The Crimson Castle

by Samantha Holt

  It was with a confusing mixture of heady giddiness and desperation they met one afternoon while Tibald was busying himself with the accounts. Gabriel pulled Evelyn into one of the deep embrasures in the castle wall as she walked past, in truth hoping for a glimpse of him at weapons practice. She gasped as his hands came about her waist, tugging her into the dark recess lit only by a thin strip of light seeping in through the arrow loop cut into the wall.

  He burrowed his head under her mass of hair so he could taste at the soft skin of her neck and she pushed him away with a smile.

  “Gabriel, have you taken leave of your senses?”

  He growled as he pulled her close to him once more, her pliant body pressing against his own unforgiving one. “Aye, ‘tis you, Evie. I told you before of your bewitchment of me.”

  She looked around with concern as her hands played upon the fabric of his leather surcoat.

  “We shall be seen.”

  “I care not.” He dipped his head to hers, placing a teasing kiss upon her lips, and he was gratified to feel her soften against him.

  “‘Tis not the time for jesting.” Evelyn scolded him but belied her words with the brush of her hands up his arms until they tangled around his neck.

  “As you bid, my love.”

  He looked at her with the passion that he saved only for her and could not help notice the fear that lay behind her tantalizing smile. Cupping her face, his hands swept over her cheeks, his thumbs skimming down the curve of her nose, his fingers dancing upon her jawline as he strove to imprint the memory of her face in his mind. A memory of when she was his.

  Evelyn pressed her cheek against his hand, bringing her own up to wrap around the outside of his.

  “I will be married in two days,” she said sorrowfully as she avoided his gaze.

  Gabriel’s heart plummeted, the whimsy of their stolen moment truly spent at her quiet declaration.

  “Aye, that you will.”

  They had avoided all talk of the wedding, instead absorbed in their new found passion, both fearful of destroying the fragility of their short union.

  “And what of you?”

  “What of me?” Gabriel looked at her in puzzlement.

  “What will you do?”

  “I know not. Will you not leave, Evelyn, I beg of you?”

  “You know I will not.”

  “I do, but you cannot ask me to endure the sight of you wilting under Tibald’s rule.”

  “I am stronger than you think, Gabriel. ‘Tis you I fear for. You have been crushed under his hand. How will you continue to serve him when I am at his side? ‘Twill surely destroy you.”

  He could not help but smile at her words. How like Evelyn it was to worry for him rather than herself. But he had lived through this hell for many years and had toughened himself to it. Evelyn, he was convinced, would not fare so well. She had talked of his making an escape before; leading a new life somewhere, but how could he leave her alone in Tibald’s clutches? He also knew watching her slowly subdued by her new husband and being unable to do anything about it would break him.

  Evelyn interrupted his morose reverie. “Let us dwell not on these morbid thoughts. I have but two days to take my pleasure of you and I would not see them spoilt.”

  Gabriel could not help but laugh at her words and the beguiling naiveté behind them, for he was sure she had no notion of the sort of pleasures he wished he could share with her. He was still haunted by her apparition at night but the knowledge of the softness of her skin, the feel of her supple curves, the taste of her mouth, merely served to create a burning frustration as the visions became tantalizingly tangible yet just out of his grasp.

  “As you wish, my lady.”

  Reigning in his temptation, he laid a blistering kiss on her mouth in an attempt to brand himself upon her. For all the future may bring, he would at least treasure the knowledge that he had once held her esteem and he resolved to prove himself worthy of it.

  ***

  The red fortress became a hive of activity the day before the wedding. Servants and peasants alike seemed to revel in the excitement of the coming events. Evelyn’s heavy heart could barely tolerate the jollity that seemed to hang in the air and as Mary made the final adjustments to her gown, she began to sink into a stupor, watching the preparations with detachment.

  Mary left, leaving Evelyn in her wedding gown, the bodice seeming to grow tighter with every breath, imprisoning her aching heart. The creak of the door opening made her start and turn.

