His Abducted Bride
Page 10
“Oh, I know that. I didn’t plan on consummating our marriage tonight.” Before she could ask when he planned it, he added, “However, your things are in my bedchamber. That means we’ll be sharing a bed.”
“So you’re assuming we’ll be consummating the marriage soon.”
“You’ve already taken advantage of me by looking at me without my clothes on. The only decent thing you can do is make an honest man out of me.”
“An honest man out of—” She quickly scanned the empty hallway, relieved no one was nearby to hear them. “I hardly doubt your virtue is on the line.”
“Sure, it is. You think it was easy to bare myself to you?”
“Yes.”
After a moment, he broke down and laughed. “Okay. You got me. It was easy.”
She crossed her arms and shot him a pointed look. “Delighted in showing off your body, didn’t you?”
“You liked it. Admit it.”
“I think the wine you had at dinner is going to your head.”
“To be fair,” he began as he brought her into his arms, “I said I wouldn’t be intimately engaged with you tonight. However, I do want to sleep in the same bed with you. We’re husband and wife. It’s only right we share the same bed.”
“I don’t know.”
He kissed her. “I have enough willpower to behave. I won’t make love to you until I get your permission. I understand with the way the day started—what with you being a mouse and all—that it’s too soon.”
She was going to have to tell him why they couldn’t be married. It had more to do with the heir he wanted than anything else, but she didn’t have the energy to explain the situation to him tonight. All she wanted to do was go to sleep. Tomorrow when she was refreshed, she’d deal with it. “We’re not going to do anything? We’re just going to sleep?”
“You have my word.”
Sighing, she nodded. “Okay.”
***
The next day, Sandy decided it was time she saw more of the kingdom. While she and Gavin were enjoying the warm, sunny weather in the courtyard, she slipped her arm around his and smiled at him.
His eyebrows rose in interest. “Uh oh.”
She chuckled. “‘Uh oh’ what?”
“You want something.”
“How can you tell that?”
“My warrior senses are on high alert. Are you going to tell me I’m wrong?”
Giving in, she shrugged. “Alright. There is something I want.” Before he could congratulate himself on being super smart, she continued, “I want to see the kingdom. Up to now, I’ve been confined to this castle. Will you take me on a tour?”
“Yeah, I could do that.”
“Great! It’s a perfect day for a carriage ride.”
“You wouldn’t rather go in my sports car?”
She studied his face to determine if he was joking but his gaze held hers, his expression as serious as could be. “I didn’t write anything about a sports car,” she finally replied. “In fact, I didn’t include anything in the story with motorized transportation.”
The corner of his lip turned up into a smile and he brought her into his arms. “There is no sports car, though it’s an interesting concept. I wouldn’t mind having one. It sounds like a lot of fun.”
“How are you finding out so much about my world?”
He kissed her. “It helps me to know more about you.”
“I never had a sports car.”
“I might have gotten distracted while browsing items from your world.”
“If you’re so clever, why don’t you put a car into this story?”
“Because I don’t understand how it works. Giving the cooks recipes is one thing. We have all the ingredients here in this world. But the things that make a car? We don’t have it, and even if we did, I don’t know who’d make it.”
“Well, I guess that just proves no matter where you go, no world is perfect.” She kissed his cheek and took his arm. “Come on. Take me on a carriage ride. It’ll be romantic.”
***
“And this is the marketplace where all the commerce happens,” Gavin said as the carriage approached the center of the village.
The villagers noticed them and bowed, an action which made Sandy blush. Though she’d written her story and had her people honor her this way, it was different when it really happened. She was, after all, just a waitress in a diner.
“Would you like to stop and see some of the things people are selling?” Gavin asked.
“Yeah,” she replied, thinking it’d be fun to see more of the world she had created.
He tapped the top of the carriage and the driver stopped the horses. She waited for the driver to open the door and let him help her out. Gavin followed and instructed the driver to wait for them. Taking her by the arm, he led her to the market. Feeling self-conscious, she smiled and nodded as they passed the villagers.
“Those are nice,” Gavin said, gesturing to a booth with an assortment of jewelry. “Perhaps my lady would like something to complement the red gown you wore last night?”
“Did you like it?”
“I did. Red is a wonderful color. Passionate, intense, powerful, strong. I can’t help but notice there’s a necklace that would be perfect for you.”
She followed his gaze to the oval ruby embedded into an onyx stone. She glanced back at the carriage and couldn’t believe she didn’t pick up on it sooner. Black and red were his colors. The carriage door displayed his trademark red flag with a black heart and two swords beneath it. “No wonder you liked the red dress.”
“Well, to be fair, it was the way you filled the dress that got my attention more than the color.” His grin widened. “Now I have to get the necklace for you.”
He led her to the booth and purchased the necklace, complimenting the merchant on his taste in colors. She scanned the large gathering and noticed that some actors were on a stage. Curious, she tapped his arm. “Do they perform plays here?”
