She nodded. His gaze swept over her, assessing. Then, he snorted and shook his head.
Aurora scowled slightly. It was almost disbelief she saw in his eyes when he met her stare again.
“Why would you marry him?”
“You don’t know him,” she said. It was a statement. His own father did not know how wonderful Damien was, what a strong man, an admirable man he was. He didn’t answer. Aurora continued, “He is a wonderful man.”
“He is an assassin!”
Aurora didn’t reply as his voice echoed off the cold walls.
He shook his head. “Maybe one day he’ll kill you. Maybe one day he’ll kill me.”
She was silent, listening, trying to understand him. Damien was not the man his father remembered, or believed him to be.
“I came here because I was desperate. I have nothing. No gold. No home. No family.”
And despite her resolve, she felt her heart softening. He was alone. As alone as she sometimes felt. Her gaze raked him. He lived in shadow, in cold and lonely emptiness.
“I suppose it’s what I deserve after what I did.”
“Selling your sons to the slavers?”
He locked eyes with her. She saw defeat in his orbs, defeat and sorrow. “He told you, did he?” His gaze swept her. “Damn, you are a beauty.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
The old man dropped his gaze, his brow furrowing. “I should have known he wouldn’t want anything to do with me. That he wouldn’t want me to be a part of his life any longer.”
“What did you expect?”
He shrugged. “That he would kick me out. That he would…” He looked up at her. “…have pity on an old man.”
Damien would have kicked him out, Aurora was sure, if somewhere inside of him he didn’t want to speak to him. Perhaps he did want to make amends. That’s why he threw him in the dungeon instead of sending him on his way. Or so she wanted to believe.
“I never expected him to lock me up.”
“Maybe it’s Damien’s way of keeping you safe.”
The old man snorted.
“Out on the streets with no coin, no home, is a great temptation to many. Stealing. Drinking. Fighting. I see it all of the time. Here may not be grand comfort, but you are fed and taken care of.”
“A prisoner.”
Aurora nodded. “For now. I’m sure Damien will come around.” She stood.
He reached out and grabbed her hand.
Bruno reacted instantly, lashing out with a fist, knocking his hand from hers. The old man cowered back, protecting his face with his hands.
“It’s all right, Bruno,” Aurora said. She stepped toward the old man and reached out, taking his hand into hers. “I will see to it that you are taken care of.”
He pressed his lips to her knuckles. “Thank you, Lady Aurora. Thank you.”
Chapter Five
More and more guests arrived during the day. The castle scurried with activity. It was midday and Aurora still hadn’t seen Damien. She went to his room to find the door closed. She hesitated to knock, instead running her fingers along the wood of the door. His words still stung. He would come to her in his own time.
She usually went to do embroidery with the other women, but she didn’t think she could face them at the moment. She felt… hurt. Despondent. She missed her father. There was so much to do and she knew she was being selfish. But it was Damien’s words that had hurt her most of all.
Go away.
With a gentle sigh, she headed to the chapel. The ceiling reached higher than the Great Hall. When Aurora was little, she often thought it reached to Heaven. She felt comforted here, welcomed and at peace. The chapel was empty at this time of day and she knelt in one of the front pews, right before the altar. She clutched her hands in prayer, bowing her head over fingers. She had always come here for guidance. And now as head of Acquitaine, she needed it more than ever.
“M’lady,” a voice called.
Aurora looked up. A shorter man with a balding head made his way down the pew she knelt in. Although they had not been formally introduced, Aurora recognized him as Count Marcus Dumas.
“Excuse the interruption. May I join you?”
Aurora sat back in the pew, nodding. “Of course. You are Count Dumas, yes?”
Count Dumas took her hand in his, bending over her knuckles. “It is a pleasure. And thank you for allowing us to share in such a joyous occasion.”
He had dark eyes that were too close and reminded Aurora of a mouse. She quickly banished the thought. “Thank you for joining us.”
His gaze swept her face. Somehow, his close inspection made her uncomfortable. She looked at the cross on the wall. “I hope you are finding Acquitaine accommodating.”
He grinned. “Well… there are a few luxuries that the Countess and I enjoy that have not been made available.”
Aurora turned her gaze to him. “Anything you need will be provided. You need just ask.”
He took her hand into his. “The evening meal. Just you, me and the countess. We hope to be life long friends and would like to get to know you better.”
Chills raced along her nape. There was something about this man, something in the way he held her hand, something in his hungry look that unnerved her. “I have guests arriving. I think –”
“You did say just ask and it would be provided.”
Aurora straightened. “I think it would be better if you joined me in the Great Hall as my guest of honor.” She pulled her hand free of his hold.
The Count shook his head. “That is… troubling. We were hoping to discuss funding a new water way for Acquitaine.”
Aurora was silent for a long moment. Acquitaine could benefit greatly from a water way. But she had this feeling… he was not to be trusted. “And what do you require in return?”
“A private meal with you.”
He grinned like a wolf eyeing a lamb. She shook her head, choosing to follow her instinct. “I’m sorry, Count Dumas, but now is not the time. I have guests arriving and a castle to run. I’m afraid at this time a private meal is impossible.” She stood. “But thank you for your offer of a water way.”
