Forbidden Magic (17 page)

"Yea, Amery, methinks she would," Gunther replied almost casually, returning to his task of spreading out the small feast on the tablet which the monks had given him. "It would be foolish to assume the damsel would offer her help instead if she knew the truth of the matter." Gunther concentrated on tearing the loaf of bread into pieces and did not look up when he heard Amery chuckle.

"There are tones, Gunther of Bur chard, when, you carelessly place your trust in people." Amery grinned, reaching for a chair to pull up beside the table.

"And there are times when you trust too little." Gunther frowned irritably and went to the fireplace, where he took down three plates stacked on the mantel. Returning to the table, he slammed them down and cast a hard look on his friend. "And you do Lady Jewel an injustice."

Green, dispassionate eyes glanced up at him. "I do no woman an injustice. Tis what they deserve."

"Aaurrgh," Gunther snorted. "Thou art a hard-hearted Englishman who is blind as well as deaf."

One corner of Amery's mouth twitched with his half smile. "And what wouldst thou tell her that she would believe? Put thyself in her place, sympathetic one, and think on it. A man who claims loyalty to the one accused now cries his friend has been wronged, and because he says it is so she is to accept it?" Laughing, he sat down in the chair and filled his plate with a piece of the bread and a portion of the meat Gunther had brought them. "Nay, my friend, 'twould be useless to try. The trap seems made of steel and had I not been the one named, I would be hard put to think the contrary if offered such testimony."

Gunther could only stare at him, knowing what he said was true. After a long while, he sighed heavily, pulled the wineskin he had carried from his shoulder, and laid it on the table next to Amery. "Then how will you explain so that Lady Jewel knows no lies are given?"

Only his eyes moved to look at Jewel. "It matters not that she believes."

"And I say it does!" Gunther stormed, slamming a huge fist against the table. "She is your betrothed and daughter of Lord Alcot, a man of noble rank. To have her standing beside you will aid in our endeavor to clear the black mark upon your name."

Amery picked up the wineskin and took a long drink from it, pointedly ignoring his companion. When he had finished, he placed it on the table again and said dryly, "She is no longer my betrothed. We have agreed."

Gunther felt as if he had been dealt a major blow and could find no words to express his disbelief. Frustrated, he turned to look at Jewel, praying to see the same surprise in her eyes as he was sure had registered in his. But to his dismay, he watched the coppery curls sway gently with her nod. His hope shattered, for the task of proving Amery's innocence would be doubly hard without Lady Jewel's support.

Gunther turned back to the table in angry resignation, yanked a chair closer, and sat down. Seizing the wineskin, he raised it high and drank his fill, needing the wine's dulling effects to ease his temper.

Jewel sat in silent observation of the pair, biting the inside of her lip to hide her smile. They fought with each other and it could only work to her advantage, for Gunther had already displayed a gentler, Understanding side and it would be easy to win his favor. At first chance, when they were alone, she would beg his help in letting her get away. She would tell him that even if she believed, she would be of little aid to them, in fact only slow them down. Certain the idea would succeed, she lowered her head, smiling, and played with the gold braid adorning the waistline of her gown. So caught up was she in her thoughts that she failed to see someone approach until his shadow fell across her. Startled, worried her plan showed clearly on her face, she glanced up nervously and stiffened when she found Amery standing next to her, a plate filled with the simple offerings of the friars held in one hand.

"Beware, Lady Jewel," he whispered, presenting the bread and meat for her to take. "He holds more loyalty to his friend than to permit himself to be fooled by a woman."

Rather than allow him the satisfaction of knowing she understood or that she had even heard him, Jewel quickly took the plate lie held out to her. Setting it on her knees, she tore a crust of bread, eyes averted, and silently marveled at his keen ability to read her thoughts. Or had he only guessed?

The next half hour passed in silence as each occupant of the abandoned hut ate his meal. Jewel concentrated on the plate balanced on her knees but was constantly aware of the tension that seemed to hover over them all. Gunther devoured his share quickly and, once he had finished, left the tiny dwelling without a word, returning a moment later with Amery's sword, shield, and armor.

