Hellion

by Bertrice Small

  “A girl?” Vivienne was intrigued. Then she laughed. “I could trust you, dearest brother, to discover such a thing. You have a sharp eye for a pretty wench, but I did not notice anything odd about the young falconer Lang. How did you see it?”

  He laughed. “It is difficult to explain, chérie. Just an instinct, I suppose. Then today when you killed the deer, Vivi, the young falconer turned away. No boy, not even a kindhearted one, would have done such a thing. A gentle boy would have watched lest he be mocked by his peers.” Guy then went on to explain his visit to the hay barn where the three falconers slept; and what followed.

  “Can you be certain that the other falconers did not lie?” Vivienne asked. “Is this some ploy to breach the defenses of our castle?”

  She is beginning to grow jealous, Guy thought, amused. Vivi always grew jealous when he showed any interest in a female, although she did not expect him to be jealous of her lover. “The falconers told the truth,” he said calmly. “The girl is obviously wellborn, for although she is a big girl, her bones are finely made. She is well-spoken from having been raised in her father’s house. No, this is no ploy, just the desperate effort of a poor freedman to protect his sister. Now, however, I shall protect her.”

  “And will you share her?” Hugh Fauconier looked with hard eyes upon Guy d’ Bretagne. “We’ve shared wenches before, my brother.”

  “No, I shall not share her with you yet, Hugh. As you have Vivi to yourself, I want this girl for myself for the present. I haven’t even begun to explore her depths, and until I do, and tire of her, I will not share her with anyone, even you, brother.”

  “Where is she?” Hugh asked him. “Why did you not bring her to table, Guy?”

  Guy d’ Bretagne speared a piece of venison with his knife and took a bite. He chewed it vigorously, swallowed it down, and then took a healthy swig of wine from his goblet. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he replied, “I have not brought her into the hall for several reasons. Since I have seen the condition of her boy’s garments, I have ordered them burned. They were, I expect, vermin-ridden. I would not bring her into the hall naked, although that is the condition in which I intend to keep her in my chambers. For the time being I will keep her from everyone, even my servants. She will become dependent upon me for everything, even her food, which she will take from my fingers when it pleases me to feed her. I will become the whole reason for her existence, and her survival.”

  “Ohhh, brother,” Vivienne said softly, “how deliciously diabolical! Do you think she is strong enough for such treatment?”

  He nodded. “I will not break her spirit, Vivi, for that is not the purpose of the game.”

  Vivienne d’ Bretagne was an extraordinarily beautiful woman. The violet-colored, almond-shaped eyes, set in her heart-shaped face with its little pointed chin, were avid with excitement. “Guy, do you think she is the one we have been awaiting?”

  “I believe so, petite soeur. She is physically strong, and she has intellect. Her breeding is good, and this is better than spiriting off some swooning noblewoman whose family would be certain to come after her.”

  “Let us do it now!” Vivienne d’ Bretagne said eagerly.

  “No,” he told her. “You have been enjoying your lover all these many months, Vivi. Now give me until next summer to enjoy mine. Besides, she must be willing to do my bidding no matter what it is I ask of her. I want no rape here. Do you understand me?”

  She pouted at him, but Guy laughed.

  “You know that my magic is stronger than yours, Vivi. Such a thing may not have been so in past generations of our family, but it is now, and you are well aware of it. I yield to you from custom only, but if you try my patience, I have the means to punish you.” He patted her little hand with his long, delicate fingers. “Be a good girl, now, Vivi. If you promise me that you will trust my judgment in this matter, I will show you and Hugh my new toy.”

  “When?” Vivienne demanded.

  “When you have finished your meal,” he promised, a smile lighting his features at her enthusiasm.

  Before the food was cleared away, Guy took a small silver plate and placed upon it some venison, a slice of bread, which he buttered, a pear, and a small bunch of grapes. He then sat back and listened while the castle minstrel sang a charming ancient lay about their ancestress, Vivienne, the wife of the great Merlin.

  Finally, when the hall was almost emptied, Lind and Alain, the two falconers, begged leave to approach the high board.

  “You may speak,” their mistress told them.

