“Bastard cousin,” Conrad pointed out, getting a glare from Willow.
The earl put the gemstone back into the chest and closed the lid. Then he took a key from his waist belt and locked the box, handing the chest to his guard.
“Thank you, Earl Alnwick, but I already know how it feels to hold an expensive jewel.” Willow reached up and touched the jeweled crown that the queen had willed to her.
“That’s some crown,” said Sir George with a whistle.
“It was the late Queen Philippa’s crown,” she proudly told them.
“How did you get it?” asked Sir Chester.
“It was given to me –” She didn’t finish because she couldn’t tell them the real reason.
“What is that heart brooch you’re wearing?” Sir Bedivere’s finger reached out to trace it. It was an intimate act since she wore the brooch on her chest. His action took her by surprise, and she breathed deeply.
“Be careful, Bedivere, you might get slapped.” Conrad stepped in between them, breaking the connection. “And I’m not talking about me.”
“Gentlemen, will you join me in the great hall for some whisky?” asked Lord Beaufort. “I thought we could talk about the festivities for the morrow. After all, I’m sure you’ll all be joining in the competitions.”
“Not me. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll escort the ladies back to their chamber,” said Conrad. His words brought to mind the fact that his sister was standing at the back of the room. She’d been so silent, that Willow had nearly forgotten she was there.
“That’s all right, I don’t need an escort, Lord Conrad,” Willow told him. “I am going down to the great hall, hoping for a dance or two before I retire for the evening.”
“I’d like the first dance, my lady.” Sir Bedivere gallantly held out his arm. Willow smiled. The man was handsome, and she wouldn’t mind dancing with him. She reached out to take his arm but Conrad stepped in, and her hand came down upon his arm instead.
“I’m her guardian until her father returns to Rothbury,” said Conrad. “She will not be attending the dance tonight I’m afraid, Sir Bedivere. Come, Hazel,” he called out, holding out his other arm.
“Lord Beaufort,” said Willow, looking to the man for help.
“He did make a deal with your father, Lady Willow.” Lord Beaufort shook his head. “Until Lord Rook returns, I’m afraid you will have to listen to Sir Conrad.”
She had to change the earl’s mind. There was no way she was going to bed so early when all the noblemen were below stairs. Well, she would just convince the earl to let her go. She had a way with him. “But Earl Rothbury, I’m sure you –”
“Good night,” said Conrad, shuffling her out of the room.
“But Lord Beaufort.” She looked over her shoulder, but Conrad dragged her to her own chamber. Once inside, he shut the door.
“How dare you!” shouted Willow, crossing her arms over her chest.
“You will stay here tonight and get to know my sister instead of getting to know all the men.”
“What fun is that?” asked Willow with a pout.
“If I see you leave this room before morning, I swear I will drag you to Whitby Abbey by your hair and leave you there.”
“You can’t do that.”
“I can. Your father gave me permission. As a matter of fact, it was his idea. So don’t think I won’t do it.”
A knock was heard on the door. “My lord,” came a voice from out in the corridor.
Conrad hurried over and opened the door to find his squire standing there.
“What is it, Toby?”
“Earl Rothbury, as well as Earl Alnwick, have sent me to fetch you.”
“Fetch me?” asked Conrad.
Willow laughed. “I suppose they know you are dogging me. Perhaps, you should find yourself a nice bone in the kitchen and go chew on that for a while.”
“They request your presence in the great hall to join them for some whisky. They are also making a list of which knights will compete in which events during the festival.”
“I’m not going to be in any of them, didn’t you tell them that? I have to watch over Willow.”
“I’ll let them know,” said his squire.
“Nay,” said Conrad. “I’ll tell them myself. Willow, come here.”
Willow smiled. “Oh, so you’ve changed your mind just like I knew you would. After all, the knights will want to dance with me.” She picked up her skirts and hurried to the door, happy to be going to the great hall instead of to bed.