" 'Tis wise we leave as soon as possible. Lord Radolf and his men will not waste any time looking for us once he discovers Lady Jewel has been taken," he said, his tone betraying the anger he sought to hide. "I will see to the steeds and await you there." Without giving his companion a chance to reply, Gunther turned and exited the hut.

"Sir Gunther speaks the truth," Jewel dared to add when the silence surrounded them once more, and she drew courage when Amery merely glanced up at her then set about securing his armor in place. "Your half brother will not rest until he hunts you down. You will be made to pay for what you've done."

A satisfied smile tugged at the corners of her mouth until the cold, green eyes looked up at her. "Someone will pay, tittle one," he said callously, "and you will not approve of the victor. He has taken what is mine and I shall have it back."

Almost angrily, he slid the helm down on his head, flung his mantle over his shoulders, and advanced. Fearing he intended to strike her, she drew back, arms raised to protect herself, and she gasped when he took her wrist in an unyielding hold, pulling her to her feet. A long while passed as he stared into her eyes, the emerald hue of his own shadowed by the nose guard of his helm, and Jewel felt as if Satan had taken human form. Weakly, she tried to pull away, but he held her to him without the slightest effort and she trembled when she saw the faint smile spread across his lips.

"He wants you as well, my sweet," he whispered, the fingers of his other hand entwining in the long strands of auburn hair at the back of her head, "and he may have you. But he will live with the knowledge that as everything else he wants, /will have made first claim."

As his head lowered to taste the sweetness of her lips, Jewel's free hand came up to push at his wide chest, but her resistance was as nothing, for her strength was no match for his. He held her firmly, confidently, in his grasp, yet knew a weakness of his own—not of body but of desire, a feeling he had never experienced so deeply, so intensely, in the past. This damsel was not ordinary, for she possessed the power to weaken his defenses, cloud his mind, and do the one thing Gunther had wagered she could—linger in his thoughts long after he had left her.

When the two knights had disguised themselves as monks and had ventured to Harcourt, they had intended only to eavesdrop and learn whatever they could about the death of Lord Alcot and his family. It had not been their plan to enter the castle or speak with Lady Jewel, but when Radolf's knight had sought them out as priests to comfort her, Amery had ignored the danger should his identity be discovered while inside the manor, and all for a brief glimpse of a beauty he had rarely seen. And now that he smelled the soft fragrance of her dun, delighted in the silky texture of her hair, he knew the reason he had not hesitated in sweeping her into his arms after she had fainted and carrying her to this hut. He would tire of her in time, but for tins moment, she fueled a spark in the very core of his being and he would not let her go until the flame had gone out. Pulling her closer to him, he allowed his mouth to descend upon hers in a warm and tender kiss that set his blood on fire and caused an aching in his loins.

Jewel silently cursed him for the powerful sensations he aroused within her. Every inch of her flesh tingled with the embrace, weakening her desire to hate him fully when all logic said she must. And how ironic that she had longed for this day, this time when he would hold her in his arms and kiss her, only to find the actual experience shattering, to realize that more than anything else in the world she wished him dead. Calling on every ounce of reserve she had to resist him, she fell limp in his arms as if his caresses meant nothing, and she smiled inwardly when he instantly released her. But her pleasure was short-lived, for once she lifted her gaze to look at him, she saw the knowing gleam sparkling in his pale green eyes.

"Radolf would be fooled," he whispered, "but not I. So play your games, little one, for I find them amusing."

"I hate you," she hissed through clenched teeth.

He raised a tawny brow dispassionately. "Then on that we agree. I hold no love for you in my heart either."

"Then set me free so that I may return to Harcourt," she urged, eyes blazing.

"To Harcourt?" he asked quietly, then glared heatedly at her. "Or Radolf, your lover?"

"I have never taken a lover," she stormed fiercely. "To that you can attest. You were the first and by the grace of God, you will have been the last." A temper rarely seen surfaced in her. "If all men treat a woman as you have done, I would prefer no man touches me again."

