There’s nothing to be done for it, I told myself as I sat up in the bed, determined to put my fear aside. No good would come from dwelling on something I could not change.
At that moment, the door opened and a pair of the princess’s ladies poured in, all whispers and giggles. They halted when they saw me, but couldn’t quite hide their smirks behind their hands.
“Jane, Mary,” I greeted each of them in turn with as much warmth as I could manage. I had nothing against the girls, aside from the fact that they were vain and silly.
“Your Grace,” the one called Jane giggled, giving an exaggerated curtsey.
“Not quite yet, I’m afraid,” I remarked with a tight smile.
“What are you doing up here all alone?” Mary asked. “Thinking of the Duke of Württemberg?”
I knew she was teasing. I knew that neither of them meant any harm, and yet, even though I smiled, I felt that I would be sick any moment with the looming uncertainty.
A sudden lurching in my stomach brought me out of my thoughts. Doubled-over at the waist, I retched for what had to have been the fourth time in the last hour. Not that I could keep track of time—who could in this mess of swirling snow that blinded one past the point of seeing? I was cold, weak, and miserable, though I refused to say so.
“Are you unwell?”
The gruff voice startled me, though I carefully kept my expression blank. Nor did I give him the scathing reply that readily supplied itself—surely he could hear for himself that I was anything but well.
“You did not eat much,” he commented when I did not reply. “Perhaps you have an empty stomach.”
“It was probably the damned bird you fed me,” I snapped.
He arched his dark brows, clearly unimpressed with my slip in decorum. With the acrid taste in my mouth, I couldn’t trouble myself to care about his opinion.
“As soon as we are able, we will stop and you can rest.”
I wiped my mouth and regarded him with narrowed eyes. “Oh, please, you needn’t trouble yourself on my account.”
He made no reply, only yanked the reins to keep the horse moving. My stomach settled long enough for me to doze in the saddle, rocked to sleep by the steady motion combined with my bone-weariness. When we halted suddenly, my eyes snapped open and my body tensed, preparing to face danger. Much to my surprise, I saw that we were in front of a small tavern. True to his word, the man who’d made me his prisoner had stopped, seemingly at the first opportunity.
“I cannot sleep here,” I announced, since I could not bring myself to thank him.
“Then do not sleep,” he said, as if it mattered to him not at all. “But you need to rest, as do I. We shall take shelter for the night. A hot meal will do you good, I think.”
“I will not share a room with you, and certainly not your bed,” I continued peevishly. I was not a bit happy about the situation and I was determined that he should never forget it, not even for a moment.
“As you wish, princess.”
I rankled at his words. “I am not the princess.”
“I see. Then what right do you have to think so highly of yourself?”
My lips parted to make a reply, but I found that I could not speak. No one had ever dared speak to me so openly before! Why, who did he think he was? The one in control, of course, which meant that no matter how gently he spoke, nor what considerations he offered, I would never be able to do more than loath the very sight of him.
“Come,” he said before swinging me from the saddle as though I were no more than a common servant. “Let’s get inside before you worsen.”
As though he had a care for my health! If he had, he wouldn’t have secreted me away from the castle, stolen right out from under my family’s noses! They would be in such a dither when they discovered me missing!
I walked reluctantly beside him until we’d reached the inn. The woman at the front looked at us without interest when my jailer asked for a room.
“Two, please,” I interrupted, my voice sweet as morning wine. “It would be improper otherwise, you see. He is not my husband.”
Suddenly, the woman’s interest was piqued and she gave my captor a suspicious, eagle-eyed look that would have made a number of men squirm. Anyone, save the one that had abducted me. He only stared back at me with his infuriating calm.
“What’s that you say, miss?” the innkeeper queried. “The lad isn’t your husband?”
“No! My husband is the Duke of Württemberg, and this man,” I jabbed an accusing finger in the direction of my captor, “has been holding me against my will!”
The innkeeper’s brow furrowed as she looked with notable concern from my face to his. “Well, what have you to say for yourself?”
“Please, my lady, this woman is—”
“Don’t be trying to sweet-talk me now, lad! I know your kind! Yes, indeed! You best be out with the truth!” She came around to stand beside me, crossing her arms across her considerable chest. Her nearness gave me a boost of security that I hadn’t felt since this entire ordeal had begun.
“Please, madam, I assure you—”
“What’s this, now?”
I turned my head at the sound of a new voice and saw a tall, robust man making his way toward us. His dark hair was lined with silver and his eyes were dark as obsidian.
“What’s the fuss about, wife?” he demanded of the innkeeper.
“George, to hear this young lady tell it, she’s been kidnapped by this man here who’s keeping her from her husband!”
I felt nearly weak with relief at her coming to my rescue. Finally, finally, I could get back to Hohenzollern. I could nearly feel it within my grasp.
Her husband turned to my abductor, his face as angry as a storm cloud. “What kind of man does such a thing?” he demanded.
