Seduced (42 page)

"It
is
precious to me. If this next
child is a girl, do you think she might have her own birdie?"

"Hmm," he murmured then his lips released her
nipple with a soft plopping sound. "We will have to wait to see."
With a wicked glint in his eyes, his hips surged up as he guided
his rampant tarse to bury himself in her.

o0o

Later that morn, Letia eyed the sumptuous
bedchamber with distaste. "I could never be restful in a room
filled with so many treasures. Near every surface holds something
easily broken. I cannot imagine a man being comfortable here."

"Mayhap Julian needed wealthy possessions
close to make himself feel valued?" His eyes twinkled at her and he
nudged his chin toward the bed. The mattress was bare, for in their
love play, they had shoved the bedding and plump pillows over the
sides. "Dinna tell me ye dislike the oversized bed. Not once did we
fall to the floor."

"There is that." Letia giggled. "Though if we
had, we'd not have felt a thing."

Excited barking drew Letia to the window to
look below. Freki spotted her and his strident barks as much as
demanded she should join him. Julian's death had freed the dog of
hate eating at his soul, and he had thrived this past fortnight.
His bright yellow eyes were clear. The sun's light on his black
hair made it shine as blue-black as a raven's feathers. He stood
tall, his back as flat as a board, his head high, ears erect. The
scars on either sides of his lips and his neck would always remain,
but one had to look close to see them.

"Are you coming below, or should I delay your
leaving until the morrow?" Cormac called from the chamber
doorway.

"Have we kept you waiting?" Letia asked with
a grin.

"Well, now. After you broke your fast, Raik
said you only needed to retrieve your dagger." He eyed the bedding
scattered over the floor; one brow rose in a wicked arch. "I see
you had to fight the bed to get it back."

Heat crept up Letia's neck into her face.
Why, she felt like a young bride must when she married the lord of
her dreams. Raik chuckled at her discomfort and came to her rescue,
putting his arm around her shoulders to lead her down and out of
the keep.

When they reached the courtyard, all was
orderly and peaceful. Seton warriors filled in the ranks atop the
battlements and were in evidence around the castle. All who pledged
loyally to King Stephen's decision as to their next lord would
retain their positions. The dungeons had more than enough cells to
detain those few who did not, for not many of Julian's men had
thought well of him. Raik was leaving half of the Seton warriors
with Cormac, who would command the castle until the king's men
arrived.

Freki came over to nudge her hand with his
wet nose and then flipped his head sideways to press it against her
stomach as if he knew the new bairn nested there. 'Twas a gesture
he had started the first day he was allowed to press against
Letia.

The men were already mounted and waiting.
Edulf rode over, leading Storm. Raik took the reins, put his foot
in the stirrup and rose up onto Storm's saddle.

"Come, love." He leaned down to grasp Letia
under her arms as Cormac lifted her by her waist. "You'll be more
comfortable across my legs than behind me," he said as he settled
his arms around her.

Letia spotted and waved at the two men who
had chanced a flogging had Julian learned they had given her clean
water. Raik allotted them a goodly amount of coins and appointed
them as captain over the barbican guards, one for daylight hours,
and the other for nighttime.

Before they started out, Cormac stood as if
he was undecided about speaking.

"Out with it, man. What ails ye?" Raik cocked
his head, his eyes puzzled.

"Um, my lady? Would you kindly tell Lady
Sybilla I think often about her?" He blushed as bright as a spring
rose.

Letia dug her elbow into Raik's side when she
felt his chest start to rumble with a chuckle. She shot him a
warning look. "I will. I'm sure my sister will be most happy when
you return to Seton. You may start now, husband."

Freki barked with happiness as he streaked
ahead. While they followed him over the cobblestones leading to the
drawbridge, she leaned over to wave and smile at Cormac and the men
staying behind.

"Why did ye not let me prick Cormac a
little?" Raik's voice sounded peeved like a thwarted child. "He has
spent many years teasing me about my birdie."

"Because it is different. Cormac is in love
with Sybilla."

She looked up to see his surprised
expression. She shook her head and laughed.

o0o

They made good time returning to Seton
Castle, taking but two full days and part of another. The warriors
were as anxious to return as she was. When they came out into the
open around Seton, lookouts spotted them and lowered the
drawbridge. As they rode close, the guards atop the wall walks
waved and whistled.

"Look, my love, Mother and Aubrey are waiting
on the steps. Hm, Sir William stands quite close to Mother. Mayhap
another love match is in the making?" Raik's pleased laughter
echoed as they crossed through the barbican.

Letia could hardly wait. When Raik led Storm
over to the steps, she would have spilled out of his arms had he
not held her tightly.

"Hold still, wife, afore ye do yerself an
injury." He gripped her waist and lowered her to the second step.
He was soon beside her when Edulf took Storm's reins to lead him
away.

Letia couldn't wait to hold her son when Lady
Joneta handed him to her. When he smiled and mouthed her cheek,
leaving it dripping with spit, she thanked him for his kiss. Sir
William stood back as Sybilla, Maud and Lady Joneta took turns
hugging her shoulders. Finally, noting Raik's questioning eyes,
Letia handed Aubrey to him. This time, she felt no fear, no worry
that he would take him away from her. She felt nothing but joy.

"Go to your Da, sweetling."

Raik hugged him close, murmuring how much he
had grown in such a short time. When Aubrey grabbed his father's
nose, Raik laughed.

"He's such a strong lad he'll soon have it
straight again." He leaned over and soundly kissed Letia's
lips.

"Thank you for giving me my son, love."

