Susan Spencer Paul (14 page)

“Hello, John, Lady Lillis,” a familiar voice greeted. Lillis looked up to see Willem approaching and thought that she had never been so glad to see anyone in her life. He smiled and bowed over her hand. At John he cast a look of suspicious curiosity. “I’ve come to fetch you, my lady. Aunt Leta is going to give you a tour of Castle Gyer and then it will be time for the midday meal. I fear we shall have to desert you for now, John.”

Lillis allowed Willem to pull her out of her chair, and she gratefully clung to his arm. It was very strange. Cousin John had been nothing but polite to her during their conversation, yet she somehow felt that Willem was rescuing her. Smiling, Willem covered her hands with his, patting them in a brotherly way.

John rose, as well, smiling lazily. “A tour of Castle Gyer, you say, Willem? Mayhap I shall go along to make certain the ladies come to no harm. I believe I’d enjoy seeing all of the chambers that are never used in this old place.”

Perhaps Willem felt her hands squeezing nervously into his arm, or perhaps he simply felt the tension that developed in her at the thought of having to spend another minute with John Baldwin.

“That’s all right, John,” he replied steadily, still patting Lillis’s hands. “I’ve already offered to escort the ladies and they shall be quite safe with both myself and Lady Gyer’s two guards for protection.” He nodded in the direction of Lillis’s constant, silent shadows.

“Of course, Cousin.” John made a slight bow. “Though I must regret being deprived of Lady Gyer’s lovely company. Thank you for your kindness, my lady. Perhaps we shall be able to converse again at another time?”

Lillis nodded, flooded with relief. “Yes, certainly.”

“Then I’ll wish you a happy tour of Castle Gyer. I’ll see you at the midday meal.”

He bowed again and left, and Lillis released the breath she’d been holding. Willem looked at her with concern.

“Was John bothering you, my lady? Did he upset you? Shall I speak to Alex about him?”

“No! Goodness, no!” she replied quickly. “He was very polite. Indeed, he was.”

Willem gazed at her searchingly and ran his fingers over her hands. “Lillis, you’re trembling. He did upset you. What did he say to you?”

“Nothing, I promise you.” She didn’t want him to speak of it to Alexander. She didn’t want to speak of any of these things again. “Do you think my guards would have simply stood by if he had done or said anything to upset me? Why, only yesterday one of the servants was a little rude to me and they physically put the man out of doors.”

Willem didn’t believe her. “John is a very vengeful man, Lillis, and it would be best if you kept your distance from him. He may seem innocent and harmless, but I can promise you he is not.”

“He didn’t seem dangerous to me, Willem, but I will do as you say and try to stay away from him. But please promise me that you won’t say anything to Lord Gyer. I shouldn’t like to cause any trouble when there is no reason.”

Willem’s eyes filled with disagreement, but he said, “I’ll not speak to Alex this time, my lady, but if John should bother you again I’ll go to him directly. He’ll not allow our cousin to harass you, and neither will I.”

“Thank you, Willem.” Lillis smiled at her tall, handsome brother-in-law with real affection. “And thank you for coming to my rescue. You didn’t really plan on making this tour of Castle Gyer, did you?”

He smiled in turn. “No, but I’m looking forward to it, I think. I can hardly imagine a better way to spend an afternoon than escorting such a beautiful lady through my home.”

Lillis knew she was blushing. “I am hardly beautiful, Sir Willem, but you are kind to tell me such a pleasant lie.”

Lillis wasn’t aware of the intimate picture she and Willem presented as they walked side by side, their arms linked, his hand resting over hers, their two heads close together and smiles on their faces. They were laughing and talking, oblivious of the several other people in the great hall who watched their slow, relaxed progress, one of them being Alexander.

