Lionheart's Bride

by Michelle Willingham

  She wasn’t looking forward to their travels to the Holy Land. Though she understood that this Crusade meant everything to him, she knew that as his queen, she would be the target of assassins.

  ‘I’ve never been so far from Navarre before,’ she admitted. ‘And I can’t say that I wish to live so close to the war.’

  His face hardened. ‘You doubt my ability to keep you safe?’

  ‘No. But if you are away fighting—’

  ‘I protect what belongs to me,’ he asserted. Taking her hand, he led her away from her ladies and his attendants. A tall Oriental screen, decorated with flowers and birds, stood in the corner. Richard took her behind it, giving them what privacy he could.

  ‘Berengaria,’ he whispered, framing her face with his hands. ‘From the first moment I saw you, you cast a spell over me.’ His hands slid down her cheeks, and the caress made her breath catch. When she touched his hands with hers, he leaned in for a kiss.

  Just as before, the brush of his mouth was searching, kindling a response that she didn’t understand. He drew her against the far wall, the wood pressing against her spine as his mouth moved away from her lips, down to her throat.

  ‘There’s no reason for you to be afraid,’ he said against her skin. ‘Not of the Saracens. And not of me.’

  She ventured a shaky smile, catching his hands. ‘I can’t stop my fear. Whenever I’m near you, I can hardly breathe.’

  He moved in, pulling her hips to his. ‘That isn’t fear, ma chère. It’s desire.’ His mouth moved to her throat, kissing her softly. ‘I don’t want you to breathe. I want to possess every part of you. And were it not a sin, I would claim you tonight.

  ‘We’ll wed in the Holy Land,’ he swore. With another smile, he added, ‘You’ll have to travel on a different ship than me, Berengaria. Otherwise, I won’t be able to keep my hands from you.’ He stole another soft kiss and released her. He brought her the gold-and-ruby-encrusted cross necklace, fastening it around her throat. ‘Take this token, and think of me when you’re asleep at night.’

  Berengaria held on to the necklace, tracing the rough gold. The ship heaved in the water, and she gripped her skirts, terrified of being flung across the room.

  ‘Are we going to die?’ she whispered to her lady-in-waiting, Adriana.

  The young woman came and gripped her hand. ‘The king’s man assured me that he would let us know if we were in danger. It’s just a bad storm.’

  Though Berengaria wanted to believe it, instinct told her otherwise. The king’s sister, Queen Joan, reached for a strand of rosary beads, dropping to her knees in prayer.

  A loud knocking resounded at the door, and her gaze snapped toward the sound. Adriana hurried to answer it, and a tall man stood at the entrance. He had dark blond hair and grey eyes, and he wore a black cloak fastened with a brooch the size of her palm.

  ‘My lord MacEgan?’ Adriana addressed the man.

  Berengaria saw the look that passed between them, and it escalated her fear. ‘Are we going to sink?’ she interrupted.

  ‘We’re near the coast of Cyprus,’ MacEgan said. ‘The captain is going to divert the ship towards the shore, so that if the worst happens—’

  ‘—we can swim to the shore,’ Berengaria finished.

  She turned away from them, her eyes burning. She couldn’t swim at all. If the ship capsized or sank, she was going to die. Her hand clenched into a fist around the necklace, and she tried to quell the terror that rose up inside.

  Then, a loud cracking noise resounded, and the ship tipped violently.

  It was less than an hour before water came pouring within the ship. Adriana’s feet were soaked, and she left Berengaria with the king’s sister while she went in search of MacEgan.

  He’d kept his word, and she trusted that he would tell her the truth. She saw him rowing alongside the other sailors, his arms straining against the oars as the men fought against the sea’s power. Adriana took one of the ropes and wound it around her arm as she moved forward. On one side of the ship, she saw half a dozen men bailing water with buckets.

  As soon as he saw her standing there, MacEgan yelled at one of the men to take his place at the oars. He fought his way toward her and gripped another rope to hold his balance.

  ‘I told you to stay with the princess!’ he yelled over the roar of the storm.

  Adriana’s arm wrenched with the motion of the rope, and MacEgan pulled her back, unfastening the rope and guiding her to him. His grey eyes glared at hers. ‘You could have been tossed overboard.’