“Sometimes, yes. The marketplace is also for entertainment.” He lifted the necklace and unclasped it. “May I?”
Lifting her hair up, she turned and waited as he put the necklace around her neck. A couple of people were still staring at them but most of them had turned back to their business. In her story, the people in this kingdom were terrified of Gavin and his men. They would run off and hide if he set foot in the marketplace. But since he changed the story, they were comfortable with him being among them, and she couldn’t help but notice how happy they were. She wasn’t sure how he pulled it off, but he established safety and peace.
The sun reflected off of something shiny to her right, so her gaze went in that direction. An old man hobbled from a booth, the metal in the tip of his cane catching the sunlight, causing the sun to hit her eyes again. He glanced over his shoulder and made eye contact with her. His gaze quickly turned the other way and he limped behind a booth.
Her eyebrows furrowed. There was something familiar about him, though she couldn’t put her finger on it. While the man selling jewelry asked Gavin a question, she followed the strange man. She had a vague suspicion he didn’t belong in this kingdom. As the author, she should know the characters in the story, even those who played small parts.
She wove through the crowd, surprised she lost sight of him since he couldn’t move that fast, not considering his age and cane. Pausing, she turned to a woman. “Excuse me, but have you seen an old man wearing a brown tattered robe? He has a cane?”
“I’m sorry, my lady, but I haven’t seen anyone like that,” she replied.
Thanking her, Sandy continued her search through the crowd. She was sure he passed the woman but there were so many people, she might have been mistaken. From nearby, music started up, but she didn’t pay much mind to the fiddles and lutes. Sunlight bounced off a metal object and hit her eyes again and she knew it was him. She headed in his direction and finally found him entering a small building on the edge of the marketplace.
Sh
e hurried and slipped into the building, surprised when she didn’t see him. Around her, objects in various states of repair lined the walls. Stepping further into the cluttered room, she scanned the area until she saw a room. It was too dark for her to see if anyone was in there, but he had to be there. Where else would he go? It wasn’t like he could vanish into thin air.
“Hello?” she called out. “Is someone here?”
She waited but no one said anything. She hesitated for a moment, tapping her fingers together. It was weird that an old man scurried off as fast as he did and hid in the back room. Maybe it was too weird. Freaky even. She wasn’t in her world. This was a fantasy world, and it was possible people could vanish if they got a hold of a magician’s potion. And even if she was the author and couldn’t be hurt, she saw no reason to ask for trouble. Deciding it best to leave, she turned back to the entrance when someone cleared his throat.
Whirling around, she saw the old man as he lumbered out of the room. “I thought I heard someone in here. Are you here to pick up something I fixed?”
Glancing at the shelves, she wondered what he had actually fixed. Everything looked broken.
“What item are you here for, my lady?” he asked, hobbling closer to her.
“I’m not here for anything,” she slowly replied. “I saw you outside and…” And what? Followed him? And he’d wonder why she followed him. With a laugh, she said, “It’s silly. I thought there was something familiar about you. I thought I’d talk to you and try to figure it out. I’m the author of this story.”
“Yes, I know who you are. We all do and we’ve all sworn allegiance that no harm will come to you while you’re here.”
She nodded. “Well, that’s good. I like that allegiance.”
“Understandably.”
“So, who are you?”
“I told you. I fix things that are broken.”
“I know that, but do you have a name?” she asked, wondering why he didn’t introduce himself like the other characters had.
He reached her and smiled. “Does it matter? The point is, I have something you want.”
She wasn’t sure she liked the direction this conversation was going. Though he remained pleasant and couldn’t harm her since he was in a weakened condition, she sensed something wasn’t right. Clearing her throat, she returned his smile and stepped back. The door wasn’t too far behind her. Just three more steps and she’d be outside. “I don’t need anything.”
“Ah, but you do.” He grasped her hand and stopped her before she could take another step back.
Her eyes grew wide. He was stronger than he looked. Much stronger. She studied his eyes. They were dark, so dark they almost seemed black, but they weren’t. They were a blue with a trace of green swirling around them. She struggled to remember which character she’d given such a unique trait to.
“You want to go home,” the man said. “You have family and friends there who miss you.”
She paused and thought of all the people who loved her. “Can you see into that world?”
“Yes. Their hearts are broken. I’m here to help fix that. As I said, I fix broken things. I can help you get home.”
She stared at him for a long moment. Should she accept his offer? Up to now, she’d wanted nothing more than to go home, but now things were complicated.
The door to the shop opened and she saw Gavin, and the old man let go of her hand.
“Why are you in here?” Gavin asked.
For a moment, she thought he was talking to the old man but then realized the man had disappeared. She waved her hand through the air where the man had been standing in front of her just a second ago. Okay. Now that was definitely freaky. Where did he go?
