Captive Heart (51 page)

Mylan could barely suppress a smile. He knew Celiese to be a clever young woman with the most facile of minds when it came to getting her own way, and he could see she had confused Robert completely and prayed she would continue to do so.

“I have your word, then?” Robert demanded harshly.

“I beg you to ask King Charles himself if the d’Loganvilles have not always been loyal to the Crown,” Celiese responded demurely. “As for those residing upon my land,” she continued smoothly, “I know they will follow my example, but if I have no home I will be unable to provide any sort of influence upon anyone.”

Knowing her point was well taken, Robert stopped to regard her with a fixed stare. “The d’Loganville estate shall be yours then, for as long as I can depend upon you to serve me as faithfully as I know Michael will.”

“I have taken him again for my husband, sir, is that not proof enough that my loyalty lies with the Danes?” Celiese attempted to smile in the most charming fashion possible, dazzling the arrogant man completely with her radiant beauty.

“The matter is settled, then.” Stopping now to fill two more goblets with wine, the duke proposed a toast. “To our new home in France!”

“To France,” Celiese responded readily, but she knew the thought behind her toast was far different than his. Mylan raised his goblet without speaking, but his gaze was upon her, and she understood his unspoken salute clearly.

Escorting them into the main hall where the many others who resided in the sumptuous home had already begun to gather for the evening meal, Robert found himself in a surprisingly good mood, despite his failure to seduce Celiese as he’d planned. Power was an intoxicating substance and he was again drunk with it, proud he had gotten his way with the willful young woman, since he knew he could not hold the province without the support of the French residents, no matter how grudgingly they gave it.

Mylan drank nothing that night, and he was not surprised when Celiese did not either. They would not think clearly on empty stomachs though, so he insisted they dine with the others. That they had chosen to remarry sparked gentle teasing, but he responded in kind, and at their first opportunity he gave the excuse of wanting to enjoy their wedding night, and taking Celiese by the arm led her upstairs to their suite of rooms. His mind, however, was not upon romance. “Gather your belongings quickly, and we will go. I want to reach the sea before dawn, for the promises you gave Robert were transparent ones, and I don’t want him to remember them in the morning and reconsider his decision to let us depart.”

Having no wish to remain even one moment longer under the despicable duke’s roof, Celiese took the garments she’d brought with her from the wardrobe and folded them into a neat bundle without argument. That she had managed to fool the villain with such vague statements had surprised her too, but she’d given Mylan her word she’d try to please him and was glad she had. “Will he do that, change his mind after he has given us his word?”

“Not if you behave as he believes you promised to do.” Wasting no more time, Mylan carried his own possessions as well as hers as they slipped out of the mansion and made their way down to the docks. He had come and gone so frequently in the last week that he was recognized and not challenged by the guards they met, but he’d taken the precaution of wearing his sword at his side, just in case such an unlikely event occurred. When they were safely on board the Surf Falcon he gave the order to weigh anchor, and catching the evening breeze they followed the winding moonlit path of the river Seine all the way to the sea.

Too excited to rest, Celiese stood at the rail for the entire journey, waiting anxiously for a glimpse of the shore near her home. When she sighted the cliff she knew she begged Mylan to take her ashore, even though the dawn had not yet begun to light the eastern sky. Wanting to rest as much as he wanted to please her, Mylan readily agreed, taking the ship in close to the beach so they did not get thoroughly drenched making their way to the dry sand. Taking their blanket with him, he held her hand as they skirted the small village and made their way to the ruins of her once magnificent home.

Deliriously happy, Celiese skipped up the gentle hill. “Everything will be as it was before, Mylan; I know it will take time, but we can make it happen, I know we can!”

