‘Please, Richard, do not do this to me,’ she sobbed. ‘I love you, please hold me close. Please.’
He was harsh enough to let her tears fall, to see her distress and do nothing to ease it. A touch, a whispered word, would have rescued her, but he yielded nothing. Except his extraordinary capacity to make her want him. So very much. It was only when she sank tearfully to her knees and hid her face in her hands that he finally reclaimed her, pulling her up into his arms and holding her tightly.
She did not understand anything, nor did she care now. He was embracing her, loving her with his caresses, and that was the only thing that mattered. He imparted his desire in such a way that her tears fell still more. She had no will of her own. There was just his will, his choice. And now that he held her again, the feeling was so good it made her feel weak.
At last he kissed her. Putting gentle fingers to her chin and raising her mouth slowly to meet his. It was unbearably seductive. Again his lips, the mint freshness, the costmary on his clothes, the delight of his heart close to hers. The elation that was him. She was helplessly under his spell. His kiss played mercilessly with her and plundered her strength. His caresses, seeming so light and gentle, aroused her passion to such a peak that her inner muscles submitted helplessly to a riot of pleasure.
Everything he did was calculated, cruel even, but these were kisses she would remember into eternity, for they finally demonstrated exactly how potent and completely spellbinding he really was. It was no mere impression, it was fact. This man could conquer with a smile, confine with a touch, and imprison completely with his eyes.
But he ended it and looked into her eyes. ‘What would you not do for me now, Cicely?’ he asked softly, smiling and pushing her hair back behind her ear. ‘Mm? Is there anything?’ He pulled her gently to his aroused loins. ‘You feel how you excite me? How great my desire?’ Then he kissed her lips again, weaving himself even further into her senses.
He knew so well how to coax her with the promise of his body. ‘Go to Henry Tudor, Cicely. You can seduce him as you seduce me. Make him set Bess aside. He already wants you, so make sure of him.’
His voice was so very soft and tempting, so very loving, even while he asked her to go to his slayer. His eyes were unfathomable, but compelled her to obey.
Hesitantly, unhappily, she moved towards the door. She did not want to go, oh, how she did not, except that for Richard Plantagenet she would do anything. Anything.
But as she reached for the ring handle, he came quickly over and caught her hand. ‘No, sweeting, no. I do not really wish you to do anything of the sort.’ The spell was shattered as he made her face him. ‘I love you, Cicely, and would not force anything like that upon you.’
She was so overwhelmed, so in bondage to him, that she could not assemble her thoughts, let alone her senses. She began to cry, and tried to hide her face again.
‘Oh, Jesu, I should not have done it,’ he breathed, holding her tightly to him. ‘Forgive me, sweetheart, please forgive me.’ He kissed her hair, over and over.
She clung to him, helpless, drained and hardly aware of what had just happened.
‘Oh, my poor, sweet Cicely, I have treated you badly tonight, but I had to make you understand, not me, but yourself. I could think of no other way.’ He rested his forehead to hers. It was communion, affinity, intimacy, and she felt his immeasurable love.
‘Cicely, tell me you forgive me.’
‘I forgive you anything, everything. You know that. You can never stop me loving you.’
‘I needed to show you what it is in my capacity to do. For those minutes I deliberately misused the gift that I have, and I did not need force, threats or any other such thing to influence you. I made you love me a hundred times more, and want me a thousand times more. You would have gone to Henry for me. Because you thought it was what I wanted.’
He put his fingers kindly to her chin and turned her face towards him. ‘It is not magic, Cicely, but it is enchantment of a sort. You have this potential as well, do you understand? Never underestimate your ability to influence others, but use it judiciously. It will come so naturally to you that you will hardly know you do it. I could have had any woman I chose and you, my love, can have any man you choose. Any man. You could certainly have Henry Tudor if you so wished. And I am afraid you cannot apportion the blame for that to anyone but yourself.’
