Dark Destroyer (42 page)

“You were correct, Elreda,” she said. “I am not the Rosamund you knew. You said that you would pray that I found my happiness again but the truth is that my happiness is gone. I had my chance. But Kathalin has never had that chance. Do you know that she begged me to allow her some happiness? She begged me to allow her to marry Gates and I refused her, much as Jasper did, but it was not right that we did that. Kathalin has known absolutely no affection from her parents her entire life. She has lived within the cold walls of St. Milburga’s, never knowing a mother’s love or a father’s affection. Jasper and I did that to her. We were about to do it to her again by wedding her to Alex. But I find that I simply condemn her to the rest of her life in misery.”

Kathalin, who had thus far been standing in stunned silence, began to realize what her mother was saying. She stepped away from Alexander, moving towards her mother.

“Rosamund, what is your meaning?” she asked, suspicion and shock in her tone. “Did you truly come to stop this wedding? Or did you simply come to clear your conscience for the way you and father have treated me all of these years?”

Rosamund looked at her daughter. The bright eyes crinkled at the corners as the twisted lips smiled beneath the veil. “She looks like me, does she not?”

The question was directed at Elreda, who nodded. “She does, indeed.”

Rosamund studied Kathalin’s face for a moment. “I think she is much more beautiful than I ever was,” she said to Elreda. Then, she focused on her daughter. “Kathalin, I must ask your forgiveness. For the years of neglect, for a loveless existence, I must ask your forgiveness. Although I still believe a marriage to Alex is a smart move, and would make a strong alliance, to force you into it not only makes your life miserable but also ruins Alex’s life as well as Gates. And Gates… your father loves him like a son. It is true that his past is not as we would like it to be, but a true man would show his repentance by making a good and true husband to you for the rest of your life. Gates?”

Gates heard his name called and he straightened. Up until this point, he was much like everyone else in the hall, listening to Rosamund in stunned silence. In truth, he could hardly believe what he was hearing. He could hardly dare to hope, but when he heard her call his name, he answered without hesitation.

“My lady?”

“Come here.”

Gates did as he was told. He moved past the priest, past Jasper, and went to stand next to the tiny woman in the wet clothing.

“Aye, my lady?”

Rosamund looked up at him with eyes shaped very much like Kathalin’s. “Tell me that I am not making a mistake, Gates,” she said. “Tell me that if I permit you to marry my daughter that you will make a fine and true husband for her for the rest of your days. Swear to me that your loyalty will be to her and only to her.”

Gates didn’t hesitate; he dropped to a knee in front of Rosamund in a gesture of fealty and service. It was a fluid, gallant gesture not lost on anyone in that room. It was a show of complete submission.

Of truth.

“With everything I am, I swear it to you,” he said steadily. “With all that I am, I would endeavor to make as fine and true a husband as has ever lived. I would love her, and only her, until my death, and even beyond if God would allow it.”

Rosamond looked at the knight, now nearly eye-level with her, and she could read his sincerity like a book. Reaching out, she put a damp, swaddled hand on his head.

“You love her, do you not?”

Gates had been in control until she had asked that question. Then, his control left him and his eyes grew moist. He swallowed the lump in his throat.

“With every fiber of my being, I do, my lady,” he said hoarsely.

Rosamund smiled; the gesture could be seen through the damp veil. “I believe you,” she said. “I am sure Alex would not protest if he switches places with you in this ceremony. Go and stand next to my daughter, Gates de Wolfe.”

Astonished, Gates rose to his feet, looking at Alexander, who was gazing back at him with equal shock. But Alexander quickly moved away, clearing the way for Gates to take his place, as Kathalin stood there with her mouth open. She was so overwhelmed that she couldn’t even speak. But standing back behind the group as Rosamund gave orders, Jasper let out a grunt.

“Rosamund!” he demanded. “What in God’s name are you doing? Have you gone mad?”

Rosamund turned to him. “I have not,” she said. “I have come to my senses and I am doing what we should have done in the first place. To the devil with our fears of Gates’ reputation and the shame on Kathalin; the truth is that
you
are the only one who would be shamed by such a thing, and frankly, it does not matter to me if you feel shame or not. I would feel more shame knowing that, once again, we made our daughter miserable. She loves this man and he loves her, and that is the only thing that matters. Let them have their love, Jasper. Now, shut your pie hole. I have come to witness a wedding and I will not hear your voice again.”