“I would never harm a lady,” my captor told him smoothly. “And certainly not a single hair on this one’s fair head. Truly, sir, this is my wife. She took a spill from her horse not a fortnight ago and has been speaking nonsense ever since. In fact, we’re riding to see the doctor now.”
I’d begun shaking my head long before he was finished speaking, but I could see that the innkeeper’s husband seemed inclined to believe the tale. “No, I’ve known how to ride since I was a babe, I’ve never fallen—”
“A lass who’s never fallen?” he chucked to himself. “Well, now. There’s something you don’t see every day.”
“My father had me tutored in riding right along with the squires!” I protested, missing the glances the man and his wife exchanged. “Why, it is not uncommon for a well-bred woman to know how to ride! The princess herself has never fallen!”
“You can see for yourself what I mean,” my captor interjected softly, ignoring the daggers I glared at him. “She’s a sweet woman, I swear it, but a bit… daft at the moment.”
“I am not!” I spat at him, stomping my foot. “It’s true!” I turned to the innkeeper, reaching for her with pleading hands and feeling my hope begin to fade as she backed away, as though my touch would burn her. “Please, you have to listen to me! My name is Cecily, the Duchess of Württemberg! Write to my husband, and he’ll come for me. Please, all you have to do is write to him!”
“She is overtired,” he said, while turning to me with a pitying smile. “Of course, Duchess, we’ll do as you ask at once.”
I flew at him then, my hands reaching for his face. I’d never struck another person in all my life, but if he hadn’t captured my hands just then, I would have dug my fingernails into the flesh of his cheeks with pleasure and made him bleed.
“I’ve seen enough,” the innkeeper’s husband announced, his voice gruff. “Take your wife to bed and be sure to keep her in line while you lodge with us.”
“Thank you for your kind understanding, sir.”
“He’s lying!” I cried, feeling tears well in my eyes. “He’s lying, I swear it! If you’ll only write to the duke, tell him that I am here…. please.”
“
Come along now, sweeting,” my abductor said, pulling me along. No matter how hard I dug my heels in, it did nothing to slow him down.
“Let me go!” I spat at him. “I won’t tolerate this for another second! I—”
“Stop it,” he hissed in my ear as he continued to lead me to a room. It was the first time that he’d spoken to me in such a hard voice, and for a moment it did send me into silence. “I will not force myself on you, if that’s what you fear. If I’d wanted to take you, I would have done so without paying for the pleasure.” He gestured to the inn.
For some reason, the way that he’d said it, the way he insinuated that he didn’t find me desirable rankled me even more. “If you want me to stop, take me home! I’m not going to stay here and let you have your way with me!”
“You’re causing people to stare,” he told me in a clipped voice that was laced with warning.
Proper ladies did not raise their voices and they certainly did not cause a scandal, but I was beyond the rules of gentility now. Let them stare—let him be embarrassed. Perhaps it would be enough to get me my freedom. “I will not be forced to—”
He was much taller than me, a head at least, and he had a large, muscled form. He had no problem picking me up and hoisting me over his shoulder, carrying me as though I weighed no more than a barrel of hay. People were indeed staring then, not that he seemed to notice.
“Put me down!” I demanded, battering him with my balled fists and kicking feet. That, too, he ignored, walking toward what I presumed was the room he’d paid for. Still, I was determined not to give up. “At once, you brute!” I shrieked.
He did not heed my words until we were safely inside the room and he’d closed the door behind him. When he set me down, it was not very gently, and I glared up at him from the floor. “I understand that you are not happy to be here,” he said, returning my angry stare. “Nor am I pleased to be saddled with such a spoilt little girl. I suggest we both do our best with the situation at hand.”
“If you’re so unhappy with me, then take me home!”
“I also suggest that you start behaving like the royalty you claim to be,” he continued in the same measured tone, as though I’d never spoken. “Or I shall see you soundly thrashed.”
I glowered, making my hatred for him plain. If my eyes could have pierced him, he would have bled to death then and there. How dare he threaten me?
My abductor met my stare, as calm as ever in the face of my wrath. At that moment, he bent his hulking frame over me, and I couldn’t help but take notice of how big and broad his shoulders were. They looked accustomed to hard labor, and if his easy handling of me earlier was any indication, all of him was probably hard and muscled beneath his tunic. A single copper curl fell over his eye, which he brushed away impatiently.
“Do you understand?”
A little gasp escaped my lips. First, he had the gall to threaten me, but now I must show acquiescence of my situation, like a chastened child? I wouldn’t do it. I wouldn’t!
Yet, the stern warning in his eyes was enough to temper my anger. I had no true choice here, royalty or not. I had to go along with whatever he wished, regardless of how terrible I might find it. When I was returned home, when he was captured, he would be punished for his crimes, but until then I was subject to his will. And his large, heavy hands told me that he would have no problem carrying out what he’d promised.
His features were hard with determination—his chiseled jaw clenched as he waited for my answer. I knew that if I pushed him, he would deliver on that threat and more, so as much as it pained me, I bowed my head. Though I refused to speak, he must have decided that he’d humiliated me enough for the moment. He straightened and gave me a nod.
