Princess Avenger - Brightcastle Saga Book 1 (28 page)

“Indeed, Princess Avalin,” a deep, masculine
voice said from the door.

Benae turned to see a strikingly handsome
man in his middle years. He had dark wavy hair, a sensuous mouth
and thick eyelashes framing sharp, blue eyes. He walked towards her
with the grace of a swordsman and reached for her hand.

“The Lady Benae Branasar, I presume,” he
said, his voice like warm honey. “I am Jiseve Zialni and I am
delighted that you would visit me in my humble home.” He raised her
hand for a kiss.

Benae smiled and curtseyed, dipping low and
in no hurry to rise. Let him believe he was all that mattered in
that moment. “Your Highness, you honor me by inviting me to your
court.”

“It is I who am honored, lady,” Jiseve
Zialni said. Warm his voice might be but his smile was wintry, his
features cloaked in sadness; understandable when his daughter had
been kidnapped. Having lost his wife to consumption some time past,
the prince was all alone in the world. Would Benae be the one to
return sunny days to this battered man?

The prince turned and pulled on a rope
beside the door. A bell echoed in the halls of the castle and in
moments the blond god Benae had seen earlier slipped through the
door into the chamber.

“Lady Benae, I want you to meet Squire
Ramón. He will be in charge of your care while you are here.”

The squire had changed attire in the short
time since she had first seen him. His breeches and tunic were
midnight blue and he wore a ruffled white shirt. His shoulders and
arms strained at the fabric that encased them, as if he had
recently come into his size. His golden hair glowed like none she
had ever seen and was tied back from his clean-shaven face, but his
deep blue eyes were what drew her attention; they showed the heart
of this man and Benae suspected that heart was pure gold.

He bowed over her hand and rose, his sweet
citrus cologne swirling around her.

“Ramón Zorba at your service, Lady Benae,”
the squire said, his polished tones sliding down her spine. “I
trust you had a pleasant journey.”

Benae gazed at his mouth as he spoke and
imagined those lips on her skin. A sigh escaped her lips and she
became aware that silence had fallen. All eyes were upon her. What
had he asked her?

“Yes, squire, a very pleasant journey
indeed.” Benae turned to the prince who wore a frown. If she did
not take care, she would spoil her chances with Jiseve before her
bid began. She gave herself a mental shake.
You are here to win
Jiseve’s hand, not make eyes at his squire. Remember your people.
Their future depends on you.

Benae gazed up into the shadowy eyes of the
prince. “I know I will enjoy my stay here.”

Jiseve smiled. “I will ensure that you do,
lady.” He looped his arm through hers. “Now let us adjourn to the
dining room. Squire, see to the other ladies.”

Jiseve guided Benae out the door and down a
wood-paneled passage. The princesses and the squire followed.

“I hear you are an excellent horsewoman,”
the prince said. “Your mount is a fine creature; such a perfect
dappled grey.”

Benae just managed to control her gasp of
surprise. Just how much did this man already know of her? Not too
much she hoped. It was wise to keep some mystery. “Yes indeed. I
love to ride and Flaire is one of the deepest joys of my life. I
trained him, you see.”

Jiseve smiled. “I will show you my horses
tomorrow, lady--”

His words were interrupted by a ripping
sound and Benae felt her skirt snag at the back. She gasped and
swung around in time to see Princess Avalin’s slippered foot
resting on the delicate emerald lace bordering her gown. The skirt
pulled away, exposing her underskirt.

“Oh dear, Lady Benae,” Avalin gasped. “I am
so sorry about your dress.” She stepped back and Benae gathered the
sagging fabric, trying to hold it in place. Anger replaced shock as
Benae realized her competitor for the prince’s hand had trod on her
skirt with just this outcome in mind.
So this is how it is to
be!
Her impression was confirmed when Avalin’s lips curved in a
tiny smile that was gone as soon as it appeared.

“You must go to your room and change, Lady
Benae,” Avalin said, stepping past Benae and grasping the Jiseve’s
hand. “We will wait for you in the dining room.”