Jasper, mouth agape in outrage, started to reply but thought better of it. Rosamund might have been diseased and decrepit, but at the moment, she was the most powerful thing in that room and he wasn’t about to tangle with her. She might become angry and wipe some of her disease on him while he was sleeping. Or, so he thought.

In any case, he kept his mouth shut because, truth be told, he knew he was in for a lifetime of utter aggravation if he didn’t comply. And the truth was that he had been put in his place in front of a room full of people who now knew the truth about him and his attitude towards his daughter. There was nothing more he could say, so, at the risk of embarrassing himself completely, he simply shut his mouth.

Rosamund, as always, knew best.

Reluctantly, Jasper resumed his place near Elreda and Henry, who actually seemed relieved that their son wouldn’t have to marry a woman who was in love with another man. It seemed that they, too, had second thoughts about the marriage contract and Rosamund’s well-timed appearance had solved their dilemma. In fact, Elreda seemed quite thrilled by it, dabbing at her eyes as Gates took his place next to Kathalin and gazed down at the woman with enough love in his expression to fill the great hall of Hyssington and then some.

They all saw it. It was the look of a love that would finally be realized.

Kathalin latched on to Gates and refused to let go, holding the man tightly as if afraid she was living a dream, afraid he might fade away were she to relinquish her grip. For certainly, a moment like this could only be in a dream, a wisp of a thought so pure, so beautiful, that it was as if angels had spun it upon their looms of life. As the priest began to intone the mass, Kathalin reached over and pulled Rosamund to stand with her, clutching the woman with one hand and Gates with the other.

Rosamund, normally too weak to stand for any length of time, found the will to stand tall at her only daughter’s wedding. Finally, Rosamund realized that she had, once again, found her happiness in the glowing expression of Kathalin’s face.

She’d found her heart again.

A dream
, Kathalin thought as she stood between her mother and Gates.
Surely such things as this only happen in dreams, when happiness is so complete that there is nothing left to wish for or hope for. I never thought I was destined for much happiness in life, but it would seem that I have been wrong. This must be what young women dream of when they imagine a perfect life. Now, I know. Finally, I know.

A glance to Gates as the priest finished the marriage mass saw the man with tears in his eyes. When their gazes met, Kathalin smiled knowingly at him.

Finally, he knows, too.

The days of the Dark Destroyer and his roguish ways had finally come to an end.

The small chamber was warm and the fire was low, white-hot, casting a golden glow into the room that spilled over the walls and bed. The Tender of the Keep had stoked the fire in the small chamber across from Rosamund’s bower, the chamber that Kathalin had been sleeping in because Henry and Elreda occupied the larger bower on the floor below.

But Henry and Elreda were not in their room. They were still in the hall, having gone through the four bottles of fine Spanish wine that Henry had brought with them and more besides. Moreover, Rosamund was still in the hall, and she and Elreda had moved to their own private corner to discuss days past as the men gathered and drank. It was embarrassing for Alexander, actually, because his father and mother could hold more liquor than he could. After the wedding feast following the most unconventional wedding, Alexander decided he’d had enough and begged off to retire for the night.

Gates had gone with him simply to make sure he made it back to his chamber in one piece, but Kathalin followed because she, too, was genuinely exhausted, and both men ended up escorting Kathalin to the keep. Gates told his bride he would return to her shortly and as Kathalin went inside, Gates and Alexander walked arm in arm across the bailey towards Hyssington’s enormous gatehouse.

The rain had eased up at that point, falling in a soft mist, as Alexander wept on Gates about the beauty of the marriage and how very happy he was for his friend. He also revealed that he was quite relieved. He was terrified that he wasn’t ready yet to become a husband and terrified that he would fail Gates where it came to Kathalin. Gates assured Alexander that he was, indeed, a fine friend, the very best, and he swore that he would repay his kindness someday. Alexander became emotional and slobbery after that, and Gates tried to avoid the man’s alcohol-saturated hugs to the head.

