He would send a clear message to both that they would not soon forget.
Eleanor’s heart raced from fear and the need to put the castle as far behind her as possible before anyone discovered she was gone. Any moment she expected to hear Godwin’s warning bell, letting people know she was missing.
A hawk flew overhead, screeching loudly as if it had found a rat or a plump field mouse. Shading her eyes, she watched it land in a nearby tree then call once again. Strange behavior for a bird.
“Your imagination is running away with you, Eleanor,” she told herself. “It’s nothing more than a bird sitting in a tree.”
She hurried on her way toward the forest.
The soft wind blew against her back, and the sound of thunder rode with it. Eleanor looked up into the bright blue sky. Despite no clouds in sight, the sound grew louder.
Horses! Her skin prickled, and choking fear nearly took her breath away. She looked around. No place to hide. Self-preservation started her running. Picking up her skirts, she jumped over rocks and small shrubs. The bag she had slung over her shoulder bounced with every move, pulling at her neck and forcing her to hold it down with one arm. It restricted her ability to gain momentum.
The hoof beats drew closer. Her lungs began to burn from exertion, and she developed a stitch in her side, slowing her down. As hard as she tried, her muscles refused to keep up such a pace for long.
Reason finally came over her, and Eleanor stopped in the middle of the meadow. Bending over, she took deep breaths to ease the pain in her side and swallowed down the rawness in her throat. When she was capable of breathing normally, she stood straight and turned toward her pursuers.
Immediately she recognized the dark giant leading his army toward her. She planted her feet and, swallowing her fear, clenched her teeth and awaited the wrath about to fall upon her.
Dominick reined in his horse a few feet from her, his expression one any enemy would fear. Vapor escaped his horse’s flaring nostrils, making it appear as though it were a demon from the underworld. Soldiers surrounded her in a tight circle.
She looked up into the dark eyes of the man who held her fate. The legends were true. His eyes held no mercy as he looked down at her, yet she wouldn’t turn away. She wouldn’t be a coward and vowed no man would see her fear—ever.
A whistle broke the silence between them. The hawk she’d seen sitting in the tree flew to the outstretched arm of one of Dominick’s men. He whistled once more, and the bird took flight again, heading toward the forest.
However, she had little time to ponder the uncanny relationship between the man and his animal, or the handful of men that rode toward the forest.
Dominick’s chainmail clinked when he dismounted. As his feet hit the ground, he drew his sword.
Her knees nearly buckled, and involuntarily she took two steps back. Slowly, he approached. She stood her ground, not allowing herself to move as he stopped only inches away, forcing her to look up at him.
He grasped the strap of her bag where it crossed her chest. She was sure he could feel her heart pounding against her ribs.
“Did you really think to escape me, Eleanor? To defy the king’s order?” His voice was deceptively calm.
Near hysteria, she tried to struggle away. “I won’t do this. I won’t become your wife.”
His hand tightened in a fist around the strap, pulling her closer. “You have no choice. The king has ordered us to marry, and his order will be done.” His voice remained calm. “It’s treason to do otherwise.”
Anger took over her reason. It bubbled from her stomach and exploded through her arms, as she shoved Dominick hard to back him away from her. It was like pushing a stone wall, yet she turned her fury on him like a brush fire.
“Damned be the king’s orders and damn you. I will not marry you or any other man that walks this Earth. If it’s treason I commit, then strike me down with your sword, for I will never—do you hear me, great knight—never live in fear again.” Her chest heaved with the force of her anger.
He stood silently a moment, his eyes never leaving hers as he released the strap that held her bag and slowly raised his sword to her chest, its tip rested over her heart.
Eleanor could barely breathe. Her last moment on Earth had come. Dominick wore the mask of intolerance.
The muscles in Dominick’s jaw moved when he clenched his teeth. Then he lowered his sword. A growl escaped from the back of his throat. He grabbed her arm tightly and walked her to the middle of the clearing. With her arm still in his grasp, he thrust his sword into the ground. The gritty sound of metal hitting rock as it pierced the earth set Eleanor’s teeth on edge. He pulled her to her knees before the sword that now formed a cross with its hilt.
“Place your hand on the sword, Eleanor.” She hesitated for a moment. “Now!” His voice boomed, sending the birds from the trees.
”No!” she screamed.
“If you don’t agree, my men and I will leave. You will have to deal with McPhearson on your own, and your people will suffer. Possibly more than they have already. Is that the price you’re willing to pay for your stubbornness?”
Her decision was made in three breaths. Her hand shook as she wrapped her fingers around the hilt, still warm from his grasp. He sank to his knees in front of her, placing his hand over hers, completely engulfing it.
“Swear on this sword that you will never leave Godwin or me again. Vow to me now.”
She glared back at him. “You’re the devil’s own.”
“Don’t forget what I’m capable of. Now swear it.” His hand tightened slightly, putting pressure around hers, but not enough to cause pain.
“You have my word. I will never leave Godwin again.” Conviction settled in her heart. “But know this, a meek wife you will never have. I may surrender my land and my life to this marriage, but I will never surrender my heart.”
