His Conquest (11 page)

Nichola touched her arm. “What is it?”

Linet rubbed her brow. “I must be overtired.”

She dropped her hand. “Tell me.”

“In the bowl, a stone…” Linet let her words fall away, unsure of how to explain her urge to walk toward it.

“It is a halved gem, a moss agate,” Nichola explained. “It is believed to hold the ability to make warriors powerful and shield them from those who would bring them harm. Seathan wears its mate on a chain around his neck.” A smile lingered on her mouth. “A gift his grandmother bestowed to him upon his knighting.”

Linet remembered the halved stone around Seathan’s neck. “And what is the other halved gemstone?”

“Other gemstone?” Nichola rounded the bed and halted. Her face paled.

Linet moved to her side. “What is wrong?”

“I…” She stepped back, a stunned expression on her face. “Nothing.”

There was something wrong, but the Englishwoman wouldn’t divulge whatever had upset her.

Air brushed across Linet’s cheek, and she almost jumped. She turned, expecting to find that a servant had entered. Instead, except for her and Nichola, the room stood empty.

“Lady Linet?” the noblewoman inquired, her voice cautious.

“It is nothing,” she said, feeling foolish. She rubbed her arms. “I but felt a breeze.”

Silence.

“The window is closed.”

Tensing, Linet looked over. Indeed, the window was secured. “What is going on?”

“Worry not. ’Tis a common occurrence within this chamber.”

But Linet heard the other woman’s unease, again sensed something was amiss.

A warm smile curved Nichola’s mouth, but edges of uncertainty tainted her attempt. “Seathan will explain once he has rested.”

Seathan. The reality of why she was at Lochshire Castle hit her. Nerves jangled as she glanced around the amazing room, a chamber filled with love, a room belonging to a woman the brothers loved. Given the minimal time she would remain here, it would be wrong for her to stay in this luxury. She was not the woman they believed her to be. Mayhap she had saved Seathan’s life, but righteousness had little to do with her motive.

Guilt had Linet taking a step toward the entry. “Please, a simple chamber is all I require.”

“The oddities of the chamber have upset you?”

“No.” Linet looked around, torn. “I cannot explain why, but I feel at ease here, more so than in a long while.”

“Then there will be no further discussion.” Nichola held up her hand before Linet could object. “Please remain. And after saving Seathan’s life, it would be our honor.” A smile touched her mouth. “Duncan said to give you the tower chamber, a room that is special. I assure you, everything about this room is that.”

Words of refusal came to Linet’s lips, but a wave of dizziness enveloped her, erasing further objections. She laid her hand upon her forehead. She was so tired. Would it be wrong to remain here? The chamber was indeed beautiful. “My thanks.”

Concern darkened Nichola’s eyes. “After your hard travel these past few days, you are exhausted.”

As Seathan must be. She prayed a healer was treating him now; then he would rest.

Nichola walked to the door. “There is a bowl with water and a cloth on a stand at your side. After you bathe, I will have a servant bring you stew to tide you until we sup.”

“No, please,” Linet said, suddenly exhausted. “I wish only to rest.”

“I will leave you then.” Nichola hesitated, frowned. “You are sure we have never met?”

“No.” The lie echoed within the silence, feeding Linet’s guilt. She truly liked Lady Nichola, and had so upon their first meeting at King Edward’s court. But to reveal the truth would yield dire consequences.

The Englishwoman gestured toward the hearth, which was readied with kindling. “You can break your fast in the morning once you awaken. And I will at least send a servant to light the fire.”

A chill swept her, and Linet rubbed her arms. “My thanks, a fire would be appreciated.”

Nichola paused as if she would say more, then, with a nod, exited the chamber.

The soft clunk of the door closing reverberated through the room. For a brief moment, panic ripped through Linet as if she’d heard the scrape of the wood, the thunk of a barrier falling into place. No. Nichola would not lock her in. ’Twas her own guilt that fueled such a desperate thought.

With a yawn, Linet turned toward the bed, but found her gaze drawn to the bowl. Odd, as she stared at it, the moss agate seemed to glow.

Uneasy, Linet glanced around the chamber but saw nothing else out of the ordinary. Nichola’s words that Seathan would explain the uniqueness of this room came to mind. What was there about this chamber that she should know? Was it haunted? A smile flickered upon her mouth. No, it was but her overtired mind conjuring thoughts that she’d otherwise not consider.

