“What do you mean?” she asked, flushing.
“Do you truly see yourself as a burden that a man must bear once he’s married to you?” He turned to look at his companion. “That is what you heard, was it not, Ulric?”
“Aye,” Ulric nodded. He poked his knife into the meat, and watched as the clear liquid dripped out of it. “That’s what I heard. Perhaps we should not have interfered and allowed the outlaws to rob her father.” He grabbed the skewer, and leaned it on a rock nearby to allow the meat to cool. “Perhaps ‘twas best to let him die by the side of the road.”
Estella gasped in horror. She grasped the medallion that hung around her neck as if it was a talisman that protected her from the terrible suggestion. “That is a horrible thing to say,” she said. “I only ask why Sir Gavin would want to marry me when there are far better things to acquire. My father raises quality geese within our castle. Even the King is said to enjoy the birds. You would do far better to get a flock of his geese than to marry me.”
Ulric looked at Gavin, silently questioning him whether he should speak. But the dark knight shook his head. “I have my reasons,” Gavin said. “Now let me ask you another question.” His eyes searched hers as if he wanted to uncover the truth in there. “Why did you want me to choose you over your sisters?”
“You are a stranger to us. Whether you are noble or brutal, this I cannot know,” she said, her voice becoming choked. “I could not in good conscious allow you to take one of my younger sisters. Not when ‘tis my duty to protect them.”
“Ah,” he looked at her thoughtfully. “You are your sisters’ keeper.”
“I see nothing wrong with that. When it comes to my sisters, I would protect them with my life.”
Gavin looked at her for a long moment. Then he nodded to himself, satisfied that he discovered what he was searching for. He turned to Ulric. “Is the meat ready yet?”
Estella let out her breath in a rush. She knew it was risky to speak so candidly to her captor, because it was true, she didn’t know what type of man he was. It was fortunate he wasn’t angered by her blunt questions.
“It still needs a bit of time to cool,” Ulric said. He lifted the steaming rabbit from its resting place on the rock, the fat still dripping and sizzling. She swallowed as he walked closer to them, the aroma making her stomach rumble.
Taking the stick from Ulric, Gavin handed it to her. “Here,” he said, “eat.”
She reluctantly took the skewer. There was barely enough meat on it. The winter had been harsh and even the wild animals suffered from lack of food. It was almost a miracle that Gavin had spotted the rabbit hidden in the snow. “What will you and Sir Ulric eat?”
“Do not worry about us. We’ll survive until we return to my castle.”
She glanced at Ulric but he only shrugged. “One scrawny rabbit won’t make a difference to my belly,” he said. “Neither will bread and cheese but I will eat what I have in my pouch.”
Testing the meat, she decided that it was cool enough. Then, she took a small bite. Before she knew it, she was sinking her teeth into the succulent meat with relish. The night before, she didn’t have much chance to eat, not with all the commotion that occurred. And by the time that everything was resolved, or so she thought, any appetite she had was gone. It was different now. If Gavin presented her with a whole suckling pig, she might have devoured it in one sitting.
She let out a small sigh of contentment, and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. But when she noticed Gavin watching her, an amused smile playing on his lips, she flushed a deep crimson. “I was hungry,” she said defensively.
“‘Twould seem so,” he said. He uncorked a sheepskin flask filled with ale and took a long drink. “In a day’s time, we should arrive at my castle. After the marriage ceremonies, we shall feast to our hearts content.”
“A feast is what I’m looking forward to,” Ulric added. “I prefer to eat —”
Gavin silenced him with a wave of his hand. He set aside the flask and motioned to the woods beyond.
Ulric straightened his spine, and became alert as if he too detected an enemy lurking among the shadows. They both stared intently to the right, where the trees blocked the darkness from entering into the shelter. The only comfort was the earthen wall behind their backs.
A rustling noise sounded.
“What is it?” Estella said, fear creeping into her voice.
“Grey wolves,” Ulric said.
