“Are you the stable boy?” I demanded, my voice harsher than I normally would have used, but justified given the circumstances.
“Ah…”
“Whatever are you doing on the floor?” I snapped. “Get up, then. There’s work to be done.” I held out the reins, arching a brow when he stood, dusted off his trousers, yet made no move to take them. “Well? What are you waiting for?”
“Forgive me, princess, I don’t mean to—”
“Oh, for Heaven’s sake,” I exclaimed, with an unladylike snort of laughter. “You must be new.”
“What gave me away, my lady?”
“I am not the princess. Any servant worth his salt would know that.” Not that he could be blamed entirely for the slipup. We both had the same thick, dark raven hair. Though mine often spilled in curls down my back, it was held up in pins at the moment. We were of a similar height and build—both with small waists and narrow hips, though Susanna’s chest was more endowed than my own. We also shared smooth skin as white as milk and full, rosebud mouths. Still, for all those shared qualities, no one could deny that Susanna had the bearing of a princess, which added to her beauty in a way that I would never know.
“Forgive me, my lady. And whom do I have the honor of addressing?”
I tilted my head to the side, examining him. My first thought was that he did not speak very much like a servant. Nonetheless, I opened my mouth to answer him when it occurred to me that perhaps it would be better if I did not. If he didn’t know who I was, then perhaps he would not remember seeing me at all when my lord husband began asking questions. Smiling to myself, pleased with my own cleverness, I dismissed his question with a wave of my hand. “Never you mind. Go about your business and leave me to mine.” I’d barely spoken when I felt him move behind me. A sudden chill ran down my spine, and heeding my instincts, I spun around to find him right behind me.
“I would very much like to,” he said in a quiet, steady way that would have been comforting but for his unnatural closeness. “But I’m afraid you’re my business now.”
“I beg your pardon?” I huffed the question, even as my heart began to pick up speed. “Do you forget yourself, sir? Do you forget that you address a lady, one far above your station?”
He did not smile, but a twitching around his lips told me that he would have liked to. “You high-breds are all the same, aren’t you? Always concerned with your own importance. There is more to the world than you know, princess.”
“I already told you—”
“Hush.”
The word was spoken softly, but with enough authority to shock me. I took a step back, until I was leaning into my horse. “You do not command here! Why, you are nothing more than a… than a…” I trailed off helplessly, thrown by his calm, by his quiet authority in the face of my anger.
I took a closer look, certain that if I could recognize him, I would recall his master, who would undoubtedly be hearing from me. The man was tall, standing a good head or more above me. He had a full head of copper curls and stubble of the same color marring his cheeks. His lips were lush, the color of ripe berries, and I decided on sight that they were lips unaccustomed to smiling. No, I did not recognize him, not even on a closer look. Though he wore servant’s clothing—trousers and sturdy boots, and a long-sleeve white tunic that opened at the chest—somehow he carried himself in a manner that belied his station.
“I do not know why you are here, but it is not the place for you. It would go better for you if you returned at once.”
I blinked my large, blue eyes in surprise. “Why? Is there danger afoot?” Something in his expression changed when I said her name and I smiled, finally feeling as though I had the upper hand. “Yes, perhaps I shall go fetch her right now, I think she would like to know there are impertinent stable boys in her household.” I turned to go, but I had not gone two steps when I felt his hand close over my arm in a surprisingly strong grip.
“I cannot allow you to do that.”
I whirled on him, irritated with his matter-of-fact tone as well as the fact that he would dare lay hands on me. “Who do you think you are?” I demanded. “How dare you touch me!”
If anything, his grip on me tightened. “I’m afraid I can’t risk you’re leaving. You’re going to have to come with me. Just remember, I did try to warn you.”
“Warn me about what?” I practically spat the words at him, my fury incensed when he did not so much as blink. “Unhand me, you brute!”
“Come along quietly now, or I’m afraid I’ll have to gag you.”