“Sandy?” Gavin asked.
She opened her mouth to answer but didn’t know what to say. Did she tell him she was talking to someone? Someone who vanished as soon as he came into the shop? Finally, she shrugged. “I thought I’d check this place out.”
“I don’t recall this shop being here before,” he replied as he inspected it. “There’s nothing here but a bunch of old junk no one wants. What purpose could this place have?”
“I don’t know. I don’t remember writing anything like this into the story, but then there are many things that I never specifically mentioned that are in this kingdom. I didn’t write lutes and fiddles into the story and yet I heard them outside.”
“Your subconscious mind probably filled in the blanks.”
“Probably.”
“It’s nearing the dinner hour. Do you want to go back to the castle?”
She nodded. She’d seen enough of the village to satisfy her curiosity. He took her by the arm and led her to the carriage.
Chapter Twelve
After the banquet, Sandy accepted Gavin’s offer to take her for a walk through the gardens. There was a slight chill in the air, but her dress had so many petticoats, she barely noticed.
“Have you been through these gardens?” Gavin asked as they strolled down a path lined with trees and bushes with flowers that sparkled in the moonlight.
“I’ve been everywhere the guards permitted me to go,” she replied, wondering if there was any secret place she hadn’t seen. Perhaps there was a secret passage that would take her out of the castle and to her world. But as she studied his handsome profile, she had the sinking sensation that she’d miss him if she returned home. Turning her attention to the trees, she continued, “I’ve been here during the day but not at night. I think the gardens look better this way.”
“Do you recognize the flowers?”
Her gaze lowered to the bushes. “Should I recognize them?”
“Those are the flowers you used to decorate the castle in your kingdom. I thought you might enjoy them if I put them here.”
“I have a confession to make. Even though I created these flowers, I never did get a good image of them in my mind. They were there for the sake of setting the scene in the book.”
“Really?” His gaze met hers and he slowed his steps. “So when you created me, did you get a clear image of me?”
“Yes. I had a specific picture of what the main characters were like. Some secondary characters, too. But if there was a crowd of people, they weren’t distinct. I got overall impressions of rooms and gardens and other things that set the stage for where the scenes took place, but I didn’t examine every detail. It’s like glancing at something. You get the general idea but you don’t notice the subtle things, like the way these flowers sparkle different colors depending on which petal you look at. The colors in the flowers are a minor distinction, and since it does nothing to advance the plot, why would I spend any time on it?”
He nodded. “Do you know what King Petros looks like?”
Her eyebrows furrowed. “Why are you so concerned about him?”
“Well, you mentioned he might be the villain in a second book. Was he worse than I was supposed to be? Was he ugly? Or was he devastatingly handsome like I am?”
A chuckle escaped her throat and, in a bold move, she kissed his cheek. “You’ve convinced me that I was wrong about you. If nothing else, being here has shown me that you treat others very well. I should have listened to you instead of trying to make you the villain.”
“Would I be wrong to assume that I’ve now become the romantic hero?”
“I wouldn’t push your luck that far, pal. I was writing a fantasy, not a romance.”
“And what fun is having an adventure if you can’t throw some romance into the mix?” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. “I happen to think romance makes things a lot more interesting, especially if you throw in a love scene or two.”
“Spoken like a man,” she replied, unable to hide her amusement.
“Considering you’re a woman, that works in your favor. You need to spice up your life a bit. You’re much too attractive to live the life of a nun.”
“I’m rather disappointed in you.”
“Disappointed?”
“Alright. That’s fair. I am interested in those things but that’s because they lead to the bedchamber. Who says warriors only have to spend their time on the battlefield?”
“Yeah.” She giggled and playfully shoved him away from her. “Like I said, spoken like a man.”
“I have a feeling you enjoy that most about me.”
“I’m not even going to justify that comment with a response.”
“That’s okay. I know it’s true.” He kissed her hand again and pulled her into his arms. “Don’t turn away from the chance to be loved, Sandy. Let romance be part of the story.”
She took a step away from him and glanced at the garden and the castle sitting majestically in front of her. “I’ll tell you what. I won’t kill you off in the story. I’ll rewrite it so that you and I form an alliance at the end. I’ll write it as if I believed you were the villain but realized my error by the end of the book. And when I get to the end, I’ll give you a queen.”
“I don’t want you to give me a queen. I want you to be my queen.”
She shook her head. “I can’t.”
“Why? Because you don’t belong here? Because you didn’t originate in this world?”
“No.” She paused. “Though you bring up a good point. I’m the author. You’re just a—”
He held up his hand. “I’m not ‘just a character’, Sandy. I was able to step into your world. I existed there like you exist here.”
“Okay. So you’re not confined to the words on a written document. But that doesn’t change anything about me. I’m willing to sit down and work with you on the story. We’ll figure out a way to make it work to your satisfaction.”