A Witch's Tale (29 page)

Madeline
set up the spell and smiled as the words came to her. She chuckled after she
cleaned up the remnants. Gavin would be hard-pressed to ignore his bride now.
The rest was up to the fates. She was embarking on a new adventure now, one
with a husband at her side. Rohan was as complex and mysterious as they came.
She faced their future with great hope.

With this spell it is best to make a magic pillow which you place red
rose petals, honeysuckle flowers, powdered orris root, allspice, and a lock of
the spell maker’s own hair are all placed together and sewn up in muslin. The
bag should then be moistened thoroughly with oil of pine. When you place this
under your pillow the person you wish for should dream only dreams of thyself.

Rohan
smiled down at her as she arrived in the courtyard, her chests and animals secure
in the wagon. She thought he meant for her to ride in the wagon. He had other
thoughts as he pulled her up to sit in front of him. Her husband was bristling
with excitement to see their new home. His enthusiasm was contagious. His dark
eyes glowed and his spirits were high. Rothford was a three day ride from
London. He wanted to get out of London posthaste.

Plague
had come to the city once more. They learned of it that morning. The afflicted
and dead were now in the thousands. The king’s coronation would signify the end
of the entertainments before the king and his family left the city for the
country. Many nobles came and went as they readied to go in the courtyard.
Madeline snuggled against her husband’s hard chest, excited despite her initial
misgivings.

“I
learned Sir Marlowe paid you a visit,” he said as they left the palace. His
look of disapproval was obvious.

She
looked up and saw the jealousy there. “He came to wish me well. We are friends.
You needn’t worry over Alastair. He seeks to marry Gavin’s sister.”

“You
need to put those people out of your life now, Madeline,” he informed her with
an angry gleam in his gaze. “That is all in the past.”

She
got angry at his high-handedness. “You will not tell me who I can befriend,
Rohan. I may be your wife, but you do not own me.”

Rohan
snorted angrily. “I’ll not have you pining for de Mortaine! The man will only
seek to keep you thinking of the past.”

“Gavin
marries another this day,” she said more gently, seeing his obvious jealousy.
“What we were to another is very much in the past. You needn’t worry over it.
Alastair assures me his bride is quite lovely and accomplished.”

“Rivenhahl
is not far from where we will live,” Rohan replied tightly. “The man will be my
liege lord. Do not tell me not to worry. I’ll not have him lusting after my
wife!”

“You
will concede the man hasn’t had time to get over all that has happened?” she
asked with waspish tone. “He will get over it and have a wife of his own. You
are being ridiculous!”

“You
are being naïve again, my fiery one,” Rohan replied tightly. “He will not
forget you anytime soon, Madeline. I’ll not have you encouraging the man’s
feelings in the future.”

“Is
that why we go to Ireland?” she asked angrily, eyes flashing. “You don’t trust
me?”

“We
go to Ireland to settle my affairs,” Rohan snapped back at her. “I thought to
give us time together before I put you back under de Mortaine’s nose. Trust has
little to do with it! You claim to love the man. You think me a fool? I’ll not
have you raising your skirts for de Mortaine while he sends me off to fight his
border wars.”

“How
dare you imply such a thing?” she demanded hotly, color riding on her cheeks.
“Your low impression of me is very obvious.”

“I
know women when they think they are in love, Madeline. You say that now, but
what when he comes to you behind my back? What say you then?”

“Gavin
marries another today,” she argued. “He will have a wife. You worry
needlessly.”

“And
you do not see your value, wife, and never did,” Rohan flung back. “The man will
not forget you as you seem to think. Until I’m assured I can trust you, we go
nowhere near Rothford.”

“You’re
being ridiculous!”

“I’m
being a husband, Madeline!” he exploded, his dark eyes filled with fire. “You
go nowhere near de Mortaine until you look at me as you did him!”

Madeline
looked stunned at his words. Her anger evaporated to see he worried over her
continued feelings for Gavin. He must care something for her to feel that way and
it warmed her to know it. She wisely stayed silent as they made their way
through the city.

She
was appalled at the sight of the carts carrying away the dead. He refused to
stop to allow her to be of assistance to those who cried mournfully on the street
corners begging for aid.

“You
cannot help them without putting yourself at risk,” he said flatly and refused
to stop. “This is the result of too much merrymaking during the coronation
festivities. If it distresses you, look away. I’ll not endanger my men or
servants.”

Madeline
looked away, knowing he would not relent. She was relieved when they left the
city finally, unable to bear to see such suffering and do nothing. She lay
contentedly against Rohan’s hard chest, looking up at her handsome blond husband
and sighing despite herself. He might be bossy and think he knew best, but
after their wedding night, it wasn’t Gavin she was thinking of.

She
felt fickle in her emotions, wondering why a mere ceremony changed what was in
her heart. Knowing Gavin could have never cared for her without the use of
spells allowed her to hold back her feelings. The fact she intended to leave at
the end of the tournament told her volumes. It wasn’t Gavin who held her
thoughts now, but her new husband.

Rohan’s
worries were groundless. After last night, she couldn’t think of another. She
recalled his ardor with a blush, knowing this man was now hers. She would
strive to be a good wife to him, knowing he worried he couldn’t trust her.

They
needed to get to know one another now. He needed to see his worries had no
basis. After she said the vows before God; and the Goddess privately, she was
very much inclined to give their marriage a chance. Certainly he would see that
and cease to worry?

Her
lips tightened to think of his past. Rohan had more old lovers than he could
count. Women flocked to him. While he worried over Gavin, she could hardly
ignore her own jealousy. It surprised her to feel so possessive of a husband of
only one day. She again thought of the white cat in the wagon and groaned. Lady
Strathmore was still an issue she could hardly ignore. It reminded her of her
husband’s former sponsor.