She would have spoken, but he put a forefinger to her lips. ‘Cicely, going to him as you did was bound to result in him seeing you as you did not wish him to. You were unguarded, thinking only to make him look kindly upon you. You were innocent, at least, you thought you were innocent, and maybe you were at first. But you were not in the end, Cicely. You used the gift you hardly know you have, and that you certainly do not yet know how to properly control. It is such charm and desirableness, my dearest, and all too soon you will know exactly how to use it. But do not turn it lightly upon someone as dangerous as Henry Tudor.’
‘I did not mean to turn anything on him.’
‘No? Did you not go there intending to see how much you could influence him?’
She lowered her eyes quickly.
‘Be careful with what you have, but never forget it is yours. You are able to make men want to have you, forgive you, trust you, or anything else you wish of them. You can charm women too. It is not often that a woman who has such an effect upon men can also endear herself to her own sex.’
He lowered his eyes for a moment. ‘I was not wise during life, Cicely. I should have used what I knew I had in order to make certain of those around me. If I had, and if I had made calculated political decisions instead of adhering only to what I believed to be right and just, there would not have been a Bosworth. Without Bosworth, I could subsequently have applied myself to the right things. Instead I lost it all. So do not repeat my mistakes. Learn from me, because as God is my witness I am trying to teach you now.’
‘Why did you not see that you should use it more? You are not a fool.’
‘If I had deliberately misused my gift, I would have been a king with truly destructive charm, a user and a schemer, a trickster and a villain, hiding behind endearing smiles and kindly words. A man whose bent back really was an indication of the nature of his character. That is not me, sweetheart, so maybe I am a fool. I certainly placed my trust where I should not. I think I was overwhelmed by everything that happened. From being Duke of Gloucester, content to rule sensibly in the north, I was suddenly, as if from a catapult, put on the throne itself, where life is anything but sensible. It was not what I wanted, Cicely, but it was what I had to accept. I could have been a good king, but I was not allowed to be. Circumstance overtook me. And so did death.’
She could have wept for him again. ‘And . . . and now you think my character is such that I will use what I have? Am I so inferior a creature?’
His hand was over hers in a moment. ‘Inferior? Good God no, sweetheart, of course not. You simply have a little of your father in you. He had some of this charm, but he used it to always gain his own way. And he was often cruel and inconsiderate as he went about it. You would be cruel if you thought it would defend me. Is that not so?’
She nodded. ‘Your enemies would have been dead before the day of Bosworth even dawned.’
‘And you will be prepared to do it to protect our child, or anyone else you hold dear. You are strong, Cicely, and if it means seduction, you will do that too. God knows, you have the wherewithal to do it. You could bed Asmodeus himself if you set your mind to it. You say I am seduction personified, but you are too, sweetheart. I, above all, should know that.’ He kissed her palm. ‘Cicely, I can do no more than this. If I could, I would. You must be strong again. If you cannot do it for yourself, then do it for me. I need to know you are alert to the dangers, alert to the full extent of what you can do. Would you distress me by ignoring me now?’
‘That is unfair.’
He smiled. ‘Yes, of course it is. Which is why I say it.’
&
nbsp; ‘I love you so,’ she breathed.
‘You are now to demonstrate that love by taking heed of everything I have said and done here tonight. Everything, sweetheart. You can rise above your present grief, and—’
‘Present grief?’ she cried. ‘Richard, it is my future grief as well. The pain of losing you will never leave me. Never.’
His thumb smoothed her palm. ‘Then you must make yourself strong. You—we—will have a fine son, a healthy son. I do not know what the future holds for him, but he will have a future. No sickly childhood and early demise for him. So, no more sinking beneath your bereavement, no more moping and silly impulses, and no more speaking and acting without thinking. I expect more of my sweet Cicely. Will you try for me?’
‘Yes,’ she whispered.
He put his hand to her cheek. ‘You had to understand, Cicely. I am your mind and conscience now, not your living lover.’ His hand moved from her cheek to her lips. ‘The secret lies in how you use your gift, sweetheart. Never be vainglorious, for it is an ugly state.’
