Medieval Highlands 01 - Highland Vengeance (52 page)

*

Jesslyn stood transfixed, unable to force the greeting from her lips that she’d rehearsed on her way across the glen. Bao seemed to be sleeping, so for another moment she allowed her eyes to wander o’er his form. Could there be a man more beautiful in this world? She believed it could not be so; for she had intimate knowledge of every last line and angle he now had hidden beneath that tunic and shirt. Realizing the dangerous path her thoughts were taking, she made herself look away. This was a foolish venture. ‘Twas best to keep their meetings to a more public place. She should leave forthwith before she did something they’d both regret—again. Turning, she took a step toward the glen.

*

Bao sprung to his feet. “Nay! Do not leave, for I have something to tell you.” He’d been aware of her arrival, but could not bring himself to break the visceral thread of awareness that connected them as her avid gaze swept his frame—and his had done the same o’er hers, eagerly glutting one last time on her loveliness, though she’d clearly been unaware of his inspection. She seemed so genuine, pure even, and that guilelessness no doubt had much to do with his towering attraction to her. But he must quash this mad passion they shared, for both their sakes, before he could allow her to flee.

She turned back to face him and crossed her arms over her chest, rubbing her hands along her upper arms. “Tell me quickly, for I shall not stay here with you, alone, for long.”

Alone
. Despite his better intentions, Bao’s mind filled once more with images of stripping her naked and taking her by firelight.
Blood of Christ!
He must depart this holding forthwith. “Aye, that would be best,” he said. “I thought to speak to you inside, but I see now that ‘tis not a good notion.” He swung away from her. “I shall retrieve the stool from the cave for you.” Aye, he’d leave this estate on the morrow, tho’ ‘twould be breaking the promise he had made to his brother—and his sister—to stay a fortnight.
Damn, Hellfire, and Blood of
Christ! He could not hurt his sister again by departing so soon. And since Jesslyn was sure to be repulsed by him once he’d made his confession, surely ‘twould not be so difficult to keep his distance from her afterward. Nay, he would stay, as promised.

*

Suddenly chilled, Jesslyn walked closer to the fire as she waited for Bao to retrieve the stool. She’d wondered at the message and the return of her gift earlier in the day, and though she’d been a bit hurt by Bao’s refusal of the larder, she’d supposed he’d thought she was repaying him for the coins he’d given Alleck and had not wanted to accept it on those grounds. And now, she supposed, he would warn her to be more circumspect in her gifts to him while he dwelled at the keep—of which she was in full agreement. ‘Twould never do for the others to learn of their lovers tryst—nor of her part in his remaining hidden so long.

He brought the stool over to the edge of the fire and motioned for her to sit before taking a seat himself on the one he’d abandoned a few moments past. Leaning forward, he placed his forearms on his thighs and let his hands drop between his knees. He stared at her a moment before saying, “I was a bit surprised by the rather rustic reward you sent me. For, ‘tis truth, I’m accustomed to procuring a higher payment for the services I rendered you this past morn.”

Jesslyn’s heart plummeted into her stomach. “Wh—What mean you, ‘services’?”

“‘Tis coin and jewels that are the usual reward I receive from the ladies of the court for such a performance, but I neither expected nor wanted any recompense from you. Believe me, the pleasure I received between your thighs was payment enough.”

A fleeting memory of her cries of ecstasy, her entreaty for him to take her flashed in her mind and Jesslyn choked back a gag. She leapt to her feet, unable for a moment to do more than stare at him in horror in the weighted silence that stretched and warped the distance between them. A buzzing began in her head and she swayed on her feet, then tumbled onto her stool. She saw him tense as if preparing to catch her, but she stopped him with a breathless query. “You think my gift of the berry tarts was
repayment
for your skills at fleshly love?” Her lip curled. “You disgust me.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and lifted a brow. A knowing smirk marred his lips as he said, “I think not. In fact, over the next days until I return to my life in Perth, I shall prove just the opposite—by having you often…and well.”

“Never!” He was vile!
Vile!
She stumbled to her feet and ran toward the glen, his taunting laughter like a thousand trumps blasting in her ears.

