The Beast of Renald (The Northern Knights) (19 page)

Caroline felt another chill run down her spine and she turned around, dread heavy in her chest. Darc stood glowering at them from the doorway. Cedric’s loud and ragged intake of breath broke the quiet.

By the storm brewing in his eyes, Caroline knew time was short for her to explain and that Darc had already gotten the wrong impression of what he’d walked in on. She opened her mouth, ‘Darc, I-‘

‘Silence!’ He was next to them in two strides.

Cedric tried to turn and run, but Darc’s fistful of his tunic stopped him as he spun the smaller man around. Cedric pleaded but it fell on deaf ears as Caroline watched her husband throw him across the room. Now real fear contorted Cedric’s reddening face. His arrogance and madness had made him err in the worst way.

‘Darc, please, wait! ‘Tis not what you think!’ Caroline grabbed at his arm, he jerked away from her. His burning glare stung. He was like a raging bull, his dark fury pushed him.

‘How long is all I want to know?’

Caroline stumbled back, feeling the color drain from her face. ‘Wh-What?’

He ignored her, walked to the door and called out for his guards. Three soldiers entered and had Cedric’s feet and hands tied, a gag shoved into his mouth to quiet him and a sack over his head. After Darc’s instructions, he was removed from the room.

Caroline watched her husband, stunned by his accusation, pain stinging her heart.

He glanced to where Kelbie lay still sound asleep. Then he came at her and pulled her from the room. In the hall he barked an order to a startled Mildred to attend Kelbie.

When they reached his chamber, he all but thrust her inside hard. Caroline whirled on him, her blood heating as she watched him slam the door behind them. Her sputtering did not help. She could not form any words as she watched him.

Darc wiped a hand down his face, he wanted to kill her. Red fury erupted in him. God’s thunder! He’d wanted to kill them both.

He needed to get away from her, but first he’d have his answers.  ‘I will ask you again.
How long
?’

Caroline was angry too and his tone did not help matters. Her stomach churned.

He was accusing her of the wrong thing before she had a chance to explain. ‘If you mean being unfaithful with Cedric, I will not dignify that with a reply.’

He reached out and grabbed her elbow, and jerked her against him. ‘I don’t care about that. How long has he been meeting with you? What have you been conspiring?’

Caroline jerked out of his grip, stunned. ‘Conspiring? Are you mad!? That is the furthest thing from the truth, husband. If you would but listen I will tell you the truth of it.’

Darc scoffed and walked away from her. Were women Norman or Saxon capable of ever speaking the truth? ‘That’s the problem. Do you even know how to speak truth? Why did you not tell me when you first met with him?’

Caroline shrugged. ‘There were many reasons that do not matter now. ‘Tis useless. You mock me at every turn, disregard my words…’ her voice cracked and she crossed her arms over her chest.    

What could she tell him?

No matter what she told him she could see in his eyes he would not believe any words that came out of her mouth. He was too angry.

‘What does this man hold over you besides Kelbie and that you suspect he might have had something to do with your cousin’s death? Tell me.’

‘He did murder Helen! He told me so himself. He has something in his possession that which belongs to me. To my family. I thought- I believed this was something I could do alone. And if I was kind to him, he might see…’ she stopped.

‘He might what? See the error of his ways?  See reason and give it back? Fool!’ Caroline trembled under his thunderous bellow. His face contorted with his rage made her take a step back as he towered over her.  He looked like he did when she first met him. Dangerous.  His stormy gaze held her immobile with the intensity in those stormy blue-green depths.

He continued. ‘
What
is it that he holds?’

Feeling like she could not breathe as she stared up at him, she swallowed back the unease that washed over her and wet her lips. ‘A r-ring. My father’s ring.’

He stared at her, an incredulous expression upon his face.  As if she’d gone mad. ‘Is that all? Of course it is.’ He slapped a hand against his thigh and rolled his eyes up toward the wood beamed ceiling. ‘All this sneaking about behind closed doors over a piece of metal.’

‘Twas her turn to get angry. Caroline bristled at his sarcastic tone. ‘There is naught more.’ She said.