‘But I am not vainglorious!’
‘I know. I would not love you so very much if you were. But today you came close, and the temptation to succumb will always be there, Cicely. You drew things from Henry that he was shocked to have confessed, and now you have his mother in your palm as well. You have Sir Jon at your mercy, just as you had me. My wife confided in you, more than I probably would like, you knew Bess’s every carnal thought of me. My son loves you to distraction, Jack would bed you in a moment, and Ralph Scrope wanted you so much he turned traitor for vengeance. Need I go on? It will never leave you, this power over others, this facility to engage their emotions, and you will need to cope with it. A single smile, a brief touch, even if it is careless, can do so very much.’
‘You think I do not know that? There have been so many times when you have dominated me with a mere glance. You have actually spoken to me with your eyes. I heard you say my name across a great hall so crowded and noisy that it was impossible. But it happened.’
‘I have never “used” anything upon you that I did not really feel, Cicely. Except tonight. Please know that. My emotions toward you have never been dishonest. However, they have been dishonest with others. I have smiled benevolently at Bess when I actually wished to look right through her. Sweetheart, I was your age when I discovered what I could do, so I know exactly how you feel now. It bewilders, angers, confuses, but it cannot be ignored. Never abuse it, for that will be to lose your way.’
‘You make me a little frightened.’
‘Do not be, sweetheart. It has never frightened me. I simply tell you all this to open your eyes to it. I recognized it in you at the abbey. How could I not? And how could I not have loved you for it? You touched my heart, and I felt I had waited for you all my life. But you were so young, and my niece!’
‘They were not barriers, not in the end.’
‘Death is the barrier now, sweetheart.’
Her lips pressed together mutinously, and fresh, even hotter tears stung her eyes. ‘No,’ she whispered. ‘No.’
‘Yes, my love, it is.’ He raised her fingertips to his lips.
‘Everything you have ever said to me has mattered. Everything, Richard. Every word, inflection, measure, quality. You could not draw breath without my sensing it. You understand what I mean, because you feel that way about me. Please do not understand me too well now, because I need to pretend. Do you not see that?’
‘Oh, Cicely, what we could have been had I lived,’ he said softly.
‘Your voice strokes me. Just to hear you is to have your arms around me again. I have only to think of you, in a quiet moment, and I am with you again.’
‘Which shows you do not need to see me in front of you,’ he reminded her a little dryly. ‘And which also shows that you actually accept the truth about this. You know I am imagination. You know that what I did tonight is what you yourself have the power to do. You know it, Cicely. It simply comforts you more to conjure me and have me tell you. Show you.’
‘Even while you punished me, you took me to paradise.’
‘Tonight I could easily have sent you to Hell,’ he reminded her.
‘But what you did to me before sending me there was intolerably pleasurable.’
He smiled. ‘It was intended to be, and it bound you completely because I decided to make you my prey. My sweetly vulnerable, unknowing, oh so sensuous prey. That is how it succeeds. And you, my love, will one day do this too. I know it, even if you do not.’
‘If you were Mordred, Beelzebub and Judas fused into one, I would still love you. My heart can only be constant to you, Richard. I cannot be otherwise. You understand that constancy, that loyalty, that faithfulness.’
‘Just who is seducing whom at this moment, my lady?’ he asked softly. ‘But remember, I am not real. You invoke me.’
‘No.’
‘Yes, sweetheart, and no matter how bitter a pill it is, you have to accept it.’
‘But not yet. And certainly not now.’
Chapter Seven
Cicely waited for Sir Jon Welles in the garden again the next morning. She felt some trepidation. Before his offer of marriage she had been at ease with him, even though he was Henry’s half-uncle, but now . . . now it was much more personal, and she was much more aware of herself than she had been before Richard had come to her in the night.
She chided herself. ‘No, he did not come to you, Cicely. He is dead. Dead.’ When she least wished for them, tears pricked her eyes again. She wanted to be in command of herself before Jon Welles, not beset by emotion.