As she continued to stare, as if drawn by a force she could not define, she found herself walking closer. With every step, the sense of peace grew stronger, a comfort so deep it touched her soul.

Never one for trivial musings, she wanted to laugh at the foolishness of it all, but however strange, this moment seemed to inspire whimsical thoughts.

At the table’s edge, she halted. Framed within a gold-encrusted outer layer, the halved gem’s center was a milky white, infused with what appeared to be petrified spirals of moss.

The moss agate.

To its right lay another gemstone. Intrigued, she picked up the unique halved round, the roughness of its exterior similar to the moss agate, but the similarities ended there. Inside, a burst of color extended from a pale green to a deep olive hue within its center. It was as if the gemstone were caught in turmoil.

Why had Nichola paled as she’d viewed the contents of the bowl?

Linet returned the olive-and-pale-green stone. The moss agate was what truly caught her interest. She lifted the halved gemstone, cradled it within her palm.

A soft pulse of energy seemed to radiate through her; the gem grew warm upon her skin.

Sweet Mary! Linet almost dropped the moss agate as she placed it back in the bowl. What was going on?

The light within the gem began to fade.

She rubbed her arms, and stepped back. She’d felt nothing. No warmth, no tingle had spread through her body. Naught but fatigue guided her thoughts, which a solid dose of rest would cure.

A light knock sounded.

Pulse racing, she whirled, unsure of what to expect. “Enter.”

The door opened. A lad around the age of ten summers with a crop of muddy brown hair entered. He gave a brisk bow. “My lady, I am here to light a fire.”

She exhaled a shaky sigh. “Please.”

He withdrew a flint and knife and hurried to complete his task. In moments, flames stirred to life and slowly engulfed the tinder before catching the larger logs.

The boy stepped back. “Did you need anything else, my lady?”

“No. My thanks.”

With a nervous bow, he turned and hurried out.

The crackle of the fire echoed within the chamber, the rich scent of the wood infusing the room. More than ready for sleep, she quickly washed, then stretched out upon the bed, thankful for the comfort, smiling as she realized it was feathers filling the mattress, not straw.

On a sigh, Linet peered at the fairies painted upon the ceiling, her eyes growing heavy. She paused upon the raven-haired fairy in the moss green gown, her silver-tipped wings caught in midflutter as she landed on a lush, purple-tipped thistle. As if a trick of the light, the fairy smiled at her.

Smiled?

Linet tried to sit up, but her limbs, as if weighted by stones, refused to comply.

The tinkle of laughter echoed around her, a soft sound of gentle amusement. Her nose was tickled with the faint scent of lavender.

The soft fragrance soothed her; the quiet laughter in the air was like listening to a child’s happy play. Truly at peace for the first time since before her parents’ deaths, Linet closed her eyes and fell into sleep’s embrace.

Seathan shoved himself to a sitting position, and pain streaked through him at his quick movement. He stared at Nichola in shock. “You did what?”

Alexander immediately stepped beside his wife. “Do nae be upset with Nichola. With the mayhem of your arrival, being told that Lady Linet saved your life, and with Duncan telling her to give Lady Linet the tower chamber, why would she put the lass anywhere else but our grandmother’s room?”

Bedamned! “Duncan’s meddling caused this mix-up?” His anger shoved up a notch.

Humor glinted in Alexander’s gaze. “Aye, but what is your worry? ’Tis you who claims the tower chamber is only a chamber, not a room that holds magic.”

Only a chamber? With both brothers married to women who’d stayed within the tower chamber upon their arrival at the castle, Linet’s installment there was no laughing matter.

Nichola shook her head. “I did not mean to cause you upset, but do not blame Duncan alone. Even without his prodding, I would have felt obligated to give her the most luxurious chamber. And with Lady Linet already settled, it would be improper to ask her to move, or to explain.”

“Aye,” Seathan agreed, but the thought of her staying within his grandmother’s chamber left him uneasy.

Nichola glanced from her husband to Seathan, then frowned. “Why do I sense that more than Lady Linet staying in the tower room is at issue?”

Alexander took her hand, blew out a deep breath. “We are unsure of Lady Linet’s motivation for freeing Seathan.”

Nichola stilled. “You believe she is working in league with Lord Tearlach?”

“I am not sure, but if so, I will find out.” Seathan grimaced, the wounds sewed by the healer throbbing. “Whatever her motives, upon awakening, she will be moved to another chamber.”

