Rise of the Defender (142 page)

     “Tell me, my lady, what was it like being
married to the two greatest warriors this realm has ever seen?” Sir Dennis
asked, his eyes glittering over the top of his bejeweled goblet.

     Dustin's head snapped up; she had expected
as much from the man and fought to control her emotions.

     “That depends, Sir Dennis,” she said. “They
were both kind, noble men.”

     “That's not what he meant,” Ralph quipped
snidely. “He wanted to know who is better in bed.”

     Dustin cringed inwardly; how could they
speak so callously of such a wonderful, loving act? Shocked, she swallowed her
mouth of food and prepared to reply when Sir Dennis cut in.

     “You always know what I am thinking, are
you not?” Dennis laughed. “Let's make a bet,
mon frere
. I say the de
Lohr is the better lay. What say you?”

     Ralph grinned lewdly. “I have heard that
Burton is a tiger, but then again, what would I know?” He looked at Dustin.
“Here sits his former wife. Why not ask her?”

     Dustin stared back, disgusted and sickened
at the conversation. But she could play lewd games with the best of them rather
than let them see how badly they had upset her. Mayhap if they saw she wasn't
the least bit sensitive about her 'marriages', then they might leave well
enough alone. Primly, she folded her hands and collected her thoughts before
fixing Sir Dennis in the eye. Let her beat them at their own game.

     “They are both men among men, let me assure
you,” she said softly with a trace of seduction. “Marcus Burton can bring a
scream to my lips within thirty seconds and Christopher de Lohr can play games
until the sun rises. Anymore questions?”

     John paused with a spoon half way to his
mouth. Sir Dennis and Ralph gazed back at Dustin with surprise, glancing at
each other after a moment. They had thorougly hoped to upset and unbalance Lady
Dustin, but instead, she was meeting their challenge. This small slip of a
woman who had managed to snare the love of the greatest knights of their time
was holding her own against her formidable rivals and they felt the game
slipping away, losing interest. There was no point in playing if she was not
going to respond.

     “But...who is better?” Sir Dennis tried one
last time.

     Dustin sat back in her chair, her eyes
glittering like storm clouds. “Christopher, without a doubt. Although Marcus is
no amateur.” She offered a triumphant little smile to cap off her performance.

     John was looking at her with a great deal
of amusement. “My, my, you are frank, aren't you? True ladies do not boast of
their conquests, you know.”

     “Since when have I been considered a true
lady?” Dustin shot back with a smirk. It was becoming easier to play their game
as she went along. “With the exception of a few, every woman at Windsor
disliked me intensely and I was considered something of a passing fad.”

     “Not true,” John returned. “I know you were
very popular, for a fact.”

     “My
husband
was very popular, sire,”
Dustin corrected.

     “Popular with the women. They only wanted
me around because I was his wife. I must say, those bitches were a bore.”

     John laughed softly and Dustin joined in
boisterously, eyeing Ralph and her smile vanished unnaturally fast. “What is it
with you, Fitz Walter? Do not you have a sense of humor?”

     Ralph raised a greasy black eyebrow at her.
“My lady is...most different without her husband hanging about.”

     Dustin threw up her hands. “He is a bore,
too.
Do not do this, Dustin. Do not sit this way. Do not ride astride
.”
She mimicked Christopher's sternness.” The man kept me bridled like a brood mare.
Acted like my damn father more than my husband.”

     “But you love him,” Ralph stated.

     A stab of pain went into Dustin's heart;
Lord, she loved him more than life itself. Her loud demeanor faltered slightly.
“Aye, I do. He is a kind man. But I did not say
what
kind.”

     John laughed loudly and slapped his hand
against the table, calling for more wine in the process.

     “I know what kind,” he said, then eyed
Dustin slowly. “You are putting on quite a show for our benefit, my lady.”

     Dustin twitched with surprise; mayhap her
acting wasn't all that grand. But she had to pretend they did not frighten her,
that she really did not care about Christopher or Marcus. They could not see
just how terrified she was.

     “'Tis no act, I assure you, sire,” she
said, lowering her lashes. “Before you is the real Lady Dustin Barringdon de
Lohr.”

     He raised a questioning eyebrow but said
nothing. He wasn't sure what to think anymore, but he was not so gullible that
he sincerely believed her. Mayhap there was part truth to her statement, but he
doubted it. In his experience, women were scheming cows.

     “Tell me my lady, will you compare me to de
Lohr and Burton's expertise in the bedchamber?” he leaned close to her. “I
wonder what you will tell others about me?”

     Dustin went white; the fear she was trying
to desperately to control returned full-on. “I will tell…..nothing, of course,
sire.”

     “Lying wench,” he hissed, moving away and
drinking deeply of his goblet.

     Dustin was quivering but controlled it
well; she had known all along that John planned to couple with her, but she
prayed he would take pity on her physical condition. She had heard through the
palace rumor mills that the prince was hung like a prize stallion and had no
desire to see firsthand for herself. The thought of him touching her in such a
manner almost made her retch right there at the table.

     John laughed at her. He could see her
discomfort and he knew immediately that her entire facade was an act.

     “Do you know that Ralph and I were planning
to abduct you from Windsor?” he said with a smile on his lips.

     Dustin looked at him. “What?”

     He nodded, amused at her shock. “We were
planning on kidnapping you and taking you far away, to Wales in fact, simply to
bring de Lohr to his knees.” He leaned forward, toying with the cross around
her neck. “The trouble was that he never left you unguarded and the one attempt
we did make was costly. There was never the proper opportunity and I had too
many other bloody things on my mind to make your capture a firm priority.”