The way he spoke without wavering, the dead-set look in his eyes, told me that he would not hesitate to carry out his threat. Yet, I dug my heels in and yanked with all my might. When I did not find myself released, I took a deep breath, preparing to scream at the top of my lungs and alert anyone nearby to my plight. Before I could, however, I felt his hand come down sharply on my backside. It was only once, but it was swift and hard. I opened my mouth to shout my indignation, but his hand came clamping down over my lips, smothering my outraged cries.
“Do as I say, or it’ll be worse for you,” he promised.
Just then, looking at his stony, unrelenting face, I longed to weep. I knew I was lost—there was nothing I could say or do to stop this stranger from having his way with me. Though I did not trouble to reply, he must have sensed my defeat, because before I knew it I felt his hands around my waist, lifting me back in Fortune’s saddle. Before I could utter a word more, he himself was sitting behind me and urging the mare on with a clap of the reins. It was all I could do to hold back the tears as I turned my head for one last look at the castle. The lights shone, seeming like beacons of hope that I’d been riding toward only moments ago. Now, one by one, they faded away. I could imagine the laughter and dancing that was taking place in the dining hall just now. All of the court would go on with their flirting and feasting, none of them having any idea that I’d been there at all.
* * *
Though the sun was out, its rays did nothing to diminish the chill in the air. I shivered, my teeth chattering despite myself. My thighs ached nearly as much as my backside from long hours in the saddle and my eyes grew weary of rows of trees stretching as far as the eye could see for my only view. Yet, I would not—indeed, could not—cry. It would only delight my tormentor and I had no intention of giving him that pleasure.
He was letting me ride alone as he walked along, but that did not make him a man of honor. Indeed, he was a coward who had stolen me away from the only true home I’d ever known. Tears of anger and frustration, of fear and hopelessness, prickled at my eyes, but I shut my eyes tightly against them. I will not, I told myself. I will not cry. It was my mother’s voice I heard; she’d been strict with me and quick to rap my knuckles if I ever forgot my teachings. Practically from the time I left the breast I’d been reared to be the epitome of a lady, as my parents lived at court and expected that I would do the same.
I liked the life of a duchess—pretty dresses, fine rooms, with servants to wait on me and fulfill my every whim. I was ill-suited to hard rides and I longed to make my complaint known, though I doubted it would mean much to the man who held me prisoner. I looked down at him, walking astride the horse while he held the reins. Idly, I wondered if it was to ensure that the horse did not buck or that I did not attempt to escape.
He’d hardly spoken to me since he’d captured me and carried me off like some wild savage, but that suited me fine. If he had the audacity to address me, I might forget my courtly manners altogether. After all, he didn’t deserve courtesy.
“We’ll be stopping to rest soon.” His gruff voice startled me as it broke into my thoughts. “Then we’ll trade places for a while.”
I didn’t demean myself to answer, but I was horrified by what he suggested. He couldn’t mean that I would be forced to walk in the snow… surely not! Yet, I knew without asking that it was exactly what he meant, and that however abhorrent the idea was, it was a fate that I must be
ar. Oh, how horrified my lady mother would be to see me treated thus! Thinking of her, and the fact that I might never see her again, made the tears that had been threatening ever since my abduction spring forth and a sob worked its way from my throat despite myself.
“Are you unwell?”
I ignored the rough man who dared to address me so, trying to get the horrible thought out of my head. Of course I would see her again. I would escape this horror somehow. I would return to Hohenzollern, to those that loved me. I had to believe it—it was the only hope I had to cling to now.
“I said, are you unwell?” he queried again as he tugged on the reins and halted the horse.
A grim little smile curved my lips. “Frankly, no, not that it’s any concern to you.”
At first, I’d thought he might reply. Indeed, he opened his lips to do so, but in the end he closed them again and continued walking. After a moment, Fortune followed suit. I wished I could feel even the slightest joy at this small victory, but I was too tired, too cold and hungry to feel anything but miserable and frightened.
