Defiant (16 page)

“Release my bride!” he yelled. “That woman is
my
wife.”

“Ivan?” Gwyneth gasped.

She knew him vaguely but had not seen him in years. He was the younger son of a wealthy lord who had holdings in the north. In her rare dealings with him, she had thought him to be prissy and silly, but his list of victories in dueling and on the tournament field was well known. He was quick and skilled with a sword and the bards often sang of his accomplishments.

“The woman is mine.” Ivan pointed boldly at her.

Not another man laying claim on her!

“The documents were signed.” He slanted a glare at Montgomery and pulled at the feather on his cap.

Behind her, she felt Jared tense. Heat from his body filtered through her gown.

Quickly, she sized up Ivan, trying to fathom how to twist this new situation to her advantage. He was lean and not nearly as thick as Jared, but he had square shoulders and hardness in his limbs. He rode skillfully, he and his horse moving as one.

Jared’s hand tightened on the knife

In contrast to his frilly clothing, Ivan’s face was alight with fierce determination.

“Gwyneth, fair Gwyneth, I will rescue you from this beast who has taken you from my arms.”

Taken you from my arms? Until this moment she had had no idea whom it was she was to be married to. She barely remembered him!

Jared growled, a primal and barbaric sound. His arm tightened around her rib cage. She could feel every intake and exhale of his breath.

Still … she needed a champion—'twas obvious that Montgomery would not help her—and here God provided her with one. Surely ‘twas divine intervention.

Hope sprang inside her. She would be relieved of one man at a time. After Jared was soundly defeated, then she would find a way to get rid of Ivan. Simple as that.

“My beauteous love,” he rambled on, “you are even more wondrous than I remembered.” He gazed at her with moon-faced puppy love.

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his ridiculous fodder. What idiocy. Mayhap Jared was the lesser of two evils after all.

“My Gwyneth—”

“Nay,” Jared said quietly, “The woman is mine. She forced me to marry her, and we will stay married.” The firm resolve in his voice sent a shiver of foreboding up Gwyneth’s spine. ‘Twas as if he planned some horrible life of shame for her.

A knot formed under her shoulder blades. She had no choice but to use Ivan. “I will be free of you,” she breathed. No matter what she had to do.

Evening sunlight glinted off the hilt of Ivan’s blade, reassuring her that despite his foppish manner, he was equipped to fight.

Once Jared was sent away, the marriage would be annulled and she would live a life of independence and freedom. Elizabeth could be rescued. And Elfreda. Her women would be safe.

“Ivan—”

Jared’s arm tightened around her ribs, but the knife did not bite into her.

“Go away, boy,” Jared said, his voice a challenge. “We were married at the church near the hatter’s shop. Find the monk if you need proof, but see here.” He reached inside his pouch and produced the ripped sheet with the dark stain of blood on it.

“Nay! “ Gwyneth tried to pull away from him. “The wedding was illegal. I was forced. The church will not honor it.”

Lifting a brow, Montgomery turned to Irma. “Well?”

“I spoke truth, my lord. Jared kidnapped Gwyneth from the brothel.” Irma clutched her yellow shawl around her shoulders with white knuckles, but when she spoke her voice was calm, as if spinning tales came second nature to her.

“The brothel?” Ivan echoed, an incredulous look on his face. His long pointed shoes stirred up leaves as he turned this way and that to look at different people.

“The harlot lies,” Jared asserted. “Ask her why Gwyneth was at the brothel.”

Gwyneth sucked in a breath. No noblewoman would set foot in a whorehouse, much less go there as often as she did. If Ivan spurned her, Montgomery would have a reason to leave her here with Jared.

For the rest of her life.

Quickly, she put on a slight pout and licked her lips in a way she knew looked both innocent and seductive. As expected, Ivan’s gaze rested on her mouth. It was too easy.

“I was merely walking …” She rolled one of her shoulders slightly in a discreet but suggestive manner.

“Stop wiggling,” Jared said in a low voice, then louder: “No decent woman would go for a casual walk in that area of town. Especially not without an escort. She is guilty. ”

“I was bringing a potion to the sick child of a woman who cannot afford to go to the apothecary herself,” Gwyneth finished. She put on a pleading, innocent look for good measure. Most “sins” such as being alone in the wrong area could be forgiven if a child was involved and she was acting altruistically. It was a story Irma and she had planned for times such as this and she
had
visited the sick and brought medicine to families in the area. That part at least was not a lie. “Asides, I was not alone. Brother Giffard, a man of God, was with me.”

