His Rival's Daughter (Stafford Family Book 1)

by Catherine Woodville

  “Now I see what you meant by a walk,” he said through clenched teeth, holding both her wrists tight against the wall.

  “Let me go,” she begged, “You hurt me.”

  Humphrey knew he was causing her a great deal of pain, but he did not care. She was the only woman who did not submit to him when he wanted, and it set his blood on fire. He would have her, whether she wanted it or not. He would make sure that she would not run away. At least not before he bedded her.

  “Let you go?” Humphrey grinned, his stare moving from her face to the open gate behind her back. “No,” he shook his head and looked back at her.

  Elizabeth was scared. He saw it clearly. Her innocent eyes looked at him with such fear that he wanted to laugh. “You almost belong to me, and I won’t let you run away, lass. No one can run away from me.” He squeezed her hands, making her moan with pain, and pulled her into his embrace, so that their faces were just an inch apart and she could feel a hardness against her belly. “If you ever try this again,” he snarled in her ear, “I will beat you to death. Do you understand?”

  Elizabeth nodded her head.

  “Good,” he said, and abruptly released his grasp, stepping back. In the next moment he grabbed Elizabeth by the waist and threw her over his shoulder. Elizabeth was a rather tall woman, but he did not expect her to be so light. He turned around and walked back to the great hall treating Elizabeth as if she were nothing but a sack filled with grain.

  Elizabeth struggled to get free from his hands, but his grip was too firm. She kicked him, hit his back, begged him to let her go, but Humphrey was deaf to her pleas. Silly wench had to learn her lesson. He loved how she fought.

  When Humphrey reached the great hall, he threw the door open with a bang. All the men who were still there turned their heads. Their confused expressions changed into grins when they saw a wench thrown over his shoulder.

  Not paying any attention to the cheerful cries of drunk men, Humphrey carried Elizabeth straight to the stairs, taking her back to her chamber.

  Once inside the chamber, Humphrey shut the large wooden door behind them and locked it.

  The fire in the hearth had died out some time ago and the air was rather cool. Through the open shutters moonlight lit the bed. The rest of the chamber was hidden in the darkness.

  “What are you doing?” Elizabeth gasped, fear clearly sounding in her voice.

  Without another word, Humphrey slowly walked to the bed, and, when he reached it, threw Elizabeth onto the soft wolf skins.

  “Now we shall talk,” he said, his rage getting out of control. He raised above Elizabeth and slapped her face as hard as he could. He wanted to leave a mark on her face and in her soul so that she would remember the punishment.

  She gasped and Humphrey saw tears flickering in her eyes as she covered her burning cheek with her palm. She looked up at him as if he was a monster, a mixture of pain, fear, and anger in her eyes. Good. It was exactly the reaction he needed. His wife had to respect her husband and to be afraid of him.

  “This is a warning. If you ever decide to run away again, I will kill you,” he said with an icy voice. “You are promised to me and you will belong to me, whether you like it or not. If you still want to escape the marriage –death is your only option. There is no other way out.”

  He turned away and went to the door, leaving Elizabeth alone. “You will stay in your chamber until the wedding,” he stated. “It’s in my interests to keep you alive. I will make sure that you stay here.”

  Elizabeth got up from the bed and ran towards him. “You cannot lock me here,” she screamed with desperation.

  “Oh yes, lass, I can,” he smiled at her and pushed her away when she reached him. “You will stay here until the wedding, or until I allow you to leave. But for now, I will lock you here and put a guard at the door to make sure that you are safe.”

  Humphrey left the chamber and locked it from the other side. Elizabeth screamed and banged the door. He smiled with satisfaction. It was a pleasure to keep such a spirited woman under control. Good. Very good. She would learn her place. Eventually.

  Chapter Three

  The wedding ceremony took place under a sweltering summer sky, so hot it was almost unbearable to be outside. There was not even a breeze to cool down those unfortunate enough to be under the baking sun.

