“It is more complicated than that. When Lady Fiona discovered that her husband was untrue, she summoned all of the powers of the Fairy realm and cursed not only the man but all his descendants.” His long fingers glided through her unbound hair and Rowena began to lose interest in the story.
“Then Gaston was not the first Lord Pendragon to die without an heir?”
“Nay, they all have.”
“What will it take to break the curse?”
“I am trying to remember her exact words. Thora sings a ballad that explains the whole story, but I cannot recall all the verses. I remember, ’Til the Lady finds the fate that once I sought, disappointment, pain and death shall be thy lot.’ That’s how the curse is worded.”
“That is rather dire.” He chuckled. “So, who is the Lady? If Fiona was, then Pendragon Castle is doomed for all time.”
“Nay, it was Fiona who spoke of the Lady. She was not referring to herself.”
“Do you believe you can break the curse?”
Rowena laughed and shook her head, dislodging his hand. “I don’t know. Only something miraculous could have kept Gaston from hurting me that night, and then he died. I’m now in a position to choose my next husband, which is rare. If I can find a man whom I can love and who can love me in return, then according to the legend the curse will be broken.”
They didn’t speak for a time. Rowena allowed herself to enjoy the simple comfort of being held.
“You told me Fair Fiona appears to you,” he said. “Do you sense her presence or actually see her?”
“I see her,” Rowena said firmly.
“Virgin widows, golden lights and Fairy curses.” His voice grew softer, his breath stirring the hair at her temple. “What do I tell William?”
“Tell him nothing. Gaston displayed proof five years ago that the marriage was consummated. I will just have to convince Sir William that Edwin’s claim is the ludicrous ravings of a greedy madman.”
Chapter Four
Motivated by hunger and the tension still crackling between them, Dominic and Rowena set off at dawn. She hid her near nakedness beneath his cloak but already a purple bruise had begun to darken the crest of her cheek.
They hadn’t gone far when a search party from the castle found them.
“Majesty came trotting in last night without you,” Ezra explained. “It didn’t look like he’d been through a skirmish, but we weren’t sure what to think.”
“I think someone tried to steal him,” Dominic said. “Lady Rowena was set upon by thieves. She was forced to defend herself and one was wounded. The other may seek retaliation.”
They would have to have some idea who she was for that to happen, but Rowena wasn’t about to volunteer that particular detail.
“Under no circumstances is she to leave the castle compound without me personally escorting her. Is that understood?”
Her jaw dropped. Ludlow, the captain of her castle guard, obediently nodded. Adding insult to injury, Dominic swept her into his arms and placed her on Majesty’s back, immediately mounting behind her.
“Have you lost your mind?” she sneered for his ears alone.
“You may not take your safety seriously, but I do. Until I set you at the feet of William Marshal, consider yourself my prisoner.”
His tyrannical mood continued when they arrived at the castle. He lifted Rowena from Majesty’s back and directed one of the stable boys to find Ephraim. Apparently, Milton’s skills weren’t acceptable to the mighty Undaunted.
The door to the keep banged open and Farrell swooped down the stairs as Rowena reached the inner bailey. A flush darkened his cheeks and his dark eyes shone with relief and tenderness. “Lady Rowena,” he called then restrained his enthusiasm. “We have all been sick with worry.”
Word must have been sent on ahead when they crossed the drawbridge, Rowena realized. Farrell was obviously expecting her. “I am well. Thanks to Sir Dominic.”
“What do you require?” Farrell began. His smile became strained at the mention of the knight. “Food? Drink? A hot bath? How may I serve you?”
“Please have a tray brought to my solar and water for a bath.”
“Oh my lady, your face. Sir Dominic didn’t—”
“I have never struck a woman, Farrell. Impudent stewards on the other hand… Be about your duties.”
Farrell stood his ground, addressing his question to Rowena. “Shall I send Thora to you in your solar?”
“Aye,” she and Dominic answered in unison.