They both rose from their knees. “It’s not your heart I seek. My liege has given me a command, and it will be obeyed. Unlike you, I don’t betray my king.”
“Any mindless beast can follow orders. I know you’re a beast, but are you mindless as well?”
His fists clenched tight at his sides. Anger flared in his eyes. The urge to step out of striking distance encompassed her, but she stood still. Moments passed between them, yet the blow she’d expected never came. Instead, the merciless warrior of legend pulled his sword out of the ground.
When he faced her again, a ball of dread settled in Eleanor’s chest. The storm of anger that crossed his face froze her where she stood. It was not until he sheathed the sword that she let out a breath of relief.
Striding to his great steed, he mounted and sat rigidly, his chest heaving. When he suddenly moved his horse toward her, she instinctively tried to step out of its path, but couldn’t before Dominick scooped her up in his arms and planted her firmly on the saddle in front of him.
His men broke the circle around them.
“Ha!” he shouted to the horse, spurring it to breakneck speed toward Godwin.
Rage nearly blinded Dominick. Never had anyone talked to him in such a manner. To call him mindless was beyond comprehension. And when Eleanor’s eyes filled with smoldering hate and deception, the desire to force her compliance had swelled inside his mind.
Riding toward Godwin he knew he was holding her too tightly, but it was either that or give in to the desire to throttle her. Instead he chose a breakneck ride to spend the tempest raging within him. The sound of Aries’ hooves pounding the ground beneath them kept in time with the pounding in his ears.
He bent his body low, forcing her down in the saddle. Her small hands gripped Aries’ mane, even though there was little chance of her falling off since Dominick had a death grip around her waist. Soft tendrils of hair brushed his cheek, yet he was too angry to care.
She would do as the king ordered and he would see it done.
He couldn’t douse the angry fire that blazed within him. Once inside the bailey wal
ls, Dominick dismounted with Eleanor in tow toward the chapel.
The priest was already waiting.
“I want Martha, my maid,” Eleanor said as she stubbornly stuck her chin out.
Relieved that Eleanor was cooperating, he turned to one of his soldiers. “Bring her maid to the chapel.”
At the arrival of Martha there was a commotion outside as a man tried to break through the crowd of soldiers.
“Who is that?”
Eleanor looked to the back of the church. “Martha’s husband. They are both like family to me.”
Dominick turned to his men. “Let him in.” The man burst forward and pulled Martha into his arms.
Dominick’s anger finally began to cool as he watched the couple hold one another. He looked back at Eleanor. He would never know that kind of love. The woman who stood before him burned with hatred. And yet for a moment as she watched her servants, he saw something in her eyes. Love. Love for the two people that were arm in arm.
A longing came over him. For a heartbeat he wished she would look at him that way. But when she turned back toward him, he saw only an expression of contempt. Unwilling to look on such abhorrence again, he turned her toward the altar.
They knelt while the priest administered the service, each speaking their vows almost inaudibly.
Finally, it was over and he placed the ring on her small hand. He’d had it made just before he left to fulfill the king’s decree. It was a ruby set in a gold band with two ivies circling the stone, meeting as one, a symbol of their union. Dominick felt an ironic laugh in the back of his throat. He hadn’t imagined a union such as this.
It was time to kiss the bride. Eleanor looked as though she would rather be slapped than kissed by him. He lowered his head and gently pressed his lips to hers. She didn’t back away as he had expected she would. Her lips were soft and warm, and he was tempted to deepen the kiss, but knowing how she felt about him, he quietly pulled away.
She looked at him in surprise, but it was gone in an instant, replaced with a mask of indifference. He was relieved it wasn’t the animosity he expected. Letting his hands drop from her, he looked back at the small congregation of witnesses.
His brother didn’t look like a well-wisher. He didn’t understand the reason for following William’s orders. Dominick wasn’t completely sure himself. He only knew he was weary of war, weary of wandering and desired to plant his feet in one place.
“I would never have left your land and its people unprotected.”
“What do you mean?”
“I would never sacrifice innocent people to be slaughtered by men like McPhearson.”
“You made me believe that you would, just to gain my land?”
"No, Eleanor, to gain your cooperation. It was a means to an end,” he said, as he walked out of the chapel.
Chapter Four
Eleanor was stunned into silence, her emotions a mixture of relief and anger. Anger won out. The threat of McPhearson returning to pillage her land had been a ploy to gain her cooperation. Dominick had manipulated her, and that was unforgivable.
Eleanor ran to Martha. The two women held each other tightly.
Martha touched her face. “Learn from this, Eleanor. Don’t anger your new husband further. Tread lightly, my love.”
“I promise, I will be more careful.” Eleanor felt the energy drain from her body and sat down in a nearby pew.
“You need to rest, my lady. You have had quite an ordeal. Zenon will take you to your room, and I will bring you a nice hot cup of tea.”
“That isn’t necessary. I’ll be all right.”
“Don’t argue. I insist you rest for a while. There is nothing that needs to be done which can’t wait.” Martha gently pushed Eleanor toward Zenon’s open arms. “Zenon, please, make sure she gets to her room undisturbed. I will be up shortly.”
“I will.” His hand reached out to his wife. “Will you be all right?"