*

Bao’s mouth drooped and he leaned back against the outer wall of the cave, allowing her to leave. She would hate him now, would not even allow a friendship with her son any longer, and he could not blame her for her concern. Aye, he must stay only long enough to see his sister settled and then he must depart. But he would make certain before he left that Jesslyn believed in Branwenn’s virtue and understood that his sister had no idea of the more dissolute of his two occupations.

A brief image of the domestic bliss Daniel and Maryn shared flickered in Bao’s mind, followed by a sharp stab of envy, which he quickly squelched. He would not allow himself to pine for something that was impossible for him to attain—‘twas a waste of his time.

Oh, when he was a wee lad, before his life in Perth, he’d had dreams of one day wedding, having a family and a profession of which he could be proud. And, even tho’ it had been his mother’s dying wish for him to fulfill that dream as well—she’d made him vow as she neared the end that he would find a way to free himself from his slavery and make a home, with a wife and bairns—he’d long come to terms with the fact that that vow would not be fully realized. For it had become impossible for him to attain after his induction into the venereal trade.

Bao leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and dropped his head, staring, unseeing, at the ground beneath his feet. But he
had
fulfilled part of his promise to his mother, at least. He’d freed himself from his slavery when he’d thrust the killing blow through his father’s heart. And he’d made sure that neither himself, nor his sister, would ever know that life again.

Bending down, he picked up a dead twig and blindly tossed it into the darkness—toward God knew where. Aye, he’d learned early on that wealth was the key to freedom and he’d set out with a single-minded purpose to attain as much of it as he could. He had more coin from his years of mercenary soldiering and selling his carnal favors to the bored ladies of King William’s court than he would use in his lifetime. But he knew no other life and so would return to it when this duty was concluded. For no woman of high character would have him once they knew of his fleshly trade—and, ‘twas his bane, his chafing truth, that he would only have such a woman as wife. ‘Twas a dilemma that had no solution, a fact for which he was thoroughly resigned. But his sister
would
know that life, for he was determined to see it so. And tho’ she fought him now, he knew that she would one day thank him for his insistence that she remain here without him.

The sound of footsteps shuffling through the leaves jolted Bao from his dark musings. He bolted upright and leapt to his feet with his dirk at the ready in his hand. “Who goes there?”

*

Jesslyn moved into the light of the fire.

Clearly shocked by her return, Bao replaced the dirk in its sheath. “What imprudent wind would blow you back to me? For your initial instincts were the true ones.” He thrust his arm in the direction Jesslyn had just come from and angrily pointed. “
Leave!
”

She leaned forward, placing her hands on her hips. “
Nay!
” she replied just as forcefully. “Not before you answer my questions.” She straightened and crossed her arms over her chest. “I was halfway across the glen before I realized that I deserved a bit more information about your tainted past. I’ve heard that disease runs rampant at court, especially amongst the…the”—she waived her hand in front of her—“people who do the thing you described. Have you diseased me?” Her breath caught in her lungs and she held it.

“Christ’s Bones!
Nay, I have not!
Whatever you may think me, at least know you this: I would never bed someone knowing I would be passing on a sickness in the process.” Bao stepped toward her, but she stood her ground. “Tho’ there are a few members of the court—and, certainly, many less carefully particular
whores,
” he used the word she’d been loath to say, “who have the disease—I am healthy. The sickness is common in the stews, the area of the city where the procurers do their business, but ‘twill not reach my circle—the ladies are quite selective, as am I.”

Jesslyn closed her eyes and took a deep breath, feeling her taut muscles relax as she released it on a slow stream. Dropping her hands to her sides, she walked past Bao and sat down on the stool she’d recently vacated and then stared into the blaze a moment, her thoughts a jumble. “And this is the life you desire? A soldier by day, a—by night?”

His face was somber and his eyes never wavered from hers when he said, “Aye. I like variety.”

She swallowed a snort.
I’m sure you do.
A pang of regret for what might have been gripped her heart.
Well, that’s that, then.
She pressed her lips together and sighed. “All right.” Another disturbing thought struck and her stomach twisted in a knot. “Has Branwenn been living such a life as well?” she asked.

