“No woman should travel alone,” Ademar countered.
Lord Ardennes turned crimson. “Honora has defied her responsibilities long enough. I told Ceredys he could bring her back to her dower estates. Never did I suggest that he kidnap her.”
Ademar tried to separate from the baron, to ride ahead of the others. But Nicholas stubbornly kept alongside him.
“What are your intentions toward my daughter?”
“I intend to wed Katherine.” He didn’t ask permission, though it was an expected courtesy. After the nights he’d spent with her, he was not letting her go.
“And what makes you believe I would grant permission for this match?”
“Because she could be carrying my heir.” Without waiting for Lord Ardennes to voice his outrage, Ademar spurred his horse faster. They were almost at Ceredys, near Morecambe Bay. In the distance, he could see the tides moving against the vast sands.
Ademar motioned for the baron to keep his men back. Turning to him, Ademar said, “I may be able to get her out with—without your army.”
“You will have no part in this,” the baron argued. “You may have dishonored her, but I won’t let you risk Katherine’s life.”
There was no dishonor in what had transpired between them. Never would he think of it as such.
“One hour,” Ademar demanded. “And I’ll bring her back.”
Nicholas hesitated, his face tight with uncertainty. He looked as though he’d rather lay siege to the castle, but he also knew that an open attack would bring a greater risk.
At last, he gave a curt nod. “One hour. If you don’t return with my daughter, I will send men to demand her release.”
Ademar slipped inside the castle, only to face an enraged warrior with a shaved head and the stature of a giant. The man extended his sword, and his dark eyes stared into Ademar’s, as though he were eager to kill.
Behind him were almost two dozen armed men—serfs and villagers, from the look of them.
“And who are you?” the giant demanded.
Refusing to be cowed, Ademar rested his hand on his own sword hilt. “I seek Lady Katherine of Ardennes. “Lord Ceredys took—took her prisoner.”
The giant lunged forward with his blade, and Ademar defended the blow, stepping out of range. When his attacker swung again, Ademar switched hands and nicked the giant’s face. “Where is she?”
“Gone. His men took her toward the coast.” The man’s accent was familiar, with a hint of Irish.
Ademar eyed the man closer, his suspicions rising. “You’re a MacEgan, aren’t you?”
The giant’s gaze narrowed. “Trahern MacEgan is my name.”
Ademar lowered his sword, not asking how the man had arrived at Ceredys. “If you are a brother to—to Ewan, then we’ve no—reason to fight.” Gritting his teeth, he finished, “Is he here?” He’d believed both Ewan and Honora had made it to the island of Erin, but perhaps not.
“He went back to the shore to protect Lady Honora. I’m gathering these folk to fight against John. Your Lady Katherine isn’t the only prisoner here.”
“I’ve an army of my own,” Ademar admitted. He gestured in the direction of the trees, where Lord Ardennes and his men were waiting.
Trahern smiled, and there was menace in his expression. “I think John of Ceredys will no longer be lord of this castle.”
Ademar leaned into his horse, thundering toward the coast. Katherine stood midway down the hillside, between two mounted guards, her black hair whipping about her face. Her hands were bound with ropes.
John of Ceredys stood upon the shoreline with Honora, while behind him the tides rose up, the waves tipped with white.
Ademar dismounted, running toward her when he heard Ceredys call out, “Kill her!”
One of the guards held Katherine, gripping her shoulders and arms. The other soldier lifted his own dagger, prepared to stab her.
Ademar wasn’t close enough to stop them. He roared out his frustration, as he stumbled down the hill to her. A hot rage like he’d never known mingled with the fear of losing her. If anything happened to Katherine, he would give up his life to avenge her.
He was in love with her. It didn’t matter if she loved someone else. She had promised to be his. Even if she never felt anything for him but friendship, he would take whatever piece of her heart she was willing to give.
With his hand clenched around his sword hilt, he remembered there was one way she could save herself.
“Katherine, the sword!”
Whether or not she heard him, she fought to free herself, knocking her head against the soldier’s nose. The guard loosened his grip, and Katherine reached for the man’s blade.
Swinging it upward, she knocked the dagger from the other man’s hands. A second later, Ewan MacEgan broke through, killing the two men.
Jealousy ignited within Ademar, that he hadn’t been the one to save her. Damn it all, he should have been there to protect her, not Ewan.
He half expected her to fall into Ewan’s arms. And God help him, he would sooner see the Irishman dead than have him lay a single hand upon Katherine.
Ewan stared at Katherine as though he were stunned at her behavior, but she was speaking to her sister. Ademar didn’t hear the conversation between Katherine and Honora, but he sheathed his weapon and pushed his way toward her.
