Vow of Seduction (19 page)

Now he hardly recognized himself in that naïve, idealistic youth. Afterward, Lydia had tearfully drawn from him an oath to love her forever. He remembered now he had been reluctant to make such a promise. He knew it would not change the fact that their love could never be. But at the time he truly believed Lydia was the only woman he would ever love, and he could deny her naught when she cried.

Of course, he now regretted making that vow. It allowed Lydia to cling to hope they would reunite one day and start anew as though the intervening years never occurred. But people changed, matured, grew wiser. His own experiences melded him into a stronger individual. So he could look back and see how, blinded by what he thought was love, he let Lydia influence him against his better judgment.

Lydia’s chamber opened and the doctor stepped out, wiping his hands on a cloth. He was tall, gaunt, and stoop-shouldered, but his eyes were dark and penetrating.

Alex frowned with worry. “Will Lady Lydia be all right?”

The man’s lips dipped down in consternation. “And who are you to the young lady?”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “A friend, concerned for her wellbeing.”

The man nodded. “Well, then. You shall be glad to hear the lady has suffered no permanent damage. Her knee is sore and tender to the touch, but there is no swelling or bruising. And I have given her a potion for her headache. If she stays off her leg for a full day as I directed, by tomorrow she should be feeling better.”

It was just as Alex suspected. The evidence from his own observation, along with the lack of any bruising or swelling proved Lydia had faked her knee injury. Although he would never know to what extremes she manipulated him in the past, her pain at his rejection had not been contrived. She truly cared for him and he regretted hurting her.

But a shield had been removed from his eyes and his heart was leading him in a different direction. ’Twas fated the day he escaped. When God gave him a second chance to seize his true destiny. Kat.

Alex found Kat, or rather heard her when he entered the queen’s solar later that afternoon. Her full-throated laughter rang out over the chatter of the room’s occupants, drawing him to a back corner of the room. Alex smiled at her exuberance. Not shy was she, he thought. She exuded confidence. Kat appeared in a gap between several people who stood near her.

She wore a buttery yellow surcoate over a green tunic, and sat on a carved wooden bench, a chessboard before her. Her long black hair hung down her back and was held back by a gold circlet and white veil. A big grin on her face, she picked up her black knight and cried ‘check’ as she moved it into position. Alex could not see her partner, but masculine laughter rang out in response. The grating sound revealed the source. He jabbed his sword hilt against his side to keep from shoving people out of his way to reach Kat and beating Sir Luc senseless.

Then Alex saw him. The man’s golden curls were perfectly groomed and brushed his broad shoulders. Sir Luc smiled at Kat in mock chagrin. “I do not know how you convinced me to play chess with you. I have never beaten you. Not once.”

Kat smiled, her glance warm. “Don’t feel so bad, Luc. ’Tis a rare man who can beat me at chess.”

Alex bristled at the easy familiarity between them and rudely interrupted. “You were speaking of me, my love?”

Startled, Kat looked up. Her thick, elegantly arched brows dipped in disdain above her gray glare. “Pardon?”

“You said ’tis a rare man who can beat you. I agree and charge that I am your man to beat you…at chess. Care to wager on it?”

“Nay. Luc and I have not finished playing.” She looked down at the chess pieces as though contemplating her next move.

Alex bent down and placed his hand on her right shoulder, then with his left hand he moved her knight to checkmate Luc’s king. His lips brushed her ear as he whispered, “Your game is over.”

Kat jerked away and pressed her back against the wall. “Aye, I agree. I am through playing games. You will pardon me if—”

Alex smiled, but his patience had elapsed. He would not argue with Kat in front of Sir Luc. Knowing she would be unwilling to cause a scene, he hooked his arm through hers and tugged her up from the bench. Sir Luc, straddling the opposite bench, rose up as though he intended to intervene.

Alex warned him with a fierce look. “Sir Luc, pardon us. I wish to speak with my
wife
. Alone.”

After a short pause, his expression bleak, the knight bowed and returned to his seat.

