Читать книгу The Captive Bride - Susan Paul Spencer - Страница 10

The battle for Lomas was a brief one, in part because it came without warning—so shortly after Sir William had departed—taking Lady Katharine by surprise, and in part because it was so well—executed that none of the men—atarms had a chance to obey their mistress when she gave the order to defend the castle. Still, Senet admired the effort those same men had put forth before being subdued. Lady Katharine might know little about keeping a castle safe at all times, but she clearly possessed enough intelligence to make certain of the loyalty of those beneath her hand.

No one was killed, a fact for which Senet was fully grateful. Kayne had spoken truly—they were all weary of killing. Ten years of it was sufficient for any man. Kayne, especially, was near the edge of enough.

The fighting men of Lomas were corralled in the inner bailey, looking about in a bewildered way at the smaller force that had so readily bested them. It was proof once again of how invaluable John’s remarkable skill in memorizing exact details was. He’d shown them the way to steal into the castle without detection, his facile brain remembering each entrance as if he’d held a map in his hands. But it had ever been thus with John, since Senet had known him. Indeed, his own rescue from slavery had been made possible only because of John’s amazing skill.

Apart from their ease of entry into Lomas, there had been the actual fighting that had made the difference in their quick victory. Months it had been since he and Kayne and Aric had fought side by side, and yet it was as if it had merely been days. They each knew what the other would do and how he would act without having to think on it. It was what had given them such strength during all their years in France—an instinct that proved the difference between life and death. The small forces Duke Humphrey had lent Senet to aid in his conquest had merely filled in the missing spaces.

It was over now. Castle Lomas was in his hands again, at last, and Senet stood before the men of the castle and addressed them as rightful master.

“I am Senet Gaillard,”he said loudly enough for all to hear. “Some of you will remember my father, Ignace Gaillard, who was the lord of Lomas for many years before he was tried and executed as a traitor to England. I am his heir, and have proven myself loyal to the throne. The crown has therefore declared it right and fitting that I should regain the estate which my family held for four generations before it fell into disgrace. This is my inheritance, given by God and king, and I am your rightful lord. Any man among you who finds it impossible to vow his fealty to me may take his things and leave. Whoever stays will make his pledge of loyalty on the morrow, before the priest and Lady Katharine.”

“We have vowed fealty to Lady Katharine!”one of the men shouted, and the others murmured and nodded. “’Tis she whom we serve!”

Senet exchanged a brief look with Kayne, who shook his head. That soldiers should declare for a woman over a proven fighting man was almost beyond belief.

“And where is your lady, then?”Senet demanded. “I do not see her here, to guide or support you, or even to do her duty and make terms for you. Is this the woman you wish to serve?”

“I am here, Senet Gaillard.”

The strong but clearly female voice came from behind, and Senet turned to see the speaker standing on the arched walkway above him, gazing down into the bailey. Their eyes met and held, and he realized, with a distinct certainty, that he was looking upon his future wife. Lady Katharine.

His first thought—an unsettling one—was that she was going to prove a handful. There was a defiance in both her stance and expression that boded no good for either of them. His second thought, even more disturbing, was that she was an uncommonly beautiful woman, tall and elegant and admirably formed. Her eyes were green—he could see the vivid color even from the distance at which he stood, and her hair, which was partly covered by white silk, was a mixture of gold and red. The stubborn set of her lips detracted only slightly from what he perceived to be a heart—shaped face, delicate and lovely and fully at odds with the bold manner in which she held herself. She looked like more of a battle—ready Valkyrie than a soft female. But she wasn’t soft—she’d proven that time and again by her actions during the past two months—and it was a fact Senet knew he had best remember if he wished to master the woman. And he would master her. He had not thought, since he was a much younger man, that he would marry, but if he must do so, he would at least be lord of the union.

“Lady Katharine,”he said, inclining his head toward her slightly. “We are honored by your presence. Do you come to speak terms for your men?”