Jared’s nostrils flared. The muscles of his thighs tensed.

She turned her face to Ivan’s so that she didn’t have to look at him. So it would be easier to lie.

Ivan beamed at her, clearly taken in by her assertions. She tamped down her guilt at allowing him to think that she was some sort of virtuous woman. That she wasn’t just using him.

“Jared attacked us, forced us into the church, and threatened the monk to marry us without banns being read. The wedding is not valid.”

Jared growled. “You lying little hoyden,” he gritted out. He turned to Montgomery. “Surely you do not believe this woman’s lies.”

Montgomery had a look of scorn on his face. His hands flexed on the reins as if he were planning to wheel the black stallion around and ride home without her. Saints! Somehow she had to get him to take her back to Windrose, to her home. Despite the lack of banns, the court would see the marriage as valid if Jared was with her for any length of time.

Ivan pushed his feathered cap off his forehead and glowered at Jared. “I demand you release my bride.”

“Your bride no longer.” Jared’s arm was a steel band around her body and she could feel the steady thumping of his heart against her own.

Ivan puffed his chest out in a way that reminded her of a peacock and faced Montgomery. “Make him release her. We have signed a contract.”

It seemed that even the frogs had stopped chirping. Jared’s hawk was also silent. Montgomery didn’t take her part, but he didn’t make any sign of sending his men in to attack Jared, either.

Ivan urged his horse forward. The long points of his shoes wobbled.

Gwyneth trained her face to appear innocent and not show any sign of victory, but in her heart she felt relief that she would have a champion after all.

Montgomery held up a hand, halting Ivan’s progress. “If you speak the truth, Gwyneth, then how does the harlot know so much about you?”

Gwyneth’s heart lurched. She struggled to maintain her composure as her mind raced for an answer or plausible explanation. She had no way of knowing what Irma had told him, so anything she said could show her dishonesty.

She glanced at Irma, who was watching the happenings, fiddling with her skirt, and clearly debating if she should turn and run.

Gwyneth gave her a pleading look.

“Me lord,” Irma said, taking a deep breath and adjusting her yellow shawl, “me lady Gwyneth ‘as been a noble mother of mercy to the most wretched of souls. She brings apples and toys to the children and medicine and comfort to the elderly. All who know ‘er love ‘er as if she were Saint Mary ‘erself. She is the most kind’earted of beings, unsullied by the grief of this world or the places where such must walk to visit those under her care. Amy, Tatum, and Maude all would ‘ave died if it ‘ad not been for ‘er loving kindness and mercy. Now this child she brought potion to yester—”

Gwyneth coughed. If Irma kept spinning tale after tale, trying to sound fancy, ‘twould be obvious that the two of them were making things up on the spot.

Through lashes lowered to give the impression of modesty, she saw that Ivan was eating Irma’s words as if they were manna from heaven. Jared, on the other hand, looked furious. His eyes had darkened from green to nearly black and a tight tic formed in his jaw.

“My lady,” Ivan breathed, “thou art as kind and gracious as thou art lovely to behold …” He turned to Montgomery. “I insist you do something, my lord.”

Montgomery glowered at him. “I
plan
to do
something.
I plan to head home to Windrose. It is obvious the newlywed couple have a few issues to work out.”

“You can’t just leave me here!” Gwyneth cried, her voice rising in pitch. She sought to escape from Jared’s arms, but he held her tight.

“You got yourself into this,” said Montgomery with a shrug.

“It seems my wife has no respect for authority.” Jared gave her a small shake as if to belabor the point.

“If you can teach her aught, old friend, ‘twill be a blessing for us all,” Montgomery drawled. “Come, Ivan, leave them. If we go now, we can be home afore it is too late. My own wife was quite angry that I would not allow her to ride with us, and I must soothe and comfort her. ”

Irked, Gwyneth pulled forward but was held in place by Jared’s arms. “My sister will be furious!”

