With an ardent glow the Gypsy’s fascinated eyes traversed the young goddess cradled in his arms. Beautiful, he thought, his gaze tarrying momentarily at her full, firm breasts, partially hidden beneath the thin material of the torn shift. Disregarding the strict law of the Rom, which stated the lower half of a woman’s body was polluted—marhime—he eagerly scanned her small waist and her sleek, satiny thighs, exposed for his appraisal.
Once he’d viewed her perfection, his mind reaffirmed she was indeed human, and as he shifted the slight weight in his arms he felt his manly desires stir; a husky groan escaped his throat. By the gods! What was she doing here, nearly nude, alone in the wood?
Abruptly men’s voices rose out of the copse from which his goddess had just ridden. A skeptical frown marred his brow, and he wondered if she was part of some conspiracy to trap him. His calculating gaze raked over her anew, but this time it shone with the glow of suspicion.
The shouts grew louder, closer, and again the girl’s plea rang forth in his head: “Do not let them find me… please hide me!” Resolutely the Gypsy’s long strides carried him, his small burden held securely in his arms, to a covered cart. Cursing his fate, he deposited the young beauty on the rough-planked bed, mounding fur rugs over her limp form, hiding her from view. He then loped toward the huge steed, which stood several yards away, grazing. He snatched up a thick limb to firmly strike the stallion’s rump. The startled beast charged from the clearing, heading away from the direction whence it had come.
Galloping hooves struck the ground full force, a dozen riders aiming themselves toward the campfire. Apace the group drew to a rumbling halt.
“You, wanderer, rise before your superiors and show your respect,” an authoritative voice commanded.
The Gypsy remained squatted by the campfire. Sparks erupted into the air as he jabbed the blazing wood with the stick he still clasped. Frightened, several horses rolled their eyes and reared. A few more neighed loudly and pranced away from the rising embers. Curses rolled through taut lips as the men fought to control their steeds. The Gypsy bit back a smile and slowly came to his full height, tossing away the small limb as he straightened. Eyes hard, he gazed at the man who had issued the command; instant recognition took hold. Swine, he thought, but wisely he kept his tongue.
“You are encamped on MacHugh lands,” Richard Black stated brusquely, still trying to settle his horse. “Who gave you leave to do so?”
The Gypsy viewed the man at length, measuring him carefully. “I beg your forgiveness, sire, but I thought these woods were part of the Harcourt barony,” he returned, affecting a thick Romani accent. “Lord Harcourt has always welcomed my people on his lands.” Noting the man’s hand had settled over the head of his axe, the Gypsy swallowed hard. “Truly, sire, I would not have trespassed had I known otherwise.”
“They are now MacHugh lands,” another voice returned. Its owner urged his horse forward; the Gypsy tensed. “I give no man leave to trespass on what is mine. You make a nuisance of yourself by doing so, wanderer.”
Dormant hatred flamed to life inside the Gypsy; he fell back from the firelight. From behind lowered lashes, their dense fringe hiding his golden eyes, he inspected the man closely. “I most humbly beg your—”
“Enough!” Edward shouted. “You are the least of my worries, wanderer. I seek my betrothed. A young woman on horseback—did you see her pass this way?”
Betrothed? the Gypsy questioned silently. Bruised, scratched, her shift torn, the girl had obviously been ill used. Once again her piteous plea echoed in his head, and a vivid image formed in his mind, depicting what she must have suffered.
The vision caused the Gypsy’s hatred for the one called MacHugh to burn ever stronger. “No, sire,” he lied freely. Though he’d tried to smother the emotion, rage had tinged his voice. He bobbed his head like a dutiful servant, showing mock submissiveness. “No one has passed this way. I have been here all evening, and you are the first I have seen.”
“He’s most likely poached himself a hare or two while dallying in the wood,” Black stated, drawing his axe from the wide leather strip banding his waist. “If MacHugh so desires, I’ll separate the thieving cur’s head from his shoulders and be done with him.”
As the Gypsy debated whether to rush the cart for his two-handed claymore, hidden in the furs next to the girl, or to continue playing the downtrodden fool, a loud crashing noise sounded in the wood where he’d set the stallion running.
