Forbidden Magic (36 page)

'"Mayhap the choice will not be yours to make. Sir Amery of Wellington," she challenged, tiny fists resting on her hips. "You speak of me as some, prize mare or plot of land you've won, as though I haven't a brain in my head to decide my own fate. I have already told you that I do not wish to marry ... anyone, and when the chance is given me, I will flee your side and join a convent. You have forced me to live in shame, and though it would not bother you, I would not stand before the altar of God and swear my oath to one man when I have lain with another. Nor will you or anyone else make the choice."

She glared at him, daring him to argue, and felt a chill race up her spine when all he did was smile back at her. She shrieked when he tossed the fur pelts away and leisurely came to his feet, his lust for her quite evident. She whirled and raced for the door. But long before she reached it, a huge hand trapped her arm and spun her back into his powerful embrace, his mouth forcefully taking hers. She felt one hand behind her head, the other pressed to the small of her back and pulling her hips against-his manly hardness. Her recital had fallen on deaf ears, and she doubted her pledge would have made any difference had she screamed the words. He had other things on his mind, and nothing else would stand in his way—nothing except Jewel. God willing, she swore, he would not find his task easily accomplished.

His mouth moved hungrily over hers and he forced her lips apart with his tongue and pushed inside. Jewel hung limp in his arms as though his kiss had had no effect. He moved against her, touching every inch of his hardened frame to her lithe form. But Jewel steeled herself against the sensation it aroused, clearing her mind and thinking of-other things. His hand moved to cup her breast. She brushed away his caress. And when his kisses trailed to her throat, Jewel forced a loud yawn as though the whole affair bored her, bringing his attention and suspicious frown upon her instantly. He leaned back and raised a tawny brow at her.

"Forgive me, sir," she begged, feigning embarrassment. "Tis not your touch that appears tiresome, but my lack of sleep the night past. I fear the bed had pebbles in it, for I tossed and turned 'til twilight and still found no rest for my weary bones. 'Tis why I walked about before you rose, to catch a breath of cool, crisp air and possibly bring sleep to my wakeful mind."

"And did it?" he asked, no hint of humor for her ruse shining in his green eyes.

Jewel sadly shook her head. "Nay, it did not."

"Hmm," he murmured, glancing toward the window and the pale light of morning fighting to seep in around the closed shutters.

When his eyes settled on her again, Jewel realized her mistake. She had thought to injure has pride and cool the heat of passion that stirred his blood, and thus win her release. But Amery had other ideas of how to spend the time before they ventured to the great hall to take their morning meal. She decided to try something else.

"If thou wilt get back in bed, sire," she suggested, smiling sweetly and trying to slip from his arms, "I will bring a tray—"

" Tis what I had in mind," he answered, grinning suggestively as he quickly undid the fastenings on her gunna. The garment fell to the floor, and Jewel blushed profusely. "But not alone."

His mouth covered her cry of protest, and Jewel frantically fought off the hands that sought to strip the kirtle from her. But it seemed he had ten times the normal number of hands and she quickly succumbed to the greater strength, struggling instead just to get away from him. Her attempt only seemed to amuse him, and her temper flared when she heard him laugh. Pulling away from his kiss, she gasped when he lifted her in his strong arms and carried her to the bed. Bending a knee upon it, he fell with her wrapped in his embrace upon the furry pelts, laughing all the more at the strangled oaths she flung at him. A tiny fist struck his hard shoulder, doing little damage, then sought to dub his ear, and Amery caught her wrist and pulled it under her, forcing her back to arch and pressing her hips to his. He grinned wickedly at the startled look that came over her lovely face when her thigh touched the boldness of his passion. Settling on one elbow, he lifted a coppery strand of hair that had fallen over her breast and lowered his head to sample the sweetness of her flesh.

His searing caress sent a bolt of electrifying heat through Jewel, and though his weight pinned her down, she renewed her efforts to get free of him, vowing this, time he would not find the response he knew her capable of. She quickly realized the foolishness of her task when her strength rapidly waned, and she set her mind on a different course. She went limp beneath him.

"If thou must," she sighed, her eyes closed, "then be quick about it, Sir Amery, for I have work to do and a short time to finish it." She cringed at the sound of his deep laughter.

"Never that, little one." He smiled warmly down at her. "Never that."