Gavin nodded. “They must have smelled our cooking,” he said. “They usually come out at night, but ‘tis barely dawn so they’re still lurking about. Stay behind me. I don’t want you to come to harm as they usually travel in packs.”
There was more rustling among the trees. She could imagine red glowing eyes, peering out them from their hiding spots.
Estella shuddered. She barely escaped death while trying to climb out of her window. Now hours later, she faced a pack of hungry wolves that would relish in ripping her limbs apart. She inched closer to Gavin.
A large, scraggly hound emerged from the trees, looking as if it hadn’t eaten for weeks. It crouched low, advancing menacingly as if it was ready to pounce and tear at them with its sharp teeth.
Gavin picked up the bow that he had leaned against the earthen wall, and slowly got up. He pulled an arrow from the pouch on his back and quickly assembled it onto the weapon. Ulric was already up, his broadsword firmly in his grip. And they both stood, ready and waiting for the wild attack to come.
Gavin partially blocked Estella, intent on protecting her. Stray hounds lived in the forest along with the wolves. Desperation and hunger made them dangerous.
He indicated for Ulric to circle around to the other side.
The hound growled and bared its yellow teeth, warning them to back off and allow it to get at the discarded carcass.
Ulric picked up a stone that lay near his foot and tossed it at the animal. “Go back where you came from, Hound,” he said.
But instead of retreating back into the shadows, it sprang on its hind legs and rushed forward, coming straight at Gavin and Estella.
Gavin could feel the steady thud of his heart. Luckily all the years of training had made his nerves steady and focused. He had the animal within his sights and just need to let the arrow fly.
Estella shoved at his arm, “Stop!” she cried. “Do not kill him!”
Gavin’s arrow shot harmlessly into the sky. Estella pushed past them and hurried over to the animal as if she was reuniting with a long lost relative.
And to Gavin’s utter amazement, the hound was just as eager to see her. It climbed on its hind legs. Putting two great front paws on Estella’s slender shoulders, it licked her face while its tail wagged to and fro.
“You know this beast?” he asked incredulously.
Estella buried her face in the hound’s fur. A smile spread across her face. For a moment, his breath caught in his throat. Her smile had the same effect as a club bashing into his chest.
“I have known this hound since he was a pup,” she explained, a joyous expression lightening up her face. “I know that sometimes he disappears and wanders outside the castle walls for hours on end. He must have been roaming outside the castle when we left and somehow he followed us here.”
Ulric shook his head. “He emerged from the woods looking quite ferocious,” he said. “But from how he’s acting now, you would think he’s a newborn pup.”
The hound dropped down to all fours, and walked over to sniff at the discarded bones.
“Aye,” Estella grinned, “And he is just as tame.”
CHAPTER 8
Estella watched as Ulric broke a dried branch in half and added it to the fire. He then picked up another stick, poking at the wood to encourage the flames to consume it. In a matter of seconds, the sound of snapping and popping filled the air.
She glanced over her shoulder to see if Gavin had come back from putting away his tools. But he was not by the horses. She could only assum
e that he had wandered off into the woods.
Here was her chance to ask Ulric some questions without Gavin being in the vicinity.
“I am curious,” Estella said, her voice sounding loud in the confines of the shelter.
Ulric sat back and lifted a questioning eyebrow at her.
“Why do you do it? Why do you allow Sir Gavin to command you when you are obviously bigger and perhaps stronger? It seems that when Sir Gavin tells you to do something, you do it without question. Would it not be better to venture out on your own, to be your own commander?”
He shrugged. “I trust him,” he said.
“You trust him because he pays you for your services,” Estella said finishing his sentence.
“Nay, I trust him because he saved my life. I fought as a mercenary, and the life of a hired warrior does not mean much in war. My employer left me for dead when I became injured in battle. So when Gavin found me, half dead, he had every right to kill me, to put me out of my misery.” He stared at the fire pit as if he witnessed the past events unfolding in front of him. “But Gavin spared my life. He nursed me back to health. I don’t know why he did it, but he did. A part of me thinks that as he saw me laying there welcoming death, he caught a glimpse of his own mortality.”