  ‘We’re going to die anyway, aren’t we?’ Her hands were shaking, her clothing soaked from the rain and the seawater.

  Liam kept her in his arms, warming her shoulders. ‘Not if I can help it.’ He nodded outside. ‘We’re only a few miles from the shore.’

  ‘And we’re sinking.’ She gripped his shirt, her feet frigid in the cold water. ‘We don’t have time to reach land.’

  He kept his hands around her waist, and she made no effort to push them away. ‘Listen to me.’ His voice was commanding, reaching inside her to push back the fear. ‘If the worst happens, swim as hard as you can toward the shore. I’ll find you.’

  Her hands were shaking, and she felt his arms come around her, as if to offer shelter from her fear. ‘I won’t let anything happen to you,’ he murmured.

  Despite the freezing water and rain, there was a steady warmth in his embrace. Her instinct was to trust him, to let herself believe that there was a man whom she could believe in…unlike her father and brothers, who had betrayed her.

  ‘Now return to the princess and Queen Joan,’ he insisted. ‘And we’ll get as close to the shore as we can.’

  She held on to his forearms, as if she could take a piece of his courage with her. Then, unexpectedly, he leaned down and touched his lips to hers. ‘For luck,’ he said.

  He left her standing there, while he went back to the others.

  The ship was going down. Liam knew it with a surety in his blood, but he’d be damned before he’d let the sea claim him. The vessel shuddered, and it was reaching the breaking point. They couldn’t bail the water out fast enough, and now it was only a matter of time before they abandoned the ship.

  He let out a curse as another wave soaked the deck. A moment later, the women appeared, their gowns sodden above the waist. Adriana led them forward, holding Princess Berengaria’s hand. Queen Joan followed behind, gripping a strand of rosary beads.

  Liam gathered the women together and pointed toward the shore. ‘We’re doing what we can to stay above water as long as we can. But if the sea takes us, try to make it towards land.’

  The princess’s face was white, her hands gripped together. ‘I can’t swim.’

  He gave a nod and surveyed the others. ‘What of the rest of you?’

  ‘I can,’ Adriana said. Queen Joan nodded as well.

  ‘Try to stay together,’ Liam urged. To the princess, he added, ‘If the ship breaks apart, hold on to the largest piece of wood you can find. It will keep you afloat.’

  The vessel started to tip as the lower quarters filled with water. Liam heard their shrieks, and saw Adriana lunge toward one of the younger maids, who was pulled under by the force of the water. She caught the girl’s hand, struggling to hold on, but the sea fought to keep its prey.

  ‘Adriana, no!’ Berengaria cried out. And then both women disappeared beneath the water.

  Chapter Two

  Liam fought to catch the women, but it was too late. His lungs burned as he swam underwater, his eyes unable to see them in the darkness. He swept his arms through the water, reaching for them. His fingers touched wood, but no flesh. He dived deeper, kicking hard through the water, and suddenly his hand gripped a length of silk.

  He pulled hard, the water fighting against him to drag the woman down. And when at last he managed to bring her head above water, Adriana coughed, her body shaking. He saw that she was still holding the other woman’s hand, and when he pulled the maid
above water, she was lifeless, her limbs unmoving.

  His efforts to revive the maid met with no success, and Adriana broke down in tears.

  ‘You tried,’ he said, holding her tightly. ‘Her life was in God’s hands.’

  ‘I thought I could save her,’ Adriana whispered, her body trembling hard. ‘Before the water took her under. ‘

  He let her cry, holding her against him. Her arms embraced him, and strangely, it brought him his own sense of calm. In her courage, he saw a piece of himself. She’d gone after the young maid with no fear, never minding that she’d nearly lost her own life in the effort.

  Liam helped bring Adriana to the side of the ship. Berengaria gripped a large rope, but terror lingered in her eyes. ‘When the water fills the remainder of the lower chambers, the ship may split in half,’ he told her. ‘If that happens, be ready to let go of the rope or you might be pulled under. Hold on to any piece of the deck you can find.’ The princess’s face was white with fear, and Adriana took her place at Berengaria’s side, Queen Joan at the other.