He was sitting by one of the fires with Barbara, having left Lillis and sought his cousin out in an effort to soothe her anger over his recent garden walks with Lillis. Alexander didn’t enjoy seeing Barbara so unhappy, especially when he was the one responsible for it. So intent was he on his conversation with her that it was unlikely he would have even seen Lillis and Willem walking together had a servant not dropped a tray somewhere farther down the hall. The noise caused him to turn his head, but the sight of his wife and brother kept him distracted.

And more than distracted. He sat and watched as they made their way across the hall, so intimate and close, the expressions of laughter on their faces filling him with an inexplicable rage. He didn’t hear the things Barbara chatted on about, he didn’t know if she had even noticed he was no longer paying her any attention. All he could see was Lillis smiling at Willem.

Suddenly Lillis glanced up and saw him, and her smile died. Their eyes met and held across the wide, empty hall. Her gaze took in Barbara sitting beside him, and then she looked away. She and Willem were out of the hall in another moment and Alexander returned his attention to the beautiful redhead seated beside him. Barbara chatted on and on, but he didn’t hear a word she said.

T
he way Alexander kept looking at her made it difficult for Lillis to keep her mind on the story she was telling.

“So when the Trojans went to sleep that night the Greeks opened a secret door in the side of the horse and sneaked out.”

He’d been looking at her all day long, and in the same intense, disquieting manner. During the midday meal, during their walk in the garden with his brothers and sister, during the evening meal, which they had only just finished, and now at the fireside as she sat doing her best to entertain the children and the twins with the story of the Trojan horse—he never stopped. Oh, he wasn’t exactly obvious about it, at least not so that anyone save Lillis would notice, but he was doing it all the same. She found his eyes upon her whenever she worked up the nerve to glance at him, and the blazing look in them had her thoroughly unnerved.

“They destroyed the city and burned it down to the ground. All of the men in the city, including the male children, were killed, and all of the women were gathered up to be made into slaves.”

What had she done to make him so angry? she wondered. His fierce expression made her shiver.

“As soon as the Greeks had rescued Helen they sailed for home, leaving naught but destruction behind them. And that was the end of the city of Troy.”

The entire Baldwin family, along with a few of the other castlefolk, were gathered around her, listening to the tale, and their praise, once she finished, caused Lillis to flush. Willem, especially, was complimentary.

“I could listen to you all night long, my lady,” he vowed, kissing her hand lightly. “The stories are as interesting to hear as the storyteller is to watch.”

“I agree wholeheartedly, my lady,” Cousin John added, gracing her with a bow. “It was most entertaining. Thank you very much.”

“A wooden horse!” Hugh said from where he and Hugo sat on the floor by the fire. “Who would have ever thought of such a thing?”

“It was brilliant,” Hugo agreed, as impressed as his twin.

“Brilliant, indeed,” Alexander’s voice said from out of the shadows in which he stood. Lillis glanced at him as he approached, her flush deepening. He held out a hand and she placed hers in it, looking at him with some confusion. His fingers closed possessively around hers.

“My lord?” she asked uncertainly.

“My lady,” he replied, squeezing her hand. “My very talented, impressive lady wife.” The words were curt, thoroughly cold. He released her, inclined his head mockingly, then turned and walked away.

* * *

She wasn’t asleep when she heard the adjoining door to her chamber being opened, though many hours had passed and it was very late at night. She tucked the covers beneath her chin and waited. A few seconds went by, and then, as she’d known he would, Alexander pulled the bed curtains back.

He was fully dressed—she could see him well in the light of the fire that warmed the room.

“Good eve, lady wife,” he said, leaning against one of the end posts.

“My lord.”

“You have not found your rest yet?”

“As you see.”

“Ah.”

“And you, my lord? Do you have no desire to sleep this night?”

“Oh, yes, my lady, I do have the desire. I’ve not got the intention, however.”

His eyes moved leisurely over her covered form, causing Lillis to shift restlessly.

“Did you wish to speak with me, then, my lord?”

“No.” He shook his head. “I did not come to speak with you.”