“Leave him!” Edward shouted as he turned his steed toward the disturbance. “We’ll deal with his infractions later.” In a whisper of time the dozen men had exited the clearing, chasing after the riderless horse.
The instant the group had disappeared the Gypsy extinguisbed the campfire, then raced toward the cart. Moments later he had harnessed the old mare to guide her through the wood, away from MacHugh and his men. As his eyes strained in the darkness to see the narrow trail ahead he wondered why he believed it imperative to save the nearly naked girl from her fate, whatever it might have been. Alone, he could have escaped easily, but with MacHugh’s betrothed along his chances were significantly reduced.
Fool! The word shot through his mind as a hard edge set itself along his firm, angular jaw. By his own actions he might have ruined everything. But as he thought of the attractive young woman now under his care he decided she could very well be the essential element he’d been seeking all along. Through her his plans might finally come to fruition.
She had fallen straight into his arms, hadn’t she? A gift from on high, as it were. Clever enough to know she’d been given to him for a purpose, he was not about to refuse such a boon. Considering just how he might best use her to his advantage, thereby enabling him to secure his revenge, Logan Chandler—Balo, as he was now called by his mother’s people—steadily headed the rickety cart deep into the night.
Kristiana awakened with a start. Fighting her way through the thick covering of furs, which threatened to smother her, she levered herself up onto her elbows. Wide green eyes searched through the darkness. Confusion knitted her brow as she tried to discover something familiar about her surroundings. Fear seized her, for she was unable to fathom where she was or how she had gotten there. The perpetual swaying motion told her she was moving, and the crude boards beneath her, coupled with the rumbling sound of rolling wheels, indicated she was being carted along. But to where? And by whom?
The remembered image of exotic golden eyes erupted in Kristiana’s mind. The Gypsy! she concluded, only to wonder where he was taking her.
Then, born of suspicion, another thought struck her, and Kristiana’s heart lurched. Maybe it was not the Gypsy, but Edward MacHugh who controlled the reins, the cart headed back to what was once her beloved home. There, in what had become a place of carnage, he would undoubtedly use her at will. God in Heaven! Were that true, she would sooner die.
Her eyes closed, and an agonized groan flowed from her throat. To think that only two days ago her world had been one without strife, one filled with gaiety and laughter. One she longed for now. Time slipped backward in her thoughts, and Kristiana found herself reviewing the sequence of events leading her to this very moment.
Less than a week ago her father had abruptly informed her of Edward MacHugh’s forthcoming arrival at Harcourt Castle, whereupon the contracts for her betrothal to the man would be signed, their marriage to take place within the month. Once given the news, Kristiana felt an all-encompassing dread fill her soul. Inexplicably, thoughts of escape had raced through her mind; the urgent need to run had nearly overpowered her. But, like the dutiful daughter she had always been, she had quietly listened to the arrangements that were to be set forth. All the while a silent appeal had gone up to the heavens, Kristiana praying for some miracle that would absolve her of her fate.
At seventeen she was well past the age to marry. In fact, she would have already been wedded for nearly three years if the young man to whom she’d been promised since birth had not succumbed to
an illness only days before their planned nuptials. Hoping Edward MacHugh—who, she had learned, had lost his young wife in childbirth, along with his newborn son, during the past winter—would look upon her as being too old, too temperamental, too slender of hip, too boyish in appearance (which was totally untrue), or too independent for most men’s tastes, so that she could remain unwed, she had found herself sadly disappointed.
As Kristiana had stood in the courtyard Edward MacHugh—several years less than twice her age, and considered by most an extremely handsome man, with rich brown hair and a fine muscular build—had passed through the castle gates. A vanguard had preceded him, pennants flying, while close to fifty men had followed at his rear. Hunting hounds had run close to the trotting steeds’ hooves; a tethered falcon had sat upon his sleeve. Pompous, she’d thought as she’d viewed him.
Then, when he’d first looked upon her, his deep blue eyes had shone with an unmistakable gleam, feral in nature. Worse yet, he’d done little to hide his ruttish desires. In return, Kristiana had been filled with immediate revulsion. But his lack of warmth had unnerved her the most. An unmistakable coldness claimed him, which bespoke a deadly ruthlessness; and Kristiana had felt certain that if ever he were crossed, the man would show no mercy toward the person he thought had betrayed him. Unfortunately, she’d never voiced her concerns to her father, and to Kristiana’s dismay, in hours of that first meeting her intuitive feelings had sprung to life.