  “We merely wish to inquire,” Alain began, his eyes on Guy, “about little Belle, my lord.” Lind was silent.

  “She is clean, and safe in my apartments,” Guy assured him. He gestured toward the plate of food. “I am just about to bring her a small meal. You need not fear for Belle. She pleases me.”

  “Will she not be returning to her duties, my lord?” Alain said.

  “Belle has been given other duties here in the castle, Master Falconer,” Guy replied. “You will see her again eventually, but not for the time being. She will be too caught up in those new duties to spend any time in the falcon mews. See to her bird, will you? I know she puts great value upon the pretty creature.”

  “My lords, my lady.” The two falconers bowed and departed the hall. There was nothing more that they could do for now to help their lady, but they knew she was a resourceful woman. They would be waiting when she needed them, as would the Langston men as well.

  Guy watched them go, a look of amusement upon his handsome face. “Are they not charming?” he said to his companions. “The concern was etched all over their faces. Now are you convinced, sister? It is no plot against us. Just the poor, doing the best that they can.”

  Vivienne jumped up. “Let us go and see your wench, brother!” she said excitedly.

  “You may not come into the bedchamber,” he told her. “I will take you and Hugh to the peephole so you may view her in all her glory.”

  “You have her on the black bench? All this time?” Vivienne was astounded. “Did she scream when you set her there?”

  “No, she did not. She was surprised, I have not a doubt, but she made no cry of alarm,” he told them.

  The trio hurried to Guy’s tower, entered his apartments, and continued to an interior hallway lit by torches. When Guy had unlatched several peepholes, he ushered the others forward to look.

  “Ohhh, Guy, you are most wicked,” Vivienne exclaimed. “You left her with the phallus to entertain her. Is it the one with the little pearl studs?” She did not fear being overheard, for the stone wall blocked the sound of her voice.

  “Nay,” he said. “She is not ready for such refinements yet.”

  “She is lovely. When her hair grows, it will be magnificent. What think you of her, Hugh?” his mistress asked.

  “She’s pretty enough, Vivi,” he told her, “but no woman could hold a candle to you. Guy, go in to her, and rotate the phallus so we may see her pleasure peak.” The naked girl in his view was exciting, and he wanted to rid himself of Guy so he might amuse himself with Vivienne. She would like that.

  “Ohh, yes, brother!” Vivienne said excitedly. “Do it!”

  He left them, and at once Hugh was behind Vivienne. He pulled her tunic dress off. His fingers quickly unlaced her smock and his hands gathered up her large, round breasts, crushing them cruelly, which he knew she enjoyed, his lips and tongue on her shoulders and neck. “If this corridor weren’t so damned narrow,” he growled in her ear, “I’d fuck you till you screamed your pleasure, Vivi!”

  “Look!” she said, enjoying her lover’s attentions, but equally fascinated by what she could see through the peephole.

  Guy d’ Bretagne entered his bedchamber, and before the startled eyes of his captive, removed all of his garments so that he was as naked as she was. Coming over to the black leather bench, he bent and kissed her mouth in greeting. “Has the phallus kept you good company while I was away, Belle?”
he asked her, reaching down to grasp its gold ring. “Ahh,” he said softly, “I see you have bedewed it with your love juices. I will teach you to be more restrained in the future.”

  “Take it out!” she whispered low.

  “Not yet,” he said. “I have yet to show you the pleasure it can really bring you, ma chérie.” He began to rotate the phallus with a delicate motion, smiling at her soft cry.

  “Please, no!” she sobbed. She believed as she had lain there all this time that she had finally managed to gain control over her body, but now she could see it was not so. The enjoyment he was inflicting upon her was a sweet torment such as she had never known. She writhed in an effort to escape him, even while knowing that she could not. The phallus drove deeper and deeper within her, until she was mindless with the pleasure-pain he was giving her. She wailed her frustration at being unable to defeat him, but her cries quickly turned to those of a woman approaching the ultimate heaven. Then his mouth closed over hers again, and she could remember little else but for the wave after wave of pure pleasure sweeping over her until finally it was no more.