“Very well then.” After he’d spoken, he offered me a hand to help me from the floor, and I forced myself to accept it without flinching.
Chapter Two
The moment sunlight hit my face, I awakened, wondering how long I’d been asleep. My jailer had warned me the night before that we would be leaving at first light, which gave me cause to wonder why he’d changed his mind. I began to sit up, but as soon as I moved the room spun in a way that made me certain that I would be sick. With a groan, I sank back against the pillows and closed my eyes once more. Even that simple act was exerting.
“You’re awake.”
“Unfortunately,” I whimpered.
“I can see that I was right not to wake you.”
My eyelids fluttered open and I peered at my captor. “Why didn’t you?”
“I’m afraid you’ve taken ill. You cried out during your sleep and when I checked on you I realized you were burning with fever.”
My hand felt limp and lifeless as I raised it to check my forehead. When I pulled it away, it was damp with sweat. “Oh!”
“No need to worry, princess. I’ll see to it that you’re well taken care of.”
“I’m not…” My words trailed off, for I was too weak to complete even that sentence.
“Yes, I remember. Perhaps one of these days you’ll find it appropriate to tell me your name.”
I did not bother to reply, choosing instead to turn away from the sound of his voice and try to get comfortable once more. If I’d had the strength for it, I would have told him that there was no cause for it. One way or another, we would be going our separate ways, even if he didn’t yet know it.
* * *
Yet, for all my brave thoughts I could hardly summon the energy to use the chamber pot, much less plot and carry through with an escape plan. Soon, I promised myself, even as I allowed myself to be fed broth like a baby. The fever raged on, and there were hours where I lost track of time and where I was. In some moments, I thought myself back at Hohenzollern, safe in my rooms and waiting for my husband to come to me. At others, I thought I was inside Württemberg Manor, hiding from the duke, though I couldn’t seem to remember why.
Only in the first hours of the morning did I realize where I was, which was both disappointing and a relief all at once.
“You were crying out,” he told me as he brought a wet cloth to my brow.
“I called you… Wallace,” I said as I remembered.
“Yes. Who is Wallace, my lady?”
“My… my husband,” I whispered through cracked lips. “The duke.”
“Do I remind you of him?” His smile was gently mocking, though who he was making fun of, I wasn’t certain.
“No,” I said, vehemently, though only once the word was out of my mouth did I realize that I didn’t mean it to be an insult, as he probably assumed.
“Well.” He dabbed the cloth over my cheeks before setting it aside. “We can only be who we are, I suppose. Do you think you can sit up? You really should drink some water.”
Without waiting for me to respond, he put an arm underneath me and lifted me until I was sitting upright. Only when he held out a hand and I saw the cup of water put into it did I realize that we were not alone. I furrowed my brow as I peered past him and made out the innkeeper who I’d thought might help me earlier. She looked at me with a face wrought with concern.
“She’s losing weight,” he commented to her, as though I were not in the room.
“Do you think she’s taken ill because of her fall?” she asked, wringing her hands anxiously.
“It’s possible. Don’t worry, madam.” He gave her a brief smile. “I’m certain that she will not infect anyone else with her illness.”
“Let us hope it is as you say.”
I wanted to tell them that I had not taken any fall, that I was ill from riding such long, hard hours in the cold. I wanted to remind my captor that I would be fleeing at my earliest opportunity, but when he put the cup to my lips, I drank deeply, forgetting every concern except for the need to cure my thirst.
* * *
Time passed by in a blur. I could not say how long it had been—I had no true recollection of time, only brief flashes of dreams that seemed real, such as being spoon fed like a babe. My cap
tor changed the sheets on my bed once, I recalled, and never left my side. Even when I was not awake, when my mind lied to me about my whereabouts, I could feel him there.
When next I awoke, I found him sleeping, snoring slightly in the chair he’d moved to my bedside. I sat up, and though I felt weak, my head did not spin with the movement. A glance at the window showed me that the sun had not yet risen, yet I was powerfully hungry. I couldn’t recall eating more than a spoonful or two of broth for… how long had it been? Hours? Days? Everything ran together in my mind. All I could recall with any clarity was the fact that the man who pretended to be my husband had never left my side.
It was an odd thing for a kidnapper to do, was it not? Yet, he had done it. Not only when the innkeeper was present, but throughout my illness. It made me look at him with appraising eyes, wondering why he should bother. Surely, I was naught more than property to him. A valuable commodity, perhaps, but property nonetheless. I’d been nothing more to Wallace, and I’d come to expect no better from married life.
Suddenly, his words came back to me: Do I remind you of him?
I’d responded quickly to the negative, but not for the reason he might have thought. Wallace never would have looked after my health if I’d taken ill, and if he had, it only would have been for show. No, while I was sure he would send a woman or two to tend me, it probably wouldn’t have even occurred to him to seek after my health. How strange, that a man that had abducted me and had secreted me away in the middle of the night should care for me thusly.
The Conquered Brides Collection Page 48