  Gabriel stepped into the room, his steps stilling as he viewed her in her gown. A look of appreciation flickered in his expression before being swiftly replaced with one so wretched it almost shattered her to her core.

  One swift step from him and another from her found them in each other’s arms, pressed together in a fierce embrace.

  “I am going to kill him, Evie.”

  She clung to him, eyes imploring. “Oh Gabriel, I pray you do not. You could be hung or killed. Allow me to do my duty, ‘tis for the best.”

  He turned his face away, avoiding the pleading look in her eyes. “Nay, I must. I would not leave you at the mercy of such a man. I would rather die than let that happen.” He looked back at her, fire in his eyes.

  Evelyn knew him well enough by now to know that there was nothing she could say but the thought of never seeing him again, of seeing him put to death before her, was more than she could bear.

  “Do not utter such a thought Gabriel. I will not hear it.”

  “Do you not understand? He will crush you; everything I love about you will be gone. Do not bid me to stand by and do naught, Evie.”

  His determination was clear, forcing her into silence. She wanted to pound her fists to his chest and beg for him to surrender his reckless scheme but the words would not come. She could see the resolution in his eyes. All she could do was grip at him tightly and rest her weary head against his chest.

  Gabriel knew she would ask him to forget his plans and he’d prepared himself for that. He was ready for her tears and her anger, but when she laid against him, the same look of resignation in her eyes, it almost broke him. He brought his lips down to the top of her head and inhaled her scent, weakening for a moment.

  Pulling himself up straight he steeled himself. This was the right thing to do. Evelyn would move on. She was strong and she had the love of her people to give her life meaning. As long as she was free from Lord Tibald’s claws, he could go to his death with a clear mind. He laughed to himself; maybe this would be enough to spare him in God’s eyes.

  Evelyn sensed the change in him, the sudden coldness, and pulled back to look at him. He would not meet her eyes. Before, she would have mistaken this for anger or hatred, but she knew now he was protecting himself, the way that he had always done. His anger had served as an impenetrable barrier for many years. They sprang apart as they heard the door squeak and Mary entered.

  “Sorry milady. I forgot your headdress…” She laid down the wreath of flowers on her clothes chest and, looking disconcertedly from her mistress to Gabriel, she crept out.

  “I must go. “ Gabriel turned to the door knowing he had already been away from the lord too long. He watched him like a hawk when he wasn’t filled up on wine and was already suspicious of any absence.

  “Will you come to me tonight?” Evelyn’s voice came out as a whisper, the grief she felt taking away any strength she had left in her body.

  Gabriel paused and gave a slight nod.

  Her door shut with a bang that seemed to reverberate down to her very soul and she sank to the floor as the she listened to his footsteps fading, what little spirit she had left yielding to the hopelessness of her situation.

  ***

  Many an hour she stood waiting, tension eating away at her, creating a gnawing ache in her belly. She mindlessly went through her evening ablutions, stripping down to her chemise, each sound causing her breath to catch, each footstep triggering an uneven beat within her chest.

/>   Eventually she lay on her bed, her body exhausted from the tensions of that day, and she drifted in and out of dream land. Visions of Gabriel fluttered through her mind with a hangman’s noose around his neck, not a single breath to be seen from his lifeless body, or being cut down by the lord’s knights, his dying cries resonating through her mind. She tried to go to his defence, to scream out, to do anything but she could not. She was powerless.

  Her overworked mind came out of its nightmares abruptly at the feel of a roughened touch on her arm. She sat up quickly and, before her sleep fogged mind could register what she was doing, she leapt into Gabriel’s arms.

  Gabriel pulled her roughly onto his lap as he was pushed down onto the bed by the weight of her body thrown onto his. A growl escaped his mouth as he registered the feel of her soft body under his hands with only a thin strip of material separating them. His fragile thread of self-control was close to snapping, having been tested as soon as he saw her stretched out on her bed in a slip of fabric. Gabriel pressed his lips to hers and she gasped at the intensity of the contact.

