The Dragon Lord (27 page)

“I pray you are right.”

Rose approached the drawbridge with trepidation. Soon she would see Dragon and everything would be all right. She had to believe that.

The drawbridge was up, sealing the entrance, but was quickly lowered when Raj hailed the guards. He and Rose rattled across the bridge and beneath the raised portcullis. Rose’s heart was pounding erratically as she rode through the outer bailey and entered the courtyard by the second gate. She dismounted at the front entrance and ran up the steps. The door opened, and Rose ran into her mother’s arms.

“I am home, Mama,” Rose sobbed against Nelda’s breast.

“A watchman on the battlement recognized you and alerted me. I left what I was doing to come down and meet you.”

“Tell me.Mama, pray do not keep me in suspense. Does Dragon still live?”

“Aye, daughter. Sister Agatha and I managed to keep him alive, but his fever still rages. Seeing you will do him more good than any medication I can concoct. Go to him, Rose. He calls for you.”

Rose left her mother’s arms and ran toward the staircase. “Mind the stairs,” Nelda called after her.

Heedless of her mother’s warning, Rose took the stairs two at a time, lifting her skirts to her knees so she could negotiate the steps without tripping. She passed Emily and Blythe in the gallery but rushed past with no more than a hasty greeting. When she reached the solar, she flung open the door, ran through the sitting room and charged into the bedchamber.

A nun knelt beside the bed, her hands clasped in prayer and her head bowed. She rose to her feet as Rose stormed into the chamber.

“I am Sister Agatha,” she said, “and you must be Rose.‘Tis good you came. I fear we are losing your husband.”

“Nay!” Rose cried. “Leave us. I would be alone with my husband.”

Sister Agatha pursed her lips and left the chamber with all the dignity of her station. Rose knew she had been rude, but she could not help herself. How dare Sister Agatha tell her Dragon was dying! Putting the nun from her mind, Rose moved closer to the bed. Her first sight of Dragon shocked her. His face was drawn and pale, and his cheeks were unnaturally flushed. She touched his forehead and flinched. The heat radiating from his body frightened her. How hot could a man burn and still survive?

Rose knelt beside the bed and gently whispered his name. His unresponsiveness alarmed her, and she spoke his name again, louder this time. He stirred restlessly, and it gave Rose reason to hope that he had heard her.

Dominic’s limbs were heavy and useless, his eyes burned, and his body felt as if it were being consumed by the fires of hell. Through a haze of delirium he heard someone calling to him. Rose? Nay, not Rose. His brow furrowed as he searched his mind for a coherent thought. Dimly he recalled that Rose was the king’s hostage, and a cry of despair rose up from his parched throat. He could not… would not die until he beheld Rose’s face one last time.

“Dominic.Can you hear me?”

Dominic stirred and attempted to open his eyes. He feared he was hallucinating when he sensed her presence nearby. He was tired, so tired, and in so much pain.It was too great an effort to raise his eyelids.

“Dominic, open your eyes and look at me. I am here, right beside you. Do not die, Dominic. Please do not die.”

Her urgency finally got through to his sluggish mind, and he made a valiant effort to lift his lids. At first he saw naught but a curtain of red. Then the curtain lifted and Rose’s face floated above him. He tried to speak, but his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth.

“Nay, do not speak,” Rose said, touching his lips with the tip of her finger. She held a cup to his mouth, and he sipped cautiously of the cool water.“There, is that better?” He tried to speak again and failed. “Nay, lie still and let me do the talking. You will
not
die, Dominic Dragon. I will not allow it.”

Dominic’s effort to speak produced a very weak, “How did you get here?”

“Raj fetched me.”

“The king…”

“… will never know I left the palace. Starla is there in my stead. John refused to allow me to come to you, so Raj took matters into his own hands and brought Starla to take my place. The king believes you are dead. Everyone at court does, but I knew better. As soon as you are well, my love, I must go back to the palace so Starla can return to the convent.”

It was almost too much for Dominic to comprehend. His head was spinning, and the terrible pain he had lived with since he had fallen on the battlefield scrambled his thoughts. He had willed himself to live through sheer stubbornness, but now that he had seen Rose and spoken to her, he was ready to give up.