“Nay,” said Conrad, stepping in front of her to stop her. He spoke in a low voice so only she could hear. “Please stop ignoring my sister. Would it kill you to talk to her and show a little kindness? She’s just lost her mother and is feeling sad and very insecure.”
Willow turned to look back at the girl who was standing next to the bed with her head down. She was the most pathetic young woman Willow had ever seen in her life. Her mousy brown hair was braided and coiled around the top of her head. She wore a short wimple that left her face in shadow. And her gown was the most unattractive, ugliest piece of clothing Willow had ever seen in her life. “Aye, I think it might kill me,” she mumbled.
“If I see you down in the great hall, there will be hell to pay. Do you understand?”
“You know, I had hoped to have a dance with you, too, Sir Conrad. Perhaps I will let you have the first dance of the evening.” She once again tried her tactics on him.
“Nay, you don’t,” he said, shaking his head. “Your little game may have worked on me once, but I swear your charming powers of persuasion will not work on me a second time. So save your breath.”
She let out a sigh and looked back at his sister. “I don’t want to stay here all night with her. She probably won’t speak the entire time.”
“You’re so skilled with words that I’d think you’d be a good teacher. She needs you to guide her.”
“Do you think so?” She looked up to see him smirking at her. “You didn’t mean that, did you? You only said it because you were trying to manipulate me.”
“You aren’t the only one who can play that game.” He smiled once more and turned and left the room.
Willow looked back at the quiet girl still standing there as if she were afraid to move. What could she possibly say to Hazel? And what could she teach the girl? It wasn’t as if they had a thing in common. This was going to be the worst night of her life.
“My lord, you seem upset,” said Toby as they made their way to the great hall. “Is something troubling you?”
“Aye, it’s the girl,” grumbled Conrad.
“Has Lady Hazel done something you don’t like?”
Conrad stopped in his tracks and turned to talk to Toby. “Nay, it’s not Lady Hazel I am talking about. She is too quiet for her own good, and that worries me. And leaving her with someone like Lady Willow does naught to ease my mind either.”
“Ah, so it is Lady Willow who has you bothered.”
“Aye, Toby, it is. I promised her father I’d watch over her and keep her away from the men, but that is already proving to be a full-time job.”
“I can help you, my lord. Would you like me to keep an eye on Lady Willow?”
Conrad thought about it for a minute and shook his head. Lady Willow would have no trouble getting someone like Toby to do what she wanted. She’d barely even have to try. “Nay, it’s my responsibility but thank you, Squire.”
“There you are, Lochwood,” said Earl Alnwick, sticking his head out of the great hall. “I didn’t think you were going to make it down here in time, so I signed you up for the joust.”
“You did?” Conrad wasn’t excited about this. He already had his hands full with Willow and didn’t have time to compete. “What made you think I’d be any good at it?”
“Come now, don’t be so modest,” said Alnwick, putting his arm around Conrad’s shoulders as he headed into the hall. “Your squire told Earl Rothbury and me how no one ca
n beat you at the joust. Plus, you are a knight, and he also mentioned you were mentored by one of the Legendary Bastards of the Crown. That’s all we needed to hear.”
“My squire told you that, did he?” Conrad tossed a frustrated glance behind him. Toby shrugged his shoulders and smiled. Conrad scoured the hall. “Where is Earl Rothbury?”
“He had to return to his solar, but he should be back any minute.”
Conrad had some whisky with the earl, and then a tankard of ale as he waited for the lord of the castle to return. Finally, Lord Beaufort entered the great hall.
“Ah, Sir Conrad, I’m so glad you joined us. I wanted to talk with you,” said Beaufort.
“What about?” Conrad had no idea what was going on.
“This year, the competitions are only for the single men, so I hope you will join us.”
“Why only the single men?” he asked.
“Several lords are looking to marry off their daughters. And three winners will have the opportunity of choosing one of the eligible ladies of the castle to marry.”