     Dustin was shocked but the prince prattled
on, having imbibed too much wine. “After you fell down the stairs and lost your
child, he never left you alone and we knew it would be futile to make another
attempt. But it was always in our mind, wasn't it, Ralph, to somehow abduct you
and hold you over de Lohr's head. Our plans were grand, indeed, but somehow we
never had the chance to carry them out. We wanted to bring you here to
Nottingham and hide you from de Lohr, but the moment was never right. I had too
many pressing problems. Yet when de Lohr was said killed in battle, most of my
problems seemed solved and we forgot about abducting you.”

     Dustin was sitting as far away from his as
she could get, her eyes wide with horror. She realized how much she had helped
John's cause by walking right into his lap, and she furthermore prayed to God
that Gabrielle had managed to get Christin to Darren. She knew John and Ralph
to be conspiring against her husband, but she never truly believed she would be
their tool. Christopher had told her once that they would try to exploit his
weaknesses and she saw now how right he had been. The thought processes of John
and Ralph were exactly as her husband said they were.

     “What do you intend to do with me?” she
heard herself asking, hating herself for sounding scared.

     John smiled lazily, drinking more wine.
“Nothing, for the moment. I do not have to. Richard is aware we have you and no
doubt, so is de Lohr. I want to thank you, Lady Dustin, for helping us
accomplish a great deal with very little effort.”

     If Dustin had had a dagger, she would have
killed herself for her own stupidity. What on God's earth had she been thinking
when she had set out alone? She had been scared, confused and disoriented, but
she had not been stripped of her common sense. What had Christopher said to her
once, a long time ago? That John would find a way to use her to destroy her
husband? Now, thanks to her lapse in judgment, Christopher was probably in more
danger than he had ever been in his life because she knew he would walk though
fire to rescue her. And so did John.

     She could not speak anymore. She looked
away from the prince, cursing herself silently with every breath.

     “What? No more chatting? No more
frankness?” John stuck out his lip. “I am disappointed, Lady Dustin. Surely you
would entertain us more.”

     Dustin shook her head. “Nay, sire, I am
quite weary,” she whispered. “I would retire now.”

     John shrugged. “Very well, if you must.
Ralph, you will escort Lady de Lohr.”

     Ralph stood up and pulled Dustin out of her
chair. “With pleasure, my lord.”

     “Do not touch her,” John spat, pointing a
finger at his sheriff. “I will not have your leftovers.”

     “As you say, my lord,” Ralph agreed,
gripping Dustin's arm as he led her from the hall.

     Ralph took Dustin to her chamber and opened
the door, lingering a moment as she entered. Dustin refused to meet his eye,
wishing he would go away.

     “You know, you struck me once. Do you
remember?” he asked.

     Dustin looked at him, then. “Aye, I do.”

     He nodded faintly, studying her face and
trying to read her emotions. She did well at hiding her feelings.

     “Then know that I intend to seek revenge on
you, one way or the other,” he said. “I may slap you back, or I may take it out
of your hide. I just wanted you to be aware of my plans, my lady.”

     He did not frighten her, merely made her
angry. “And I shall be sure and inform the prince of your plans, also.”

     He smiled ever so slightly, the fire from
the hearth playing on his greasy black hair. “That, my lady, would not be
wise,” he said softly. “God, how long have I dreamed of you within my grasp? I
can scarce believe the good fortune we have befallen. I am still shocked with
it all. I will bid a good eve to you, then.”

     He left and Dustin kicked off her shoes in
frustration. She was so desperately tired and sick that she did not know how
much more of this torment she could take. She could hardly wait to find
Gabrielle to make sure Darren took Christin with him. She had to know her
daughter was safe.

    
Christopher, wherever you are, hurry!

CHAPTER FIFTY SIX

     The road was flat and from the absence of
activity along the path, they knew they had been sighted. Nottingham lay beyond
the horizon and Christopher mentally lingered on the fortress; Dustin and
Christin were holed up in that horrible place and his stomach twisted with
agony. He could not think of what might be possibly happening to them now as he
rode to the rescue, because to imagine the worst drove him insane. Over his
right shoulder, several feet back, Marcus was having the exact same thoughts.

     A rider suddenly appeared on the road
ahead, riding toward them at break-neck speed. It was just one man and no alarm
was sounded, but Christopher sent Marcus and David out to intercept. However,
the closer the horse came, the more Christopher recognized the animal and he
bolted forward with terror in his throat.

     Darren was returning to the army.

     David and Marcus reached Darren first, the
horses dancing and snorting with excitement. They barely had time to speak when
Christopher roared up, plowing his animal forward and pushing David and Marcus
out of the way.

     “Darren!” he bellowed. “What in the hell is
going on? Why have you returned?”

     Darren threw back the hood of his black
cloak. “She would not let me stay, my lord.” he said loudly, sensing his
liege’s apprehension. “She insisted I return with a gift for you.”

     Christopher's composure was rapidly
slipping. “Gift?” he roared. “What kind of damn nonsense is this? You had your
orders, boy.”

     Marcus and David were waiting for Christopher
to behead the squire right then and there, and they both cringed inwardly when
the young man had the audacity to smile.

     “My orders came from a higher source, my
lord,” the squire said. “My lady was fearful with the approaching battle and
wished to have her most valuable possession taken to safety. She wouldn't let
me stay, my lord. She insisted I bring you this.”

     He moved the cloak from his chest and
Christin de Lohr's bright gray eyes blinked in the sudden light. Christopher's
eyes widened and he heard himself gasp as he laid eyes on the daughter he had
not seen in months. Immediately, his heart softened and he forgot all of his
anger and anxiety. Without thinking, he reached out and took her.