Fortunately, he was saved by Stephan and Tobias, who were on guard duty and saw the pair coming across the bailey. They came out to help Gates with Alexander but before Alexander was taken away by his grinning friends, he hugged Gates tightly and kissed the man loudly on the cheek, congratulating him on his marriage. Then he turned to Stephan and began weeping all over the man, reciting the story of Lady Rosamund’s change of heart. Stephan and Tobias were naturally stunned to hear of such a thing, as the news hadn’t made it out of the great hall until that moment, but their shock soon turned to joy on Gates’ behalf.

After accepting their congratulations, Gates watched with a smirk on his face as Stephan and Tobias dragged Alexander off to put him to bed. A truer and more noble friend had never lived, for certainly, he owed everything to Alexander. As of tonight, he felt like the most fortunate man in all of England.

Perhaps his sins didn’t find him out, after all.

Perhaps he had been forgiven.

But thoughts of his selfless friend and sins of the past were quickly pushed aside as Gates turned towards the keep, his mind moving to the night ahead, a night he never imagined to experience. His thoughts were full of the evening and what had transpired, no longer reeling from the shock of it but settling into the reality of what had happened. He was a married man now with the most beautiful bride he could ever imagine. He never thought he’d be happy to realize he was married, but he was. He was thrilled.

Lost in thought, he had entered the keep without even realizing it, now on the third floor outside of Kathalin’s bower. Knocking softly on the door, it was almost immediately opened and Kathalin stood there in the warm glow of the firelight, smiling at him. Glowing, delicious firelight was all over the room, inviting him in.

“I half-expected you to spend time with your knights, drinking away your wedding night,” Kathalin said. “There is a good deal to celebrate tonight.”

Gates nodded as he entered the chamber and she shut the door behind him, bolting it. “That is true,” he said. “But any celebrating I do will be with you and not a gang of smelly men that I have spent far too much time with already.”

Kathalin laughed softly, gazing at him in the dim light. After a moment, her smile faded. “I thought I would be facing Alex at this moment,” she said softly. “Is this real? Is it really you?”

“It is.”

“I can still hardly believe it. It does not seem possible.”

Gates smiled faintly. “Nay, it does not,” he said. “I still expect to wake up tomorrow and discover it has all been a dream. I think it would kill me if that happened. I could not bear it.”

Kathalin shook her head. “Nor I,” she whispered. “I do not know what changed my mother’s mind, but I will not question it. Something gave her a change of heart and I thank God for it. He must have heard my prayers.”

“And mine.”

She cocked her head. “Did you really pray, Gates?” she asked. “I did not know you were the praying kind. You have never seemed like one.”

He shrugged. “Mayhap it wasn’t praying so much as it was my heart screaming with pain,” he said quietly. “Even God could feel it.”

“Then God was merciful.”

“He was.”

Kathalin smiled in return and Gates reached out, taking her into his arms and slanting his mouth hungrily over hers. It seemed that he couldn’t stand it any longer. He had to touch her, taste her, and claim her for his own. On this night of nights, they’d been given an unexpected gift and Gates would not wait to take what was rightfully his. For the first time in his life, he would take what legally belonged to him. The mere thought of Kathalin as his wife was the most powerful aphrodisiac he’d ever experienced.

“Lady Kathalin de Wolfe,” he murmured against her mouth. “My wife.”

Kathalin’s arms were around his neck, instinctively pulling him closer to her, her body pressed against his, knowing that on this night, he would claim her for his own just as she would claim him. Fleetingly, she thought of the women that Gates had taken in his time, faceless females with whom he’d had his way, but the thought, in fact, was only fleeting. After this night, she knew there would never be another. It would be her, and only her, in his bed for the rest of their lives.

“My husband,” she whispered in return. “My love.”

Gates picked Kathalin up and lay her upon the bed, his big body covering hers as the firelight reflected off their features. His mouth drifted away from hers, to her neck, to her delicate shoulders, trying to avoid the fur around her neckline as a free hand began to unlace the ties on her gown. His attentions were gentle and delicate as Kathalin lay there, eyes open, watching him. He must have sensed her attention because he lifted his head from the swell of her bosom, his gaze melding with hers.