  She felt him withdraw the phallus as she lay gasping, her body drenched in its own sweat. She hadn’t believed that she could survive his vigorous attentions, but she had. She found she couldn’t open her eyes; they were still too heavy with her satisfaction. Her body felt weak and totally limp. She felt him unlock the manacles that had bound her wrists and ankles. She lay exhausted, unable to even move. Then, to her shock, he began to bathe her sex with sweet warm water, working swiftly and efficiently. When he had finished, he lifted her up and laid her on his bed, drawing the coverlet over her. She heard the door to the chamber close, and slid away into sleep.

  Guy found his sister and Hugh in the outer chamber. Neither was taken aback by his nudity. He smiled at them. “Did you enjoy my little spectacle? She is quite a marvelous young creature, isn’t she?”

  Vivienne nodded in agreement. “You could not see, for you were unable to resist kissing her, but at the moment she reached her peak, her body arched so high I thought it would fly off the bench, Guy! You brought her along quite beautifully, mon frère; neither too quickly, nor too slowly; but then, you have always been a master of very good, nay, exceptional timing,” his sister praised him.

  “And you, Hugh, did you enjoy watching the wench?”

  “Aye!” Hugh said. “She has beautiful little breasts, and you know how I appreciate a woman’s breasts, brother. I can see that she will prove a fine winter’s amusement and companion.” He paused, and thought a moment. “I think I once knew a girl with hair that color, but I cannot remember now.”

  “You do not have to remember, chérie,” Vivienne said in a soft, purring voice. “All you need to remember, my Hugh, is how much you love me. You do love me, don’t you?” Her look was for a brief moment vulnerable, much to her brother’s surprise.

  “I have never loved anyone before you, Vivi,” Hugh said, “and I shall never love another even if I should live forever.” He gave her a quick kiss. “Let us go to our bed now, chérie, and leave your brother to his new plaything. Certainly she will have regained her strength by now for the new bout of Eros he will treat her to,” and Hugh Fauconier laughed wickedly as, putting his arm about his mistress’s waist, he led Vivienne from her brother’s apartments.

  Guy watched them go, and thought it was unfortunate that Vivienne had fallen in love with her captive. Usually Vivi took a man for lust, but this one had lasted far longer than any of the others. It was obvious that she was in love with him. Still, Hugh was easy to live with. Guy shook his head. Love was a weakness people like he and his sister could ill afford, but Vivienne would not want to hear it. He smiled to himself. As long as Hugh Fauconier kept her amused, she would be happy, and Vivienne’s happiness was really paramount. Picking up the plate he had brought from the Great Hall, he brought it into the bedchamber.

  Chapter 14

  Belle lay sleeping, and for a moment Guy was tempted to leave her so, for he knew she must be exhausted after her long day. Then he decided against coddling her. The food would revive her, and he did not want to deny himself the pleasure of possessing her this night. There was a candle stand by the bed, and he set the plate upon it, all the while feasting his eyes upon her. She really was lovely, with her short, tousled red-gold hair and her white, white skin. Her fine breeding was more than evident. He sat beside her, running a finger down her bare arm, bending to kiss her soft shoulder. She stirred.

  “I have brought you something to eat,” he said. “Open your eyes now, Belle. You must eat.”

  She sighed, and reluctantly sat up. He propped pillows behind her back, drawing the coverlet down so he might see her charming little breasts as she ate. “I’m surprised that you remembered to bring me food,” she said daringly. “Your other appetites seem greater.” She reached for the plate, but he pulled it out of her reach.

  “Unless I give you permission otherwise, Belle, the only food you will take will be from my own hand,” he told her quietly, setting the plate back down and cutting a piece of venison off the small joint. He held it to her lips, smiling.

  For a moment she debated telling him to go to the devil from whence he had obviously come, but then she decided against it. Who knew what this sorcerer might do to her? She had to have nourishment, and if this was the only way she could get it, then so be it. She opened her mouth and took the meat with her teeth, chewing it slowly. His eyes never left hers. At first she was uncomfortable in his gaze, but then she simply let it sweep over her, refusing to be the first to look away; defying him in the only way she knew how. She realized now that the gentle, musical voice and the tender touch were a sham. This could easily be a cruel and dangerous man. Yet if she pleased him, she would be allowed to remain within the castle. She would have the opportunity of reaching Hugh, and helping him break free of the sorceress’s enchantment.