On the evening of the second day, as they all supped in the great hall, Kristiana had seated herself next to her Aunt Penelope, her father’s widowed sister, and Penelope’s unmarried daughter, Letitia, a petulant girl of sixteen, whom Kristiana tolerated only out of respect for her father and her aunt. She’d purposely chosen her position so she would not have to sit directly under Edward’s satyric gaze, nor would she have to endure the constant brush of his leg against her own, as she had the night before.
Being just a short distance away from her father and his guest of honor, she had heard Robert Harcourt’s and Edward MacHugh’s voices rise in anger, then erupt with abundant fury. The two men had bounded to their feet. As Kristiana remembered the moment her father’s irate words rang again in her head.
“You scurrilous bastard! Get thee from my house and away from my lands,” he had shouted, his face flame red with ire. “You’ll not use my daughter to appease your lewd desires. Nor will you lay claim to what is to be her inheritance. The betrothal is retracted.”
What had prompted the outburst Kristiana could not say. However, she suspected Edward, his noble veneer having fallen away, had finally exposed his malignant self. Faced with the truth, her father had reacted as would any father who desired to protect his beloved offspring.
The rest was clouded in Kristiana’s memory. But she knew swords had been drawn on both sides, Robert’s men fighting Edward’s, the two men fighting each other. Then jade-green eyes had watched in horror as Edward’s blade struck the fatal blow to her sire; her terrified scream had pierced the thick air of the great hall to echo again and again in her ears.
At that Edward had turned on her, his unyielding hand clamping itself around her wrist, and he had dragged her reluctant form up the stone steps. As Kristiana frantically fought against his hold she’d gazed over her shoulder, viewing the bloodbath below. Her father’s men lay dead or wounded, the rest dropping their swords in surrender; her aunt and cousin were nowhere to be seen. Then the sight had been blotted out, Edward turning the corner, aiming her toward her bedchamber.
Inside her room vicious hands had torn at the outer layers of her clothing, rending them to shreds, Edward’s heavy body forcing her onto the coverings of her bed. The back of his hand had struck her jaw when she’d dug her nails into him, her teeth sinking into his arm. Only a well-placed knee had saved her from his brutal attack. Doubled over in agony, Edward had rolled from the bed, retching with pain.
Taking advantage of his acute misery, Kristiana had fled her room, then scampered down the ancient corridors and along the secret passageways leading from the old stone fortress known to her as Harcourt Castle. After she’d found her way outside into the torch-lit courtyard, she’d spotted her father’s great war steed being led toward the stables by one of Edward’s men. Her shrill whistle had pierced the air, and the great black beast had responded. Breaking from his custodian’s hold, he nearly trampled the man. In seconds the huge horse had found his way to Kristiana’s side. Through the use of the bed of a nearby cart, she’d bounded onto his wide back, then fled through the open gates and out into the blackness of the night.
A maelstrom of raw emotion whirled inside Kristiana as the terrifying memories became too much for her to bear; the door to the recent past slammed shut. Had she a key, she would lock them away forever. Yet that was impossible. Only death could ever relieve her of those painful remembrances. For the moment she wanted to live, for somehow she hoped to seek her revenge.
Her thoughts restored to the here and now, she listened for any sounds suggesting who guided the cart. No indication came forth, and she debated whether she should leap from the small vehicle, setting her feet at a full run, or if she should stay fixed. If Edward’s men rode beside the wooden transport, she would undoubtedly come face-to-face with them; there would be no escape for her.
Again she listened carefully, her sensitive ears searching for any signs of movement other than the cart’s. While doing so she moved her cramped leg, and the touch of cold steel instantly greeted her. A sword, she decided, gauging its total length to be nearly five feet. Gingerly she touched its well-honed, double-edged blade, and despite her caution, the instrument drew blood.