He didn’t bother this time to again insist she use his Christian name, but her childlike enthusiasm saddened him greatly. She seemed to see nothing in the shadows that surrounded them but the happiness of her past, and he knew he’d failed in his efforts to make her focus on a future she’d want to share with him. What he needed and wanted mattered so little to her she could not even remember to use the name he’d taken when he’d accepted her God as his own. He had done so much, and all willingly, not only in hopes he’d be able to save her life but to win her respect and trust, as well. Yet as he watched the joy sparkle in her eyes he knew the walls of the half-destroyed mansion meant more to her than he ever would. “I would be content if instead of constantly swearing that you are my wife, you would
be
one!” Mylan shouted suddenly, the sound of his deep voice echoing against the few stone walls that remained standing.

Startled by his outburst, Celiese approached him warily. “What is wrong? I did as you asked, I did not anger that swine who dares to call himself a duke. He did not forbid me to rebuild my house, but said we may live here as the d’Loganvilles always have. Why are you so angry with me?”

“It was my first name I changed, Celiese, not my last, and this ruin is now the home of the Vandahls! You may lie to everyone around you, but you’re a fool to lie to yourself, and if I ever find you lying to me again I will finally give you the beating you have always deserved!”

Appalled by his threats, Celiese responded wearily, “It always comes back to the day we met, doesn’t it? You saw me for what I truly am for so few hours, and I’ve never had that same sweet, unconditional acceptance from you ever again. That was better than any paradise could ever be, but I had your love for so short a time I can scarcely remember its beauty now.”

“How can you speak to me of love when I have never had yours?” Mylan responded bitterly. “You betrayed me on our wedding night, risked your life gladly to escape what you described as the agony of being my slave, accepted the hospitality of my family while you used my brother’s affection simply to gain passage to France, and then, when I brought you here to save you from certain death at the hands of the Torgvalds, you let your passion for revenge lead you to insult a man who could have ended both our lives with the snap of his fingers! You are the most selfish woman ever born, and you have not once stopped to think of me!”

Her senses reeling under his barrage of vicious insults, Celiese nevertheless sprang to her own defense. “Why is it you constantly twist each action I take to make it appear the worst possible choice? As if I spend all my time thinking of new ways to hurt you, when you mean the world to me. I have never betrayed your trust nor told you a single lie, but you despise me all the same!”

Mylan took two steps away, then turned back to face her, “I will help you as best I can to rebuild your home, and I will work often enough for Robert to satisfy his requirements so that you may keep your land. But unless you give me your promise now that you will lead the most circumspect of lives so that he will never have any cause to suspect you are working to undermine his authority, I have no intention of being your husband.”

Confused by his demand, Celiese could do little more than stare up at the handsome man. “What do you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean. If you plan to spend your time plotting schemes to drive the Danes from France after we have the king’s invitation to remain and establish this province for our own, you will do it alone! I gave my word to Robert that I would be loyal to him so you could keep your precious land, to say nothing of your life, but if you’re going to continue to lie to me as well as to him, then you will live in whatever splendid dwelling we can erect by yourself, as I will never set foot inside it!”

Her happiness of only moments before vanished in the face of his rage, but Celiese saw no way she could promise to mend her ways when she had not committed any of the crimes he’d imagined. “I see; but when I say that I have never lied to you, you consider that a lie in itself, don’t you?”

“Which you know it is!” Mylan shouted fiercely. “What I want is a wife who will consider my feelings for a change. A woman I can trust not to leave me again and again without the slightest provocation!”

“I have never left you,” Celiese replied indignantly. “You threw me off your farm yourself when I begged to stay, and it was Hrolf, or Robert if you will, from whom I was running yesterday, not you.” Celiese was miserable, desperately sorry he had not accepted the reason she’d given him the day before as the truth.

“Why are you bothering to argue with me? The past is a dead issue, I want only your promise that you’ll bring no more pain to either of us with any more thoughtless actions in the future. Will you give it or not?” He’d lost his patience entirely with her now and voiced his demand in a hostile sneer.

“How can I give you my word on any subject when you don’t trust me? And there’s no point in my promising that my behavior will be above reproach when you accept none of my actions as good.” Celiese was near tears, for she could think of no way to please him when no matter what she attempted to do she failed.