He lowered his head and kissed the corner of her mouth, brushed her cheek, then nibbled on her earlobe, sending a delicious shiver through her. She gritted her teeth. His lips moved down her neck to the hollow at the base, across her delicate shoulder, then down to the firm mound of flesh and the taut peak of her breast while his hand swept over her body. Her will began to crumble. Parting her thighs with his knee, he slid his hand under her hips and pulled her up to meet his first thrust as his mouth captured hers again, moving hungrily over it. But rather than sating his lust, he languidly continued to explore the velvety smoothness of her skin, his touch setting her aflame and igniting her own need to experience the wild rapture of his passion. Slipping her arms around his neck, she returned his kiss, damned her weakness, and began moving against him. Caught up in a world of their own, they gave no heed to time or place, only the savage, wanton cravings of their desires.

A long while passed before Amery rose from her and began to dress, and it was in that moment that Jewel's shame flared up to stain her cheeks a scarlet hue. Humbled, she sat up, drew her knees to her chest, and pulled the blanket of pelts over her nakedness, too humiliated even to look at him. Her body had betrayed her, but worse than that was her discovery of the ache in her heart. He would mock her for her attempts to hide what both knew burned brightly within her, and it was something she could not bear. Could it be love she felt? Was it possible? There was a sudden tightness in her throat, and tears filled her eyes, spilling over her dark lashes to trail moist paths to her chin. Twas not shame that hurt her so, but the thought that he would sometime soon leave her as he had all those before her and not regret his decision. Yea, even forget her. Dropping her head forward, she rested her brow against her knees and fought not to weep openly. He would surely hear and only laugh at such foolish behavior.

Once he had donned his leather tunic, Amery stooped to gather up Jewel's clothes, thinking the bright light of morning had forced her to hide beneath the covers rather than show herself to him while she dressed, and he turned to hand them to her.' A confused frown knotted his brow when he saw her huddled in the center of the huge bad as though all the worries of the world rested on her shoulders. He could not see her face as the long, luscious strands of reddish brown mane restricted his view, but he sensed she wept. He sucked in a sharp breath, thinking that in his passion he had hurt her, but he caught himself before he voiced the question. Nay, that could not be the cause of her tears, for she had responded to his caress most eagerly and at times had raked her nails across his back. Even now he could feel the stinging wounds and urgent thrusts of her hips against him, and not once had she cried out in pain. So what had brought about such a change? The troubled expression on his face softened. Mayhap seeing him don his clothes stirred memories of her father and mother and the chambers they had shared as man and wife. Yea, that was it, he decided with a nod of his head. Her heart was aching over the loss of her parents, and with the celebration of Christ's birth so close at hand, 'twas intensified twofold. His green eyes darkened as he thought about his own father and how he had planned to spend this celebration at the man's side, sharing a chalice of wine and hopefully words of forgiveness. But like Jewel, that had been lost to him, and, for a moment, he felt Jewel's sadness. He blinked, looked at her again, and wondered what he could say or do to ease her distress. He had never dealt with the tender emotions of a woman before and felt lacking. Whenever he had found one beset by tears, he had left her, for none before had mattered to him. But with Jewel it was different, and he found himself cursing his ineptness with the gentler sex. Then out of instinct, he walked the short distance to her, laid aside her garments, and sat down on the edge of the wide bed, tenderly reaching out to draw her into his arms. His own heart ached when she clung frantically to him, and when words failed him, he simply smoothed the ruffled hair from her brow and gently kissed away her tears.

"Do not cry, Jewel," he whispered after a while. "In time the pain will ease and you will forget... as I will do."

Suddenly, she stiffened in his arms, and in the next instant she had jerked away from him, collected her garments, and was hurriedly, angrily, putting them on. When she had finished, she stormed the door, seized the latch, and swung the portal wide. Haloed by its immense framework, she spun back to face him, burning sparks of rage glowing in her eyes.

"Yea, Sir Amery of Wellington, knight to King Richard, defender of England, and loyal subject, I will forget. And I shall begin right now!" In a whirl of soft blue samite trimmed with fur, she turned and marched from the room, leaving a befuddled Amery gaping after her.

* * *

Warm, smiling blue eyes attentively watched Jewel's agitated descent down the stone steps to the great hall. She had just come from the chambers she shared with Amery, and Gunther was certain from the look on her face that the couple had had words. Resting his elbows on the trestle table, he cradled his tankard in both hands and secretively studied her over the rim. There was a rosy flush to her cheeks, and he hoped it was not purely anger that colored them, but waning passion as well.

"What thoughts go through thy head so early this morn, Gunther?" a voice beside him asked.

Looking up to find Rickward straddling the bench beside him, Gunther covertly nodded toward Jewel. "I think they argued," he whispered into his chalice and lowered his eyes when Jewel glanced over at him on her way to the kitchen.

"And that pleases you?" Rickward frowned, reaching for a boiled egg from the bowl on the table.

"Yea, it does." Gunther smiled.