Her breath hissed between her teeth, and Kristiana jerked her hand away. Her injured thumb slipped between her soft lips, the gentle stroke of her tongue soothing the cut’s sting. Had she the power to lift the heavy blade, she would gladly run it through the blackguard who drove the cart. Once done, she would grab the reins and flee her captors anew.
But the notion seemed an impossibility, especially when the huge sword was only a few inches shorter than herself. Perhaps, she decided, if one weapon lay hidden in the furs, there was yet another. One that would more readily serve her needs.
Taking extreme care, Kristiana searched through the covers. Luck shone on her, for a quillon dagger, which was more like a small sword, lay next to the huge claymore. Excitement and fear coursed through her as her fingers curled around the iron hilt, her hand pressing firmly against the horn grip-plaques. Slowly, quietly, she pulled it from the furs; then, rolling onto her belly, she inched up onto her knees. The dagger held firmly in her perspiring hands, she aimed its point toward the front of the cart.
Logan’s thoughts were still consumed by how he could use Edward’s betrothed to his advantage when the press of hard steel met his sinewy back. He stiffened; every nerve in his body set itself on alert. “If you are intent on using that thing, goddess, then be quick about it,” he said, hoping she lacked the courage to see it through. “But make sure my death is what you want. Act in haste, and you might again find yourself in the arms of your betrothed.”
“The murdering bastard is not my betrothed,” Kristiana stated in a harsh whisper, the dagger’s blade pushing harder against the wall of muscle.
Logan winced as the tip cut through his tunic to prick his skin. If he reacted too soon, he was sure to die. Talk to her, he told himself. Make her listen. She’s bound to waver in her purpose. He drew a steadying breath. “It’s his blood you want, goddess, not mine. Put the dagger away. I mean to help you, not harm you. Without me you’ll be hard pressed to escape the man who’s filled you with such hatred.”
Kristiana didn’t know whether to believe him or not. “How can you help me?” she asked, her weapon held steady.
“I believe I already have. MacHugh and his men are off chasing your stallion, while we are headed in the opposite direction.”
“You know his name?” she questioned, uncertain if he was simply tell
ing tales so he could get her to drop her guard and lower the deadly quillon. Suspicious of his words, she tried to see if Edward or any of his men were close by, but she found her view blocked by the surrounding wall of canvas. “How do you know him?” she asked.
“He threatened me, as did his liege man, for trespassing on MacHugh lands.”
“They are not MacHugh lands! They belong to my father, Lord Har—” Kristiana fell silent, for again the grisly sight of her sire’s lifeless body leapt into her mind’s eye. A sob jerked forth from the depths of her soul, and her hands began to shake uncontrollably. Silent tears slipped from her eyes, her restrained grief spilling forth with them.
Logan sensed the loss of her bravado, then he felt the insistent dagger falter. He saw his chance, and the reins fell from his grip; his lithe form set itself into action. Twisting away from the unsteady blade, he grabbed her wrists with one hand, then forced the dagger from her fingers with the other. The discarded weapon fell into the furs.
Anger and fear fast replaced the deep sorrow that had overwhelmed Kristiana. Like a spitting, clawing wildcat she fought against the stranger’s harsh hold. Logan felt the bite of her nails as they sank into his flesh, and with a strangled oath he caught hold of her arms and dragged her through the small opening bordered by patched canvas and rough wood.
As the two struggled with each other on the small seat—Kristiana’s hands striking out wildly, Logan’s head ducking their blows—the moving cart jolted over a rut in its path. The sudden lurch threw the dueling couple off balance. Realizing they were tumbling from their perch, Logan shifted his whole body, hoping to cushion his attacker’s fall. His back hit the ground with a loud thud; the air whooshed from his lungs as his squealing charge landed atop him. Fighting to draw new air into his chest, Logan released the nearly nude girl and shook his buzzing head to clear it.
Kristiana was not yet certain whether he was friend or foe. Aided by the moonlight, she watched the Gypsy closely. Noting the dazed look on his handsome face, she saw her opening to freedom; she bolted. Headed back the way they had come, her bare feet traveled along the lane as fast as they could carry her. Straightaway her sensitive ears caught the sound of a hard tread behind her. A great force hit her; she tumbled to the ground. Before she could react, her pursuer’s long frame slid over her, covering her completely.
Deeper Than Roses Page 2
