Forbidden Magic (16 page)

Doane and his patient understanding and guidance, Amery realized he would have broken under the woman's scorn and devious methods, and he wished now that he had not been so quick to leave Wellington. Things had only deteriorated in his absence to a point where he was not sure they could ever be restored.

His eyes narrowed and the frown that kinked his brow deepened as he thought of Lord Alcot. The man had been Ryland's lifelong friend and neighbor, and Amery knew why. He was steadfast, loyal, strong willed, and gentle, and had Amery had a mind to wed, he would have been honored to take Alcot's daughter as his bride. An unfamiliar pang of tenderness stirred within him when he thought of Jewel. She was different from the rest. He could not honestly name the reason why. She was beautiful, but there had been others just as comely as she. Was it the fact that she had been a virgin that sparked his interest? Or the mystery about the auburn-haired innocent he had found alone by the fire. Perhaps it was her desire to have nothing to do with him that heightened the challenge to sway her feelings and add her to the list of those who groveled at his feet. The faint smile on his lips disappeared and in its stead a frown deepened the lines around his eyes. Nay. Jewel would never grovel, and truthfully he hated the women who did. They were like heavy chains around his ankles and sought to slow him down. He wanted to be free! Then what? Why had this tiny vixen wedged her image in his brain like the thorn of a rose, pricking his conscience and festering the wound until healing from it seemed impossible? Suddenly annoyed by the discovery, he unwittingly glanced over his shoulder at her, for her presence in the room was more than he could ignore, and he stiffened in rage as he saw her lift a piece of firewood in her tiny hands, knowing instantly what she intended to do.

Jewel's heart lurched in her chest when she saw him, for he had sensed her purpose and now stood facing her, huge fists resting oh his hips, feet apart, his chin lowered, and tawny brows drawn together in an ominous frown. Her knees shook, threatening to spill her to the floor, and out of foolish desperation, she lifted the heavy piece of firewood and flung it at him. To her shock and horror, he merely raised a wide hand and caught it in midair long before it could do any damage. Terrified, she dropped to her knees, expecting him to turn the weapon on her when he raised it high across his chest as if to strike her, and she closed her eyes, praying it would be a swift and painless death. She jumped violently when instead it crashed against the wall.

Suddenly, his hand brutally gripped her arm and drew her to her feet. She could feel every inch of his hardened frame as he crushed her to him, see the rage burning in his emerald eyes, and once again, her courage vanished.

"I have killed many for less than this, little one," he hissed. "Though in truth, never a damsel whose sanity has fled."

He glared at her a moment longer, then turned and dragged her toward the pallet with him, there to throw her roughly upon the bed of straw. His hands moved to the fastening of his leather tunic, and Jewel scrambled up on her knees, her back pressed against the wall.

"What dost thou intend, Sir Amery?" she asked, eyes wide and her voice quavering.

"To tame a shrew, fair Lady Jewel." Though spoken simply, the words had far greater meaning, and the rage that had darkened his eyes changed to lust as his gaze swept the length of her, confirming Jewel's fears.

"Nay!" she screamed, bolting from the pallet. Her feet had not touched the floor before his powerful, unyielding arm came around her waist and jerked her back against his massive chest. His laughter rumbled deep within when she struggled to break his hold, and she was helpless against the nimble fingers that stripped away her clothes. "Please," she begged, tears filling her eyes when he lowered her to the pallet beneath him. "I will give my oath to obey."

"Thy oath?" he questioned with a smile. '"Tis foolish to give it without consideration to what demands might be thrust upon you." He shrugged one thick shoulder. "But if you feel you most, then give it."

Jewel sensed the error of her judgment in thinking he would honor such a pledge and leave her alone as she noted the gleam in his green eyes and the ease with which he had responded. The smooth line of her brows knotted, and she glared back in return. "Thou disgracest the title of knighthood."

"Fling your insults, my sweet," he whispered, rising from her to quickly shed his tunic, chausses, and loincloth, then press his weight upon the bed once more, "for I have heard them all and have yet to feel their sting. As my armor, my mind is hardened against them."