Montgomery shot her a look. “Bah. I’ll tell her that ‘tis clear that her nitwitted sister has rejected the husband we chose for her and picked a man from a brothel. Whatever you get from Jared, you deserve. Mayhap your new husband can teach you respect. ”

“You can tell your wife that I will not harm Gwyneth so long as she obeys me,” Jared said. “Mayhap that will comfort her. “ Obey him!

“Fair enough.” Montgomery pulled his horse’s reins to turn it toward Windrose. “'Tis all any man should expect of his wife.”

Gwyneth gasped as her brother-in-law and his knights remounted and turned toward the trees. They couldn’t mean to just leave her here—bound to a falconer, her life in his hand. She knew Montgomery disliked her, but they were family!

He motioned for Ivan to come with him. “Truly, Ivan, ‘tis done, they are wed, and she is not worth bloodying your sword over. “ Something had to be done!

Ivan’s enormous blue sleeves poofed out like a frustrated bluejay. “Nay! She was my promised bride.”

Jared guffawed. “We are married by her demand and here is proof of the consummation.” He waved the bloodied sheet like some sort of victory flag.

“You beast! “ How could she have kissed him?

“Silence, wife. This is between men.”

“Men ever use women for their own purposes,” she hissed.

“Come, Ivan.” Montgomery snapped the reins and his horse started walking into the forest.

“I will send help,” Irma mouthed at Gwyneth. She wrenched free and took off running.

“Irma!” Montgomery said but did not chase her.

Jared began tugging Gwyneth back into the cave. “Go home, boy. The woman is mine already.”

As if she were no more than chattel.

Ivan hesitated. He glanced from Montgomery to Jared.

Faith! He was her only hope. Firmly setting aside her guilt at using him without any plan of following through on marrying him either, she drew herself up to an imperious stature. She had to do this for the women who depended on her. “Ivan, he kidnapped me last night. You must help me.”

Jared stiffened. “Careful, wife.”

Montgomery rolled his eyes.

“Please,” she said, gracefully licking her lips. “I can make you happy—”

With a yell, as if her encouragement was all he needed, Ivan brandished his sword and charged forward.

Gwyneth’s body lurched, pushed to one side as Jared crouched, dagger held in front of him in a defensive fighting stance.

Ivan’s horse barreled toward them.

“Mercy,” Gwyneth breathed as Ivan’s sword crashed down upon Jared, so close that she was unsure if he was trying to rescue her or kill them both.

In a blur of motion, Jared stepped in front, shielding her with his body. He parried the blow as best he could with the dagger. His body rocked backward, but his arm held.

Her eyes widened at the sheer strength of his limb. He faced Ivan, who was already swinging his sword in another attack.

The unfairness of Ivan’s dueling tactic seemed at odds with his earlier words, which had been pretty and cordial and courtly. Crouching, she scrambled backward out of the way. Her back thumped on the damp wall. The sweat on the horse’s flank assailed her nostrils. The beast’s eyes rolled, and it seemed ready to panic, but ‘twas as if an uncontrolled battle lust had overtaken Ivan and he was heedless of his mount. No wonder the bards sang of his numerous victories on the tournament field. He had skill and innate quickness.

“Mayhap you could make yourself a set of braies with that needle sword,” Ivan taunted as he plowed forward. Hooves thudded on the stone and the sword came down again.

Jared fell this time, beaten back and now in the smaller section of the cave. The hawk fluttered her wings frantically and strained against the tether of her perch, then, with a snap, broke free and flew from the cave.

Ivan leaped off his mount in a powerful movement that was at odds with his eccentric, prissy style of dress.

His stallion, startled from being set free so quickly, tossed its head and brushed past her body, knocking her backward.

Gwyneth took a step to catch her balance, but her slipper caught in the hem of her dress. Arms wheeling, she fell. A hoof landed near her hand, missing her by a thread’s width.

“Gwyneth! Get back!”

Not Ivan’s voice. Jared.

Jared scrambled forward so that his own body squeezed between her and the horse.

Ivan advanced recklessly, a menacing expression on his face. He seemed to have completely forgotten that she was present as he bore down on Jared.

The cave walls closed in around her. The morning sun glinted off Ivan’s sword. Jared’s dark hair swirled as he quickly scooped up his staff from where it had fallen earlier.

Heart thrumming, Gwyneth tried to find an opening so she could crawl from the cave.