“For all of my people, aye,”she stated, and he noticed for the first time the three women standing behind her, each as unfriendly in their manner as she was. “Come to the great hall, Senet Gaillard,”Lady Katharine said curtly, making it a command, not an invitation. “I will receive you there.”

Chin high, she turned about and strode away, leaving everyone present with the clear impression that she yet held herself as the lady of the castle. Senet allowed the behavior for the moment. It was an insult to him as the new master of Lomas to be treated with such contemptshe’d not even deigned to address him by his knightly title—but he was the one who had time on his side. For Lady Katharine, both time and power had slipped away; Senet could afford to be generous if it would in any way soften her before their marriage. It was a false hope, perhaps, to strive for some measure of peace with his wife. It didn’t particularly matter if they remained enemies, but he would rather gain her willingness and friendship than forever be wary in her presence.

“Kayne, Aric,”he said, glancing at his friends. “Attend Lady Katharine with me in the hall and we will make our terms. John, go and fetch Clarise and escort her safely to the castle. Bring her to the hall as soon as may be.”

“God in Heaven,”Ariette murmured as she followed her mistress into the hall. “He’s even more handsome than rumored. Did you see his eyes? So blue and clear. I’ve never seen the like before.”

“And his hair!”Magan said, scurrying beside her. “Black as coal, and straight and fine as a woman’s. I couldn’t help but stare, though I tried not to.”

Katharine had made the same attempt, but had found it impossible. Senet Gaillard must have been fashioned by the very devil to appear as he did. His coloring alone made it impossible not to look at him; those icy blue eyes seemed almost inhuman against the black of his hair. But he was very much a real man. A real, large and muscular, thoroughly masculine man. She’d seen the intention in the expression that his handsome face had held. There was no softness in him whatever. He meant to give up nothing, to take what he wished. It was to be battle between them. He’d clearly understood it, just as he had clearly understood her open disdain for him and his men.

Lifting her sweeping skirts with a tight fist as she moved toward the great hall’s dais, Katharine said, “His eyes and hair have naught to do with the man. He is our enemy. Don’t let his outward appearance cause any of you to forget that. Has the missive gone out to Kieran?”

Dorothea nodded. “The messenger was able to get away before the fighting began—but only just. I fear he will not find Kieran FitzAllen in time. What if Sir Senet should demand that you marry him at once?”

With a graceful gesture, Katharine turned about and sat in the large, thronelike chair that had served as her father’s seat of judgment. “He may demand as he wishes, but it will avail him nothing. I do not intend to wed him. And I certainly do not intend to cede Lomas to him. At least not forever.”

She couldn’t lose Lomas. It was all she had, all she’d ever had that truly belonged to her. And she had managed both the land and the castle successfully, putting the full of herself—all of her heart—into the task. Her father had been Lord Lomas in name only, never having much interest in the details involved in maintaining such an estate, preferring instead to busy himself with the grandeur of his title and fortune. She was the one who had labored so hard on Lomas’s behalf. She was the one who had devoted her every waking hour—and hours when she might have been sleeping, too—to the welfare of the people who had lived beneath her father’s hand. She wasn’t going to give over all she’d striven for, or the people she’d striven for, to the son of a traitor.

The doors to the great hall opened and Sir Senet Gaillard walked through. He was yet dirty and sweat—soaked from the battle, and carried in one hand his sword and in the other his helmet, as if he were still ready to fight. He advanced toward her unsmiling, and Katharine felt a strange, unbidden clutching sensation in her heart, something akin to fear, she thought, although she wasn’t afraid of him in the least. She forced the odd feeling away and made herself meet his gaze directly. Walking behind him were two other men, one as blond and fair as day and the other as dark and formidable as Senet Gaillard was, though far less appealing in face.

They stopped directly before her. Senet Gaillard alone took one step closer.

“Lady Katharine,”he said, and again she felt that strange sensation thrumming deep within. “As you have seen fit to ignore the edicts of the king’s regents to receive us peacefully, I have come in the only manner left me. Having taken Castle Lomas by force and possessing it fully, I make my formal claim to the land, the castle and the title, as well as to all those people, moneys and chattel. belonging to them. Including,”he said more slowly, “yourself.”