Count Dumas didn’t blink. His smiled was frozen in place. “Perhaps another time.”
Aurora nodded. “Yes. Perhaps.” Aurora waited for him to move or stand so she could move by him. But the moment stretched on. The smile on his lips didn’t reach his dark eyes and a tremor of apprehension slid down her back. Aurora clasped her hands before her. “Excuse me.”
The Count didn’t move. He stared at her as if it were some kind of a game.
Aurora took a small breath. “In the house of the Lord, of all places, you should show a woman respect. In my castle, you should show me respect.”
The count’s smile dissolved to a grin and he stood, giving her room to pass with a mumbled apology.
She slid by without touching him and walked down the aisle toward the back of the chapel. She was grateful to be away from him. She could still feel his eyes on her and tingles raced up her spine. She couldn't shake the feeling that she had made a good decision.
She had almost reached the back doors when a shadow separated from the statues of saints at the side of the chapel and approached her. “Still praying for that forgiveness?”
The instinctive anxiety and fear gripping her at the movement gave way instantly to tingles of excitement as she recognized the voice. She lifted her chin. “Patience,” she answered.
Damien’s gaze swept her and then he glanced at the count and back to her. “For him?”
She met his gaze evenly. “No.”
He winced as a smile dawned on his lips. “Ouch. I should feel insulted.”
Aurora moved out the back doors. “And so you should.”
Damien followed her into the hallway. “Aurora.” He took her elbow in his hand to stop her. “What did Dumas want?”
“Is that all you have to say to me? Is that all you are concerned about?�
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Surprise lifted his brows.
“I would never tell you to go away.” She turned and headed down the corridor, angry with herself because her voice had taken on a telling hurt note.
With two long strides, he stood before her, blocking her way. He hesitated a moment as if he were searching for the right words. He stared into her eyes for a silent moment. “You are the last person I ever want to hurt. And I never want you to go away.”
“That’s not what you said.”
He took a breath. “The knight in the hallway. The one sword fighting.” Aurora nodded and he continued. “He cut me.”
She gasped, her eyes lowering to search his body.
Damien took her hands into his. “I’m fine. I took care of it.”
Aurora shook her head, still scanning his torso. “I shouldn’t have –”
“It’s not your fault.”
“Why didn’t you let me in? I could have helped you. I could –”
Damien wet his lips with his tongue. “You’ve seen me enough on my back, bleeding and weak.” He said the last with a tinge of bitterness.
She stared at him. Tears welled in her eyes as she thought of the past, as she thought of the time he had almost died because of Warin Roke. “I am to be your wife. I am the only one you should allow to see you that way. The one who never wants to see you that way.”
“I don’t want you to see me like that.” He looked away. “Weak, unable to defend you.”
“That isn’t how I see you.”
Damien looked into her eyes. He placed his hands on her face. His palms were warm; his thumbs stroked her cheeks. “Maybe you’re wrong.”
“You’ve done enough to convince me otherwise. Haven’t you? I love you, Damien.”
He shook his head, gritting his teeth. His fingers wove into her hair. “I am a commoner, my love. They will question my rule at every turn. They will question my right… to you.”
Aurora lifted her chin. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly. “Then we will have to make sure they do not. There will have to be strict penalties for defying your order. Of course, our people would never –”
He silenced her doctrine by kissing her lips, his tongue sweeping into her mouth possessively.
Aurora let her hands move over his shoulders and buried them beneath his thick hair. She hated that he felt uneasy in his new role. The only thing she could do was support him and hope he learned. She slanted her head, giving him access to her mouth. She was rewarded by a low growl from deep in his throat.
He pulled back to look into her eyes. “I don’t deserve you.”
She grinned. “Yes, you do. Just as much as I deserve you.”
He smiled and turned, hooking his arm around her waist. “You must tell me what Dumas asked of you.”
She shrugged. “A private meal with him and the countess.” She felt his entire body stiffen.
“You can’t do that.”
“No. Not with guests arriving and all the preparations…” She glanced at him, studying the way his jaw tensed and his lips thinned. “That’s not what you meant.”
“You denied him?”
“Of course! It was quite… arrogant of him to think I could find the time to do something like that. I have other guests that I cannot ignore. Let alone a wedding to prepare for.”
Damien grinned. “I imagine he was not very happy.”
Aurora scowled. “No.”
Damien stared down the hallway they were walking down. “What did you think of the count?”
Aurora considered his statement. “He was arrogant, but I think that comes with the title.”
Damien smiled. “Inside. Deeper. What did your instincts tell you about him?”
She exhaled, considering how every nerve in her body wanted to be away from him. He sat too close to her and the way he would not move aside for her… She shook her head. “There was something about him…”
He looked at her, his eyes narrowed slightly. “That’s right. Listen to your instincts.”
She nodded. “He mentioned he would supply Acquitaine with a water way if I would dine alone with him and the countess. It almost seemed like a bribe.”
Damien’s jaw clenched.
“There was something about his request. Something...” She felt the tingles of apprehension along her spine and shivered slightly. “...not right.”