She pursed her lips. “He seems to regularly rescue people in trouble.”
He looked at her, the expression on his face grave. “Aye, ‘tis in his nature. ‘Tis what he does.”
Estella became silent. Her father painted an image of man that was different to the one that she had gotten to know. Was her father mistaken about the events that occurred during the outlaw attack?
She didn’t have much time to delve into the new thoughts or ask further questions, as Gavin soon came back.
“The grey cast of morning has made its appearance, and there’s no point in lingering here,” he said.
“I would like to wash out the smell of smoky meat from my hands first,” Estella said. “Will you come with me to the stream, Sir Ulric?”
Ulric got up. “If you —”
Gavin gestured for Ulric to stay. “‘Tis a good idea to wash up, my lady,” he said. “Ulric will attend to the campsite, and I’ll go with you.”
Estella gave an inward sigh. She preferred to have Ulric escort her because even though he said little, she felt safe with him. It was his companion that made her feel uncomfortable, that caused her thoughts to become jumbled and confused.
They walked a short distance from the campsite when Gavin turned to her and said, “If you need anything I will be down stream.”
A look of relief washed over her lovely face, and Gavin felt a vague sense of irritation. It seemed that he was the only one affected by their proximity.
He left her side and made his way a little further down the small stream, pushing aside the dry bushes that lined the bank.
Gavin could have allowed her to go to the stream with Ulric or even on her own. There really was no place for her to escape. And even if she tried, he could easily track her in the snow. Yet even knowing all this, he volunteered to go with her. He could all but shake his head at his rash behavior. He rarely acted this impulsively and it surprised him. He frowned at himself. There was something about this woman that made him behave out of character and he wasn’t sure he liked it.
Satisfied that he had gone far enough, he turned his head to look over at Estella. The bare bushes obscured most of his view of her and he could only make out the top of her head. She had enough privacy, however if she faced any sort of threat, he could easily get to her in time.
Gavin raised his arms over his head to stretch his taunt muscles.
What he needed was an icy dip in the stream to ease the tension that had plagued him from the moment he met Estella. After all the hours on the saddle with her within his reach, he couldn’t think of much else other than seeing her lying on his bed, his naked body covering hers. The mere thought of what he would do to her made him rock hard. And that wasn’t a state he wanted to be in for the rest of the day.
He crouched down at the edge of the stream, and dipped his hands into the icy water. Embracing the shock that surged through his hands, he temporarily forgot about the red headed woman he planned to marry. In reality he wasn’t ready to take on a wife just yet. But his wants and needs outweighed other, more pressing obligations…
A twig snapped behind him and without thinking, he reached for the dagger that lay on the ground next to him. He had taken off his tunic and hose, and was in the middle of untying the drawstrings to his braies.
Gavin lowered his weapon when he discovered Estella standing rooted to her spot. She stared at him as if she had never seen a half naked man before.
And maybe she never did. That thought intrigued him enough to make him pause, although it didn’t help matters.
He had never suspected that a woman could drive him mad like this. He tried to ignore it, but there was something about Estella that caused this primal desire to rise. He was sure that it wasn’t just lust, although that played a factor. Nay, there was something more and he couldn’t quite determine what it was. When he first saw her he had thought she was the least attractive of her sisters, but looking at her now, he was wrong, dead wrong. There was intelligence in her eyes, but behind that intelligence was an earthy beauty.
Her long hair, the color of autumn leaves fell around her face, framing a finely structured countenance. Everything about her was delicate, from her pale ivory skin to her bluish green eyes. She had a small, straight nose, high cheek bones and a pointy, stubborn chin. But her lips were wide and generous, and on the rare occasion that he saw her smile, he noticed a dimple appear at the side of her mouth. And even though she was covered in heavy wool, he could imagine the curves on her body. His body pressed against hers too many times for him to overlook the soft curves and how nicely they molded against his.