The sun’s rays had just broken over the horizon behind her, illuminating her shimmering curls with the bright glow of a halo, but Mylan saw only a young woman so defiant she’d never be tamed. Pushed beyond all reasonable limits by her refusal to accept terms he thought most generous, he drew her into his arms; crushing her in an embrace from which she could not hope to escape. Not bothering to spread out their blanket, he lowered her to the dew-covered grass, for once letting the passion she aroused in him rage without restraint through the tensed muscles of his powerful body. His blood aflame with an all-consuming desire, he sought only to break the power of her enchantment, to take all she could give in one last act of love that would for all time satisfy his compelling need to possess her.

Although shocked by the speed with which he’d moved, Celiese wound her fingers in Mylan’s golden curls, wanting only to capture his mouth in a kiss whose affection would inspire the tenderness he’d always shown her. Barely aware of her gesture, Mylan was lost in a glorious quest, seeking only to end the agony of the insatiable desire her slightest touch created within his heart. But the heat of his passion ignited her own, and she drew him close, her need expressed in a far more subtle manner, but her hunger for love no less deep. She found his affection intoxicating, no matter how he chose to give it, the pleasure undiminished by the wildness of his mood, and she accepted his strength with the same eager surrender she had always given to invite his tenderness. She wanted to bring a smile to his lips and laughter to his amber eyes, to please him in the only way she knew she ever had.

Mylan had expected Celiese to fight him, to scream and call him vile names when he’d first lowered her to the grass, but instead she had astonished him by enfolding him in a loving embrace, her sweetness encouraging the passion he could not hope to control as if it were the most tender caress. His conscious mind refused to consider her purpose; he knew only that he would never have enough of her smooth, graceful body and honey-sweet kiss, for the more he wished to give the more eagerly she responded, until the brightness of the new day went unnoticed through the haze of their passion’s flames. If it was magical spells she cast he could not fight their power, and once again he became her willing slave.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Celiese awakened slowly, the subtle aroma of the warm earth and tangled grass upon which she’d slept surrounding her with the most pleasant of fragrances. She was wrapped snugly in the blanket, the soft folds that gently caressed her bare skin still holding a haunting trace of Mylan’s presence, an exotic blend with the freshness of the sea breeze mixed with his purely masculine scent. She inhaled deeply, bringing back the memory of his passionate embrace with a slow, satisfied smile. He was the most surprising of lovers, slow and sweet upon one occasion, then driven by the fires of passion the next, and yet he was always tender, his loving so splendid she would never tire of his affection. He was as fascinating an individual to her now as he had been from the moment she’d first entered the darkened room in his home where he’d stood waiting to meet her, his voice filled with anguish as well as anger.

Missing his warm presence by her side, she rose up on one elbow to look around for him, but was disappointed to find she was all alone upon the hill. The brocade gown she’d worn for their wedding lay folded nearby, her slippers tucked neatly beneath the long skirt. She could not even remember removing the lavishly embroidered garment, and yet there it was as clear evidence that she had. That was precisely the effect Mylan always had upon her. When he wanted her she had no wish to refuse his attentions, and the constraints clothing presented to their ardor were always swiftly cast aside. Their bodies were so attuned to each other that their flesh longed to merge from the moment their fingertips brushed lightly together, and she could not wait to see him again, certain his mood would be as fine as hers for a change.

The day looked to be a glorious one. The sun was already high overhead, but as she sat up a sudden wave of nausea made her dizzy and she lay back down, hoping it would soon subside. But it worsened, until she finally gave in to it. Feeling faint then, she rested for a long while before she felt physically able to stand. Wrapping herself in the blanket, she decided a bath in the stream would be refreshing. She hoped such an indulgence would restore her health as well as the euphoric mood with which she’d awakened. She’d not tell Mylan she’d been ill again, as it would only worry him needlessly, for surely it was no more than a reaction to lack of sleep and the excitement of finally escaping the clutches in which Robert had held her ensnared.