Damien suddenly stopped and swung her into his embrace. “And if it doesn’t feel right, it isn’t.”
She nodded, looking up into his eyes.
“I know you will never kick them out, but they are not to be trusted.”
Her gaze moved over his face. His brow furrowed; his strong jaw was set firmly. “That was the feeling I got.” She grinned. “That feeling of mistrust must be your influence.”
“Good.” Damien pulled her to the side of the wall. “The count and countess have peculiar sexual desires.” Aurora’s mouth dropped open in shock. Damien brushed a kiss to her cheek. “I only tell you this for your protection. I have seen them at Castle Roke.”
Aurora gasped. “Did they recognize you? Did they –”
“They knew me as a slave to Roke. They do whatever is necessary to get what they want. And it is usually sex. I’ve seen them bribe wives of dignitaries. I’ve seen them blackmail virgins. I’ve seen them drug unwilling participants.”
Her brows rose in surprise. “And you?”
He stroked the side of her face. “I was a slave. I did as I was told.”
“What were you told?” Aurora felt the change in him. He distanced himself from her, shutting off that part of his life from her.
“Do you really want me to tell you?”
Aurora looked at his chest and she shook her head, but something twisted inside of her. She didn’t like that he had secrets from her. She knew he would tell her if she asked him to, but she wasn’t sure she really wanted to find out what he did with the countess. She was a very beautiful woman.
“I told you that there were things I did in the past that I was not proud of. This is one of the very least.” He tipped her chin up with his forefinger. “When they arrived at Acquitaine, I told them in no uncertain terms that I was not interested in repeating the past.”
Repeating the past. Sex. Aurora was sure of it. This should have been her warning. His statement should have pacified her, but she felt anger stir inside her.
“They were very excited about you, also.”
“Me?”
“That was why the count wanted you to have a private dinner with them.”
“For sex? I would never ---”
“My guess is that once you began eating, you would find yourself drugged and unable to resist.”
Aurora was repulsed, indignant, infuriated. “Then I should ask them to leave before they lure anyone else to their chambers. That kind of behavior will not be tolerated.”
Damien grinned. He kissed the corner of her lips. “That’s what I told them.” He brushed a kiss to the side of her neck. “I’ll speak with them again.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“No.”
“Yes,” she said firmly. “If the request comes from both of us, then there will be no misunderstanding.”
Damien was silent for a moment, then he agreed with a nod. “Very well.”
Shivers of apprehension raced along Damien’s spine as he watched Aurora. She stood before the count as he lounged in a chair in his room. The countess sat across a table from him. He didn’t like this. Not at all. He wanted to toss the count and countess out on their ears, locking the gates of Acquitaine behind them. He glanced at Aurora. But that was not fitting for a lord. He wanted to run a dagger along their throats and throw their bodies into the moat. But Damien knew that was the beast inside of him.
Aurora folded her hands before her. “I wanted to thank you for coming to Acquitaine for our wedding.”
Margaret grinned. “We wouldn’t miss it, my dear.”
“I know th
at you were friends with my father.”
Damien started. She hadn’t told him that.
“Terrible thing,” Marcus said, shifting to lean forward. “His death. I’m so very sorry.” The sun disappeared behind a cloud and muted sunlight shone in through the large window behind him.
Aurora nodded. “Thank you. And as friends of my father, I am giving you another chance.”
Margaret scowled. Marcus mirrored her expression.
Damien stepped forward to Aurora’s side. “She knows.”
Margaret’s eyes rounded in surprise.
Marcus rose. “And you are willing?”
“No!” Aurora protested.
“No,” Damien joined her protest. “As I’ve told you, Aurora and I take our vows seriously.”
Aurora placed a hand on his chest. “We are here to emphasize that as guests of ours, you will refrain from any of your past behavior and treat my guests and my people with the utmost respect.”
Margaret’s gaze shifted to Damien.
“The guests, servants, villagers, merchants of Acquitaine are all off limits,” Damien clarified. “What you do with your own servants is your business, but there will be no liberties with the people of Acquitaine.”
Margaret glanced at Marcus. Then she stood and tilted her head slightly. Her blue eyes glinted. “Did he tell you everything?” she asked Aurora.
Damien grit his teeth. She was a manipulative bitch, trying to hurt Aurora that way. Damien’s fists clenched.
“Damien told me enough for me to be concerned with the welfare of my people.”
Margaret grinned, lowering her chin to gaze at Aurora coyly. “You speak as though we are monsters.”
“Not monsters, just manipulative,” Damien said tightly.
Margaret placed a hand on Damien’s chest. “You didn’t protest.”
Damien’s lips thinned. “I was doing as I was told.”
Margaret glanced at Aurora. “He must not have told you the best parts.”
Aurora stepped before Damien, dislodging Margaret's hand from him with her shoulder. “I have no desire to hear anymore.” Her voice was colder than Damien had ever heard it. “I consider the matter closed. You will not touch my husband again and we will proceed as friends, nothing more.” She lifted her chin.
Legends of Medieval Romance: The Complete Angel's Assassin Trilogy Page 28