  A small village church not far from Harmton castle was the only church for several miles around. It was too small to hold all of the guests who had arrived for the wedding, so some guests of lower rank had to stay outside along with the peasants.

  The church was packed. It was full of high ranked guests, all dressed in in their finest silks adorned with glittering jewels, their headdresses elaborate and tight around their faces. Coats of arms of the wealthiest families in England were present all around the church.

  The heat outside and large number of people inside made it stifling inside the church. People were covered with sweat, and some of the elaborately dressed and coifed ladies fainted.

  As fate would have it, those of lower rank who had been ordered to stay outside were in a better position. The buzz of anticipation that always surrounds a wedding reigned over the crowd, both outside and inside the church.

  William Stafford, along with his two younger brothers, was standing in the second row, in the stifling heat of the church.

  “It seems that Harmton invited everyone he could think of to his wedding,” James, the youngest of the brothers, said with a grin.

  “I don’t see the king or any of the dukes,” Stephen Stafford commented with a wink.

  William did not pay attention to his brothers’ words. He was concentrating on the wedding ceremony that was about to start. He dreaded the moment when he would see the woman he loved wed another man. Once again. He clenched his fists every time he imagined that Jane, his Jane, would share a bed with another man tonight. Damn, she was his woman. Her body and soul belonged to him, not to Harmton, the old bastard. If it wasn’t the king’s will, William would kidnap Jane and make her his wife.

  Suddenly, a hush settled over the crowd. William’s heart squeezed in his chest. The wedding had begun.

  “The bride is so beautiful,” William heard someone whisper behind his back. “The Earl is so lucky to get her,” he heard from another side.

  William was a brave man, who had won countless battles, but shook like a youth, scared to turn around and see Jane with her future husband, walking down the aisle.

  As the cheers became louder, William realized that the bride and the groom were coming closer. Every muscle in his body tightened. He was staring straight ahead, unable to force himself to look in the direction from which the couple was coming. He tried to get control over his emotions. Otherwise, he was afraid he might attack the old earl right there in the church and kill the man.

  The wedding had been arranged by the king, he reminded himself. William could do nothing about it. And if he wanted to remain in good standing with the king, he had to leave Jane to Harmton and forget about her. Forever.

  Suddenly, William saw her. Jane was the most beautiful woman he had ever met, but today she was especially radiant.

  The golden dress she was wearing highlighted every curve of her slender body. Her golden, curly hair that he adored was hidden under a heart-shaped, golden coif. The thought that even Harmton had not seen it warmed William. But then he reminded himself that tonight, her new husband would not only see her hair, he would see Jane’s entire body. Naked. The very thought sent fire through his veins.

  Jane’s brown eyes looked large on her small gentle face, her full lips smiling. If William did not know it was a marriage mandated by the king, he would have said that the bride was happy. But Jane had been forced into an arranged, loveless marriage. The only man Jane had ever loved was him, William. She had told him so. And he was the only man she wanted as a husband. She could not be happy wedding the bastard. Her happy face was just a mask.

  Jane passed William so close that h
e smelled the scent of lavender coming from her body. An urge to reach Jane and touch her for the last time was huge within him. It cost William a great effort not to do it. He could not attract any attention, neither to him, nor to Jane. She was a lady and he would not show anyone that they had had a relationship. He would keep their love in his heart, secret from everyone.

  Pain was tearing William’s heart apart. He should have been in the groom’s place. Jane was his woman, and he was the only one who should have married her, not this old ugly toad. Harmton was twice as old as Jane. How could she possibly lay in the same bed with him?

  When Harmton and Jane came to the altar and the old man looked at his young bride, his eyes said it all. William could bet that the lecher would bed her right here, in the church, if he could. The way he looked over her slender figure revealed his thoughts to all and sundry. William wanted to kill the earl for it, but he could not. He had to stay there, almost in the front row, watching them get married. Silently.