"And what of thy heart?" she challenged, her arms crossed
in front of her. "Is there not one who walks the earth capable
of touching it?"

A lazy smile parted-his lips as he pondered the question. "Yea," he finally answered, taking her wrists and pulling them above her head, easily holding them there in one hand, "there is one. A trusted friend and companion who hath never doubted me ... my gallant steed."

" 'Tis understandable," she replied, her lovely face twisted with her sneer. "The beast hath no tongue to state the truth about you, for he alone knows your secrets and can prove your guilt."

"Or innocence," he whispered, lowering his head to taste the tender flesh of her neck.

The searing brand of his kiss set Jewel's body aflame, and she squeezed her eyes shut, willing her mind to close out the sensation and numb her soul. Then his lips moved up her throat and along the fine line of her jaw to her ear, and she shivered when his teeth gently nibbled the lobe. Warm fingers traced the outline of her waist and hip, and Jewel opened her mouth to beg for her release only to have him press a hungry kiss upon her lips while his tongue pushed inside. Then he shifted his weight, and before Jewel could do anything to stop him, he thrust a knee between her thighs. With all the strength she could find, she forced her thoughts elsewhere, vowing that any pleasure he might find with her would simply be in the knowledge that he could do whatever he wanted with her body, but that her mind and soul belonged to her alone. His movements were sleek and long and in total control, and for only the briefest of moments, she wondered what it might be like to share the pleasure with him. Then she remembered little William and how the child had come to meet his death, and her body stiffened with her hatred. His rapid breathing slowed after a time, and when he lifted his tawny head to look at her, Jewel refused to open her eyes. She would not give him the satisfaction of knowing that she had even been aware of what had happened. Then his deep laughter rumbled in his chest, mocking her, and she could feel the tears burning the backs of her lids. His words cut her to the core.

"There will come a time, little one, when you will welcome my touch, revel in it, and that will be the time I leave you for another."

The cool, crisp air of the hut washed over her fevered flesh when he rose from her to don his clothes, and Jewel quickly sat up, hugging her knees to her for warmth as well as to hide her nakedness. She would wait until his back was turned to find her own garments, and out of the corner of her eye she watched him pull the leather tunic over his broad shoulder, then bend to retrieve her gunna from the floor where he had thrown it.

"Clothe thyself," he barked, tossing the garment in her face. "Gunther rides this way." Then in cold dismissal of her, he went to the window to take up the vigil once more as if nothing had passed between them other than, casual conversation, though the dark scowl on his handsome face hinted otherwise.

Damn her! he thought viciously. She infects my thoughts and dulls my wit when my mind should be on other matters. My honor and the lands of my birthright should be foremost in what I decide, not taking my leisure with an ill-tempered wench who would much prefer to take my blade and split me wide rather than comfort me when I need it most. His expression changed from anger to surprise. Whatever had made him think that? He didn't want her sympathy nor did he expect it! His problems were his alone, and that was how he would solve them! He had come to learn a hard lesson growing up with Lady Edlyn, and that had been never to trust a woman, for they always had insidious reasons for what they did. Hadn't his stepmother proven that? And would Jewel's motives be any different? Her mind had been poisoned with lies about him before he had had a chance to speak, and if she proclaimed anything other than hatred for him, it would be a falsehood on her part, a way to gain his trust. Then whilst his back was turned she would summon those who would eagerly slay him. Yea, she would send his own half brother! Closing his eyes, he let out a long, breathless sigh. She had caught him off guard, 'twas all. It would not happen again.

Nearly an hour passed before the pounding of great hooves sounded outside the small hut and echoed in the stillness of the night, lifting Jewel's attention to the man who watched at the window. When they had quieted near the front door, he turned without a look her way and lifted the bar from the portal, swinging it wide to allow their visitor entrance. A moment later the huge frame of another filled the entryway and quickly stepped inside, allowing Amery to seal in their privacy once more while the other laid aside the bundle he carried.