He raised one eyebrow. “My lady?” he asked.
At the sound of his deep voice, she snapped out of her reverie. “I — I forgot to ask you whether you had soap to wash this grease from my hands,” she said, her voice sounding faint. Her eyes landed on his bare chest. The muscles spanned across wide shoulders. Her body tingled with awareness, the memories rushing in to remind her that she was crushed to that same chest only hours before. She swallowed. “‘Tis not my intention to disturb your bath.”
She stood as still as if she was a fox cornered by a hunter, unable to move even as he came closer. There was no where for her to run, she realized. But did she truly want to run away from Gavin?
When he was a foot away, he reached over and stroked her soft skin, his calloused fingers lingering on her face. “You’re a lovely sight to behold,” he breathed. “If I’d known better I would think that you’re a wood nymph that’s come to tempt me.” Then taking her chin between his thumb and forefinger, he tilted her face as if to inspect for flaws and finding none.
She pressed a hand to her heart, trying to still the wild fluttering in her chest. His steely blue eyes never left hers. Slowly, he lowered his mouth, his lips barely touching hers. “I wanted to do this for some time now,” he whispered. Not waiting for her response, he captured her lips in an intoxicating kiss. And she felt herself reeling at the contact; her bones suddenly turned to liquid as she could no longer support herself. Heat and desire whirled in her body, growing and filling every corner of her being before settling in the juncture between her thighs.
And for once, she wanted to push away all reason and allow herself to savor the sweetness of what he offered.
And it was sweet. His mouth lingered on hers, his tongue sliding over her lips barely tracing it. But that small movement fanned the flames within her loins, and she yearned for more.
Through their own accord, her hands came up and rested flat against his muscular chest, marveling at the strength and power beneath her palms. She let out a sigh and fitted her body to his hardness, giving into the instinctual need to press up against his heat.
And as if he knew what she craved, he deepened the kiss, coaxing, teasing her lips until they parted slightly. And with that small sign of surrender, he took full advantage, driving, pushing his tongue inside, leaving no part of her mouth untouched. He drank in all that she had to give, but his hunger couldn’t be satiated. His tongue plunged in and out, invoking the timeless, ancient rhythm that his body desperately sought.
She moaned in his mouth. The sound was almost torturous. And all he wanted to do was throw her to the ground and have his way with her. No woman had ever affected him like this — not with just one kiss. Yet even though his body raged with desire, a small part of his brain warned him to cease. Estella was a maiden and it went against his morals, all the things that he was taught, to force himself onto her.
Yet she was drugged with the same mad desire that coursed through his veins.
He marveled at how her soft lips fit perfectly against his. And her response was so pure, so innocent…
A cough sounded behind them.
Estella jumped. “Sir Ulric,” she said. She nervously straightened her woolen gown, the color on her cheeks high, although it wasn’t due to the morning chill.
Reluctantly Gavin loosened his hold on her. But when Estella tried to pull away, his hand settled around her waist and held her in place.
“I’m sorry to intrude,” Ulric said. His face was flushed and he looked at his feet. “I discovered a campsite not far from here. I suspect that outlaws are staying there. I fear that if we don’t leave at once, they’ll discover us.”
“Aye,” Gavin said. “We should leave now.”
Ulric nodded. He turned on his heels and quickly left them.
Gavin let out a long breath. “We’ll have to finish this another time, my lady,” he said. “If ‘tis indeed outlaws that are camped nearby, we cannot risk putting your life in jeopardy.”
CHAPTER 9
Estella sat in front of Gavin, unable to speak as the courser moved swiftly along the highway. Outlaws and robbers were the least of her worries. Her mind kept replaying the incident by the stream. What really happened there? When did she begin to trust this man who held her captive? Yet when he enveloped her in his arms, she felt so safe, so protected. This wasn’t a feeling that she was familiar with. She was used to protecting and caring for others. And the fact that she felt this way about her captor unnerved her.
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