I’d never given much thought to the fire that was kept burning in my rooms. They were always there, as they should be, and it had never occurred to me to give a moment’s notice to who had performed the task. Right now, I longed for nothing so much as a nice, bright fire to warm myself beside. That, and perhaps my comfortable bed with down blankets piled high as the eye could see.
Instead, I had to content myself with the meager burning of a few twigs that we had managed to uncover from the blanket of snow that surrounded us. I supposed I should have been grateful that my captor had provided that much, but I wasn’t in the mood to feel appreciative. Which was why when he offered me a freshly killed, cleaned dove, I only stared at him.
“Your dinner, my lady,” he said with only the faintest hint of mockery hiding in his deep voice.
I had watched him roast the bird over the fire, yet I was surprised to find it offered to me. “Thank you, no. I don’t eat pheasant.”
“This isn’t pheasant, your ladyship. It is a dove, and you will eat it. Unless, of course, you wish to starve.”
I raised my head to meet his stare, my blue eyes glaring fiercely into his dancing light gray ones. I took the bird out of his hand, steeling myself against the feel of it, and hurled it onto the ground.
I don’t know what I’d been expecting, but it was all I could do to keep from flinching. If I’d ever done such a thing in Wallace’s presence, I would have paid for it, and swiftly. But when I chanced to look at my captor, his face was inscrutable, his eyes dancing and merry as always.
“Now you must pick it up and eat it cold,” he said, as though it mattered not one bit to him. Before I could offer a reply, he had walked around to the other trunk in front of the fire and made himself at home. As much as I wished I could pretend otherwise, I was hungry. I couldn’t help but keep darting looks at him, and watching him eat his bird made my stomach growl.
But I couldn’t be made to play fetch like a common dog! I would rather freeze to death than to let him see me obeying his casually issued command. Instead, I glared at him, daring him to meet my eyes, but he kept right on eating as though it meant little whether or not I did as he’d instructed.
I tried to distract myself by thinking of other things. Perhaps I could work on my escape plan. Perhaps I could distract myself with thoughts of my family, who surely must be looking for me by now. My kidnapper had the upper hand now—I was, after all, a lady and one of small stature and build at that. I could not fend off an attack, nor could I outrun him. But one day, when I’d returned to the castle I’d grown up in, he’d pay for the time he’d stolen from me.
Yet, even thoughts of vengeance fled in the wake of my growling stomach. The longer I waited, the colder I knew the meat would be. Casting another hot, hateful glance at my companion, I eased off the log and walked to where I’d thrown the bird. I snatched it from the snow, wincing to see the dirt and grass that had dirtied it. As I marched back to my seat, I caught sight of him looking at me. When I reached the fire, he held out his hand.
“Give it to me,” he said, not unkindly. His voice wasn’t even slightly mocking this time. “I’ll warm it for you.”
Who did he think I was, to need favors from one such as him? I was a royal duchess of Hohenzollern, and I needed help from no one. Glaring at him, I brought the dove to my face and sank my teeth into the cold meat. As I chewed, I lowered the food and glared at him defiantly.
“Very well.” He shrugged and went back to eating. Only then did I notice how much smaller his bird was than mine. For a moment, the briefest of instances, I almost felt remorseful of my treatment of him. It fled with his very next words. “The next time you choose to discard the food I offer you, you will not eat. I am trying to be considerate of your… unusual circumstance and of your hardship, but I am not going to be played for a fool, my lady. You will take what you are given or have nothing, and I shan’t tell you again.”
My cheeks burned with indignation. What right did he have to speak to me so freely? Why, if we were back at the castle… but we weren’t. And no matter how hard I tried to tell myself otherwise, I might never make it back. But I would not be made a peasant, not by this man, or any other!
“You may address me by my proper title, which is Duchess,” I told him, my voice clear and cold. Neither of us spoke again as we went back to eating.
Chapter One
Hohenzollern Castle
The music swirled around me like a beautiful tapestry of melody and my feet moved obediently in step with my partner.