Jewel's fears returned anew as she studied the newcomer, his broad figure garbed hi the armor of a knight, and she wondered who he might be until he lifted the helm from his head, untied the catches of his coif, and pushed it back from his brow. Her lovely face contorted disdainfully once she recognized the one who had masqueraded as Father Dunn. She half expected him to laugh at her, but once their eyes met, she saw a sadness hi them that puzzled her.

"Good eventide, Lady Jewel," he said softly with a slight bow. "I am Sir Gunther of Burchard on the Isle of Wight in southern England. I am a knight of the realm, pledged to serve God and my king and if thou wilt allow, your protector until—" Her laughter cut him short and he frowned, wondering what she could possibly have found to amuse her.

"From what will you protect me, Sir Gunther?" she beseeched ironically. "There is little left from which to shield me. The King of England has been taken prisoner, my maidenhood brutally stolen, my family slain, and now I have been taken from my home against my will and not allowed to return by order of the man whom I thought was my betrothed but in fact is the one who raised his sword against my father. Is there more of which I do not know, for I fear my heart has hardened against the dawning of another day and I would find little cause to shed a tear."

A troubled, somewhat pained frown darkened Gunther's blue eyes. He turned to look at his friend. "Haven't you set the matter straight, Amery?" he half begged, half demanded. "If she is to be of help in our cause, she must believe your innocence."

"Innocence?" Jewel interrupted with a laugh. "Has he fooled you as well?"

"Nay, Lady Jewel," Gunther replied urgently. "I have ridden by his side for five years and call him friend. The night Harcourt was attacked—"

"Enough, Gunther," Amery warned. "You waste your words. The fair Lady Jewel has already admitted her heart is hardened and anything you say will only add suspicion."

"But Amery—"

"Nay, Gunther," Amery continued with a shake of his head. "If she is to believe, it must be of her own doing."

"But without the facts, how will she judge fairly?"

Amery's green eyes moved from his good friend to the beautiful woman who had listened intently. "What she decides has little importance to me. I cannot name a single damsel whose faith I wish to have ... or need." His cold gaze swept over her, then settled on the man who stood beside him. "So tell me, Gunther, what have you learned? And have you brought food?"

Gunther sighed resignedly and went to the bundle he had laid on the floor. " Tis a shame the rest are so quick to accuse, unlike the good friars-at the monastery. They wish us safe travel and speed in finding the ones responsible."

He lifted the bag from its resting place and, with a curious look on his face, waited while Amery sat the table upright. He had noticed the light blush on Lady Jewel's cheeks the moment he had entered the hut and truly had thought nothing of it until now. It was obvious from the disarray of the small room that Amery's temper had flared and he could only hope the man had not taken out his gruff nature on the young woman. Tossing the sack down, he silently vowed that no matter what Amery wanted, he would, at the first opportunity, inform Lady Jewel of his friend's guiltlessness, then he frowned sadly to himself, suspecting it would make little difference to her after what had happened at the inn.

"'Tis as we believed, Amery," he said aloud. "Word of Radolf's reward has already spread and I passed several on the road who stopped to question me. Twould be best to travel at night... especially now." He glanced over at Jewel sympathetically. "I wish our journey could be easier, but I see no other way."

"And where will the way lead?" Jewel questioned, her lovely face the picture of innocence.

Gunther opened his mouth to respond but was halted by the strong hand that touched his arm. He glanced up to find Amery smiling at the one who voice the inquiry.

"Gunther, my good friend, I think I must caution you. This is not an ordinary damsel we have taken. Masked beneath the soft shade of her eyes lies a cunning that will trick you any way it can. To tell her of our plans will only make our task of watching her that much greater, for she will seek to escape with more determination if she has knowledge of our hiding place."

Jewel wanted to return his smile with a proud lift of her delicate chin and a nod of her head, to accept his oblique compliment and silently forewarn of all future annoyances she would bestow upon him, but when his gaze seemed to devour every inch of her in a hungry fashion, Jewel was reminded of his earlier pledge to bed her at his leisure and the defiant gleam in her eye disappeared. She looked to her hands and idly toyed with the nail of one thumb. And now there were two men to contend with in seeking her freedom, site - realized despondently.