The prince, who had been silent, frowned as
Avalin took over. “Yes, lady, it will take only moments to change.
I will save you a seat next to mine.” His voice purred with a
subtle appeal that was not lost on Avalin, whose mouth twisted in a
grimace. Benae was sure Avalin would take full advantage of her
absence to woo Jiseve, but the Tylevian princess had already had
two weeks with Jiseve. If he was not convinced of her suitability
yet, then he never would be.
I still have a chance to win this
race
.

Jiseve was stunningly handsome and vital for
an older man. It would not be such a bad thing for her to devote
her life to him, even if she could not love him. There were things
more important than love. Benae tried not to think of what her
sainted father would think of an arranged union. She had to believe
he would at least understand her need to secure the estate, both
financially and from the threat of the dark elves.

The prince turned to Ramón. “Show my guest
to her chambers, squire, so she can change and then escort her back
to the dining room.”

Jiseve’s words brought Benae’s gaze to
Ramón. A muscle tightened along the squire’s jaw. Seemingly the
handsome squire was not best pleased to be escorting Benae to her
room and that annoyed Benae all over again. Since when did a
handsome man not seek her company?
Since never!
Benae
determined that the delectable Ramón Zorba would not be the
first.

Ramón walked in silence beside the beautiful,
dark-haired woman who was the latest of the candidates for his
master’s arranged marriage.
Has she no shame?
For a moment,
Lady Branasar’s sparkling, emerald eyes and commanding demeanor had
spoken of a different type of woman to the three princesses who had
arrived before her. But she was just like the rest. Willing to
prostitute herself for the sake of money. Where was love? Where was
the sanctity of a union between two souls who spoke to each
other?

The thought of love drew his mind to
Princess Alecia, though it had been one way with her:
his
love and admiration against her worship of Vard Anton. The two
times they had kissed stood large in his memory. Alecia could have
loved Ramón in the right circumstances. She had professed to love
the previous squire, Jorge, but he had been killed by mercenaries.
Ramon had his suspicions that the murderers had been hired by
Prince Zialni. He had never told Alecia of his notions. She had her
own way of dealing with the killers, tracking them down one by one
and dispatching them.

Awe inspiring! No wonder I love her. And
here am I, cooped up in this damned castle while Anton makes free
with the woman who should be mine! If only he had stopped them from
escaping when he had the power; instead, he had allowed Alecia’s
pleading lilac eyes to sway him and now it was too late. No! It was
not too late. Somehow he would shake off the duty that kept him
tied to Brightcastle and by then his sword skills would be equal to
the infamous Captain Vard Anton. Calm descended upon him as he
imagined the kidnapper breathing his gurgling last.

“Are you well?” Benae asked of the man who
escorted her. He had made no attempt to converse and the silence
grew wearying.

“Yes, lady, I am quite all right.” He
frowned. “I must apologize for the behavior of Princess Avalin. The
damage to your dress was deliberate.”

“Of that I am well aware, squire, but you
are not responsible for her actions.”

“Still, you are under my care.”

“At least I know what I can expect from her
now.”

The squire’s jaw tensed. W
hat ate at
him?

“Forgive me if I pry, Squire Ramón, but you
seem out of sorts. Have I done something to offend you?”

“No lady.” He averted his gaze but there had
been something, a flash of shadow that told her he hid deep
feelings about something. It would be fun getting inside his
head.

They reached the base of the central
staircase and he grasped her elbow to help her up the stairs. The
touch sent a thrill right through her and she covered her gasp with
a cough. Her heart beat a rapid tattoo and she concentrated on her
breathing to bring her emotions back under control. This was all
wrong. She was usually the cause of these feelings not the
sufferer; and this man seemed completely unaffected by her.

When they reached her room, Ramón opened the
door. “I will wait here, lady,” he said, closing the door on her
after she had stepped through.

Benae stared at the closed door, unable to
believe he had all but shut the door in her face. He could not have
expressed more eloquently his lack of desire for her company. But
who could blame him? She was here to win the hand of Ramón’s
master, not to have a fling with the delectable squire. A shiver
ran from the base of her skull to her core at the thought of those
strong hands, those sensuous lips on her body.

