Bittersweet Endeavors (29 page)

The moment the words
left her mouth
,
he
lunged at Myra and
pinned her across the bed.  Her back
was
p
ushed
into the recess
es
of the b
ed,
and his
body
pressed heavily
atop hers.  His hot breath
burned hot across
her cheek and
Myra
turned her face to the side
so not to look at him
.  Her body trembled but she willed herself to stay calm.

“You’ll not befool me!”  Her fingers
had
n
umb
ed
by
the
grip
he placed on
to her
wrists
, and
Zachary
tightened his hold
.  Myra
winced out in pain.
 
“You
shall
marry me,
Myra
,” he bit out.  “We
shall
go into
town t
onight and finish this
.  I’ll have you in my home and bed this very night
and
wipe out any trace of Seth Preston from your mind
, a
nd if you continue to think of him again after this day, I
shall
find other ways to
remove
any
memory
of him
.”   His hand
reached out
and grasped a thick handful of her hair.  He twisted tightly
and
wrapp
ed
the ebony strands
around his
hand and yanked hard
.  S
he yelped out in pain. 

Myra
stared at Zachary
and
her eyes
were
wide with fear
.  Too afraid to move, to run, but yet frightened if she stayed
he’d
carry out his plan of marriage.  She looked at the door and willed
for
Seth
to return
, and closing her
eyes
, she
fervently prayed
that
he
’d
hear
her silent
plea.

She star
tled when he rose from the bed and took
her body
violently against his.  H
e
fiercely
pressed his
lips
onto hers
and kissed her
bestially
hard. 
S
he tried
to push him away,
fight him, but his strength
was
too much for her
to fend off
.
  He released her
after he ended the kiss
, and she held onto his arms for support,
a
s she was
still dazed
by his unwanted
advances
. 
Once
she realized
he no longer held her, she stepped back and slapped him
hard
across
his
face.

“Leave me be,” she spat.  “I’ll not marry you!  Seth will never
allow you to
get away with this!”

“Is that so
…
Lady
Myra
?”  He paused a moment
and allowed
the words
to slowly absorb
into her mind
before he said,
“
Aye
, Lady
Myra
, d
aughter of Lord Brunnington, and what is more important
to me
, a cousin to
T
he King
.  Did you think th
at I’d be this f
orceful for the lone sake of
,” he
paused, and
slowly
let
swept his
gaze
across her body. 
“W
ell, you?”

He laughed until
she felt each fine hair upon her body raise and a
shiver ran down her spine. 
She wondered if he
had sent information
to her uncle and Mary
was
harmed.

“I
know everything, milady.  I
heard much
about you from Margaret. 
C
harmed by your suppose
d tale of being royal blood,
she relayed it to me.  Fortunately, I
took i
t much more
seriously
and sent a post to England
and
learn
ed
the truth
.
”

“
Whom did you send your
letter
?” she asked
,
frightened.  If it was to her uncle, he’d come after her, and
she
assume
d
the worst as to
what he
’d
had already done
to Mary.

“Ah, and what
would you say if I sent it to Lord Brunnington?”  His brow r
aised
and he wai
ted for
her
reply. 

Myra
gasped.

“No need to
be troubled
,
my sweet
.  That is, no need
to
fret
…
yet
.  Your secret is safe with me for
now
.  I
l
earn
ed
the information
by way of
discretion
, as I sent a runner to obtain it
. 
T’was not
difficult to
realize
that your arrival here
as an indenture,
and
your parents’
disappearance
, followed by your
uncle’s
new position
as Lord Brunnington led to foul play
.”
  He looked at her for a moment and sighed. 
“I can help you,
Myra
, a
s you
can help me.
”

She didn’t respond. 
He paced the room
and paused
for a moment
,
but
he
then
made his strides
back and forward
aga
in.  Afte
r a few more
steps
, he stopped in front of her. 
Myra
watched the door,
and
still hoped
that Seth would return
and save her from the beastly man
who stood
in front of her
.

“
T’was
a time I was
in good favo
u
r
with the court
,
under
King Charles the First
. 
Yet d
ue to a
misinterpretation
of my allegiance
after
Th
e King’s d
eath, that is no longer.  Since his death,
my
good name
has been ruined and our present king wishes vengeance
for his father
,
despite I’ve been given amnesty
.  I have been forced to leave England, my home,
” he explained
, angrily
.
He looked at her a moment and
then he
smiled.
“
But
,”
he said
enthusiastically
,
“A
marriage to you
is a
chance
for my
return to England and regain
my status
, as well
as earn
favo
u
r
with
our present king.
  If you willingly agree to see this marriage, I can assure you, I’ll not
let
harm
come to your sister
, as I am sure that is how your uncle is keeping your current silence and your willingness to live this life,
”
he said, and waved his hand toward the humble contents within the abode.

Myra realized w
hat Lucia
had told her
was true—Zachary
had been accused of b
etray
ing
their former king
, and despite his objections otherwise, she believed it true
.  King Char
les would never forgive him for being a traitor
to his father
nor
would he accept
him as a cousin-in-law!  Certainly
a marriage
to her
would
n’t matter in
his eyes. 
How foolish
it was for
Zachary to be
lieve it would.

“I don’t want or need your protection,” she seethed out.  “Seth
shall
protect me!”

His face reddened
, and
Zachary grabbed her by the arms and roughly shook her.  “I’ll not hear that man’s name from your lips again.  Do you hear me?”

“By all that’s holy, I
swear I’ll not marry you.  Seth s
hall
p
rotect me from my uncle and you,
”
she defiantly added.

He pushed her aside
and
mocking laugh
ter
trailed behind him when he
walked to the other side of the wigwam.  “
How sure are you
,
Myra
?”

Her head tilted upward, and with all the power and faith
with
in her, she
confidently stated, “
Aye
, he
shall
.”

His
arm waved toward the door and he slightly bowed.  “Then go.  Go and find your
Seth
.”

She wondered w
hy he
easily
relent
ed
and
why he was willing to
let
her loose
.
  She looked at him
with uncertainty
.  “You’ll not stop me?”

“
Nay
, but I intend to send
a
post
to your uncle
by the
morrow
.  So, dear
Myra
, if you plan to return to me—which I am sure you
shall
—I do hope you make it in time before I send out the
letter
to Lord Brunnington
and warn
him of
how you’ve let his treachery be made public
.
It’ll not bode well for you
…
and
most
surely not f
or
your sister.
”

Myra
looked at the door and then
back
to
Zachary.  His eyes widened and mocked her to go forward, to leave.
  Fear seized her. 
Myra wondered why he was so confident
that
she’
d
return to him and
Seth would refuse her
.
 
It
made her consider what he and Seth argued about when she was unconscious.

“
What
have you done
?
”

“Tis not what I have done that
shall
stop him, but what
you
have done.”  He l
aughed and walked closer to her until he stood in front of her.  He smoothed her hair with the palms of his hands and smiled down on her. 
“He
had not
yet
been
declared dead
but you were so eager to jump into my bed
.  How well do you think that
sat wit
h
Seth
when I
informed him of
your
readiness
to do so
?
”
  A
scornful
smile
spread
to
his
lips and he broke
into unnatural laughter.