  ‘MacEgan,’ came Adriana’s voice softly. He looked into her dark eyes, and she steadied herself. ‘You saved my life.’

  ‘I kept my promise,’ he answered, ‘to let nothing happen to you.’ But even so, the sea had claimed one life. He only prayed it would be the last.

  Within minutes, Berengaria watched in horror as the ship split apart, the wood fragmenting beneath her feet. She held fast to the side of the boat, but she was plunged into the frigid water without warning. Her head went below the surface and she tasted salt.

  She struggled, trying not to panic, when an arm caught her waist and forced her above the surface. She took a deep breath, and saw MacEgan holding her. He swam away from the wreckage, guiding her toward a large section of the ship. ‘Hold this,’ he ordered. Her fingers dug into the wooden surface, and she gripped it with all her strength. Then Adriana joined her, while Joan floated on a piece of wood further away.

  She lost track of time, but Adriana never left her side. Her lady-in-waiting fought to swim with the current, bringing them closer to shore. From time to time, Liam adjusted their direction, swimming alongside them. Though he ensured that each of the women were safe, Berengaria didn’t miss the way he was watching Adriana. There was an intensity in his eyes, as though the young lady meant something to him.

  Her heart faltered, for Richard had looked at her that way on the first day they’d met. Sometimes a single flicker of interest was all that was needed to give rise to the seedling of love.

  Will I see him again? she wondered. She rested her head against the wood, her body exhausted from the immense force of the storm. Along the edge of the sea, the sky had grown lighter, the rose of dawn painting the edge of the grey water. And after endless hours, her feet touched the sand.

  An unexpected laugh broke forth, and she beamed at her lady-in-waiting. ‘Adriana, we’re going to live.’ They struggled towards the shore, their skirts weighing them down, while Liam escorted them forward.

  The storm had ceased, and pieces of blue sky broke through the clouds. The waves had grown calmer, though Berengaria still struggled to keep her balance in the waist-high water. Ahead, she saw the Count of Berduria, who had reached the sandy beach before any of them.

  Within moments, men on horseback emerged along the shoreline, their armour gleaming in the sunlight. Liam drew close to the women. ‘Don’t trust them,’ he warned. ‘We don’t know anything about the Cypriots.’

  Berengaria’s smile faded, and the chill of the water made her nerves grow uneasy. A few yards away, Queen Joan was walking out of the water towards the shore.

  ‘Do not tell them who you are,’ Liam warned, but the young woman made no indication that she’d heard him.

  He started to move toward the queen, but Adriana caught his arm. ‘Be careful, MacEgan.’

  His grey eyes studied hers, and he covered her hand with his. ‘Wait here.’

  He made his way towards Joan, and Berengaria eyed Adriana. ‘He means something to you, doesn’t he?’

  Adriana didn’t answer, nor did she pull her gaze away from MacEgan. ‘I only met him a day ago. And yet it feels like far longer.’

  ‘He is handsome,’ Berengaria admitted, ‘but not as handsome as Richard.’ Her voice held more melancholy than she’d intended. Inwardly, she worried that she would not see the king again. She might die a maiden, before ever becoming a bride.

  ‘Were it not for him, I would have drowned,’ Adriana whispered.

  Berengaria took her lady’s hand in hers, and they walked together towards the shoreline. Although MacEgan was trying to bring Queen Joan closer to them, she ignored him and kept walking away.

  The Count of Berduria had reached the men and was speaking to them. Although they remained mounted, Adriana tensed.

  ‘Something’s wrong,’ she predicted. Her hand went to her leg, where Berengaria knew her lady-in-waiting kept a knife. ‘MacEgan was right. Stay close to me.’

  She didn’t understand what bothered Adriana so, and when she asked, the woman replied, ‘If you saw a shipwreck, wouldn’t you try to help the survivors? These men are only watching.’

  With a glance behind her, Berengaria saw that three other ships had also been blown off course and were anchored less than a mile from the shore. ‘Should we try to reach those ships?’

  ‘Not yet.’