A vague smile lifted the corners of his mouth. "Your thoughts will change," he said confidently: "And I will take great pleasure in seeing it done."

Jewel opened her mouth to flatly deny his declaration, but Amery turned away to lift her mantle from the cot then casually stroll to the door and all she could do was fume silently at his abrupt dismissal of her. She had listened to the tales spread of his dislike for women, his cavalier treatment of them, as if their feelings mattered naught to him, and until this very moment she had wondered if any man could be as heartless as such tales had claimed. Her anger,faded with the curious frown that crimped the smooth tine of her brow. Did he hate all things? Or could there possibly be a tender side of him he fought to hide? And why? And what had his friend, Gunther, tried to tell her... that Amery was truly not responsible for what had happened at Harcourt? She wanted to believe that the son of her father's best friend had not cut him down unarmed and that he had not seen to the execution of her family, but the evidence to the contrary was too great. Blinking away a tear, she looked up at the handsome figure standing by the door staring back at her, the expression on his face lost in the shadows, and she could only wonder at his thoughts. And when he raised a wide hand to summon her to him, a nervous shiver ran through her. She feared him, yet found an odd desire to learn more about him. She hesitated a moment, then moved toward the door, allowing him to cover her shoulders with the cloak before they left the hut.

Darkness pressed in around them once they stepped outside, the cold night air stung Jewel's face, and she hugged the fur mantle tightly to her, only slightly aware of the strong hand that had taken her elbow to guide the way. Faint streams of moonlight filtered down through the thickness of tree limbs and fell upon Gunther as he stood beside three horses. Oddly, he eased her trepidation a degree. Although he had proclaimed a friendship with the man at her side, Jewel doubted Gunther would allow Amery to abuse her... at least not without a protest of some kind. A half smile touched one corner of her mouth. Perhaps, if they fought...

"Always scheming, my sweet?"

The deep richness of his voice, laced with humor, chilled Jewel more than the winter night, and she kept her eyes averted lest he read the truth in them. "Scheming, m'lord? I fear I do not know thy meaning." Hearty laughter filled her ears, and without thinking, she looked up at him.

"Ah, yes, great pleasure," he murmured with a grin, catching her slim waist in his hands as he lifted her from her feet and gently sat her on the saddle of the smallest steed.

Jewel remained stone still, watching him take the reins of his own destrier from Gunther and effortlessly swing himself up across the wide back of the animal. What had given away her musings? Did this knight practice sorcery? Whatever reason placed her at his mercy, and she knew she would have to be very careful if she were to succeed in escaping him.

For the next two hours, they traveled in silence, never passing anyone on the road, jewel could not be sure, but she guessed they were heading south, away from London, and Harcourt. And with each step the mare took, the distance between her and the one man who would rescue her became greater. She could only pray Radolf would find the hut where they had stayed and the monastery that had given them food and the horse she rode. Perhaps if the monks learned of her fate, they would eagerly tell Radolf all they knew of the knights who had visited them and thus set him on the right path. But, for now, she would have to be content in sharing the unwanted company of the men who led the way.

No other sounds echoed in the forest save the thumping of their horses' hooves along the trail, and, as she began to feel the weight of her journey, Jewel's eyes grew heavy and her head bobbed. She had nearly fallen asleep in the saddle when her mare jerked to a stop and Jewel abruptly came to attention. Conan, Amery's charger, blocked the way, his head held high, nostrils flared, and ears twitching at the noise only he had heard. Before Jewel could question the animal's strange behavior, she saw both Amery and Gunther pull their swords from their sheaths and she suddenly sensed the danger lurking in the blackness ahead of them. A wild animal, perhaps? Or possibly the sort that hid amid the shadows armed with sword and spear to prey upon weary travelers? Jewel's heart lurched. Or might God have shown mercy for her plight and guided Radolf and his men to this spot? She could only pray the latter as the other choices were truly none at all.