Naught was private at court. Alex was aware all along of the interest of those near enough to hear their exchange. For that reason, he smiled and nodded at acquaintances as he led Kat sedately through the chamber and out the door past the guards. The moment they were alone in the corridor, her pleasant expression disappeared and she jerked her arm free.

Crossing her arms, she glared at him. The sconce’s flames flickered over her high cheekbones and long, slender nose. And her gray eyes glowed silver. “I am going nowhere with you, Alex. State your business and be gone. I intend to return to the chamber anon.”

“What I wish to discuss is not for public consumption.”

“Well, I don’t care what you want. I’m going back inside.” She turned and reached for the latch, but Alex grabbed her arm and spun her around.

He held her pressed to his body and lowered his voice. “We have a bargain, you and I. Until that time elapses, you are bound to spend time in my company, at the time of my choosing, as long as it does not conflict with your duties to the queen. Now are you going to come with me willingly? Or must I resort to force?”

It was too much. The hurt rage Kat bottled up since Alex rode off with Lydia that afternoon exploded with frightening force. One instant Kat was held immobile against his powerful body, the next she drew her dagger from her boot and pressed the lethal blade against his belly.

Alex tensed and his blue eyes darkened the color of midnight. “What do you think you are doing?” he growled beneath his breath.

She pressed the dagger closer. “Release me. Now.”

Alex swore low and long. “Have you lost your wits? What do you intend to do with that thing? Are you prepared to use it?”

Kat dug the blade into his tender flesh. “Aye. Care to test me?”

He did not respond, just glared down at her impotently.

“Now release my arm and back up, slowly.” When he did, she said, “Turn around and put your hands behind your back.”

Alex obeyed, though with a fierce scowl. “What are you going to do? Someone can come upon us at any moment.”

“Since you are so fond of using your superior strength to get your way, I believe ’tis time you see how it feels to be powerless and at the mercy of another.

“Now, walk. No sudden moves, mind you.”

“Where are we going?”

Kat kept a safe distance behind him, prepared should he decide to attack. “Oh, I merely wish to give you some time to contemplate the error of your ways. Mayhap next time you shall consider the consequences of your bullying.”

She stared at the back of his head—the light from the hall sconces struck his black hair with blue sparks, enthralling her.

“Aye, consequences. Just be prepared. You shall have a few of your own to contend with after the doing of this deed. I shall see to it.” His voice vibrated with lethal promise.

Kat shivered involuntarily. “Turn right, here. Slowly!” They turned down a narrow passageway rarely used by guests. At the end was a cupboard for the personal linens of the king and queen. As lady-in-waiting, Kat carried one of the keys to the small room on her girdle. Lady Lynette, who had the other key, would get quite a surprise when she opened it to retrieve sheets to make the royal beds later that evening.

“Stop. There is a door on the right.” Kat pressed the dagger against his back. “Stick your face against the wall beside it.” Kat retrieved her key with her left hand, unlocked the door and shoved it open. She backed up and ordered him inside.

But quicker than she could blink, he spun around and grabbed her wrist in a hard grip. Fire shot through her wrist bone. She screamed and dropped the dagger. Spinning her so her back was to his chest, Alex covered her mouth with his other hand and dragged her into the cupboard.

She kicked and flailed about, her fist hit him in the head, and her foot connected with a knee. Alex cursed. He tried to imprison her arms, but desperation lent her powerful motivation; she wiggled about like an eel and slipped his net again and again. The momentum of her struggles slammed him into the shelves stocked with linens, which scattered to pile upon the floor.

“Damn it, you little spitfire. Cease fighting me and I will release you.” Kat did not trust him and continued her struggles.

In answer, Alex shoved her down on the pile of linens, muffling her curses. Then he collapsed on top of her, a hot ridge of flesh prodding her hip. She lay there stunned and disbelieving, unable to move. How had he so handily turned the tables on her? So close to achieving her goal, she had not counted on becoming ensnared in her own trap.

While Kat and Alex were occupied in the linen closet, another secret, more sinister conversation was taking place.

“I see you are making some progress,” said the first of two men.