What on earth was wrong with her? Katharine wondered. It was impossible that she would be affected simply because a man was so handsome. Indeed, she had known many men who were far fairer to gaze upon than Senet Gaillard, yet not one of them had produced as much as a quickened breath. The sight of Senet Gaillard, the sound of his voice, affected her horribly. Not only was her heart pounding in her chest, but she had somehow suddenly gone dumb. All of the biting words she would have said faded away. She struggled to speak, even to think of how to answer him, and felt utterly foolish.

He stood where he was, waiting, finally arching one eyebrow upward questioningly.

“Do you concede, my lady?”

“In the matter of the castle, I have little choice,”she said at last, striving to make her voice calm and steady. “You have taken it by force, without due consideration for any of my requests for peace. For the time being, I concede it to you. Howbeit, as I have already informed Duke Humphrey, I am betrothed to be married, and will honor the promise I have already given Lord Hanley in the matter of marriage. As I understand that you cannot attain Castle Lomas, the lands or title without a marriage between us, I have faith that you will find your rule here to be of very short duration. If such as that appeals to you, please be content to pursue your pretense until the day of the arrival of my worthy betrothed. After he has come, I pray you will leave Lomas peacefully and with respect for what the law holds as true in these matters.

“In the meantime, my ladies and I will abide abovestairs, out of your way. I ask that you and your men leave us unmolested, in peace and privacy, as your knightly vows will require of you. I appeal to your knightly status, as well, in your dealings with my people, including the servants of this castle, whom I demand be treated with forbearance and kindness. I will not take it lightly should one of them come to any harm while you play out the farce you have brought upon us. That is all I have to say.” She rose from the chair. “My ladies and I will leave you now to enjoy the temporary victory you have attained.”

“Nay,”Sir Senet said. “You will not go. I have heard you out, Lady Katharine. You will now allow me the same courtesy.”

“I allow you nothing,”Katharine told him coldly.

His somber gaze never wavered. “Then I will force you to it, my lady, if that is your preference.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You are truly your father’s son, Senet Gaillard. I had heard it was so. Is it your intention to rule Lomas with threats?”

“It is my intention to be lord here. The manner in which I rule will be determined, in large, by you, Lady Katharine. I have said that you will listen to me, and you will. I would prefer not to use force. Be seated again.”

Katharine lifted her chin. “Nay, I will stand. Speak what you must.”

He drew in a long, taut breath. Katharine could see a muscle twitching in the tight set of his beard—stubbled jaw.

“I would that you sit.”

Katharine strove to keep from fisting her hands. She was so filled with anger at the beastly man that she felt as if flames must surely be about to spout from the top of her head. How dare he speak to her as if she must obey him! She was the mistress of the castle, and he nothing better than a false usurper.

“My ears,”she replied tersely, “work just as well whether I sit or stand, Senet Gaillard.”One of his companions, the handsome, blond—headed man, cleared his throat in an obvious effort to keep from laughing. Senet Gaillard gave him a sharp, quelling look. Katharine straightened her shoulders to stand taller. “I am not so poor a maiden as to wilt beneath the force of your words, or those of any man. Speak, and then leave my ladies and me in peace.”

She thought she heard a weary sigh emanate from his stern mouth. He set the tip of his sword on the edge of his booted foot and relaxed his posture as if he were, indeed, most weary.

“Very well, Lady Katharine. I’ll speak to you plainly. Lord Hanley has been presumed dead these past two years, and your betrothal to him, in the eyes of the throne, the church and the law, is therefore made void. As the lord of Lomas, I have been commanded to take you as wife to make certain of your future, also to protect and keep you. We will wed on the morrow. I advise you to make yourself ready. The ceremony will be performed after morning mass. Afterward, your men will vow their fealty to me as their lord, and to you as their lord’s wife.”