Lillis licked her dry lips and saw his eyes follow the movement. “Then, perhaps—”

“I’ve watched you these past many days,” he said softly. “I’ve watched you since the moment we wed, and even before that, if I would be truthful.” Slowly he pushed from his leaning position and moved toward her. When he sat beside her on the bed she tried to scoot away, but he set a hand on the other side of her, stopping her, and leaned over her. “Lie still, Lillis.” Lifting his other hand, he touched her lips with his fingers, almost reverently. “You tremble,” he whispered. “Are you afraid of me?”

Mute, she stared at him.

“I’ve watched you,” he said again, his fingers moving to her cheek. “I’ve watched you with the children in the afternoons, telling them stories. Making them happy.” One finger outlined the shell of her ear. “I’ve watched you with the twins, putting up with them, scolding them, making them behave. I’ve seen the way you speak to yourself when you work at your sewing and think no one watches. Oh, yes, Lillis, I have. I’ve stood and watched you for hours. I’ve watched the way your lips move as you concentrate, speaking silent words to yourself, and I’ve wondered what it is you say, if you’re even aware of what you do.” His fingers touched her lips again, caressed them gently. “Still you tremble. Do you think I mean you harm? Do you think I mean to rape you?”

“I do not know,” she whispered.

“I could have you if I wished it,” he admitted. “I am stronger than you are, and you’ve no candlestick to protect you now. I am the lord here, and you are my wife. No one would dare to enter and save you if you tried to fight me.”

“You said you would not force me.” The words came out like breaths. “You are a man of your word.”

“Yes,” he said with regret. “I am an honorable man. A man of my word.”

“What do you want, my lord?”

“Can you not guess?” He spoke so softly that she shivered.

“Is it a game, then?”

Alexander lowered his head, his whole body, until his chest rested heavily upon her. The hand that touched her face slid deep into her hair, the arm that kept her imprisoned slid beneath the covers, under her back, embracing her. “Not a game, my wife. Not a game.”

He was so near, Lillis felt his breath upon her as he spoke, and, frightened, she turned her face. He drew even nearer, and she shut her eyes when she felt his mouth beneath her ear, pressing there gently, murmuring. He kissed her ear, her cheek, stroked her hair away to expose her neck and kissed her there. He kissed her like that, so gently and tenderly, over and over, until Lillis felt she could no longer draw in enough air, until her body ached as if she had sickened, until she had no will left, but gave way and turned her face once more and offered her mouth to him.

He took it, making a sound of quiet exaltation. He was gentle and very skilled. Lillis had never realized that a kiss could last such a long time, or that a person’s tongue had anything to do with it, or that it might feel so wonderful as it did. The hand beneath her back slid free, and he cupped her breast, causing her to gasp against his mouth.

“Alexander!” The voice that tried to scold sounded weak and breathless, instead.

Alexander, moving his hand on her gently, smiled, pleasure on his face. “My name,” he murmured. “I like the sound of it on your lips.” He bent and kissed her again, then lifted his head. “You have not known a man’s kiss before this,” he stated knowingly, with great approval.

“You are pleased, my lord?”

“I am most exceedingly pleased,” he answered. “You were a good and honorable wife even before you were a wife, and you have done well since our marriage, though I doubted you until this moment. Continue to do well and I shall never have cause to be displeased with you.”

His clear tone brought her own hazy thoughts to order. “I do not understand,” she said. “What do you mean, Alexander?”

“I am not the husband of your choosing, but I am your husband nonetheless, and you shall accept me as such. I’ve said that you may take lovers, but I’ll not be cuckolded by my own brother.”

Lillis gaped at him, her passion-muddled mind taking longer than usual to understand what he said, but when understanding did strike, it was with all the force of a thunderbolt.

“You
wretch!
” She shoved at him, even tried to strike him. “You—you
filthy beast!
”

One flailing hand successfully slapped him hard across the face, making a good, satisfying thwack, and then Alexander captured both her wrists and pressed her into the mattress.