Not that he believed that the room had a spell cast upon it, or that the woman who stayed within was destined to marry the man who brought her to Lochshire Castle. That was but a superstition.

Nichola cleared her throat, slanted a nervous look toward Seathan. “There is one other thing.”

“Go on,” Seathan said.

“It is about the bowl in the chamber that contains the gems.” She reached to touch the other half of Alexander’s halved azurite, a gift he’d presented to her when they’d wed.

The hairs on the back of Seathan’s neck prickled. “You mean the one gem.”

She shook her head. “No.” Her fingers trembled. She dropped her hand to her side. “I saw them. There were two.”

“Two?” Seathan and Alexander asked in unison.

Nichola glanced at her husband, then toward Seathan. “I swear, had I not seen them both, I would not have believed it either.”

Seathan grimaced. Of the four original gemstones, the only one remaining in the bowl was the other half of his moss agate. His other two brothers were already married. The only other person to have been awarded a halved gemstone was…

It could not be! God’s teeth, he would see for himself. Seathan swung his legs off the bed and stood. The room spun around him.

Determination tightened Alexander’s face as he stepped before him. “You are not fit to be up and moving about.”

“Move out of my way.”

Alexander didn’t budge. “The stones will be there on the morrow.”

Nichola stepped beside her husband. “If you go up there now, you will awaken Lady Linet. She is exhausted and needs to rest.” Gray eyes pleaded with him. “As do you.”

“A few hours are little time to wait,” Alexander added when Seathan hesitated, “for all of us.”

Bedamned. Alexander and Nichola’s reasons for waiting until first light made sense. Besides, if he went to the tower chamber now, he’d look more a fool than lord of the castle.

With a grimace, Seathan settled back upon the bed. He met Nichola’s worried eyes. “Describe the second halved gemstone.” He would at least have that.

Nichola scraped her teeth across her lower lip, then glanced at her husband.

Christ’s blade! “Tell me,” Seathan said.

“The gemstone,” she said softly, “appears to be Patrik’s malachite.”

The full impact of her meaning sank in. Seathan shot to his feet. “It cannot be!” The room again blurred, but he focused on Nichola, on the impossibility of her claim. Though adopted, Patrik was family, their love for him as deep as if he were born of their blood.

Alexander caught his arm. “You need to be abed!”

“Lie back down,” Nichola urged. “You are going to fall over.”

Seathan jerked his arm free. “Not until I know what in bloody hell is going on!”

Alexander shook his head. “I am as upset as you. Upon Patrik’s death, the half within the bowl matching the gemstone he once wore around his neck disappeared.”

“I know,” Nichola replied, rubbing her finger along the side of her gown. “And when we returned from Patrik’s gravesite, we all saw the empty space within the bowl where his halved gemstone used to reside. But I swear to you, this stone looks exactly like the same one I saw when you first locked me in your grandmother’s chamber.”

Seathan clenched his fist. “If Patrik’s malachite has reappeared, why now?”

Alexander grimaced. “Mayhap a better question is, was it ever gone?”

Seathan paused. “What do you mean?”

“What if after his death, someone removed it,” Alexander explained, “and now has decided, for whatever reason, to return it?”

“That makes no sense.” Seathan blew out a frustrated breath. “It is true that the guard sent back with Patrik’s body disappeared once he’d finished burying him. But I doubt the guard would reappear to return the stone after all this time. But what other explanation is there?”

Alexander held his gaze. “Our grandmother’s magic.”

Seathan gave a grunt of dismissal. He had little use for such foolery. “I will check to see if the guard who buried Patrik’s body has returned. I do nae think—”

The door opened. Duncan stepped in, Isabel at his side. “’Tis good to see you up and—” He stopped, scanned those within the chamber, and drew his wife nearer. “What is it?”

“Patrik’s gemstone,” Seathan stated. “Nichola believes she saw it within the bowl in our grandmother’s chamber.”

Duncan’s face paled. “’Tis not possible.”

“Normally, I would agree,” Alexander said as he gave his wife’s hand a comforting squeeze, “but Nichola saw Patrik’s gemstone before it disappeared. I have no doubt she would recognize it if she saw it again.”

Isabel frowned. “If so, it is strange that his gemstone appears now.”

“Not strange at all when magic is involved,” Duncan said, relaxing a degree.

“It could somehow be tied to the disapperance of the guard who buried Patrik,” Seathan stated, preferring that logical explanation. But his younger brother’s reference to their grandmother, to the notion that she was wielding her influence from the great beyond, settled ill within his mind.