“If I am not mistaken, I am still the lady of this castle,” she protested angrily. “Who are you to order my steward about?”
“You are my prisoner until I have fulfilled my pledge to Sir William. Like it or not, my lady, you will do what I tell you until you are released from my care.”
She glared at him in mutinous silence.
Dominic followed her up the stairs and into the solar. Crossing the room, she sat on the wooden chair facing the small stone hearth. Benches flanked the chair and rich tapestries warmed the walls. Though numerous candles had been scattered about, none burned. What little light filtered in through the narrow slit windows left the room rather gloomy.
“You cannot stay here,” Rowena said. “I wish to bathe.”
“I will not stop you from bathing, but I will not leave your side. The dilemma is entirely of your own making.”
Before the argument could get fully underway, Thora arrived with a large tray of food. A procession of other servants followed in her wake. A wooden bathing tub was dragged up the stairs and placed to one side of the fire then a veritable bucket brigade began to fill the tub. Rowena nibbled from the tray and watched the servants work. Thora moved about the room, lighting candles and stealing long appreciative glances at Sir Dominic.
Thora did not speak, which was tantamount to miraculous. Rowena watched Dominic fill his belly with considerably more appetite than she.
“Do you really intend to watch me bathe?” she asked when the servants had finished and he still made no move to vacate the room.
“Aye.”
Realization dawned. He intended to punish her for intruding upon his bath two nights before. More significantly, she recognized challenge in his dark blue eyes. He didn’t think she’d do it.
Forcing her eyes away from his insolent gaze, Rowena looked instead at Thora. Her waiting woman stood beside the doorway to the wardrobe, silently watching them. She held a tall taper in one hand and her lips battled a smile.
“Thora, attend me.”
“Of course.”
Rowena rose and headed for the curtained entrance to her wardrobe, but Dominic got there before her. He flipped back the curtain and stepped into the small antechamber. Satisfied that there was no means of escape, he nodded his silent permission and went back to the bench and his food.
With an angry jerk, Rowena pulled the heavy curtain across the doorway, enclosing Thora and her inside the wardrobe. “That man is insufferable,” she hissed.
Thora quickly lit the candles secured in the iron wall sconce. “Did he find you before or after? Are you out of danger?”
“Nay, damn the man. I failed completely.”
“And last night?” Thora persisted, her blue eyes wide with curiosity. “Where did you spend last night?”
“It is a long, tiresome story.”
“Then speak quickly. He will not leave us in here indefinitely.”
“Everything went as planned until Thom’s brother arrived. He was horrible.”
“His brother? Milton said nothing of a brother.”
“Thom seemed genuinely surprised. I don’t think he intended for Jack to follow him.” Crossing her arms, Rowena tried to keep the memories distanced from the telling. “The brother was a beast. He turned my horse loose and then came after me. I had to stab him with my dirk to fend him off.”
“Oh, good heavens.” Thora gave her a quick hug. “I knew I should have gone with you.”
Rowena cleared
her throat, hesitant to finish the tale. “I think I may have killed him, Thora. What if they learn who I am?”
“I’ll have Milton make inquiries. If this brother is dead, it’s no more than he deserves. Oh you poor dear.”
Shuddering, Rowena explained all that had transpired in the monastery. “Sir Dominic made some ridiculous vow to Sir William that he would not touch me,” she concluded.
“Of course.” Thora sounded relieved. “I knew there must be something holding him back. Was he tempted, do you think? Did he respond to you?”
“Aye, but his honor demands that he leave me alone. He will not bed me, Thora. We are wasting our time.”
“Honor can be worn down. Even the strongest of vows can be eroded. He will not let you out of his sight. He has promised as much. So he is your only hope.”
“I have tried, Thora. He will not be seduced.”
Thora laughed, a deep mischievous sound. “Any man can be seduced. I will help you. He will have given in by the time we reach William Marshal, or I will give up men.”