  Both of them watched as the count spoke to the men. His tone held arrogance, but Berengaria thought she heard him speaking Greek to the men. Queen Joan had already reached the shore and was preparing to join the count. The woman marched forward, her bearing filled with pride. The count pointed to her, and then to Berengaria and Adriana.

  ‘Don’t tell them,’ Adriana whispered, as if pleading for the man to remain silent.

  But it was too late. To her horror, one of the armed men unsheathed his sword and plunged it into the count’s chest. The nobleman sank to his knees, falling against the sand while his lifeblood spilled out.

  Saints deliver us. Berengaria covered her mouth, shocked by what she’d just seen. Queen Joan grasped her skirts and fled back to the water. Liam called out for her to come toward them, and he reached them a moment later.

  Berengaria couldn’t stop from shaking, and from the gleam in the soldiers’ eyes, she didn’t know if she would become a prisoner or die the moment she emerged from the water.

  ‘The count told them who you are,’ he said grimly. ‘Our best hope is that they take you hostage.’

  But Berengaria knew that MacEgan’s life was in greater danger than her own. Already these men had killed the count, so it was clear they had no use for the men. ‘You need to swim hard towards the other three ships anchored off the coast,’ she ordered. ‘If you reach one of them, you can sail back and alert Richard.’

  ‘I can’t leave you here alone.’

  The horsemen started to ride forward, and their time was running out. ‘You must,’ Berengaria insisted. ‘If what you say is true, then they won’t kill us because they’ll want to use our lives to bargain with Richard. If you stay, your fate will be the same as the count’s.’

  His face hardened, but she saw her words were breaking through to him. ‘Go, MacEgan. I am commanding you, as your future queen.’

  An unnamed expression crossed his face, and she remembered that he was Irish, not English. Correcting herself, she added, ‘Please. Go to Richard.’

  Before he could move, the soldiers charged forward with their horses. Armed men surrounded them, with spears and swords raised as a visible threat. Berengaria held her breath, not knowing what to do now. The soldiers reached for MacEgan, but he made no effort to fight.

  In the Norman tongue, he commanded, ‘Obey their orders.’ His eyes met Adriana’s, and she saw the softer assurance within them. ‘I’ll return to you. I swear it.’

  MacEgan moved so fast, Berengaria barely had time to get out of the way. It took only seconds for him to drag a soldier down from his horse, smash
ing his fist into the man’s face. When a second man tried to stab him with a spear, MacEgan grasped the weapon, twisting it free of the soldier’s hands. Now armed, he seized the first soldier’s horse and rode the animal hard along the shoreline, forcing the others to follow. Three men remained behind with her and Adriana, one of them seizing Queen Joan.

  Berengaria held her breath as MacEgan reached the deeper water. He stood on the horse’s back and dived into the waves, disappearing from view. Adriana clung to her, hot tears breaking free.

  ‘Don’t be afraid,’ Berengaria whispered to her lady-in-waiting. ‘I believe him. He’ll find a way to send a rescue.’

  But when they didn’t see him resurface above the waves, she feared the worst.

  The Isle of Rhodes, April 22, 1191

  ‘Where are they, Sir Bernard?’ King Richard demanded.

  The knight’s face paled. ‘We—we don’t know, Your Majesty. There are twenty-five ships missing, and unfortunately, Princess Berengaria’s was among them.’ He lowered his head in regret. ‘We believe the storm may have blown them off course.’

  ‘There were two hundred and nineteen ships, Bernard.’ Richard fought to keep his temper under control. ‘And you mean to tell me that not one of them saw where Berengaria’s ship disappeared?’

  ‘I’m sorry, Your Majesty. But we’ll send out ships to search for your bride—’

  ‘Out,’ Richard ordered, pointing towards the door. The knight fled, like the coward he was. Right now, Richard’s temper was about to break loose. Crete and Rhodes were meant to be rendezvous points, where they would stop for a few days en route to Acre. But his betrothed wife wasn’t on either island.

  She might be dead, her body resting at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. He expelled a breath, imagining Berengaria’s dark hair, her lovely eyes and form. He’d been looking forward to marrying her, understanding what sort of woman lay behind the unbridled honesty. He hardly knew her at all, but her spirit intrigued him.