The Devil Claims a Wife (16 page)

Slowly, he turned and for a moment she saw his profile outlined, hard as a cameo, against the light coming from the sun behind. Then he was facing her again. Taking her face between his big hands, he kissed her lips. It was brief and without passion. And then he was hoisting himself up into the saddle. He looked down at her. ‘I’ll be gone a week, no more.’ Then he was gone, leaving his wife staring after him.

‘Of all the self-centred, heartless blackguards! He cannot even speak the truth,’ she whispered. ‘He will never return.’

Each day that passed was longer than the one before. She refused to go home. She shuddered
to think how her father would react if he were to find out her husband had abandoned her the morning after their wedding. But why had he left her? What did it mean? And why should she care?

After three days, clear-headed and able to think and attack problems, she dispassionately confronted her position in its entirety, concentrating on the realities of her future. She had to depend on herself. For whatever reason Guy was gone to London—to partake of courtly pleasures?—she dispelled the hurt of his betrayal. For her there was work to be done.

The castle had been managed by the bailiff and run by old retainers since the demise of the old earl. Jane had been pleasantly surprised to discover how efficient the servants were. Before her marriage when she had visited the castle, some of them had shown her kindness, while others looked upon her as the girl from Cherriot and considered her no better than they were. It was a situation she had been determined to rectify as soon as she became mistress in her new home.

Under the watchful eye of the bailiff, she took the matter in hand from the start, refusing to allow him to interfere in a matter which
she had to sort out herself if she was to gain their respect. After just one week in which she went out of her way to be courteous and polite, yet always firm in making her preferences for this and that known, she evinced a vivacious charm and caring thoughtfulness that evoked their reluctant fondness.

The servants, male and female, both inside and out, thought she was beautiful and her airy laughter and ever-ready humour infected them all. With her presence, it seemed the sun shone brighter and the day grew warmer. Their hearts were lightened and they attacked their chores with a zealous determination to please her. The great castle came alive and functioned as never before.

As the days became weeks and she became convinced that Guy had truly abandoned her, try though she might to calm her fears and push her doubts aside, it seemed an eternity had passed when he finally returned late one night.

She was crossing the empty hall to the stairs when the door opened. She whirled round, startled. His tall figure was outlined in the doorway. She paused and watched him stride halfway towards her and then he stopped.

‘So, you came back,’ she breathed, giving
no hint of her own soaring joy. ‘I’m sorry. You gave me a frightful turn.’

‘Since when have you been such a nervous type?’

‘Since spending the last six weeks alone!’

‘I’m back now.’ His voice sounded strange, studiedly casual.

‘I see that.’

‘Are you glad to see me?’

‘You could have written. You could have let me know when you were coming back.’

‘I should have. I apologise.’

He looked at her intently, hiding his surprise. The last time he’d seen her she was pale and anguished at his leaving. Before him now stood another Jane, vibrant in health. Clad in a dark-green gown, her sunburst hair tumbled flowing over her shoulders and back. She straightened proudly to meet his gaze as he soaked up the sight of her, for which he was more thirsty than water by far.

‘Why aren’t you in bed?’

She came towards him from the shadows and the candlelight made her eyes sparkle. ‘I thought you had left me. I thought I would never see you again. You abandoned me at a time when I needed you most. In the beginning people were—not kind.’

‘But you survived.’

‘It has been hard winning their trust.’

For a moment Guy gazed at her with some surprise. He had borne a heavy load of self-recrimination for the way he had left her. When the king’s messenger had come the morning after his wedding, summoning him to court on an urgent matter—which, to his annoyance, he found to be nothing more than to inspect two of his majesty’s newly arrived horses from France—he should have delayed his departure instead of haring off. And when he was at Westminster there were duties that made it impossible for him to leave. Yet what he had done was cruelly unjust.

He should have been conscious of her feelings on a matter that was sure to worry her. It was inevitable that she would meet with hostility from some—and how humiliating would that have been for her? With a twinge of pity and a good deal of self-condemnation for leaving her alone at a time when she had needed him, he admitted that though she was young, she had been very brave, and he shouldn’t have left the hostility to her to chance.