Sighing, he settled on his stool once more before responding. “Nay. In truth, she knows naught of that part of my life—I made sure of it—and I want it to remain that way.” His dark eyes pierced her with a steady gaze until she nodded her head in agreement. “My sister is both virtuous and comely; my brother should have no trouble finding good prospects for her to choose from for husband. And I have set aside a sizeable dowry for her, which I told Daniel of this afternoon.”

“You made that much from your…um…service to the ladies at court?”

He smiled and a devilish light lit his eyes, but he shook his head. “Nay, not all of it came from my ‘service to the ladies’; some of it came from my soldiering for King William.”

How much?
Jesslyn wished she had the courage to ask him, but decided she’d probed into his privacy far enough for her own peace of mind. Besides, the less she knew, the less guilty she would feel for keeping it concealed from his sister.

She rose from her stool. “I shall leave you now. My thanks for your honesty—you were right to believe ‘twas the best way to end things between us. Tho’, in truth, you did not need to state things quite so crudely.” Turning, she walked off into the darkness, out of the firelight’s glow, and out of his life for evermore.

*

Daniel met Bao in the lower bailey the next morn after breaking their fast, ready to pit his strength against Bao’s. “How long has it been since you’ve trained?” he asked as he turned to walk side by side with Bao toward the furthest end of the training field.

“At least since
Hogmanay
past. I’m looking forward to working out some of my vexation at you by defeating you soundly for stealing my sister’s affection so completely.”

“You can try, of course.” Daniel grinned.

A barely audible growl came from low in Bao’s throat, but he refrained from saying more, deciding he’d rather prove his assertion with action. Branwenn had barely said two words to him that morn, choosing instead to give her attention to Daniel. She’d made it quite evident that she thought Daniel was wonderful, brilliant even, if her ready agreement to every opinion he had was any true testament. If Daniel said the bread was stale, then, of course, the bread was stale; tho’ it had tasted fine to Bao. If Daniel said ‘twas sure to rain today, then, aye, Branwenn thought so as well. Bao looked up at the cloudless sky and snorted as he shook his head. It had actually been a bit disgusting to watch. His heart constricted at the memory, but he refused to acknowledge its cause, instead preferring to stew on his aggravation.

Daniel shook his head. ‘Twas very apparent that Bao was having difficulty releasing his dearly beloved sister into another’s care, but he would not admit it; not to himself, nor, Daniel was sure, to anyone else.

*

“What on earth are Daniel and Bao doing out on the training field?” Maryn motioned to Lady Maclean and Branwenn to come over to the solar’s window. “Daniel told me they were going to have another meeting this morn. He said naught about a contest of strength being involved. Are they trying to kill one another, do you suppose, and after only one day?” Maryn watched the two warriors circle each other in the lower bailey. They’d evidently been at this game for quite some time, because there was a crowd of soldiers gathered around the two.

Lady Maclean rested her hand on Maryn’s upper arm. “Be easy, dear, ‘tis certain they do no permanent damage to one another. This is how men deal with their emotions. They are more at ease expressing their feelings physically than they are speaking of them.”

“Aye,” Maryn said, nodding. She’d certainly found that to be true between Daniel and herself. He had no problem expressing his feelings for her physically. Tho’, now that she thought on it, he was quite good with his love words as well. But it’d taken him a good while to open up to her about the reasons for his fears. Mayhap men just had a harder time talking of emotions they perceived to be signs of weakness.

As she watched, Daniel locked his hands behind Bao’s waist and pressed his head into the center of Bao’s chest, Bao bent backwards and fell, taking Daniel with him. Bao spun sideways and threw his legs across Daniel’s torso, grabbing Daniel’s left wrist with both hands and squeezing it between his own thighs, pressing it palm-side up against his chest. Daniel escaped the hold by getting a grip on Boa’s right hand and twisting his wrist to the right, locking Bao’s elbow and shoulder out. Daniel pushed up diagonally to the right with his right hand and Bao went flying. The match continued for several more minutes, each opponent equally matched in skill and strength as the soldiers’ enthusiastically egged on the two men.