He pushed away the disturbing thoughts, and instead focused on the lad his family had adopted so many years ago, who had died tragically last fall. He ached with the memory, a sadness that only years would ever ease.

What did the reappearance of their adopted brother’s halved malachite mean? Was he alive? No, they’d all seen the grave where the guard had buried his body. Still, Seathan couldn’t remove the wedge of doubt.

“You think the guard who disappeared after burying Patrik took it,” Duncan asked with a look of sheer disbelief, “and now decides it is a fine time to return it?”

“It does sound far-fetched,” Seathan agreed.

“So,” Alexander broke in with a twinkle in his eye, “our grandmother has added Patrik’s malachite to the bowl in her chamber.”

Seathan glared at his middle brother. “There is no connection to our grandmother or any binding spell.” In his mind, the joke had long since run its course. He walked to the window, a pounding building in the back of his head. He stared into the sky, where night was gradually smothering the last remnants of the day. God’s teeth, this new twist wasn’t making a dram of sense.

“Until I see the malachite half for myself,” Duncan stated from behind him, “I will not believe it is Patrik’s.”

Seathan turned, waving Nichola away when she gestured for him to sit. “Until Linet awakens and we can inspect the tower chamber, we will have no further answers.” His throat grew dry. What if indeed it was Patrik’s malachite? He’d believed himself past the worst of his sorrow, but as he thought of his brother, he acknowledged his grief was still very raw.

He blew out a deep breath, caught a glimmer of interest in his younger brother’s face.

“Lady Linet is asleep inside our grandmother’s room?” Duncan asked with mock surprise.

Seathan scowled at his younger brother.

“I will say,” Duncan continued, the humor in his tone easing the somber mood within the chamber, “that I am surprised you placed the lass in our grandmother’s chamber”—he winked at Alexander—“with the matching spell and all.”

“You donkey’s arse,” Seathan growled, “’twas your meddling that put Linet there.”

“Linet, is it?”

Seathan mentally cursed. He knew better than to play into Duncan’s teasing.

“Our brother does seem unusually intrigued with the lass,” Alexander prodded. “Methinks mayhap our grandmother has grand plans for the lad.”

Seathan scowled at them both. “There is no magic about the chamber.” He narrowed his eyes at his youngest brother. “The tale is but a story we made up to worry Alexander when he abducted Nichola.”

“It was,” Duncan agreed, “but that I should have married Isabel after she resided within the same room seems to me more than a coincidence.” At Seathan’s silence, Duncan winked at Nichola. “Tell me, did the lass notice Seathan’s moss agate in our grandmother’s bowl?”

Alexander arched a brow at his wife. “’Tis an answer I find myself curious to know as well.”

“You both have the sense of mottled meal,” Seathan snapped.

“Nichola?” Alexander asked.

She nodded.

“Whoo, lad, she did!” Duncan chortled.

“It means naught,” Seathan said through gritted teeth.

“So that is why you are surly as a mother bear protecting her cubs.” Duncan waved his hand with a theatric sweep. “’Twould seem the lad is doomed.”

Alexander chuckled. “Aye, ’twill be a priest we will be needing within a sennight.”

“Enough!” Seathan stated. “There will be no need for a priest. Instead of discussing such foolery as spells, we should focus on learning the true reason for Lady Linet’s appearance at my cell door on the eve before I was to be hanged.” At his reminder of his suspicions about her, the smiles of everyone within the chamber fell away.

Somber, Isabel met her husband’s gaze. “You told me Lady Linet freed Seathan from Breac Castle.”

“She did,” Duncan replied, “but we know not her reason or little more about her.”

“Do you not trust her?” Isabel asked.

And therein lay the crux of his problem. Seathan glanced out the window, where a floor above Linet lay asleep. “I do not know.”

Nichola stood at the chamber window, mesmerized by the moonbeams upon the thin veil of ice remaining along the loch’s shore, as if a delicate frame to the mirror of water caught within.

Strong arms wrapped around her from behind and pulled her into a gentle embrace. “I woke to find our bed cold and you gone,” Alexander whispered as he nibbled his way along the curve of her chin. “I thought you were nursing our babe, but then I spied you standing amongst the moonbeams.” He nuzzled the sensitive column of her throat. “Have I mentioned that I am the luckiest knight within the realm? A fact I will prove once I have you abed.”

She gave him a smile, but it fell away as quickly.