“Lady Benae,” her maid said, as she came
though from her quarters that adjoined Benae’s sleeping room. “Why
are you returned so early? Oh…” Merel came forward to examine the
damage to the back of Benae’s dress. “Your favorite gown! I’ll help
you into a new one and mend this right away. How would the black
satin with the golden lace suit? You can still wear the emerald
choker and tiara.”

“That would do well, Merel.” Benae could
have kissed the woman for not asking how the damage had been done
to her gown. Her young maid would hold her own in any of the royal
courts and, besides that, was a source of support and advice to
Benae.

In moments, Benae was attired in the new
gown, golden lace over black satin, which left her shoulders bare
and displayed a tempting amount of cleavage.
Let us see how that
chit Avalin deals with
this
dress.
Not to mention the
squire
. Benae shook her head.
Really.
She should be
beyond such silly thoughts. She was twenty-six, a woman of the
world and head of her own estate, though the reason she was leader
there still caused her endless sadness.

She pulled her thoughts from the past and
squared her shoulders. “Thank you, Merel. That will be all for
tonight.” Benae opened the door and stepped into the hall.

Ramon straightened from where he had been
leaning against the balustrade. He struggled to control the lust
that swept through his loins at the sight of the breathtaking woman
who had just stepped from her room. Flickering candles in the wall
sconces leant her an air of mystery. He clamped the urges back
where they belonged -- shut away. He had no right eyeing her this
way.

She paused and her gaze speared him though
it was too dark to see her eyes. He would need to be made of stone
not to be affected by her -- so petite yet fiery enough to handle
the million-and-one details an estate owner must tackle. He knew
only too well what it took to care for property and people.

“Let us hasten to the dining room, lady,”
Ramón said, guiding her towards the stairs. “They will be waiting
for us.”

She touched his hand. “What has you so
irritable, squire?”

“You misinterpret my mood, lady.”

“I do not.”

Ramon drew a deep breath.
Very well, she
has asked the question
. “I do not understand why you would put
yourself in the position of competing with others for the hand of
the prince.”
There, it is out, done
.

“Oh, really?” Now Lady Benae’s fiery emerald
eyes made him rethink his words.
Did she never wonder how her
actions would appear to others?

“Yes, my lady. You have your own estate and
I can see you are intelligent. Why would you stoop…” Ramón stopped
as he realized he might have gone too far.

“I do not believe my motivations should be a
matter for public speculation.”

“No, lady, forgive me.”

They continued to the dining hall in
silence. The sooner he was out of Brightcastle and on the road to
finding Alecia the better.

The impact Benae made on entering the dining room was
nothing short of satisfying. Avalin’s jaw dropped and Jiseve
immediately leapt up, stalked across to Benae and drew her to the
seat on his right at the table. It made up for how annoyed she was
by Ramón’s judgement of her.

Benae hoped she might be free of Ramón’s
company at dinner. He was far too much of a distraction. However,
there were six places set at the candlelit table. The squire sat
between Avalin and Lella on the other side of the table. If Ramón
had been beside her, she might have been able to keep her eyes from
him.
He is not for you.
She steeled herself to ignore him
while she was with Jiseve.

Once Benae and the squire were seated,
Prince Zialni rose. Glass of ruby wine in hand, he gazed at each of
his guests in turn.
Oh, how he loves the spotlight!
Perhaps
there was not so much sadness after all. Perhaps he was coldly
seeking to fill his bed with a warm woman. If that was the case,
why had he not advertised for a wife sooner? His wife had been dead
four years and it was said that he had never been seen with another
woman since Princess Iona breathed her last. Until now.

“With the arrival of Lady Benae, our party
is complete,” the prince said. “I will not hide my delight at
having you all here under my roof but there is a serious reason
underlying your visits.”

Benae cast a surreptitious glance at Ramón
to find his eyes downcast and jaw tense. From where did his
disapproval stem? He clearly believed this contest for the prince’s
hand to be beneath herself and the princesses.
Why?
For some
reason, his disapproval unsettled her. She shook the thought away
and returned her attention to the prince.