  He gripped her tightly as her hands wound around his neck in an attempt to pull herself more closely to him. As his tongue tasted hers, his hands worked up her body, brushing against her breasts. She gasped as a delicious sensation shot through her and she felt his body grow harder against hers. Gabriel’s thumb brushed against her hardened nipple and he released a groan as he relished the feel of her soft breasts.

  “Gabriel…” Evelyn gasped.

  He halted his movements, believing her to be warning him to stop. It took every ounce of willpower he had but he stilled his hands as he nipped at her lips. Death would be nothing compared the torture of having Evelyn in his hands but not being able to do anything with her.

  Disappointed by the loss of contact she pressed her breasts up against him, hoping to gain back some of that exquisite sensation. “Gabriel…I beg of you….”

  “Evie, you will be the death of me.” Regretting his choice of words at seeing her wince, he pulled away from her. “We know I have little restraint at the best of times.” He seized her hands as they pulled at his top while she continued her torturous wet, balmy kisses down his neck.

  “I have no wish for you to have restraint.”

  Gabriel froze and looked at her. “Evie…?”

  “Take me, Gabriel. Take me tonight,” she begged him, her wide eyes filled with a love that took his breath away. In his wildest dreams he had never imagined he would be worthy of a woman such as this.

  “Nay, I cannot. Evie, I cannot.” He hung his head, trying to hide his regret. There was nothing he wanted more than to take her in his arms and make her well and truly his. He felt an intense, primeval need to mark her as his property but he knew he could not. He glanced back up at her, registering the hurt and disappointment in her eyes and knowing he would have to explain.

  “Should I fail in the morrow-” he paused, the anguish filling her face distracting him, “If I fail,” he started again more resolutely, “Tibald will expect you in his bed and I know not how he will react if he knows he was not the first man to take you.”

  “I have no care, Gabriel.” She pulled herself tightly to him again, forcing him to look at her. “I cannot let you go without...” She blushed and averted her gaze from his intense look. “Do not ask me to consider a future without you if we cannot have but one night together.” She looked back up at him, a new determination set in her in face. She stared into his eyes daring him to deny her.

  “I wish not to place you in danger,” he muttered weakly, knowing he was lost already.

  If he took her tonight, he would not fail her tomorrow, he thought determinedly. He did not doubt his courage but so rarely had life given him what he wanted, he feared desperately that circumstances would rise up against him and the wrath Evelyn risked by giving herself to him was unthinkable. Spurred on by the demons in his mind, he pulled at her nightdress crushing her to him.

  They clung to each other in desperation, both sharing thoughts of love and loss, knowing they may never touch each other again. His hands rasped over her arms, her breasts and thighs as she tugged at his top, sliding her hands beneath the open collar. He hissed as her hands connected with his skin and left a burning sensation as they pulled away to tug once again at his shirt. Gabriel moved back, instantly mourning the loss of her body pushed up against his and pulled off his top in one swift movement.

  Evelyn marvelled at the sight of him. She had seen him like this several times now, and was well aware of how beautiful he was, but now she was allowed to touch him with such abandonment, he seemed even more glorious. She brushed her hands gently over the smooth planes of his chest, marvelling at his reaction to her. He closed his eyes and sighed while she gazed in amazement at the power she had over him.

  As if reading her thoughts, Gabriel rolled her over on to the bed and roughly placed her underneath him. His eyes gleamed at the sight of her, her hair streaming underneath her, her nipples poking proudly through the thin material of her chemise. His hands moved over her thighs pushing her nightdress higher until his fingertips brushed the tops of her thighs. She squirmed in anticipation, recognising the same satisfaction reflected in his eyes, knowing his touch affected her as much as it did him.