  William knew John de Vere, Earl of Harmton. They had fought side by side before the bastard begged a Yorkist soldier for mercy and changed his allegiance right in the heat of battle. As a result, William had been rewarded by the bloody Yorkists when they took away half of William’s holdings, making de Vere the Earl of Harmton and awarding him the Harmton lands and castle. When the Lancasters took control again, the newly styled Earl of Harmton laid low, holding on to his newly found wealth. The political environment was so volatile, William dared not try to use his knowledge of Harmton’s action to his advantage. But the resentment between the two was strong.

  Of course, Jane knew nothing of the rivalry for control of the Harmton earldom and wealth. Her father had been a commoner, and her first husband only a merchant. She would know nothing of palace intrigue and the rich rewards of political alliances.

  All that aside, William could never imagine that a young and slender woman like Jane would marry a bloated toad like Harmton. He was almost twice as old as she and twice her size. He received a young and beautiful wife, while Jane married herself to an elderly man.

  William could not tell how long the ceremony was. The pain had fogged his mind. He was watching the wedding ceremony as if it was just a bad dream, expecting to wake up any moment.

  When everything was over, William got up from the bench and followed his brothers out of the church. His life became meaningless the moment Jane said “yes” by the altar. All William wanted was to get drunk and forget all the pain he felt.

  He was one of the last to leave the building. The wedding procession was already far ahead, moving to the castle, with the bride and the groom in front of it. When he finally left the hot church, a breeze of cool wind seemed to soothe both his heated body and his wounded soul.

  “Don’t act so doomed,” Stephen said as he patted William on the shoulder. “She’s just a woman. You lost her, but there are many more wenches at this wedding that you can bed.”

  Without another thought, William landed his fist on his brother’s face, taking him by surprise.

  “She is the woman I love,” he growled through clenched teeth, ready to hit Stephen again. “I don’t need another one.”

  William caught James’s stare. He was watching William as if he had lost his mind. Well, maybe James was right. William wouldn’t argue with that.

  “I will not fight you over this woman,” Stephen said with a sneer, rubbing his jaw. “She is not worth it.”

  William had nothing to say. None of his brothers liked Jane, and William could bet that her marriage made them happy. Them, but not him. With a murderous look thrown at Stephen, William turned around and mounted his stallion. It was childish of him to fight his brother over a woman, but the anger in his body needed a release. He spurred his stallion and galloped to the castle, leaving his brothers behind.

  When William finally rode through the castle gate and gave his reins to a groom, the first thing he saw was Jane and her husband standing on the steps of the great hall, right at the entrance, greeting constantly arriving guests.

  William took his place in the slow-moving stream of well-wishers. He worked hard to stay calm outside, but his heart was beating faster with every step taking him closer to the newlyweds. It was hard to breath, both because of anger toward Jane, and his desire to kill the man and take Jane back.

  When William finally approached the newlyweds, he put on a polite smile and gave Jane a lingering look. She smiled at him as if she saw him for the first time in her life and nothing had been going on between them. To his utter bewilderment, it hurt like a knife plunged deep in his gut.

  Well, William thought, as a muscle twitched in his cheek, if she wants to play this game, I will, too. He greeted the newlyweds with a polite, but cold smile, and went inside the great hall, to the tables where refreshments were being served.

  William took a seat at the further wall of the great hall, not far from the bridal table. Despite her reaction, he wanted to be close to Jane. He wanted to see her. He needed some small reassurance that she still loved him.

  Soon, his brothers joined him.

  “I see you took the best place.” James jumped onto the bench to the left of William and nodded in the direction of the newlyweds’ table. “What a good place to catch a lass.”

  To William’s relief, Stephen said nothing, taking his place to William’s right. At least William would spend the evening in the company of his brothers. Previously, the thought that he would have to entertain a silly daughter of some baron sitting next to him had made William uneasy. He was surrounded by his brothers, though. He was safe.