“Really?” His ears perked up. He wanted to marry and that had been part of the reason why he was here. Once he settled down with a wife, he’d bring Hazel to live with him. “I might be interested if the ladies are to my liking.”
“Good, good,” said the earl, ushering him to the front of the room. “I have the ladies of marrying age all lined up. There are three of them, and I think any of them would make you a suitable bride.”
Conrad joined the other knights gathered around a table where the master of ceremonies had several lists with the competitors’ names written down.
“Gentlemen,” said the earl, holding his hand in the air. “I would like you to meet the ladies that will be married off to the winners of the competition. Their fathers have already spoken with me and agreed to the alliances of any of the knights, barons, and earls that I have invited here today. Actually, there will be three brides from which to choose.”
“Three?” asked Sir Chester, walking up with a tankard of ale in his hand. “I only see two.”
The earl looked up and shook his head. Then he summoned a page and sent him away. “The third lady will be here momentarily. In the meantime, I’d like everyone to meet Lady Anabel and Lady Grace.”
Conrad joined the men to meet the ladies. Lady Anabel was a woman of only six and ten years, petite and blond. Lady Grace, on the other hand, was tall with red hair and seven and ten years of age. They were both very plain, but not ugly. He supposed they would make good wives.
“I’d like either one of them,” said Sir Bedivere. “They both look like they’d be able to bear lots of sons for me.”
“Nay, Sir Bedivere. Sir George and I want these two,” Sir Chester told him. “You can have the last one.”
“What last one?” asked Conrad. “I only see two.”
“Oh, here she comes now,” said the earl, flagging someone over.
Conrad turned around, and his jaw dropped open. “Lady Willow!” he spat, not able to believe after he told her to stay in her chamber that she’d come down to the great hall after all. And to make matters worse, the earl was saying that she was one of the ladies up for marrying a winner of the games.
“Good evening, gentlemen.” Willow curtseyed and held out her gown. Her presence in the hall took everyone’s attention. She wore a gold taffeta gown with beading on the bodice. The skirt was lined with fancy lace. The back of her gown, instead of having buttons, was dropped low and he could see a flash of bare skin. And if that didn’t get the attention of everyone there, then the crown on her head certainly did.
Conrad walked up and grabbed her by the arm. Leaning over, he whispered into her ear, “What do you think you are doing here? And dressed like that?”
“The earl summoned me,” she said with a stiff upper lip. “I’m sorry, Sir Conrad, but his rank of nobility is higher than yours so there is naught you can do about it.”
“Aye, I summoned her,” said the earl.
“What’s this all about?” asked Conrad.
“If you must know, I’m looking for a man to marry,” said Willow. “I saw the earl headed to his solar and asked him to include me as one of the brides for the competitions.”
“You did what? Nay.” Conrad shook his head and held up his hands. “Earl, she can’t be one of the prizes of your silly competition.”
“Why not?” asked the earl. “She’s old enough to marry. Past age, actually, so it is time she goes.”
“I was asked by her father to be her guardian until his return,” he explained. “Lord Rook will not like this.”
Lord Beaufort nodded. “I thought so at first as well, but Lady Willow pointed out that she has the final say in whom she marries and that her father can’t go against the wishes of the late king.”
“You said that?” Conrad didn’t know what to do with Willow.
“Well, it’s true,” she told him. “I was granted the right by my grandfather, the late King Edward III, to be able to agree to whom I marry. My father has no say in the situation at all.”
The earl nodded. “Lady Willow does have that right.”
“And I have the right to stop her until her father returns. It is my duty.” Conrad couldn’t let this happen.
“I’m sorry, Sir Conrad, but I take my orders from the king,” the earl told him.
“That was an order given by a king who is no longer alive,” Conrad pointed out. “It doesn’t hold true anymore.”
“You dare to question the word of your past king?” asked Lord Beaufort. “Sir Conrad, if you are going to fight this, then I will have to ask you to leave Rothbury.”