“Damn you, lady! Do you think me blind? Did you think I’d not care for the lovers’ glances you exchanged with Willem this very day?”

Lillis felt sick and humiliated because she’d let herself think, while he kissed her, that he’d wanted to do it of his own free will. Now she saw the action for what it was; nothing more than a test of her ignorance—and innocence.

“I’ve done naught with Willem, save accept his kindness and thank God for it! Is it so shocking a thing that I should accept kindness where I can find it in this place?”

“
I
am your husband!” Alexander repeated angrily. “If you seek kindness while you are at Gyer then you will seek it from
me.
I’ll not have my people—my family—whispering behind my back about my wife’s secret trysts with my own brother!”

“I’ve done
naught
with Willem!” she repeated.

“Then make certain you never do,” he warned. “Make sure of it, lady wife, else you’ll live to regret it.”

Lillis pushed at the hands imprisoning her, to no avail. He was too strong and too big to fight.

“When should I ever have a chance to do otherwise, when I am constantly guarded?” With furious disgust, she added, “You are a great fool.”

“That I may be,” he admitted, “but I am also your husband, and you will do as I say.”

“I will do as you say,” she said, “because you are my captor, because I’ve no choice but to obey you, just as I’ve not had a choice from the moment I knew you. How I wish to God that moment had never come!”

“No more so than I, madam. No more so than I.” Releasing her, he stood from the bed and agitatedly ran his hands through his hair. “Damn! This was not what I’d planned. I didn’t come here to argue. How is it that you make me so crazed?”

“If I do, it is certainly not apurpose! I did not invite you here, my lord.”

Swearing again, Alexander moved toward the fire. For the space of a minute he stood before it, rubbing at the back of his neck with one hand. “Your maid Edyth arrived at Gyer only an hour past,” he said grudgingly.

Lillis bolted upright, her coverings falling away. “Edyth!”

“I cannot tell why she came so late, or why your father kept her so long. She was full weary when she arrived, and I sent her to her chamber directly. You may see her in the morn, as soon as it pleases you.”

Lillis slid from the bed and, careless of being clothed in nothing but her thin chemise, went to him.

“Alexander—” she set a hand upon his arm “—my father...”

Wearily he nodded. “Lady Edyth brought a missive from him. Jaward has consented to our marriage, and has signed the contract. The land is mine now. I will ride this night, this hour, to the place where the dam is, and my men and I shall begin tearing it down.”

She let out a breath. “Oh, I’m so glad. How happy your people will be, my lord.”

“Yes.” He looked at her. “And you will be happy, will you not, my lady? You will leave Gyer?”

“Yes,” she said quietly, “I will leave. And you will be glad when I have gone. Castle Gyer will be as it once was.”

“Lillis—” he began, then stopped and shook his head as if telling himself something. “I do not know how long the tearing down will take. Perhaps a few days, perhaps a week. When I return, I would speak with you of—important matters.”

“Of course, my lord,” she agreed, thinking he meant settlements and legalities.

“I shall look forward to returning, then,” he said.

“I will wish you Godspeed,” she said, her hand still on his arm, “and good fortune.”

“You are kind, lady, but I would rather have this than your blessing.” Alexander gathered her in his arms and kissed her again, before Lillis could even think to protest. By the time he was done she felt weak and useless, a toy to be used as Alexander pleased. “Strange,” he murmured, his hand making slow circles over the thin material covering her back, “but I shall miss you, lady wife.”

The words undid her. Lillis put her arms around his neck, lifted up on her toes, pressed full against him and set her lips to his. Alexander made a deep, appreciative groaning sound, and when the kiss was finished, he smiled with satisfaction at her dreamy expression.

“When I return, my lady, we will have much to discuss.” Slowly he released her. “Everything shall be settled between us.”