It was a moment full of silent words of love, of gratitude for this moment they thought they’d never experience. Her surcoat was coming loose in his hands and he lifted himself up, kissing her nose, her cheek, as he slid the coat off her shoulders, kissing the flesh that came exposed the lower he pulled the garment. Gently, he pulled it off her body, leaving her clad only in her shift and hose, and bathed in the warm glow of the fire. He managed to pull all of that off of her as well. Flipping the coverlet onto her to cover her nakedness, he stood up and pulled his tunic over his head.

His gaze never left her face as his padded under tunic came off, revealing his magnificently muscular chest, thick neck, and broad shoulders. There was a fine matting of dark hair over his chest and Kathalin watched with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension as he removed his boots and breeches as well. Completely nude, and nearly full aroused, he faced her for a moment, allowing her to become acquainted with his naked form, before climbing beneath the coverlet with her.

Hot flesh against flesh met and melded, searing and scorching as Gates’ lips latched on to hers again. She was so soft and warm, and to feel her against him with such intimacy was more than he could bear. He’d been with many women, and many times, and had experienced naked flesh against his, but not like this. Never like this. The sheer sensation of it overwhelmed him to the point of madness.

His mouth moved away from hers, down her neck, seeking a heated nipple. Beneath him, Kathalin bucked and gasped at the newness of the sensation but Gates held her slender body fast, hardly allowing her any movement at all. He didn’t want her to squirm away from him as he greedily suckled her breasts, first one and then the other, using his body weight to keep her from moving too much as his right hand stroked her thighs. They were so very supple and he left her breasts to wedge his big body in between her legs so that he could put his mouth on her thighs and groin. He could smell her feminine musk and it was intoxicating, filling his nostrils until he could hardly stand it. As he lifted himself upon her body again, his manhood pressing against her virginal core, he put a hand between their bodies, touching her pink folds gently, easing his way inside her.

“Relax, sweetheart,” he murmured against her cheek. “You will enjoy this, I promise.”

Kathalin, who had so far been loving everything he had been doing to her, was suddenly apprehensive. His fingers, and his great shaft, were touching a place she’d rarely touched herself. It was very sensitive and as he stroked her carefully, her entire body quivered in a way she could not control.

“I… I am not afraid,” she breathed, although it was a lie. “This is how children are born, how a husband touches a wife. This is how….”

He suddenly thrust forward, cutting her off, filling her with his fullness as she gasped at the sting of possession. The sting of losing her innocence. But it was truly no sting at all, more of a feeling of closeness and intimacy that she had never imagined. Gates was atop her, in her body, filling her with his manliness, and Kathalin forgot all about her apprehension. Already, she loved the warm possessiveness of it, the feeling of being impaled by a man. It was shocking, but true.

Already, she craved it.

Instinctively, her hands move to his buttocks, her nails in his flesh, and Gates groaned with pleasure as he began to move. She was tight, so incredibly tight as he thrust into her body, slowly and with measured force, lost in a world of fluid warmth that all revolved around the woman in his arms. Her hands on his buttocks were feeding his desire with a fervor he’d never before experienced, with anyone, and as he made love to his wife, one thought, and one alone, rolled through his head.

This is the first time I have truly made love to a woman.

The very first time.

Aye, he felt like a virgin. With the number of women he’d had in his lifetime, it was a foolish thing to think but he couldn’t help it. Nothing he’d ever done like this in the past even came close to this moment in time when he bedded the woman he loved. It was more than a physical need; it was an emotional one, a spiritual one, and a need that overwhelmed his entire being. He kissed her deeply as he impaled her on his manhood again and again, the kisses infused with the love and passion he felt for her even as he filled her body with his. This was more than simply a coupling by any standards.

It was an awakening.

Exactly nine months later, on a cold October night, the result of that awakening was born after four hours of very hard and very fast labor. When Gates finally entered the chamber upon being informed by Rosamund that his fat and lusty son had been born, one look at his weary wife cradling the red-faced infant and Gates realized, at that moment, that nothing he had ever done in his life could compare with what he was envisioning. He could only feel light and love and happiness beyond anything he could ever comprehend. There was no longer any past for him; there was only the future. The Dark Destroyer, the destroyer of women’s hearts and the rogue of epic proportions, finally knew what it meant to be a man.

A true man.

That night, Gates slept with little Liam Alexander Edward de Wolfe tucked safely in his arms.

~  THE END  ~