  Guy fed the girl in his bed, wondering as he did just what she might be thinking. The meat and bread were finally all devoured. “Lick my fingers clean now, Belle,” he ordered her, holding out his hands.

  She took first one hand and then the other in her own two hands, bringing them to her mouth, slowly, and, to his pleasure, most thoroughly licking the venison juices and the butter from each finger, which she sucked individually. Her pink tongue lapped back and forth over his palms until they were completely free of any residue of her supper.

  He smiled slowly. “That was well done,” he complimented her. Then he quartered the ripe pear and fed it to her. The sweet juices dripped down onto her breasts. He bent his head to lick them off, his tongue sweeping across her flesh in search of an errant drop of pear juice. When the pear had been eaten, she again took his hands in hers, and bathed them with her tongue without his even asking. She was intelligent, and that pleased him. This girl, he believed, he might take further than any of the others before her. He suspected that she would not be arrogant, as so many of the little peasants had become once they believed that Guy d’ Bretagne could not live without them. And when they became difficult, and too proud, he coldly gave them to his men-at-arms for a few nights of amusement. A proud wench’s disdainful ways were invariably swiftly cured beneath the unwashed bodies of a dozen or more men, whose only objective was to release their baseborn seed as quickly as possible.

  He saw Belle’s eye go to the plate, which still contained the small bunch of grapes. “You may have two,” he told her. “The rest are for me.” He plucked the grapes and popped them into her mouth.

  She ate them, saying, “I would have thought that in the length of time you were gone, you would have eaten your fill.”

  “I prefer my grapes a special way,” he told her. “Do not be so greedy. I do not want you fat and bloated like some farmwife.” He pressed her back into the pillows. “You took well to the phallus, Belle. You did not hold back your passion. Your former lover taught you well. How many lovers have you had, my pretty wench?”

  “I had a hus
band, my lord. No lovers,” she answered him.

  “What happened to this husband?” he wondered.

  “My brother killed him,” she said, then amended, “not Lind. Richard, my lordly brother. I am not a woman of easy virtue, my lord.”

  “Women of easy virtue lack passion,” he said. “You certainly do not. You yield to it most gracefully, and that pleases me.” He leaned toward her. “Come, and kiss me of your own free will, Belle. I want to feel your luscious mouth moving with conviction beneath my own.”

  Isabelle looked into those deep violet eyes. She could feel her will being sapped once again, caught in that dark gaze. She could not, it seemed, fight him. Unbidden, her hand reached up to touch his cheek. His skin was so very fair, framed by his dark, dark hair. “I have never kissed a man I did not love,” she told him softly.

  “Ahhh, but you are going to love me, Belle,” he answered her.

  The words frightened her, for there was such a ring of certainty to them. Would she love him? How could she love him when she loved her dearest Hugh? But Hugh had forgotten her, did not know her. Guy’s eyes bore into her green-gold ones, and she could feel the warmth of his desire in the look. She had to believe that her love for her husband could free him! But if she displeased Guy d’ Bretagne, she would be cast out of La Citadelle, and there would be no hope left at all. She had to kiss him, and kiss him with honest ardor. This man was far too skilled in matters of the heart to believe a lie.

  Her lips touched his tentatively. He scarcely breathed, for he feared to break the spell. It was all he could do not to sweep her into his hard embrace. Instead he let her lips find their own rhythm, and to his shock, his heart soared as it never had before. He was intrigued with the sensation, and relinquished himself to it.

  His lips were petal soft, she realized, and yet they were also firm. Their mouths seemed to part as if in response to a silent signal. Her facile little tongue slid into his mouth, encircling his, teasing him until he could finally stand no more. With a growl, he forced her back against the pillows, his lips suddenly fierce and very, very demanding. He kissed her until she was near to fainting, for she could not breathe. Seeing it, he eased back, pulling himself onto the bed, where he might more easily have access to her.