Cracking the shell, then peeling the egg clean, Rickward took a bite and said, "Methinks thou wouldst have wished it otherwise, Gunther. If they argue, it means Amery is displeased."

Gunther shook his head, smiling as he picked up a knife and stabbed it into a piece of roasted boar sitting on the platter before him. "My thoughts are divided on this point, Rickward."

"How so?"

Chewing off a bite, Gunther silently ate it while he watched Jewel cross the great hall and disappear through the doorway into the kitchen. "If the fair lady Jewel has angered him, then she has touched upon a tender spot, which means the hardhearted, knight has feelings. I know they are there, but he guards them well against others, and for her to have brought them to the surface is a small victory in itself."

"And what if she hasn't angered him? Then what wouldst thou think?"

Grinning devilishly, Gunther looked toward the steps when he heard a door slam shut somewhere in the hall at the top of them. "Then I will work on his mind. I have seen a change in him toward his betrothed, and if he takes her anger lightly, I will remind him that there are other less irritable women to be had."

"What?" Rickward exclaimed. "But I thought—"

"Shhh!" Gunther quickly interrupted. "He comes now. Be still and you will soon understand."

The two men busied themselves with filling their platters and eating from them as though the conversation had not come about, and they ignored the one who marched toward them with a puzzled, somewhat disagreeable look on his face.

"Thou art up early this morn, Amery," Gunther greeted, watching the man sit down across the table from him. "Didst thou sleep well?"

"Yea." He frowned, reaching for the drinking horn. "Twas the waking that boded ill."

Gunther winked at Rickward while Amery's attention was focused on raising the horn to his mouth. Both watched him as he drank his fill, then quickly glanced about the hall as if he were looking for someone.

"What plagues thee, Amery, if thy bed was soft and sleep came easy?" Gunther pressed, concentrating on the food he ate. If Amery saw the humor Gunther was sure was shining in his eyes, he would suspect his game.

"What plagues me, friend, is the ever-changing mood of a woman, and that I cannot understand the need for it." He set aside the drinking horn and leaned forward on his elbows to look Gunther straight in the eye; "Why are they not content with the way things are in life?"

Reaching for a loaf of bread, Gunther tore off a large piece and began smearing it with marmalade. "You speak in riddles, Amery. The sun is not high enough for me to make sense of it."

"I speak of Jewel. She was crying, and when I tried to comfort her, her tears turned to rage."

"Why was she crying?" Gunther asked, hoping to sound indifferent.

Amery shrugged a huge shoulder and grabbed for a piece of meat. "I assume because the memories of her family had become too great to bear."

"You assumed?"

Amery glanced up, surprised, and nodded.

Heaving a deep sigh, Gunther looked at Rickward and shook his head. "God help us if our battles are ever against the gentler sex, for with this thick-headed knight to lead us, we would surely lose." His words awarded him a dark scowl from the one he criticized. "You did not ask what brought her tears? A simple enough question, Amery. So what did you say that angered her?"

Amery glared at his friend while he tore off a piece of meat and stuck it in his mouth. Chewing on it for a moment, he finally replied, "That in time she would forget. .. just as I would do. Tell me, wise one, what would you have said that wouldn't have brought about the same end?"

Gunther lifted the tankard to his lips and took a drink. "The choice would depend on the reason for her tears. Women have many, and none are obvious. 'Tis something you must learn if you plan to keep Lady Jewel by your side."

Amery's tawny brows came together sharply. "She will stay as long as I command it," he angrily declared, tossing down the piece of meat.

"Perhaps," Gunther conceded. "But it would surprise me if she did."

"She will have no choice!"

Gunther raised a quizzical brow. "Dost thou plan to chain her to your bed?"

"Nay! I would not! She is not a dog to be treated so."

"But thou thinkest of her as one." Gunther quickly raised a hand when his friend sucked in an angry breath to argue. "You think that because you wish something to be, Lady Jewel should respond willingly. Must you, be reminded, Amery, that she is here against her will, and when the choice is given her, she will flee? And why shouldn't she? What are you to her?"

"Her betrothed!" Amery shouted. The instant he realized what he had said, the anger vanished, and he could feel a cold sweat dampen his brow. Why had he made such a claim when only a short time before he and Jewel had agreed there would be no union between them? Shocked by the revelation, Amery glanced from Gunther to Rickward and back to Gunther. Sensing neither would offer him any help in understanding it, Amery jerked up from the table, stepped away from the bench, and turned sharply for the main door of the great hall. Cold morning air would clear his head. Not bothering with his fur mantle, he yanked the huge oak barrier open with such force that it slammed back against the wall with a deafening bang, drawing everyone's attention to the tall, wide-shouldered knight who stormed from the castle.