Her mother had sent for her that morning, and for the first time ever, she, Cicely, had refused to comply. She did not relish being questioned and bullied to make her reveal that which she had no intention of revealing. There was nothing the Queen Dowager could do about this disobedience, but if Bess sent for her, Cicely knew she would have to go. As Henry’s future queen, Bess had the power to summon her and expect compliance. Not that she would learn the truth either.
At last Sir Jon emerged from the palace. He wore brown, an unremarkable shade, but his tall, rather notable figure made much more of it. He had a certain attraction that she was very aware of, and when he smiled at her she felt herself relax. She could be at ease with him after all.
‘My lady?’ He bowed his head.
‘Sir Jon.’ She curtseyed. ‘You are my Saint George, are you not?’
‘See me as that if you wish.’
‘I want you to know that your kindness to me far exceeds what I could ever hope. You have supported me from that very first moment at Sheriff Hutton. If I can ever offer support to you, I want you to know I will. Nothing will deter me.’
He gazed at her. ‘Lady Cicely, you have a way of saying things, a way of looking that defies disbelief or distrust. I know you will do as you say, and I thank you for it.’
‘It will be the least I can do, Sir Jon.’
‘So, we will do well together?’
She smiled. ‘Yes, I believe so. I accept your offer of marriage, and so do with both gratitude and gladness.’
He took her hand and drew it to his lips. ‘Let neither of us ever feel regret. If, that is, we are permitted to wed.’ He released her hand and leaned back against the wall.
‘Permitted? What do you mean? There is surely no impediment. Do you refer to the contract with Ralph?’
‘The contract?’ He exhaled. ‘Jesu, I had forgotten that.’
‘You thought it was genuine, sir, even though it was not,’ she reminded him.
‘If you recall I believed the document to have been drawn up at Richard’s command, and I believed that the seal was his, but I did not believe it was his signature. Richard was too educated and precise to write his name in such a scrawling fashion. No, someone else forged it, and did not know enough of his hand to make a good fist of it.’
‘I think it will be found that Ralph himself was the culprit.’
Sir Jon no
dded. ‘It is as likely to be him as any.’
‘So where is it now? Has it been disproved? Destroyed? Upheld?’
‘I do not know, my lady. I suspect Willoughby took it; if so I have no idea what he did with it. I still do not think Henry knows of it.’
‘I pray it has perished.’
He nodded. ‘So do I, because if it reappears, and Henry decides to be obstructive, which is his wont, there is little chance of our being satisfactorily wed in time for your baby to be legitimate. We need the king’s consent, and may have to marry before God and face Henry afterward. We’ll need God’s support. That is certain.’ He smiled a little.
‘I am aware of the great risk you take, Sir Jon.’
‘I will weather it. But the Scrope contract is not the impediment to which I was referring. My actions yesterday, for the benefit of my sister at the window, mean that I have now been interrogated at length. Margaret has our full story, except that it is a lie, of course. She knows you are with child. Henry still does not, unless Margaret has chosen to tell him.’
‘Does she wonder if you may have told me things you should not?’
His dark blue eyes swung to her. ‘How perceptive you are.’
‘Not perceptive, sir, because I know that Richard’s friends and supporters will wonder if I did the same.’
‘I had not thought of that.’ He smiled. ‘However, Margaret has faith in me, and after the initial shock accepts my assurance that I am loyal and that the child you carry is mine. She might wish we had waited before giving in to our apparently unstoppable passion, but she is pleased for me. My half-sister wants me to be higher in Henry’s household. By marrying you, I will be. But it is actually Henry who presents the problem . . . the impediment.’
‘Henry?’ Her heart began to tighten unpleasantly.
‘It seems he has expressed a wish to arrange a marriage for you.’
Her thoughts paused. ‘A marriage? With whom?’
‘He did not say. He said it to Margaret before I spoke to her and therefore, presumably, before knowing anything about us.’ Sir Jon glanced at her. ‘You clearly won his attention when you went to him.’
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