“That is a very serious proposition. I know how much you enjoy men.” Rowena’s smile vanished as she thought of another complication. “He said something to me at the monastery that I found troubling.”
“What did he say?”
“He inferred that he would demand my holdings if I compromised his honor.”
“How would that be possible?” Thora asked.
“He would tell his liege he had dishonored me and ask Sir William to bless our union, regardless of my feelings on the matter.”
“He cannot do that. Can he do that?”
Rowena’s head was pounding. She wanted to curl up in bed and cry herself to sleep, but her battles were far from over. “If I can solidify the fact that I’m a widow, I cannot be forced to wed again.”
“Then we have returned to the beginning. You must seduce Sir Dominic. We will start right now. If that arrogant fool refuses to give you privacy for your bath, then we will provide him with a display to tempt the saints.”
Rowena hesitated. She was not comfortable with her nudity as Thora was. She generally wore a shift to bathe. She didn’t know how to be alluring and sensual. If she had Thora’s skill, Dominic would have lost the battle with his determination the night before. “I don’t think I can, Thora. I would only embarrass—”
“All you have to do is disrobe and ignore him completely. Take a very slow, leisurely bath. Water and candlelight are the only weapons you need. Trust me, Rowena. You can make him regret his vow, and risk his soul, without so much as glancing his way.”
“He will know what I am doing,” she objected. “I confessed the whole sordid tale.”
Thora was silent for a moment then she shrugged. “That may work to our advantage. He’ll have no doubt you want him in your bed.”
Rowena didn’t comment. How could she purposely bare her entire body before Sir Dominic? “It is not my custom to disrobe entirely when I bathe.”
“Sir Dominic doesn’t know that.”
It would be humiliating to be rejected yet again. “I’m not sure I can make myself do that with him looking on.”
“How did he react to the tale?” Thora asked. “Was it only his vow to Sir William that kept him from you? I know he is not wed. Sir Ezra told me that his friend has no wife or steady consort. They say he was betrothed years ago, but it ended badly.”
As usual, Thora had been busy. Nothing transpired within the walls of Pendragon Castle without Thora finding out every detail. Before Rowena could respond to Thora’s information, Dominic’s deep voice penetrated the curtain barrier. “Enough, my lady. Your bath is getting cold.”
Rowena’s eyes shot to Thora and silent encouragement returned to her from her servant’s bright blue gaze.
Dominic moved slowly back to the wooden bench after growling his warning to the two women inside the wardrobe. He hadn’t been able to make out their words, but it didn’t take a great deal of imagination to figure out what held their interest.
The curtain opened and Thora entered the solar, Rowena one step behind. The lady had abandoned her borrowed tunic and an ankle-length dressing gown enveloped her slender form. Carefully keeping her eyes averted, she moved toward the wooden tub.
Would she actually drop the dressing gown, knowing he was watching, and climb naked into the bath?
He didn’t have long to wait for the answer. She paused beside the tub, her back to him. He could almost picture her expression as she summoned her determination and then, the dressing gown slipped off her shoulders and pooled at her feet.
Dominic had seen naked women before, had seen her all but naked in the stream, but never had his body responded so violently. His fingers tingled to caress the perfection of her skin, to see if she was as soft and silky as she appeared. She stood there, firelight dancing across her alabaster body. Thora leisurely secured Rowena’s thick auburn hair atop her head. He wanted to loose the heavy mass, bury his face in the thick strands and spread it across his chest.
After torturous moments, Rowena carefully stepped over the rim of the tub. The sleek muscles in her long legs reflected an active life. Dominic watched the taut splendor of her bottom and supple hips until they disappeared behind the wooden protection.
He could only see her head, her shoulders, and her slender arms now, but his body ached with burgeoning interest. Narrowing his gaze, he imagined sending Thora away and disregarding his vow to William. He’d kneel beside the tub and drag her to her feet. Cupping her bottom with both hands, he’d bury his face against the apex of her thighs. She’d cry out and wiggle as he stroked that secret knot with the tip of his tongue.