Letia's heart lifted knowing he forgave her
deceit. Leofwan stood behind Raik, his thin face lit with a tender
smile.

Letia blinked in surprise. For just a flash
of a moment in time, Letia saw Warin at Leofwan's shoulder, his
essence glowing with beautiful peace.

-o0o-

Look for these intriguing romances in

Sophia Johnson's
Raptor Castle Series

Available Now

Book 1

FORBIDDEN

Brother Ranald of Raptor Castle, a scarred
monk in Scotland's Kelso Abbey, has a fearsome temper that causes
objects to fly about, turn still waters stormy and candles to light
with but a look. In the peace of the abbey. He controls his rage
and fights his forbidden desires, but what would he become in the
secular world?

'Tis his greatest fear when his father
arrives with an army to force Ranald to return to Raptor Castle and
wed. This monk turned man must now become husband and warrior.

Book 2

SEDUCED

Letia of Seton Castle is as beautiful as she
is capable. Famed for her skill at training archers and slingers,
she is used to commanding the castles defenses when needful.
Married to elderly Baron de Burgh, she has never birthed an
heir.

She must protect her castle and people when
Maud and Stephen's battles throw England into anarchy. She
sacrifices all when her husband devises a plan to save Seton Castle
from ruin when he dies.

'Twas a simple plan with very few steps to
follow: Capture her enemy, seduce him, bear his child and save her
people. But falling in love was not in the plan.

Book 3

RUTHLESS

The Morgan and Gunn clans in the Highlands of
Scotland have been feuding for longer than anyone can remember,
until the chiefs decided to foster their sons with each other.

Before Magnus of Clibrick Castle and Feradoch
of Kinbrace Castle exchanged places when they reached their seventh
year, their fathers ordered them to swear a blood oath that each
would uphold the peace when they became men. Once they are grown
and return to their own strongholds, should either man be felled by
treachery, the other will seek vengeance for the deed.

Years later when the Gunn's call Magnus to
honor the oath, he never expects to hunt down and hang Muriel of
Blackbriar, the bewitching woman he captured and fell in love with
when he besieged her castle.

Book 4

SURRENDER

In the Taming of the Shrew, Katharine met her
match in Petruchio. She was fortunate not to be in Elyne of Raptor
Castle's shoes. When Elyne goes toe to toe with Graemme of Clibrick
Castle, he checkmates her every move!

Graemme is not the harsh man Magnus is, but a
vow made is also sacred to him. Elyne keeps one step ahead of him
and leads him a merry and sometimes treacherous race before he gets
the better of her.

But all is not laughter. Someone plots to
kidnap Elyne, and when he tires of her, he will delight in killing
her.

I want to express my gratitude to Jenny Bent and
Holly Root, two great agents. They never lost faith in my writing
even when N.Y. failed to offer a contract for these four tales.

Their belief in the Raptor Castle Series kept me from
starting a bonfire with the novels.

Again, thanks to my dear husband Gil, I have never
starved. When he sees me sitting like a zombie in front of the
computer, he fixes dinner without a fuss. What author could ask for
a man better than that!

Special thanks to my eagle-eyed daughter, Valeri
Sperry, for editing Seduced. She should have been an editor for our
Florida newspapers!

With much gratitude to Lori Devoti for formatting The
Raptor Castle Series, and to Delle Jacobs whose cover designs set
the mood for these intriguing tale.

Dear Readers,

When I thought of the plot for Book 2 of the
Raptor Castle Series, I wanted to start with something true to
history.

King Henry I is famous for the largest number
of acknowledged illegitimate children of any English monarch. He
sired 20 to 25 offspring with many mistresses. You can imagine that
sorting out which child belonged to which woman must have been a
great chore. The records ended with the names of eighteen
acknowledged and documented children, their names and supposed
mothers. (They weren't sure they were accurate.) He must have had
"bed sport" amnesia about the other five or seven unacknowledged
bastards!

Since Henry had so many bastards, why not
give him one more and make that bitter son the villain on the
story? I named him Julian of Durham and pretended he was the
only
child the king refused to acknowledge. I gave him a
good excuse, though. Julian had an amazing likeness to a commoner
seen sneaking out of the leman's window one night. When Henry heard
of it, I doubt he visited her again. But that didn't stop the woman
from raising Julian of Durham to think he was a true son of Henry
and deserved titles and lands like his supposed half-brothers and
sisters. He made a great villain.

When Stephen usurped England from the Empress
Matilda, their struggle resulted in a long civil war known as the
Anarchy.

'Twas the perfect time for Julian to wrest
Seton Castle from Baron de Burgh, but he hadn't counted on a woman
as determined to save her people as our Letia.

o0o

As in the Blackthorn Trilogy, please keep in
mind that it is not always possible to use only words appropriate
to the time. I kept the dialect down to few characters. If any word
puzzles you, check the Glossary Page at
www.sophiajohnson.net
.
Also, Seton Castle was in Northumbria while Raptor was in
Scotland.

o0o

A native Floridian, Sophia Johnson spent her
early years in Key West and the Panama Canal Zone. On the island,
her favorite pastime was sitting beneath a coconut tree and
daydreaming while listening to the sound of the surf and sniffing
the briny smell of the ocean.

One day while she was reading, her father
asked her, "Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you
awoke one morning to find you had traveled back through centuries?
What if you were in a strange bedroom and someone came in and
called you by another name?"

It started her thinking how she would react
if she was a character in the book she was reading.

Her parents passed on to their children their
love of reading about far away places. Throughout her life, she
always had her nose in a book when she had free time.

Her Tag Line is "Love through the Ages," the
theme of her novels.

www.sophiajohnson.net