  William tried to listen to what his brothers were talking about, but every time his eyes came back to the slender figure in the golden dress standing at the door and smiling to the guests, his heart was ready to jump out of his chest. Unfortunately, he could do nothing about it. He needed her. Desired her. But could not have her.

  “Look at William,” James said cheerfully, talking to Stephen. “Our dear brother lost a mistress. Let’s find him a new one.”

  They broke out laughing. William sharply turned his head at James and gave him a warning look. It was enough to make both brothers lose their sense of humor.

  When all the guests had arrived and were seated, a troop of musicians started their entertainment and servants began to serve the first course.

  “de Vere must have spent a fortune for the feast,” James muttered under his breath, observing the tables and using the man’s surname as a deliberate sign of disrespect.

  Indeed, Harmton had the best possible food served. There was pottage, tarts, salads, pigeon pies, roasted duck, pork, lamb, eels, whole fish, pheasants, herons, boar’s head with tusks, custard pies with marrow and dried fruits. Guests’ goblets were constantly refilled with wine, beer, and mead.

  “Look at her,” James said with a gasp of awe and nodded to the opposite table. William unwillingly looked in the direction his brother was pointing. “The lady in the green dress, not far from the bridal table. Isn’t she beautiful?”

  “The one who is talking to Humphrey Harrington?” Stephen asked, intrigued by James’ words.

  “Yes,” James nodded and took a large gulp of mead.

  William’s eyes found the lass his brothers were talking about and stopped on her. She was beautiful, indeed. Her skin was a bit pale to his taste, but it was clear and pleasant looking, unlike some women he had met earlier that day. Her lips were full, and she had the sweetest smile that William had ever seen, baring white, healthy teeth. The wench’s green eyes seemed dull, but William was sure there was a reason for that.

  She was not as thin as most of the women in the hall, but William found her curvy figure rather attractive. She was unique and definitely to his taste.

  Her rich auburn hair was covered with a simple green veil, and golden ribbons fluttered from it drawing attention to her youthful countenance. She was wearing a green velvet dress with a V-neckline, as if trying to direct men’s attention to her attr
active breasts. A wide golden belt right under her breasts confirmed William’s impression. Long, bell shaped over-sleeves were trimmed with golden ribbon that matched the ribbon on the veil.

  “Yes, she is,” Stephen agreed, and William was sure he heard a note of admiration in his brother’s voice. “’Tis the first time I’ve seen her. Who is she?”

  But none of them had the answer.

  William could not stop looking at the young woman. He felt as if he was under a spell, but he could do nothing about it. He was physically reacting to her and it disturbed him.

  “I know who she is, lads,” James said with a look of victory and paused before he spoke again. “She is Harmton’s daughter. His only daughter.”

  “She is our host’s daughter?” William slowly repeated, moving his gaze from the lady to James, and back to the lady.

  “Yes,” James reported with the tone of an expert. “She is Lady Elizabeth de Vere. I have heard that Humphrey Harrington is in love with her. Well, look how he’s talking to the lass. It has to be her.”

  The situation was changing to William’s benefit. A satisfactory smile appeared on his face. Several moments ago, William wanted to kill Harmton and take Jane away, but now a new plan was forming in his mind. Elizabeth was truly a beautiful woman, and he would have a lot of pleasure bedding her. It would bring him pleasure to take away his host’s daughter and to use her as revenge. The earl had taken away William’s love, and William would take away his rival’s daughter.

  ***

  Edward de Vere was sitting to the left of his father, watching his father’s new wife with interest. She was seated between him and his father and he could watch her without attracting attention. Edward had never seen a woman as beautiful as his new stepmother. She was so close that he could smell the scent of her body. The golden dress she wore stressed her slender waist. Edward was sure he could join his fingers around it. Her breasts were like ripe peaches rising above the dress with every breath she took. Oh, it was so sinful to desire a father’s wife, but Edward could do nothing about it.