Dominic sighed and began to fade, but was pulled back to reality by Rose’s angry voice.

“Damn you, Dragon! You cannot die! I need you! I want children by you. Dragonwyck cannot prosper without its lord. The king will force me to wed one of his minions if you leave me alone and unprotected.”

Rose’s words ignited a spark of life in Dominic, and he dragged himself through the darkness into the light. The light was dim, but it was there nevertheless, and so was Rose, calling him back from the brink of death.

Dominic felt something cool brush over his burning flesh and with great difficulty forced his eyes open. He saw Rose hovering over him, pressing a wet cloth to his forehead. Fighting to stay conscious, Dominic savored the coolness against his burning flesh. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them next, Lady Nelda was standing beside Rose.

“How is he, daughter?” Nelda asked.

“Dragon is going to live, Mama,” Rose proclaimed. “I refuse to let him die.”

Had Dominic not been consumed by pain, he would have smiled. His warrior woman would fight tooth and nail to keep the dark specter of death from claiming him. His mind wandered. Did Rose love him? Her determination to keep him alive was a good indication that she
did
care. She had allowed her beloved sister to take her place so she could come to him in his hour of need, and that revealed a great deal about her feelings.

Dominic started to drift off again.

“Dominic, wake up. Mother has brought you some broth. She said you must drink every drop. Open your mouth.”

Dominic turned his head away. “Nay, I hurt.”

“I squeezed out the last of the infection just this morning,” Nelda said.“He is in great pain; ‘tis why he is unresponsive. Sister Agatha and I both agree, however, that he needs fluids to survive.”

“How long has Dragon been like this?” Dominic heard Rose ask.

“He was near death when Raj brought me to Dragonwyck. His wound was badly infected, but we have seen some improvement since we began treating him. I was hoping his fever would break soon,If it does not”—she shrugged—“there is little more we can do for him.”

Rose took the broth from Nelda’s hands, sat on the edge of the bed and patiently spooned liquid into Dragon’s mouth. She had gotten nearly all of it down him when his eyes closed and he fell asleep.

“Is he all right?” Rose asked worriedly.

“He needs all the sleep he can get,” Nelda said. “You are exhausted, Rose. Your journey from London could not have been an easy one. You need a bath, food and then rest. Sleep as long as you want. Sister Agatha and I will tend your husband. A tub is waiting in your bedchamber.”

“Nay, I could not. What if—”

“I will not let Lord Dragon die,” Nelda assured her. “Go, daughter. I will awaken you should he take a turn for the worse.”

Rose
was
tired, and a bath
would
be wonderful, but leaving Dragon after she had traveled so far to be with him did not seem right. It took some convincing to get her to agree, and after one last glance at Dragon’s sleeping features, she left.

Emily and Blythe were waiting in Rose’s bedchamber when she arrived. They must have realized she was too exhausted to answer questions, for they made small talk that required no answers as they helped her undress. Rose could scarcely keep her eyes open. Her head lolled against the rim of the tub while Emily bathed her. Then Blythe helped her out of the cooling water, dried her and slipped a nightgown over her head. She fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

Rose felt someone shaking her and wondered why she was being awakened when she had just fallen asleep. Then she recalled her mother’s promise to wake her should Dragon’s condition change, and she jerked upright. Panic raced through her when she saw Nelda standing over her.

“Mama! What is it? Is Dragon … Is he—”

“Wake up, Rose. Come directly to Lord Dragon’s chamber when you are dressed.”

“How long have I slept?”

“A night and a day,” Nelda threw over her shoulder as she hurried off.

Rose flew into her clothing and out the door. She was panting and out of breath when she arrived at Dragon’s bedside. Stunned, she could do naught but stare at him. He had been freshly shaved and was propped up against several pillows. He was still pale, but the unnatural color staining his cheeks was gone.

He gave her a wobbly smile that made her go weak in the knees.

Rose stretched out her hand and touched his forehead. It felt cool to her touch.

“You are real,” Dominic said in a whispery voice hardly recognizable as his own.“I thought I dreamed you.”

” Twas no dream, Dominic. I am here.”

“How?”