“I will be fine. We have weathered worse.”
Finally, Eleanor was alone in her chambers and had a moment to think. A fierce warrior of legend was now her husband. She wanted to cry. But what good would come of it? There was no way out. She was a prisoner of fate. Her life now lay in the hands of a powerful soldier she knew would try to bend her to his will.
The memory of her mother surfaced in her mind. Looking down at her wedding ring solidified her resolve. Never again would she be forced to do Dominick’s bidding. Despite what his lordship might think, her life was her own. She need do nothing more. Nothing more. As far as she was concerned she had fulfilled the king’s order.
With her conviction clear in her head and in her heart, she went to the window seat to watch the sun rise higher in the sky. It caressed her face and the birds flew on the currents of the wind. She was lulled quietly to sleep.
Dominick wasted no time surveying the castle and the surrounding area to estimate how much damaged McPhearson had done. He stared at the charcoal remains of the stables. This would be rebuilt first, as the heavy spring rains were soon to come. He needed a place to house the horses. The castle roof had large, visible holes, and he suspected all types of birds and other vermin now resided under the few shingles that remained.
The extent of ruin Godwin had fallen to puzzled him. Clearly, the previous lord had let his castle suffer years of neglect.
But it was now his castle and his land. He would make it the home he had always longed for. Home. As many times as he said it to himself, it didn’t seem real. Godwin was his. Before the king’s command, he could never have imagined being a landowner. He breathed in the scent of the salty sea beyond the cliffs and committed it to memory.
It would take time before he could feel that Godwin was truly his own. Maybe by the end of spring, when seeds he had planted with his own hands began to grow and sheep grazed in the meadows, he would feel his life take root.
Eleanor was an intricate part of his dream. Despite what he said in the meadow, having a wife that loved him was important. It had been his dream for many years, and he couldn’t give up on any part of that dream, for without it he would never be truly whole.
Could he win his young bride’s heart? Dominick let out a great sigh. He’d fought so many battles, and yet it seemed he had to fight one more.
The sounds of supply wagons noisily rolled into the bailey. The bleating of goats and sheep being herded behind them brought Dominick out of his thoughts. He turned to direct the unloading of the wagons.
Bags of grain, enough to feed two armies through a bitter winter were unloaded and sent to the newly-repaired granary. Temporary pens had been built to corral the animals, and rubble from the stable’s charred remains was carried away. For the next few hours a cacophony of activity filled the air as the castle was put to temporary order.
Outside the bailey walls later that afternoon Dominick greeted the return of the four men he had sent to hunt game for the wedding feast. They brought plenty of deer, fish and fowl for the evening.
As Dominick inspected the outer portcullis wall to take inventory of needed repairs something captured his attention from the corner of his eye. Eleanor stood at the edge of the cliff at the far corner of the bailey.
His heart hammered against his chest as he broke into a flat out run to get to her before she fell.
But he was too late. “Eleanor, no!”
She looked at him with sad eyes then fell over the ledge.
He ran to the spot from where she had fallen and leaned over the side to look where she should have landed.
There was no body smashed against the rocks.
Frantic, he called her name again then turned at the sound of footsteps running up behind him.
“Dominick! What in God’s name are you doing?”
Randolf pulled him back from the cliff’s edge. Both landed hard on the ground, knocking the air out of Dominick.
He felt his stomach rolling, wild with fear. “Didn’t you see her? Didn’t you see Eleanor fall over the cliff?�
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“I saw no one on these cliffs except you.”
“Damn it, I saw her. . . Come with me.”
Dominick returned to the castle in a full run with Randolf right behind and grabbed the first servant he came upon.
“Lady Eleanor, where is she?”
The maid was visibly startled. “I believe she is with Martha, my lord.”
“Where would I find Martha?” he asked impatiently.
“Follow the north corridor—the third door on the left.”
Dominick ran through the hallway shouting Eleanor’s name. He stopped short when he saw her step through her servant’s doorway. Without thinking he put his hands on her shoulders then gently touched the side of her face. He had to make sure she was real. She looked at him in confusion, yet didn’t pull away.
His breath came in deep gasps, and his heart began to slow. When he could finally speak he asked, “You’re well?”
“Of course I am. What is wrong with you?”
He saw suspicion in her eyes and let her go. “Nothing, my lady” Nothing? It was so much more than nothing. I just saw my wife jump off a cliff. His heart was still racing. “Please forgive me.”
As Dominick walked away, Randolf fell into step beside him. They stopped just inside the gatehouse.
“This is the second time in less than two days. I thought your mind was closed to them.”
“It was, but this spirit is strong.” Dominick looked down at the ground and kicked the dirt with his toe. “After seeing what I saw, I have no doubt its Eleanor’s mother, Lady Isolde. And now I know how she died.”
“How do you know her name?”
“I don’t know how. It may have come to me when she told me Eleanor had left Godwin.”
“I thought her death was a suicide.”
Dominick shook his head. “I don’t believe it was. I believe she was murdered.”
“What did you see?” Randolf asked, voice full of concern.
“She was standing at the cliff's edge. Then I saw her step back when suddenly she fell as though someone had pushed her.”
Immortal Love Page 3