“How
did Lord Strathmore take your loss?” she asked hesitantly as they moved more
slowly down the road.

Rohan
looked down at her and shrugged. “I think it safe to say I have made an enemy
of the man.”

“Does
this worry you?”

“I
answer to Rivenhahl now, not him, Madeline,” Rohan fumed and she knew it hurt
his pride to know he was beholden to Gavin.

“He
has no means of making trouble for you then.”

“Men
like Strathmore never fail to find ways,” he countered with a frown. “He is
none too happy to have his plans dashed. His daughter is disgraced. His wife’s
gone missing. He has no heirs. I can assure you he is looking for the means to
secure his future.”

“What
will he do?” she ventured to ask, dreading what he would say.

“He
will seek to remarry as quickly as possible. Blythe is thought dead by all. He
will try to get an heir,” Rohan mused. “After that, I can see him coming after
both myself and de Mortaine in revenge. He thinks we betrayed him.”

“You
did in a roundabout way.”

“We
had help from you, my sweet,” he said and grinned down at her. “Do not think
the man has forgotten how instrumental you and Marlowe were in this? If not for
you both, he would have had his way. My worry is he will seek to harm you.”

“Me?
Why would he see me as a threat?”

“Strathmore
is petty enough to make trouble. That is another reason we go now.”

Madeline
recalled the gold within her chest still and thought of how she inadvertently
saved the man, knowing Lady Blythe meant for the baron and Hugh to kill him.
Now she regretted such a rash spell, even if it saved her from the pair then.

“He
wastes little time in finding a new Countess,” she said and felt for Lady
Blythe, knowing her husband obviously cared little for her.

“He
was getting permission to have her declared dead before we left,” Rohan said in
disgust. “He seeks de Mortaine’s sister as his bride now. What does that tell
you?”

Madeline
stiffened, thinking of Alastair. “Surely the king wouldn’t give him such
without proof Lady Blythe is truly dead?”

“Our
new king seeks allies among the nobles. He has already given his permission to
annul Strathmore’s marriage. Your friend may wish to hurry up and seek de
Mortaine’s sister. The king considers his suit as we speak,” he told her,
ignoring her outraged gasp.

“Why
did you say nothing of this when we were at the palace?” she asked angrily. “I
could have warned Alastair!”

“Their
matters are no longer yours, Madeline, that is why,” he said and glared down at
her. “You can do nothing anyway. The king seeks to console Strathmore after his
wife went missing. Leave it be.”

“You
did it on purpose!” she accused sharply.

“I
will not allow you to continue with helping these people,” Rohan muttered. “Let
them find their own way, Madeline. They are not your problem anymore.”

 Madeline
was furious with him and went silent until nightfall. They stopped in the woods
along the road. She knew her husband didn’t have the funds for them to stay at
an Inn with their large entourage and felt guilty to think of the gold in her
chest.

The
money was better used to serve their purposes now. He let her know in many
comments he had little in the way of wealth. She was glad she kept it instead
of giving it to Gavin now. The gold was a pressing issue, knowing it could be
used to see to their comfort. How did one get past Rohan’s pride in such
things?

She
giggled as she returned from relieving herself behind a tree. Perhaps her
husband would “find” the gold? She knew he would question how she came by such
a fortune.

While
it might make him consider she told him the truth about Lady Strathmore’s
goals, she doubted he would believe that same lady now accompanied them in the
form of a cat. Gerwin didn’t appear to mind.

Her
cat quite forgave his lady’s betrayal with the many strays within the palace.
The pair snuggled together in the back of the wagon. Madeline could almost bet
the feline would have a litter of kittens before long. She scowled to think of
how else her magic botched matters.

Now
that Lord Strathmore set his marriage aside, she knew the matter was now out of
her hands. Turning the lady back was to cause more mischief. No, she’d done
quite enough harm in her efforts to help.

“What
has you upset, my wife?” Rohan asked as he saw her downcast expression.
“Missing your lover already?”

Madeline
glared at him. “No, I have other matters to dwell on, Rohan. You might wish to
quit needling me over Gavin. May I remind you that you didn’t think about me at
all the night you lay with Lady Strathmore? You have no cause to continue to
provoke me.”

“Had
I found you, none of this would have happened,” he snapped back. “I would
likely be married to Lady Lucinda now and you would be de Mortaine’s mistress
as he intended.”

“I
was leaving when the tournament was over,” she argued, blue eyes narrowing in
anger. “Why do you persist in this?”

“My
man Burroughs overheard de Mortaine’s men comment on how he was taking you with
him regardless if he won or not that day before the tournament. I can see this
surprises you, knowing he never entertained losing. What would have been your
place in his life then?” Rohan said and seemed to enjoy the way she flinched at
his obvious innuendo.

“You
are wrong!” she said angrily. “I was leaving, I say! I would have never agreed
to that.”

“It
appears your lover gave what you wanted little thought, Madeline. He intended
for you to be his mistress; that much was clear. I think we both know the
truth.”

“He
won and all is changed,” she fumed. “Why do you continue to pester me?”

“Why
do you continue to moon over the man?” Rohan asked and glared down at her. “I
didn’t see him give up anything to have you at his side, Madeline.”

“And
you did?” she accused and paused seeing the truth in his face. His lips
tightened and he looked away. Rohan threw the tournament as she suspected; for
her. Her eyes blinked, seeing for the first time his determination to have her,
even to lose if need be.

“Now
do you see?” he asked without bitterness. “Would he have done the same for you?
I think you credit de Mortaine with too much, Madeline. He foolishly threw you
away, thinking he could have it all in the end.”