Rose had explained the day she arrived, but obviously Dragon had been too sick to remember. The king refused to let me leave the palace, so Raj brought Starla to take my place. I will remain at Dragonwyck for as long as it takes you to recover, but eventually I must return to the palace.”

He reached for her. She grasped his hand and carried it to her breast.“I am glad you came,” he whispered hoarsely.

“I never expected to see you again,i feared I would die before I arrived home. What happened that day? Were the Welshmen defeated? Did we win the day?”

The king’s forces won more than the day. The battle is over for the time being; the Welsh have retreated. A messenger arrived at Westminster soon afterward. He claimed that you had perished on the battlefield.”

He squeezed her hand.“I very nearly did.”

“How do you feel?”

“Like I have been dragged from the depths of hell.”

“Are you in pain?”

“A little.”

Rose knew by his tone of voice that he hurt more than a little. “You are looking better since your fever broke.”

“I have your mother and Sister Agatha to thank for pulling me through.”

“And Raj. If not for Raj, Mama and Sister Agatha would not be here now. Raj is a good friend to you, Dominic.”

“‘Twas my good fortune the day I encountered him. Where is he? Why has he not come to see me?”

“I sent him back to the palace to look after Starla. I am worried about her. She is such an innocent. I hope she steers clear of Lady Veronica.”

Anger flared in Dominic’s eyes. “Did Veronica do or say something to upset you?”

“I do not wish to discuss her,” Rose said. “I should leave you to your rest.”

She leaned down to kiss his cheek, but at the last minute he turned his head and her kiss landed on his mouth. The kiss was short but poignant, and Rose wanted to jump with joy at the sweetness of it. For the first time since her arrival at Dragonwyck, she was sure Dragon would recover.

Dominic’s recovery was slow but sure. Each day was a hurdle he had to surmount, but surmount it he did. Knowing that Rose was with him had delivered him from death’s door.

A sennight after Rose had arrived, Lady Nelda and Sister Agatha came to his chamber to bid him goodbye. Dominic urged Nelda to remain, but she insisted that she was not ready yet to leave the seclusion of the convent. To show his gratitude, Dominic gave Sister

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Agatha a substantial contribution for her religious order.

Dominic’s wound was clear of infection now, and he was able to sit up in a chair for short periods.He was impatient to leave his chamber and eager to regain his strength through swordplay and other manly exercise. But more importantly, he wanted to make love to Rose.

Dominic graduated from sitting in a chair to walking about his chamber. The first time he negotiated the winding staircase to join his vassals and Rose at the evening meal, he received a rousing ovation. That was the night he decided he was well enough to make love to Rose.

“You look wonderful, Dominic,” Rose said as he settled into the seat beside her. “How do you feel?”

He gave her a cheeky grin. “Ready to tackle just about anything. Ride a horse, engage in swordplay make love to my wife.”

He loved the way her cheeks colored so prettily.

“‘Tis too soon,” Rose replied. “Your wound…”

“… is healed. I admit my strength may still be lacking, but I vow I will not disappoint you. I want you in my bed tonight.”

“Is that wise, Dominic?”

“Not only wise but desirable. I have been without my wife too long.”

“You know what I mean. I have not shared your bed because I did not want to hurt you.”

He grasped her hand, pulled it beneath the tablecloth and placed it over his rigid sex. “I am hurting now, love. My cock aches. I need you, Rose.”

Rose’s color deepened as she removed her hand from his cock and concentrated on the trencher they shared. “Behave.”

Dominic sighed and filled the trencher with food. His appetite had returned and he ate with gusto, periodically choosing tender morsels of meat to feed Rose. She looked charmingly flustered, and it took all Dominic’s willpower to keep from grabbing her hand and pulling her up the stairs to their bedchamber. He wished he could sweep her up into his arms but feared he lacked the strength. Soon, he thought, very soon.

Dominic rose immediately following the last course and offered Rose his hand.

“Cynric the bard has returned,” Rose said.“Should we not stay and hear his wondrous tales?”

“There is something even more wondrous in our. bedchamber.”

He strode toward the stairs, drawing Rose along with him. When they reached their bedchamber, he slammed the door behind him and regarded her through slumberous eyes.

“You have suffered a great deal,” Rose said. “I do not want to hurt you.”