The waiting woman handed Rowena bathing implements as Dominic continued his fantasy. Dazed from the pleasure he’d given her with his mouth, she’d watch as he stripped and joined her in the bath. He’d move her feet to either side of his hips so he could see her rosy folds, trace that delicate slit until she trembled. She’d clutch the edge of the tub, her head thrown back, while he prepared her with his fingers. Finally, he’d arrange her astride his lap and lick the water from her nipples as he sank into her hot, tight core.
Pressure built inside Dominic, his abdomen tense to the point of spasm. Why was he doing this to himself? He couldn’t have her. No matter how desperately he wanted her.
Thora set about washing Rowena’s long hair, and Dominic tried not to watch them. But his rebellious gaze gravitated toward the tub again and again. Thora spoke softly to Rowena. Dominic couldn’t hear what she said, but Rowena’s reply sounded argumentative. Another hushed demand came from the servant and then a long pause. What were they about?
Like a nymph rising from a forest pool, Rowena eased her legs beneath her and stood. Rivulets of water rolled off her body, glistening colorfully in the candlelight. Without sparing him so much as a glance, she bent at the waist and drew her hair down in front of her. The position fueled his imagination all over again.
He stood behind her in the tub as she bent forward, bracing herself against the rim. He cupped her breasts as he eased between her thighs then held her hips firmly when he began to move. Desire slammed into his gut, driving a strangled groan from his throat.
Damn her! Damn them both! His chest heaved and his nostrils flared.
Thora was slowly pouring a bucket of clean water over her lady’s bent head. Dominic didn’t even realize he’d moved until Thora’s gaze shot to him. She didn’t speak but her expression taunted him.
“Leave us!” he growled out in English, and immediately Thora obeyed.
Rowena straightened. Backing as far away as the tub would allow, she shoved her sodden hair off her face. “Thora,” she protested as the other woman deserted her, but she couldn’t drag her gaze away from Dominic. She didn’t attempt to hide her nudity. This was what she wanted, what she needed from him.
“The dilemma is entirely of your own making.” She repeated his words back to him.
He didn’t speak. The expression o
n his face should have terrified Rowena, but she needed to provoke him beyond endurance, to inflame him to a point where nothing mattered but the urgent demands of his body. The intensity in his dark blue eyes showed her just how close she was to her goal. She had pitted herself against his will, and she could not back down.
Their eyes locked and held. She could almost see the conflict raging within him. His physical desire was in direct opposition to the vow he’d made to his liege lord. It wasn’t fair for her to manipulate him in this way, but Rowena was desperate. All her other efforts had failed and she was running out of time.
Slowly he raised his hand. Would he hit her? Fear fluttered through her belly. Would his frustration manifest itself in violence?
But he didn’t strike her. He clasped her upper arm and yanked her across the tub until their faces were only inches apart. “It will not work,” he insisted. “I will not lie with you no matter how you tempt me. Do you really imagine that I have no more control over myself than that?”
Yanking her arm out of his restraining grasp, Rowena stepped out of the tub and reached for her dressing gown. Dominic’s temper was not yet appeased. He snatched the gown away and advanced on her menacingly.
“Have you ever felt it, Rowena?” He stalked toward her. “Do you understand what it’s like to burn with desire but know you’ll not be appeased? Nay, you could not, or you would not continue to flirt with the flame.”
He grabbed her wrist and drew her gradually toward him, his eyes devouring her. Rowena tugged against his hold, but he didn’t seem to notice her resistance. Fury burned within his eyes, not passion, and Rowena was afraid.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“Not yet, but you will be.”
Tossing her over his shoulder, Dominic stomped across the solar and ducked into her bedchamber. Her breath had been driven from her lungs as his shoulder connected forcefully with her midsection, so Rowena didn’t make a sound. He flung her onto her back in the middle of the bed. Before Rowena could roll over or scramble from the bed he came down on top of her.
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