“Are you enjoying yourself, Lady Cecily?”
I acknowledged the wizened Lord of Archester with the best smile I could manage, stifling a yawn. “Very much so, thank you, my lord.”
“And are you eager to be a wife?” he asked as he twirled me around. “Eager to be a duchess?”
I went through the steps fluidly—I’d been taught to dance nearly before I’d learned to walk—easily disguising my annoyance at the personal question. It wasn’t as though he’d been the only one to hint around the matter, though he was the only one who dared to ask outright. As the cousin to the princess, I already enjoyed a certain amount of special treatment at court. Now that I was to wed a duke, my star would rise and there was bound to be a certain amount of envy and speculation among the other courtiers. Having never met the Duke of Württemberg before—not that such a thing was uncommon—I was a bundle of nerves, not that I intended for anyone to know it.
Yet, the smile the lord gave me suggested that he knew things I was not saying. “You need not fear, my lady. I hear that the duke is quite an honorable man.”
“Indeed, I have been well informed.”
“I met him once, I believe.”
I was so caught off-guard, I nearly missed a step in the dance, but fortunately I caught myself just in time. I’d never spoken to anyone who had met my future husband and I could not deny my curiosity. I looked at my partner, my cheeks flushed from making such a silly gaffe, and hotter still to see the patronizing smile he’d fixed on me.
I won’t ask then, I thought to myself. Better he think me unfeeling than nothing more than a simple maid.
“A very intelligent man.” He offered up the information like half-hearted alms for a starving woman. Though I didn’t meet his gaze again, I devoured the information as though I truly were famished. “He will surely consider himself quite fortunate to gain such a beautiful bride.”
This time, I did slip in my step. When I looked, horrified, at my partner, he was indeed laughing at me. Mercifully, the music stopped just then and I was able to hide my flushed cheeks as I dipped my head and curtseyed.
“Another dance, my lady?”
I was tempted. I wanted to hear any tidbits he might be willing to share, but I was beginning to suspect that he was only amusing himself at my expense. “No, thank you, my lord. I must confess myself to be a bit tired.”
“Very well,” h
e said agreeably, taking the hand I extended to him and bending over it. “I shall look forward to dancing with you again. Mayhap on your wedding day.” His teeth gleamed as he teased me once more.
“Mayhap,” I agreed half-heartedly, forcing myself to smile as he kissed the back of my hand. I pulled it away a moment before it was courteous to do so, but the Lord of Archester did not seem in the least offended.
After we’d parted I did indeed retire to my room. For now, I was a lady in waiting to my cousin, Susanna, but soon, after I was wed, I would have chambers and ladies of my own. It was a small solace, marrying someone I only knew through others’ stories so that I would inherit a small part of his influence and power. Yet, it was what my parents had always planned for me. I’d known all my life that I would marry—indeed, each dance lesson, my tutelage in the fine arts, was to prepare me for it. There had never been a question of choosing another path. As the only daughter to the Lord and Lady of Sheridan and cousin to the Princess of Hohenzollern, there could be no doubt that I would marry to strengthen the family and secure loyalties for the princess. I was no more than a chess piece in this game—that I’d known from the start—but even so, I had hoped that I might make a suitable match.
I hoped and prayed nearly each waking hour that the duke might be such a match for me. There was no doubt that my mother thought him so—for although it was my duty to marry well, I could not believe she would place me with a man who would do me harm—but I would not be able to get a good night’s rest until I laid eyes on the man in question and saw for myself what type of man he was. Would he be loving and kind, as I so hoped? Would he find me beautiful, as the Lord of Archester had suggested? Or would he think me plain and set his eyes on a more desirable lady? The thought made my stomach turn. I shut my eyes against the pain and wished that Susanna were back from the evening meal so that we might play a game of cards to take my mind off things. Unfortunately, she and the rest of her ladies were out, leaving me to the lonely chambers and my anxious heart.
The Conquered Brides Collection Page 47