Her heart began to beat more painfully in her chest, and Katharine lowered her gaze briefly, struggling to maintain at least an outward composure. The man clearly meant what he said, and looked fully capable of carrying out every word. If she showed the slightest weakness before him now, she’d be finished before she’d even started.

The doors to the great hall opened and several armed soldiers entered, followed by a tall, slender man whom Katharine had seen only hours before in the company of the king’s regent, Sir William, when he had come to deliver Duke Humphrey’s missive. She had assumed that he was one of Sir William’s men, but it was suddenly clear that he was one of Senet Gaillard’s minions. He approached the dais where Katharine sat, leading on his arm a young, very beautiful woman who appeared to be rather frightened by her surroundings. Senet Gaillard turned at the girl’s approach and reached out a hand to draw her near.

“Here you are, Clarise. Come. Don’t be afraid.”To Katharine he said, “Lady Katharine, I make known to you Mademoiselle Rouveau, a gentlewoman beneath my care. I desire that she be given an appropriate chamber and a maid to attend her needs. At once.”

Katharine didn’t think she’d ever been so angry in all her life, and trembled with rage.

“How pleasing your proposal is, Senet Gaillard. You speak of marriage in one breath and present your whore to me in the next! Do you dare to bring your leman here and ask me to take care of her? You may take yourself off to the devil, sir! You, your men and your woman with you!”It was bad enough that he had taken her castle by force and meant to take her by the same means, but to so openly humiliate her was beyond belief!

The beast only stood where he was, frowning at her in a calm, albeit bemused, manner.

“She is not my leman,”he said, “but a lady of gentle birth. I will not have her insulted or mistreated, certainly not by my own wife. While she lives beneath my hand, you will treat her with every respect.”

Katharine had had enough. She speared the frightened girl with a look of thorough disgust, almost gratified to see the shaking creature cringe behind Senet Gaillard’s muscular form.

“If I treat her to anything at all, Senet Gaillard, ‘twill be pity, for she appears to be much in need of it. Keep her out of my way if you wish her well.”

“I do not intend to do so,”he told her. “I mean to give her over into your care. You will do as I have said and make her comfortable here. It is your duty as my wife.”

“I am not your wife,”she said from between set teeth. God’s feet, but she hated the man! On the day he was thrown off of her lands she would give the biggest celebration Lomas had ever seen.

At that, he at last began to look aggravated. Lifting the tip of his sword from his boot, he took a step toward her.

“But you will be on the morrow,”he told her softly, for her ears alone. “I had hoped for matters to go well between us, Lady Katharine, to make a friend rather than an enemy of the woman I take to wife. That is still my desire. Is it yours?”

“What I desire,”she began hotly, “above all things, is for you to go to—”

“Because I should very much dislike having to bow you to obedience,”he interrupted smoothly, “and would advise that you instead offer it freely. You will not like the taming to be had at my hands, Lady Katharine. I promise you that. If you make peace with me, however, I equally promise that you shall never come to regret it. I repay honor with honor.”

“And dishonor with dishonor?”she asked tartly.

He inclined his head. “If that is the way you will have it. Either way, you will be my wife, and I will be the lord of Lomas.”

She was silent for a long moment, meeting his gaze fully. At last, her features softened, as did the posture with which she held herself. She lowered her lashes and attempted to look meek, although she was certain she had never felt the emotion before.

“Of course, my lord,”she said finally, keeping her voice low and feminine, purposefully deferential. “It will be as you say. I admit that I do not wish to marry you, or any man who is not of my choosing, but there is clearly no other course for me but to accept the situation. If you will but be patient in allowing me time to become used to the fate that has befallen me, I will consider it a great kindness. I have not been used to living beneath the command of any man.”She lifted her eyes to his. “Including my father. I have ruled here as mistress since I was but fourteen years. It is not my nature to be.obedient.”