She watched him storm over to the private embrasure where he kept his broad back to her.

He spoke. ‘Are you sure about that?’

She walked over to him but stopped when he turned his neck, his dark look impaling her where she stood. ‘Of the ring? Aye, I am sure. Go see it for yourself. The ill-fit of it will prove it does not belong to him.’

He faced her fully now, his fingers scratching at his beard. ‘Nay. All it will prove is he wears a ring too small. Is there a mark on the ring that proves it belongs to your family? A crest mayhap?’

Caroline choked and her heart plummeted to her gut. He did not believe or trust her. ‘You do not trust me?’ she said in a hushed strangled voice more so to herself than him.

‘I do not give my trust to any so easily, demoiselle. Especially a wife.’

He may as well have slapped her right then for that was how much impact his words had.

Caroline blinked, retorting hotly.  ‘Neither do I. Especially to a husband.’

‘What were you doing in his arms, Caroline? And do not dare tell me it was about the ring.’

Agog, Caroline blew out a frustrated and angry breath. ‘Have I not just told you? If you would but listen to me before making judgment and not take my words as jest, we can get to the truth.’

His eyes darkened and his lips set firmly in a tight line before he walked over to her and pulled her against his chest. She shoved at him, but she was no match for his strength. He slanted his mouth across hers and his hands were everywhere all at once and they were not gentle.

Caroline struggled and tried to will her body not to respond. But when he shoved her against the wall and spread her thighs, she groaned in protest and desire against his hot mouth.

He freed her mouth to allow her to breathe and growled against the ear. ‘Do not lie to me. Did he touch you? Touch you here?’

Caroline cried out. ‘Nay!’

His fingers speared her flesh and she arched away from his hand but he followed. ‘Tell me the truth,’ he repeated

‘Nay! Nay he did not. Let me go!’ she yelled as he continued to caress her.

‘I’m not finished.’

‘So you will do what you believe he would have done had you not happened upon us then? Rape me?’

He stilled immediately and lifted his head from her neck. His dark gaze held hers for a beat. ‘I do not have to rape you. You are my wife and it is your duty to give to me, not to him. Is rape what it would have been with him? or would you have given it to him freely?’

His hand wrapping around her wrist stopped her hand from coming up to slap him. ‘Bastard,’ she seethed and tried to free herself once more, her heart pounding from his hurtful words.  ‘His touch would have been as unwelcomed as yours is right now. Release me.’

He shrugged and trapped her arm between them and used his body to hold her where he wanted her.

She glared at him in disbelief.  ‘You utter this wretched nonsense when you well know you wiped my virgin blood from me the same eve you took me. I know not how to entice a man into my bed.’

‘Oh, demoiselle all women do. Little do you know how good you are at it even if you are not aware that you are doing it.’

 Tears stung her eyes then and she cursed him. ‘You insult me and your fingers hurt.’

He caressed her more. ‘Your body says different.’

And Darc realized as he spoke the words that her body was stiff against his despite the moistness between her thighs.

He took a breath as the moisture in her wide eyes cut reason through the band of jealousy that had ensnared him. He gently removed his hand. He’d been no better than Halvard.  

‘I did not say he had you before me.’

‘Then what are you saying?’

‘It is well known many a household has fallen apart over a man wanting more than what he already has. Cedric took a woman that was married to another and still wanted you even after Halvard married you as you say, forcibly.’

Caroline felt the blood burn her cheeks. She exploded. ‘Aye, that is what I say and what I shared with you. Why did you not speak of your doubt when I told you of it?’

She was mad, Darc could clearly see as she turned away with a huff then back again to face him. Her chest heaved with her angry breaths as she waited. Her words hung in the tense air between them like a suffocating blanket. Darc watched her through narrowed eyes.

He closed his eyes and pinched the skin between his brows. He was tired, the day had been long and the whole mess with Cedric was driving him insane.

This was not Raven and his wife, Adelay all over again.

She did not deserve to be the target nor the blame for his past with his brother. He’d one faithless wife too many. He was not thinking straight and the stark look of pained disbelief in her wide gaze had him shaking his head.