Luc shrugged at his companion’s comment. “’Tis not a difficult task.”

The first man laughed evilly. “Indeed. I, too, have made some progress in our endeavor. But, unlike me, you don’t appear pleased with our success.”

“I just…I am having doubts about my part in this affair.”

“Why these sudden doubts?” the first man asked angrily. “Need I must remind you of what you will gain when our plan succeeds?”

“Nay, ’tis all I can think about,” Luc said, impassioned.

“Then hold the course, and you shall have everything you desire.”

“I know. I’m just weary of the enterprise.”

The first man’s face contorted swiftly, becoming ugly. “You are weary?” he spat, grabbing Luc’s tunic, his face red, “You fool. I have waited and plotted for too long for you to back out now. This is only the beginning of my plans for revenge. Certes, and I will
not
let you destroy everything because you have suddenly found your conscience.”

“Get your hands off me,” Luc said and shoved the other away like a dirty peasant. Luc smoothed the wrinkles in his silk tunic. “I have no intention of backing out of the plan. But just do not expect me to take pleasure in what we do. I am doing this for her, and only for her—so we can be together at last.”

Luc listened as the blond man spoke of revenge, disgusted by the vermin standing before him, but more so with himself. He had once been an honorable man. But his obsession with one woman had changed all that.

The cupboard was incredibly dark inside. Kat’s senses became very acute as Alex’s heavy weight pressed her into her bed of linens. His warm breath panted in her ear. The linen nap chapping her cheek, she inhaled his masculine scent of sandalwood and sweat.

“You are the most stubborn, wayward, hot-headed—”

“I thank you for the compliment. Now release me, you big ox.”

“So now you wish to be cooperative?”

She shivered at the silken caress of his lips against her ear. “Nay. I want naught to do with you. Except for you to get off me. I cannot breathe.”

She was astounded when Alex rolled off her and plopped down on his back beside her. Suspicious of his easy compliance, she turned over onto her back, cradling her throbbing wrist on her chest, and braced for some sort of trick. Though tender, her wrist was not injured and as moments passed she began to relax.

Alex shifted onto his side and with infinite gentleness he lifted her hand off her chest. The movement was not awkward, and she marveled at his unerring perception. She could not see her own hand in the dark. He kissed her sore wrist, surprising her. “Does it hurt too terribly? Forgive me, Kat. I did not mean to hurt you.”

She was hot. A bead of sweat rolled down her temple and their breaths intermingled. The dark created an intimacy that felt much too comfortable for Kat’s peace of mind.

She pulled her hand free. “What
do
you intend, then?”

“Pardon?”

“What do you intend to do with me now? What new scheme have you devised to bend me to your will?”

Kat heard Alex shrug. “I merely want to speak with you.”

“Nay. I do not trust your sudden change in attitude. I threatened you with a dagger and was going to lock you in the cupboard. ’Tis unlike you not to retaliate.”

“Aye, ’tis true, but something you said changed my mind.”

“It did?” she asked in a bewildered voice.

“You said you wished me to know ‘how it feels to be powerless and at the mercy of another.’ But I, of all people, understand how it feels to be powerless. My captors taught me that lesson most thoroughly. For that reason, I should have realized how my behavior made you feel. That I did not, shames me.”

Kat grimaced as it finally sunk in what she had been about to do. Alex had suffered years of imprisonment and she had planned to lock him in a dark, confined space for several hours. No wonder he had struck her with such force. Since he kept his pain well hidden behind a stoic façade, she tended to forget the invisible scars he must carry around with him every day. She would never know to what extent his captivity had altered him.

Kat cleared her throat nervously. “Now I must apologize. I didn’t think how my actions might cause you distress. You always appear so strong, I forget how much you must have suffered.”

Though he did not respond, Alex exhaled a deep breath. Tension rippled across her flesh. His hand brushed hers at her side. Unnerved, she sat up to rise, but he caught her hand.

“Wait a moment, if you would. I wish to speak to you about a matter of utmost importance.”