“Katherine,” he said softly.
She turned, and he could see the wonder dawn in her eyes. He could hardly breathe when she flew into his embrace. Ademar held her so fiercely, he was afraid of hurting her.
“You’re alive,” she breathed. “I can’t believe it.”
She lifted her mouth to his, kissing him. He tasted salt and wiped her tears away, before conquering her mouth with his own.
Mine.
The word of possession made him soften his kiss, and he gripped her tightly. Below, on the beach, Trahern had arrived with the villagers. Behind them were Lord Ardennes’s men.
Surrounded by his enemies, John of Ceredys stepped backwards into the sea water, cursing and making demands of the people.
Ademar covered Katherine’s eyes so she would not see the bloodshed, tucking her face into his chest.
“You’re safe from him,” he told her, when it was finished. “Ceredys won’t harm you or Honora again.”
“Thank God.” Her arms wound around his neck, and when she raised her face to his, he noticed that her face was thinner. The need to take care of her, to ensure that she was all right, overrode any other thoughts.
He kissed her temple, smoothing her veil, then reaching beneath it to the dark silk of her hair. “I’ll never let anything happen to you,” he swore.
The words tangled up inside, stumbling upon his tongue. “And I—that is, I want to tell you that I-I’ve always—you’re everything I dreamed—”
She covered his mouth with her hand. “Kiss me again, Ademar. I don’t need the words.”
He did, not caring that others were around them watching. She pressed close to him, and at the touch of her body, his desire blazed into life.
“Are you still going…to wed me?” He settled his hands about her waist, hopeful at her answer.
She nodded. “You’re the man I want. Because you love me for who I am.”
“I do.”
She’d guessed the words he couldn’t quite voice. Ademar pulled her into his arms, carrying her up the hill toward his horse. She never tore her gaze from him, and in her eyes, he saw the promise of hope.
“When I thought you were dead, it was as if part of me had been ripped apart,” she said, touching his face with her hands. “I never felt like that with Ewan. I was hurt that he loved Honora, but in the end, he wasn’t the right man for me.”
“And now?” He lifted her in front of him on his horse, still holding her close.
She smiled, kissing him again. “I’ve found the right man. And I’ll never let him go.”
Read Honora St. Leger and Ewan MacEgan’s story (part of the M
acEgan Brothers miniseries), in TAMING HER IRISH WARRIOR, available in print and eBook format from Harlequin Historical October 2009.
Read the rest of Michelle Willingham’s MacEgan Brothers miniseries from Harlequin Historical and Harlequin Historical Undone, always available in eBook format:
Her Warrior Slave
The Viking’s Forbidden Love-Slave
Her Warrior King
Her Irish Warrior
The Warrior’s Touch
Taming Her Irish Warrior
Enjoy more passion through the ages with the sensual Harlequin Historical UNDONE titles on sale now:
AT THE DUKE’S SERVICE by Carole Mortimer
HIS SILKEN SEDUCTION by Joanna Maitland
A NIGHT FOR HER PLEASURE by Terri Brisbin
DISROBED AND DISHONORED by Louise Allen
THE UNLACING OF MISS LEIGH by Diane Gaston
A NIGHT OF WICKED DELIGHT by Joanne Rock
PLEASURED BY THE ENGLISH SPY by Bronwyn Scott
THE RAKE’S INTIMATE ENCOUNTER by Ann Lethbridge
NOTORIOUS LORD, COMPROMISED MISS by Annie Burrows
THE UNMASKING OF LADY LOVELESS by Nicola Cornick
LIBERTINE LORD, PICKPOCKET MISS by Bronwyn Scott
THE VIKING’S FORBIDDEN LOVE-SLAVE by Michelle Willingham
SHIPWRECKED AND SEDUCED by Amanda McCabe
Craving something a little longer? Find more historical romantic adventure from Harlequin Historical at www.eHarlequin.com or your local bookstore.
Interested in writing for Harlequin Historical UNDONE? Send your submission to [email protected].
Michelle Willingham grew up living in places all over the world, including Germany, England and Thailand. When her parents hauled her to antiques shows in manor houses and castles, Michelle entertained herself by making up stories and pondering whether she could afford a broadsword with her allowance.
She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Notre Dame, with a degree in English, and received her master’s degree in Education from George Mason University. Currently she teaches American History and English. She lives in south-eastern Virginia with her husband and children. She still doesn’t have her broadsword.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-3983-2
The Warrior’s Forbidden Virgin
Copyright © 2009 by Michelle Willingham
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text September be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
www.eHarlequin.com
The Warrior's Forbidden Virgin Page 5