He appeared to consider this, and at last gave a slight nod. “I do not desire a dog for a wife, nor a slave, but only for you to know that I will be master here. In every way. So long as you give me no cause to do otherwise, you will be treated by myself and my people with every respect due to the lady of the castle. Indeed, save that you will have a husband to answer to, I do not intend that your life at Lomas should change overmuch. I will be patient with you.”

“You are good, my lord,”she said, trying not to choke on the words. “I am most grateful. Forgive, I pray, the lack of welcome you have received at Lomas. I shall strive to remedy the situation at once. Be pleased to make yourself and your men comfortable.”With a hand she indicated the entire hall, where chairs and tables were available for many. “I shall instruct my captain of arms to answer to you directly.”

“He will answer to me as his lord,”Senet Gaillard stated.

“Yes,”said Katharine. “Of course. And I shall have my servants lay out food and drink sufficient to refresh your forces. As to your own comfort, my lord, a suitable chamber will be prepared.”

“The lord’s chamber will be made ready,”he corrected. “I will abide there.”

Katharine had to draw in a slow breath to maintain her appearance of calm. To think of such a man occupying the chamber next to her own renewed her outrage altogether. But when she spoke, the words were carefully polite and contained.

“It shall be as you have said, my lord. Give me but an hour, and I shall send a servant to escort you there.”

“There is no need.”He sounded almost amused. “I was born at Lomas, and remember very well where my father’s chamber is. Do you abide in the mistress’s chamber that adjoins it, my lady?”

She understood the intent that lay behind the question, and felt her skin heating. “Yes,”she replied tightly.

He regarded her steadily. “It is well. I will leave you now with the request that you see to Mademoiselle Rouveau’s needs directly. Her comfort is to be your utmost concern.”

Katharine’s jaw ached from the force with which she made herself keep silent. The tiny creature who was still cowering behind Senet Gaillard dared to peek up at her, revealing a face that was delicate and beautiful, hair that was the color of dark honey and eyes that were large and blue. Katharine felt like a clumsy, ugly giant before the girl’s dainty perfection.

“Certainly, my lord,”she said at last, even managing to smile at him. “You will be well pleased, I vow. Everything shall be just as you wish.”

He moved even nearer, and Katharine resisted the urge to step back. He was very tall, she noted, as well as muscular. He even made her feel small, which, considering her unfashionable height, was no simple feat.

“We will do well together, Lady Katharine,”he said softly, and she felt again that unbidden sensation deep in her belly. “I shall repay you tenfold for your kindness and obedience. I vow this before God.”Reaching out suddenly, he grasped her hand before she could pull it away. Lifting it slowly to his lips, he gently kissed her fingers, never moving his remarkable blue gaze from her face. “This marriage is not of our choosing, but we can make of it an agreeable union. You’ll never regret being my wife. I’ll make certain of it.”

He released her and turned away, striding out of the hall with his men at his heels, leaving Katharine staring at the place where he at last disappeared. Only the girl remained, standing some feet away and watching the women on the dais with such pathetic trembling that Katharine felt a reluctant leniency toward her.

A hand touched her arm, and Katharine turned. “What was that about?”Ariette whispered as Dorothea and Magan gathered close. “I’ve never seen you act so meek and mild before.”

Katharine smiled. “Pray God you never see such again,”she said in a low voice. “But I’ll do whatever I must to save Lomas, even if it is to act the fool. Don’t forget that it is the man I marry who will gain Lomas, not the man who merely takes it by force. If all goes well, I shall be a wedded woman within the week, but Senet Gaillard, for his every effort, will not be my husband.”

“But, my lady—!”

“Hush!”Katharine demanded in a whisper. “We cannot speak safely here. And there is much to prepare for. Come, let us play out this farce as long as we must to keep Senet Gaillard from discovering the truth.”With a welcoming smile fixed on her face, she turned again to face the waiting French girl. “Mademoiselle Rouveau, be pleased to come with my ladies and me.”Katharine began to descend the dais stairs. “You will be weary from your journey and desirous of rest.”She extended a hand to have the girl follow her. “Come. We will have you comfortable shortly, I vow.”