“Can it not wait until later? We should leave before someone discovers us in the linen cupboard. I need to dress for supper.”

“Nay. It can’t wait. I need to know what happened out there today on the hunt. ’Tis imperative you tell me your version of events.”

Kat jerked her hand free and stood up, planting her hands on her hips. Alex rose, too. “Why? I need not defend my actions to you. Nor would it matter, you are too besotted with Lydia to ever believe she would deceive you.”

“So you contend that she lied to me?”

“Aye…nay…what I mean is that I shall not defend myself to a man who believes me capable of malicious intent. How do you think it makes me feel knowing you believe Lydia can do no wrong, while you believe such of me? Give me one reason why I should trust you.”

“I know I have given you no reason to trust me in the past, Kat, but I know you would harm no one unless provoked. Also, I believe Lydia lied to me. Long have I been blind, but now the veil has been lifted and I can see more clearly.”

Although she did not see him move, whisper-soft fingers caressed her jaw. She sensed his overpowering presence in the light touch, his irregular breathing, his masculine scent that filled her nostrils. Kat tried to resist the growing attraction, but the compelling intimacy of the moment held her in thrall.

His coaxing voice reached out to her in the dark. “Will you not tell me the truth?”

Think of it as a test, she thought desperately. If he did not believe her, Kat would know once and for all whether Lydia still held Alex in her spell. But what if he did believe her? Free of Lydia’s corrupting influence, might Alex come to love her someday?

Her decision made, she nodded and stepped back. Away from his disturbing touch.

“Kat?”

“During the hunt, I kept myself apart from the rest of the ladies. When we stopped at the clearing, Lydia approached me. She did strike up a conversation, but she immediately proceeded to insult me and I responded in kind.” Kat colored, remembering her licentious boasts. “Lydia became incensed. When she spun her horse around to rejoin the ladies, she purposely snapped her reins against Lightning’s muzzle. I believe she intended my mare to bolt or throw me, thus humiliating me in the process. But I was expecting her to retaliate, and easily brought Lightning under control.”

“And that was when you pushed her.”

“Aye. I was furious. I can withstand her insults, but no one harms my horse!”

Alex closed the gap between them. Kat bumped into the door behind her, stepping on something hard and flat.

He leaned down, his breath an airy caress. “My fierce lady warrior,” Alex rasped, the words a compliment. Warmth unfurled inside her and spread its wings like a bird in flight. Her heart soared.

His warm, sensual lips covered hers, and her mouth parted without hesitation. Their tongues entwined, exploring one another with agonizing thoroughness. Kisses soft and coaxing one moment, fierce the next. Alex clutched her tighter, a ragged groan torn from his throat.

The brooch that closed the neck of her tunic must have fallen off, for his hand slipped through the opening. His fingers swept across the upper curve of her breast, teasing and taunting her. She melted against the door, her reservations forgotten in the heat of the moment.

Then his calloused hand cupped her breast. He squeezed the heavy weight, brushing his fingers over the distended tip. She moaned and arched up into his caress, pressing her enflamed nipple against his palm, craving relief. Alex groaned in satisfaction, his lips blazing a moist path down her bared throat—an offering freely given—then trailing lower still.

He raised her breast up to his seeking mouth, while his other hand clutched her rear and pressed her against his hot, hard member. Kat sucked in a deep breath, waiting in anticipation, feeling each beat of her heart as he came ever closer, until…hot breath bathed her erect bud.

Someone shoved on the door behind her.

Kat nearly gasped, but Alex covered her lips with his fingers. “Shh.” He braced his hands on the door as it was jarred more forcefully. Angry grumbling came from outside, then retreating footsteps. Kat expelled her held breath.

They had come so close to being discovered in a linen cupboard. How humiliating that would have been. Kat stepped away from Alex. Her hand shook when she brushed back a stray wisp of hair that came free from her veil. She had nearly succumbed to passion, but no matter how thrilling Alex’s lovemaking, she could not let herself get carried away.

But a part of her that wanted to love and be loved in return wondered: What if Alex truly regretted his abandonment of her years ago? What if he did love her and wished to be a devoted husband? Could she let go of her dream so easily?