Conrad studied the man’s face. He meant what he said. Then he looked over to Willow who gave him a smug nod and proceeded to flirt with the other men that were guests at the castle. Nay, Conrad couldn’t leave. Not now. Especially since he gave his word to Lord Rook as part of a deal. He needed Hazel to be mentored in a castle, just like he was at one time. He also needed to keep an eye on Willow and keep her from these wolves that all looked as if they wanted to devour her. She was, by far, the prettiest of the three women. She was also the oldest. But he’d heard what the men thought of her. They might want her, but it would only be for a night of passion and pleasure. He couldn’t let that happen. Her reputation preceded her, and none of these men would marry her because of it. However, they wouldn’t bat an eye at taking her virtue.
“I’m not going anywhere, Earl Rothbury,” he told the man, knowing now that he had to stay to stop this and there was only one way to do it. “Sign me up for all the competitions, not just the one. I think I’ll find me a bride as well.”
He glanced over at Willow, but she was no longer smiling. It was the only way to stop her from marrying one of the other men before her father returned. Conrad would have to win a competition and choose her as his bride.
Chapter 6
Willow lay in bed, dreaming of the kiss she shared with Conrad. But in her dream, he wasn’t just kissing her. Nay. She was naked beneath him, and they were getting ready to make love! He fondled her breast and then reached down to kiss her there as well. She moaned aloud and turned over, liking the way her body vibrated. But then she suddenly had the feeling she was being watched. Her eyes popped open to find Hazel sharing her bed, looking at her with wide eyes.
“Oh!” she cried out, sitting up. “Why are you watching me like that?”
“You were making an odd noise,” said Hazel. “Why?” she asked curiously, staring intently.
“Never mind.” Willow yawned and stretched her arms above her head. She noticed Hazel staring at her chest. When her eyes roamed downward, she realized her nipples were hard. The dream had affected her in ways that were real. “Time to get up,” she said, turning around and reaching for her clothes.
“What were you dreaming about?” Hazel asked in a soft voice.
If she were one of Willow’s cousins, she’d tell her the truth. But how could she tell this youn
g girl she’d dreamed of making love with Conrad? After all, the man was her brother. Oh, how she wished Maira or Fia were here right now.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said, pulling her gown over her head. “Dreams are silly and don’t mean a thing.”
“I often have dreams,” said Hazel, pushing up and clutching the pillow to her chest. “So, are you telling me that they don’t mean anything and that they will never come true?”
“Exactly,” she said, putting on her hose and shoes. It worried Willow that she’d had an intimate dream about Conrad when she despised the man. There were so many nobles at the festival, but it was just her luck to be dreaming of Conrad the Cur. “Dreams are stupid and will never come true so don’t even give them another thought.”
“Oh.” The girl’s lips turned downward. She looked as if she were about to cry. Willow didn’t know what to do.
“Why do you ask?” She stood up and reached for her boar’s bristle brush, running it through her tangled hair. “What did you dream?”
“You said it doesn’t matter.” Hazel scooted to the edge of the bed and stood.
Willow felt awkward since she didn’t know what to say to the girl. Conrad’s sister was young, and they had nothing in common. At least with Morag around, she never had to worry about conversation. Morag constantly did all the talking. But this girl was nothing more than a mouse. Since Willow didn’t want to die of boredom, she decided to initiate the conversation. “Go on, Hazel. Tell me your dream.” She continued to brush her hair.
“Do you really want to know?”
Nay, she didn’t, but neither did she want silence between them. “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t care, would I?”
“I suppose not.” That seemed to make the girl happy. She pulled her plain gown over her head and rushed over, climbing atop a chair. “I know it’s silly but I sometimes dream I am a queen. Everyone bows down to me when I walk into the room.”
“Hah!” Willow ran the brush through her hair, having had that dream once or twice herself. Unfortunately, she had to settle for noblemen bowing to her and just wearing the crown of a queen instead. “As I said, that is only a silly dream.”
Seductive Secrets (Secrets of the Heart Series Book 2) Page 5