‘I apologize. This thing with Cedric is clearly one sided, then?’ Darc wanted to believe she told him the truth and waited for her to respond.

She swiped hard at a tear that had escaped and stated meaningfully. ‘Aye.’

He reached out to help straighten her gown but she eluded his touch and moved out of his reach. ‘You truly can act the beast can you not?’

‘I wrongly accused you. I will see to this ring of which you speak. But I still want my answer. How long had you been meeting with him?’ He watched her. Her hair was disheveled, she looked like a woman ravished but not in a good way, her cheeks flushed. He was reminded of the moment when he had removed Gan from on top of her when he’d first touched her.

‘’Twas just once the other day. I wanted to tell you of it last night and of the ring and its importance to me, but the right moment never seemed to present itself. I admit I made a mistake in thinking I could deal with Cedric on my own.’

‘Aye, on that you are right.’

‘Will you see to the ring, then?’ she asked coolly, her eyes downcast and trained on her trembling hands as she continued to straighten her skirts.

‘After I deal with Cedric, aye, I will see to your family
heirloom
. I need not tell you that this is far from finished, wife.’ He walked over to the chamber door and opened it.

Caroline did not even hesitate and with her back rigid, she walked out of the chamber without a word. Darc let her. There was naught more to say. He would leave her to her anger for now as he had to deal with his own.

He had spoken truth. He would see this ring that was of such import to her but first he had to go to the knight’s quarters and remove a traitor from his mist. Then he would see Cedric.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

The rain came down hard in fast cold sheets drenching the night and grounds. Cedric rubbed at his sore wrists and chafed neck as he worked sensation back into his bruised jaw from the gag that had been in his mouth. The ropes had just been removed and he was about to make his escape.

 ‘Twould be just a matter of minutes afore that Norman would come for him and Cedric knew he would get no pass this time for he was sure Caroline had told the beast everything to save herself. Luck was not on his side. And barely able to see anything in front of him, he now had to contend with the maddening weather.

At the last minute, before he breached the hatch in the wall through which he needed to crawl to get to the outer bailey, he turned back. ‘Twould be a good idea to take one of the wool blankets with him.

Cedric turned to step back inside into the narrow corridor when a shadow moved out of the corner of his eye.

Too late he saw the flanged mace.

He went down with a painful gasp and blinked back the trail of blood that ran down from his split forehead into his eyes. Stunned, he tried to rise and focus his blurred gaze on the face coming closer.

Cedric released a weak grunt as the man’s face came fully into view.  ‘You…You took my payment.’

‘Right, I did. However, I work for another far richer than you and who can line my pockets better.  Aside from the fact he is by far, more deadly. ‘Tis a shame really, for I was just starting to think you weren’t such a bad fellow after all. But as the saying goes…the more devious always win out or something like that. Either way, ‘tis the way of us criminals, you should know this.’

‘Bas-tard. I should have known better than to trust a Norman,’ wheezed Cedric.

‘Aye, right again you Saxon dog. Give the devil my best.’

As the fires of hell opened to him, Cedric cursed, damning his untimely fate and the thick guard. He could hear the pounding rain beat in rhythm with his pounding skull. The guard’s boot came down and crushed his throat.

A gargled sound came up escaping his throat. The last thing Cedric heard and saw was the flash of the jeweled dagger he’d stolen long ago. A flash of burning pain, tepid wetness, and then he was still.

Darc’s mood was as black as the rain-filled sky above and had been since he’d pulled every knight out to stand in formation in the bailey, barely in their braies and some without.  Then to add to the ache at the back of his neck, what had just been found inside the castle.

The rain lessened to a drizzle just as the thick-necked guard Gan called his attention to him.

Gan approached him with another guard and a young man being dragged between them.

‘My lord. The traitor is here. Go on, tell him, cretin!’ Gan shoved the young soldier so hard he fell to his knees in the mud. His nose was bloody and he had a split lip and the corner of his left eye was starting to bruise over. Darc raised a hand signaling a halt to Gan as he reached out to snatch at the boy again.

Darc recognized the young soldier’s face. ‘What is your name boy?’