“We should be away.” Alex opened the door to peer out.

Light speared the interior of the room, illuminating the linens scattered across the floor. Amid them she found her brooch and pinned it to her bodice. When she turned to Alex at last, he held her dagger in his hand. Flipping it over, he handed it to her hilt first, his brow quirked in self-mockery. Her eyes wide, she took it and sheathed it inside her boot.

Alex held his hand out to her palm up, his blue gaze expectant. She hesitated for one moment, before she placed her hand in his. Then without a word they exited the linen strewn cupboard together.

After supper, Kat entered her apartments and made for the bedchamber, the glow from the fire lighting her way.

“Care to share a cup of claret with me before you retire?”

Kat turned to Alex, surprised. Usually she was long asleep before he retired to their chambers. He sat in the shadows at the table along the wall opposite the fire. A flagon of wine at his elbow, the chessboard was set up before him as though he had been playing someone.

Kat crossed her arms, one eyebrow raised. “What are you doing sitting in the dark, Alex? Surely you are not playing chess?”

Alex shrugged. His chest muscles flexed beneath the linen sherte he wore, the fabric straining with the movement. “To keep my mind occupied while in prison, I played chess against myself. I did not have the implements to do so and instead visualized the moves. So I am accustomed to playing in the dark.”

That explained his unerring perception in the pitch-black cupboard earlier today. But Kat was disturbed by his glib reference to his horrific ordeal. His eyes held hers, dark and compelling.

Kat hesitated. She did not trust herself alone with Alex. The walls she had built around her heart were weakening, softening towards him, the pull of his magnetism a powerful force. But this was the perfect opportunity to learn more about his time in captivity. Every time she questioned him, he found a way to provoke her and avoid delving into his painful memories.

“What happened to you, Alex? In prison, I mean. You say you want to be a true husband. But you refuse to confide in me.”

Alex shoved his chair back, the legs scraping loudly, and stood up. The shrill sound echoed in his ears like the cries of the tortured souls who had lived and died Saracen captives. His memories were painfully near the surface this eve; he feared what he would reveal.

But this time he could not ignore the hurt in her voice. “Why, Kat? Why is it so important for you to know what happened to me? Can you not leave well enough alone?”

Her eyes held naught but compassion. “I’m your wife. I need to know what happened to you, Alex. Your experience in prison is a part of you I know naught about. And mayhap in the telling, I can share your pain and ease the burden of your memories.”

Choked with emotion, Alex could not speak at first. He had betrayed this woman in the most despicable way, but she still found it in her heart to try to comfort him and ease his pain. He was grateful God had given him this second chance. And prayed Kat would forgive him in time.

Clearing his throat, Alex began. She listened in grim silence while he told her of his attack and subsequent imprisonment. He left out any mention of Scarface. He told her how after he was released from the oubliette, he was one of many Christian slaves who by day drudged away hauling rock quarried from a defensive ditch around their prison fortress, and then at night were returned to their cells, until the next day dawned.

“In order to prevent an uprising or escape, we were not allowed to speak our own tongues. We could only speak the Kipchak language of the ruling Mamluks. And, of course, few could speak it. Still, when I first arrived, I tried to explain to the guards that I was a knight and could pay ransom. But all attempts were met with floggings.

“From dawn to dusk we carried the quarried building stones to various sites on the castle ward. There was always a wall to be repaired or a tower to be constructed. The work was relentless and grueling, and guards whipped any laborer who moved at a slack pace. Only the strongest survived the backbreaking toil and many just fell dead where they stood from heat and hunger.”

He moved jerkily to stand before the fireplace and braced his clenched fist against the stone hood above. Images of dead men flashed across his vision as he stared into the flames.

His voice low, tortured, he continued. “Overworked and underfed, the men died slow and torturous deaths, while their bodies withered away leaving naught but bone and little flesh.

“Corpses were stripped naked and tossed one upon another in mass graves. The task carried out by prison burial details. No prisoner escaped this duty.”