He’d missed her since he had ridden off six weeks ago and been too stubborn to admit it.

‘I shouldn’t have left you alone. You had no
way of knowing what it would be like living here. Nothing had prepared you. You had to face problems you had never encountered, with which you had no way of dealing, a fact I failed to understand.’

‘Yes, well—as you said, I survived.’

‘Are you glad to see me, Jane?’

‘Of course I am,’ she said quietly.

‘You’ve a strange way of showing it.’

‘I—I have a headache and I’m out of sorts and very tired. I’m sorry if I’m not as enthusiastic as you expected me to be. You—shouldn’t have surprised me like that.’

He didn’t reply, merely gave her a strange look she couldn’t quite fathom. His deep-blue eyes were sober and seemed to be examining her as though looking for some change. It made her quite uncomfortable.

‘I was just going to bed. Is there anything you want before I do?’

He shook his head. ‘No. You go. I won’t disturb you. We’ll talk in the morning.’

‘Thank you. Goodnight, Guy.’

She left him then, disturbed by that peculiar look he had given her. Something had changed between them. She could sense it. It was as though an invisible wall had sprung up between them.

Guy was remote during the days that followed. He was polite and considerate, and that was somehow much worse than harsh words or anger would have been. He spent most of his time out of doors either hunting, hawking or attending to matters on the estate. They did not share the same bed so they did not make love. The strain was almost unbearable, so when he suggested she join them in their hawking party she was happy to accept.

She rode with Cedric along a winding stretch of rutted road through the woods. The hood of her cloak fell away and her hair tumbled free of its simple ties, falling around her shoulders in shimmering waves.

Eventually the woods gave way to a clearing and fields beyond. A large party of Guy’s men were milling around with their falcons, their horses restive. It was a beautiful day and glorious country for hawking. The gently rolling hills promised fast galloping, the meadows full of rabbits and the woods full of birds.

Seeing Guy, she rode towards him. Wearing a leather jerkin and hose, talking and joking with his men, he looked so relaxed atop his great, powerful horse, and he spoke to them
with such lazy good humour that she could hardly believe he was the same relentless, predatory seducer who had stalked her and acquired her hand in marriage. It was as if he were two people, one she could like very much and one she feared and mistrusted—with excellent reason when she considered the reputation he had acquired as a ruthless soldier and his neglect of her after their wedding, for which she found hard to forgive.

Guy watched her approach astride her dark, dappled-grey mare, a look of unconcealed appreciation on his handsome face as he surveyed her jaunty bright-gold riding habit, the skirt spread out behind her and rippling over the mare’s rump.

‘How can you look so lovely so early?’ he asked, the blue eyes probing hers, his lips sliding upwards at a corner. Leaning over, he took her gloved hand in his and lifted it to his mouth. ‘Are you ready for your first lesson?’

Unable to contain her own smile, Jane cast a coy glance upwards. For the life of her she couldn’t deny the way her senses seemed to soar to bracing heights in his presence. ‘Absolutely—although I shall probably make a complete idiot of myself and do everything wrong.’

‘No, you won’t. I have every confidence in
you—and John, my falconer, and myself, will explain everything as we go along.’

Her mare snickered and his stallion’s ears shot forwards. Sliding from the saddle, he gestured to John who had a hooded merlin on his wrist, her tiny bells jingling as she fluttered a little. Guy helped Jane down and took the merlin from the falconer.

‘I would like to present to you this merlin, Jane. Her name is Melody.’

‘She’s adorable—or she will be when the hood is removed.’

Handing her a glove, he asked her to slip it on. As soon as she did so, he secured the merlin’s claws with the jesses on her glove. ‘Once the hood is removed, do not blink or she might attack, and don’t hold her too far away from you otherwise she will flap her wings as a sign to bring her closer. Do you understand?’

‘Perfectly. I’m just wondering what I can do to stop myself blinking.’

‘Don’t worry. You’ll soon get the hang of it.’

As the merlin moved she turned to her, this beautiful, powerful bird on her arm, with her hood fashioned from soft leather and a jaunty plume of blue-and-gold feathers. She was adorable and, with her soft hood and sweet-sounding bells, might have been a spoiled pet,
but her claws, sharp beak and powerful wings were a reminder of her true character.