  Grabbing the waist of his chausses, she pulled him down onto her, enjoying the feel of his weight on top of her body. He kissed her forcefully before moving his mouth down her neck, working his way to her still confined breasts. He kissed at her nipples and finally put his mouth around one as she gasped and bucked against him. Her reaction threw away any last segment of control and he pulled at the hem of her chemise, pushing it up over her hips while still kissing at her breasts. Pulling away briefly to tear it over her head, he took in the sight of her.

  Evelyn had never felt so vulnerable yet so aroused in her life. She was surprised, however, when she met his eyes to see that same vulnerability in his gaze. Slowly he put a hand to her cheek and came down for a heart stopping kiss. More leisurely this time, he caressed her skin, paying attention to every part of her body, placing blistering kisses on her neck, her breasts, her inner thighs. His tongue brushed at her nipples and moved upwards, pausing to taste the dip of her collarbone before nipping at her ear.

  His skilled hands moved up to the juncture of her thighs, brushing against the delicate folds. Her face flushed with a mixture of passion and embarrassment and he kissed it away, trying to reassure her. She stiffened slightly as he rubbed his hand against her and slipped a finger inside.

  “Evie, I will be gentle. Trust me,” he whispered against her mouth.

  “I do,” she whispered back and knew in her heart she did.

  She had trusted this man with her life and now she trusted him with her body. Evelyn knew little of what to do in the marital bed, having lost her mother at a young age and having no-one but her brother and father to confide in, but she trusted Gabriel with all her heart. She opened her legs gently as he continued his ministrations and began to feel ripples of pleasure spread through her body. She gasped as he spread her wider and placed another finger inside. It felt so strange but so good. No longer in control of her body, she writhed against his hand and gripped at the sheets.

  Gabriel gazed at her in awe as he kissed her arching neck and whispered nonsensically in her ear. He always knew Evelyn was passionate but he had no idea she would react to him with as much fire as he felt for her. He felt her tighten around his fingers and he propped himself up on his elbow to watch the flush of pleasure fill her face while she convulsed as the blissfully decadent sensations shot through her.

  When the feelings subsided, Evelyn finally opened her eyes to see Gabriel watching her with that intensity that she so often caught in his face when looking at her. He leant down to kiss her again and then stood up. Misreading his intentions and fearing she had failed him in some way, she reached out to him.

  “Gabriel?”

  He smiled at her and began to peel down his c
hausses. She swallowed; realising the moment had come and she lay stiffly on the bed, unsure of what she should do next. Her eyes widened as he slipped off his braies and he stood before her. She had thought him glorious before but now he was truly magnificent. Frighteningly male, yet so unbearably beautiful, she reached out to him once more and he lowered himself down to her.

  Agonisingly slowly, he caressed her skin, handling her as if she might break under his touch. She felt the tip of his manhood nudge between the dampness of her legs and to her surprise her body pushed against it. Anticipation replaced fear as he pushed himself gently against her. He slipped in easily and she marvelled at the unfamiliar sensation.

  With one final push he claimed her as his. Evelyn bit her lip at the short moment of pain and Gabriel held her reassuringly, hearing her slight cry and cursing himself for being the source of her pain. He felt her begin to relax and he moved against her, slowly at first and then with increasing passion as she responded to each of his thrusts.

  Her hands gripped at his body, digging into him as he took them to new heights of pleasure, tracing the curve of his spine and clutching at his buttocks as they moved in unison, panting and crying out. Locking her eyes on his, she tensed against him and he recognised her second climax as she called his name. It threw him over the edge and with one final push he made her well and truly his, the release so exquisite it shuddered through them both.

  “I love you,” she whispered in his ear as they lay still joined, gasping for air.

  Gabriel laid his forehead on hers and closed his eyes, so grateful to hear those words before he went to his death.

  ***

  It took them both a while to fall asleep that night, unwilling to miss out on a single precious moment together, knowing it to be their last. They remained entwined, stroking, kissing and absorbing every part of each other until eventually exhaustion mingled with pure satisfaction overcame them both and they dropped into slumber, still tangled with one another.