a future boon, madam.”

  She batted her lashes outrageously. “You are too kind, my lord.”

  “I know. ‘Tis no doubt one of my greatest failings.”

  The following morning Dunstan spat into the dirt with his usual gusto and eyed the sagging door of the storeroom. “A fine day, m’lord.”

  “Aye.” Hugh surveyed the broken door with a sense of deep satisfaction. “No rain in sight. That means we’ll be able to finish the work here in the bailey without delay.”

  He was pleased with the progress that had been made in such a short time on the manor of Scarcliffe. The last of the villagers’ cottages had been repaired. The new refuse ditch was finished and the bridge across the stream stood firm once more. The first items on his list of priorities were completed.

  It was time to see to less critical matters here in the keep itself. Matters such as the drooping storeroom door. The clang and clash of tools rang out across the yard.

  “No shortage of men,” Dunstan observed.

  Hugh had been surprised at first by the number of villagers who had arrived early that morning to assist with the repairs. He had not ordered the men to appear. He had simply sent word that there was work for those who could spare the time from their farms.

  Virtually every able-bodied male in Scarcliffe had presented himself, tools in hand, within the hour. They had immediately set to work with an astoundingly cheerful mien.

  “We can thank my wife for the number of laborers we have here today,” Hugh said dryly. “She seems to have made a favorable impression on the villagers while I was in London.”

  “Lady Alice is swiftly becoming as much of a legend as yourself, m’lord. It did not go unnoticed that she saved Young John, the miller’s son, when the healer had given up the effort.”

  “I heard about that,” Hugh said quietly.

  “Nor has anyone forgotten that scene in the church when she ordered Calvert of Oxwick out of the pulpit.”

  “Memorable, indeed.”

  “And she was most industrious in overseeing the repairs you ordered done while you were gone.”

  Hugh smiled wryly. “Alice is very good at managing things.”

  “Aye. But I think it safe to say that the incident that warranted that she would become a true legend was the rescue of Rivenhall.”

  Hugh grunted, his indulgent mood dissolving in an instant. “You mean the villagers were awed by her bravery?”

  “Aye, m’lord. Awed is certainly the word for it.”

  “I’ll grant that my wife does not lack courage but she did not rescue Rivenhall alone. She had you and most of my men with her. Eduard of Lockton knew he was no match for such a force, nor would he have challenged me by taking up arms against my betrothed.”

  “It was not the lady’s bold ride into Rivenhall that gained the admiration of one and all.” Dunstan grinned. “It was the fact that she survived your temper afterward that has us awestruck.”

  “By the bones of the devil,” Hugh grumbled.

  Dunstan shot him a knowing look. “Some say that she wields a mystical power over you.”

  “Is that so?” Hot memories of the night just past burned in Hugh’s mind. He smiled. “Mayhap those that whisper of her magical talents have the right of it.”

  Dunstan quirked a brow. “Marriage appears to have had an interesting effect on your temper, m’lord.”

  Hugh was saved from having to reply by a shout from one of the watch towers.

  “Three visitors approach, m’lord,” one of the men called down from his perch.

  “Visitors?” Hugh frowned. “Who would come to visit Scarcliffe?”

  “You are not entirely without friends,” Dunstan drawled.r />
  “None would have come without sending a message first.” Hugh looked up at the guard in the watchtower. “Armed men?”

  “Nay, m’lord.” The guard studied the road from Scarcliffe. “One man wearing only a sword. He is accompanied by a woman and a child.”

  “Damnation” A sense of deep foreboding swept over Hugh. He swung around to face the open gate. “Surely he would not be so stupid as to pay a neighborly visit.”

  “Who?” Dunstan asked.

  The question was answered a moment later as Vincent of Rivenhall rode through into the bailey. Lady Emma and young Reginald were at his side.

  Hugh groaned in disgust. “Can a man not even be allowed to enjoy the morning after his wedding night in peace?”

  “It would seem that things have changed in the history of Scarcliffe,” Dunstan murmured.

  Work came to a halt as everyone in the vicinity turned to stare at the newcomers. Grooms rushed up to take the heads of the visitors’ horses.

  Hugh watched morosely as Vincent dismounted and turned to assist Emma from her mare. Young Reginald hopped down from his saddle and grinned at Hugh.

  Vincent, his face set in lines of grim determination, took his wife’s arm and walked forward as though he went to the gallows.

  “Sir Hugh.” He came to a halt in front of his reluctant host and nodded stiffly.

  “I see you finally left off your jousting long enough to pay your estates a visit,” Hugh said laconically. “What a pity you did not do so earlier. You would have saved my wife a deal of trouble.”

  Vincent flushed deeply and set his jaw. “I comprehend that T am in your debt, Sir Hugh.”

  “If you are in anyone’s debt, it is my wife’s. I do not want you laboring under the assumption that you owe me a damn thing.”

  “Believe me, I have no desire to be beholden to you, my lord.” Vincent spoke through gritted teeth. “Nevertheless, I must thank you for what you did for my wife and son.”

  “Save your thanks. I do not want them.”

  “Then I will give them to your lady,” Vincent snarled.

  “That won’t be necessary. Lady Alice is at work in her study chamber this morning.” It occurred to Hugh that he had better rid the yard of the Rivenhall crowd before Alice realized they had visitors. “She does not care to be interrupted.”