‘I think she likes you,’ Guy said, ‘but then what bird in its right mind would not—to find itself perched on the arm of the beautiful Countess of Sinnington.’

His compliment spoken in soft, warm tones helped her relax. ‘Countess or not, I doubt my arm is sufficiently strong enough to carry her whilst I’m riding.’

Guy took the falcon from her and handed it to the falconer. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll hand her back to you when we are in the field. It’s some way off, but no doubt you are familiar with the countryside.’

‘I know it well. The woods are where, as a child, I climbed trees with my brother and searched for mushrooms, and the fields are where I picked wildflowers.’

‘One day you and I will pick mushrooms together. They are a favourite of mine.’

She glanced at him with surprise. ‘Forgive me, but I can’t imagine you indulging in anything as mundane as picking mushrooms.’

He laughed. ‘There are many things I do that would surprise you.’

Lifting her back into the saddle, together they followed the others and the tracking dogs
out into the fields. Jane cast a sideways glance at Guy. One could tell a born rider simply by watching the way they sat their horse. Guy’s mighty stallion was attracted by her pretty mare, but he controlled the animal effortlessly, without thought, with legs, body and hands, as fluidly and as softly as the horse himself moved.

Riding alongside a hedgerow, they were about to turn into a meadow when Jane heard a whimper. Looking at the hedge, she was surprised to see what looked like an animal with its hind leg caught in a snare. Pulling her horse to a halt, she slid from the saddle. Looking back to see why she’d halted, Guy went back and dismounted, seeing immediately what was wrong,

As he approached the animal he saw it was one of the pack of hounds. The dog leaped to its feet, blood streaming down its back leg as it struggled to be free. It was clearly distressed.

‘Sit! Good dog.’ Squatting down, he held out his hand for the dog to sniff whilst continuing to speak quietly. ‘Be still. I’ll not hurt you.’

Growling, the animal eyed him warily, but as he spoke, its growl subsided and he allowed him to examine the wounded leg.

‘Will he be all right?’ Jane asked, crouched by his side.

‘The wire of the snare has cut into his flesh, but not deep to damage the tendon. But I’ll have to work quickly to remove it in order to prevent the dog becoming crippled.’

Guy’s long fingers worked at the wire, eventually managing to prise it apart. The dog rose to his feet, wagging his long tail and holding his injured leg off the ground. Guy ruffled his ears, his tall frame stooped as the animal licked his cheek.

‘Oh, thank goodness!’ Jane exclaimed. ‘Your prompt action will have saved his leg.’

Guy straightened just as two of his men rode up to see what had happened.

‘Have him taken back to the castle and his wound treated,’ Guy ordered, giving the dog a final pat. ‘He’s a fine hound. He should be back hunting in no time at all.’

Remounting, Guy and Jane rode in the direction of the meadow in which they were to hawk.

‘It has not escaped my notice that you rarely visit the village since our marriage, Jane,’ he said, glancing at her. ‘Why is that?’

‘I admit that I find it difficult going back. As a child I knew everyone and was readily accepted for who I am, but since our marriage there has been a change in their attitude towards me. Oh, they are polite enough. They call
me countess or milady, but there is a distinct reserve and, I suspect, a bit of resentment as well. I am no longer one of them, I am an outsider and am treated as such. I am rejected by my own class, and,’ she said, meeting his gaze, ‘I doubt very much that yours will ever accept me. You have done the unthinkable by marrying me. I may have won the servants over, but it is not enough. Not a single one of your friends has come to visit since we wed, nor have we been invited to any of their houses. It matters not a jot to me, but I am rather concerned for your sake.’

‘Don’t be. I’m sorry if there is resentment in the vale and can only hope that in the future things will change. I have certainly seen a change in the attitude of the servants here at the castle—which is down to you. I know our marriage has caused something of a furore among our noble neighbours and the king’s court, who think themselves the select few of this world, but I’m not worried. As I said before, we shall win them over,’ he assured her. ‘As soon as they meet you they are sure to respond to your beauty and your charm. I intend for us to visit my mother. She will be holding one of her elaborate affairs which we will attend.’