Alexander lifted his head, turned her toward him. He frowned as he studied her in the swath of silvery light. “You are troubled.”

“I cannot rid Lady Linet from my mind.”

“Has she threatened you? By my sword I will—”

“No, it is nothing like that.”

“Then what?”

Nichola stared out into the moon-spun sky. “When I first saw Lady Linet within the courtyard, I…” She turned to face him. “I thought I knew her.”

Alexander tensed. “You did not mention this before.”

“Because I am not sure if I do.” She exhaled. “With my parents of high noble birth and Griffin’s position as King Edward’s Advisor to Scottish Affairs, over the years I have met so many people that their faces blur in my mind. But when I saw Lady Linet, she seemed so familiar.”

“Did you ask if you had been introduced to her before?”

“Yes. She said no.”

At Alexander’s thoughtful expression, anxiety rippled through Nichola. “Do you think she was lying?”

“I cannot be sure, but then, we know so little about her.” A grimace dug across his brow. “A fact that Lady Linet has used to her advantage. From the first she give Seathan no explanation other than that she wishes to travel to the Highlands.”

“This is not making sense,” Nichola said. “We know she is English; her speech, clothes, and manner give her away. What other reason would make her so evasive…” Her pulse kicked. “Think you that she indeed conspires with Lord Tearlach?”

“I do not know.” Alexander slid his fingers along her forearm to capture her hand within his. “Regardless, we must inform Seathan that you believe you have met her.”

“Not yet. I may be wrong. Mayhap her appearance merely reminds me of another.”

“Nay, I—”

“Before we speak with him,” Nichola said, “give me time. Let me see if I can remember her. It would be wrong to cast further doubt upon Lady Linet if indeed she is a stranger to me.”

Alexander grunted. “Her own actions have invited that doubt.”

“True, but she did free Seathan. We owe her for saving his life.”

“Two days,” Alexander finally said. “If you remember naught by then, we will tell Seathan.”

Relieved, she nodded.

Her husband grunted. “One thing we have learned is that the lass is foolhardy. While Seathan, Duncan, and I were on our return home, I watched her stand up to Seathan without hesitation.”

Nichola’s mouth dropped open. “It is hard to believe.”

A smile kicked up on the side of his mouth. “Aye, a unique sight to be sure.”

“And the mark of a strong woman.”

“Or a fool.”

“Or,” Nichola said, “the trait of a woman comfortable dealing with powerful men.”

Alexander grimaced as he mulled over that possibility, and she remembered that when she’d first met her husband, she had never imagined she would feel so blessed to be with him. At the memory she smiled, far from intimidated by this fierce warrior, a man who had abducted her a year past, a man whose son now lay asleep in the corner nook.

“What is on your mind?” he grumbled.

“That I am blessed to have you as my husband.”

“Aye, you are at that.” In a purely possessive move, he swept her into his arms and carried her to a bed still mussed from their earlier lovemaking. “And before our son awakens, a fact I am going to remind you of many times over.”

Memories of the places he’d touched, the things he’d done to her this night, had heat sweeping through her.

With a growl, he laid her on their bed.

She smiled, and the fire in his eyes ignited into a ferocious blaze. In a deft move, he ripped the sheer gown from her. Hands on his hips, he scanned her body with uncensored lust. As he claimed her mouth in a powerful kiss, Nichola’s thoughts of Lady Linet fled.

Through the carved stone window, the first hints of daylight warmed the cloud-strewn sky, casting majestic hints of purple into a gray-black wash. Seathan ignored the beauty of the sunrise and winced as he shoved himself up the steps to his grandmother’s chamber. His brothers’ foolish tales of spells and magic were ridiculous.

Still, his curiosity to view the stones within his grandmother’s bowl had left him unable to sleep. Was the other gemstone indeed Patrik’s?

His heart ached as he thought of Patrik’s senseless death. Understanding his adopted brother’s hatred of the English could not lessen his grief at losing the man he’d loved.

The fated day replayed in his mind. He and his brothers had searched the nearby woods for Nichola, who was then Alexander’s prisoner. At her distant scream, he’d ridden hard, only to come upon Patrik, already dead.

Fresh grief swirled in his throat, the passage of time erased as if the tragedy had occurred but moments before. Patrik had never accepted that Alexander had fallen in love with an Englishwoman. Loyal to his country, to his brothers in spirit, he’d attempted to kill Nichola, to save Alexander from what Patrik believed to be a monumental mistake.

And he’d died in the trying.