Julie Garwood - [3 Book Box Set] (60 page)

The rage wouldn’t go away.

Once Adela had begun her story, she told every bit of it. Madelyne hadn’t shown any visible reaction to the horror, but her heart felt close to bursting with pain. Morcar! The bastard was just as guilty as Louddon was, yet no one would ever know of his involvement.

“What are you doing out here?”

Madelyne let out a gasp. Duncan had frightened the breath right out of her, appearing out of nowhere to stand next to her.

She tried to turn her back on him. Duncan wouldn’t let her. He took hold of her chin and forced her to look up at him.

He’d have to be blind not to notice she’d been crying. Madelyne thought to give him a curt excuse, but the moment he touched her, she started weeping again.

Duncan pulled her into his arms. He seemed content to hold her until she gained control of herself. He’d obviously just finished his swim, as he was dripping from head to waist. Madelyne wasn’t helping him dry either, she was crying and gasping and hiccuping all over the soft mat of hair covering his chest.

“You’re going to freeze to death walking around half naked,” she told him between sobs. “And I’ll not warm your feet this time.”

If Duncan answered her, she didn’t hear him. Her face was pressed against his shoulder. She was stroking his chest too. Duncan thought she didn’t even realize what she was doing, or understand the effect she was having on him.

Madelyne suddenly tried to push away from Duncan. She bumped his chin, muttered an apology, and then made the mistake of looking up at him. His mouth was entirely too close. She couldn’t quit staring at it, remembering all too clearly the way he’d felt when she’d blatantly kissed him that night in the tent.

She wanted to kiss him again.

Duncan must have read her intentions, for he slowly lowered his mouth to hers.

He meant only to give her a gentle kiss. Aye, he meant to comfort her, but Madelyne’s arms went around his neck
and her mouth immediately opened to him. His tongue took advantage, mating with hers.

God, she was good. She could make him so hot so quickly. She wouldn’t let him be gentle either. The sound she made, way in the back of her throat, pushed all thoughts of comfort aside.

He felt her shiver and only then remembered where they were. Reluctantly he pulled away from Madelyne, though he fully expected an argument from her. He’d have to kiss her again, he decided, and then went ahead and did just that before his soft, sensual woman even had the chance to ask.

Duncan was making her burn. She didn’t think she had the strength to stop, until his hand brushed the side of her breast. It felt wonderful, and when she realized how much more she wanted, she pulled away from him.

“You’d best get inside before you turn to a block of ice,” Madelyne said. Her voice sounded ragged.

Duncan sighed. Madelyne was at it again, trying to order him around. He picked her up into his arms, ignoring her protests, and started to walk toward the castle. “Did Adela speak to you about what happened to her?” Duncan asked when his mind could focus again.

“She did,” Madelyne answered. “But I’ll not retell a single word, no matter how insistent you become. You can torture me if you’ve a wish to, yet I’ll—”

“Madelyne.” His long-drawn-out sigh stopped her.

“I promised Adela I wouldn’t say anything to anyone, especially you. Your sister is afraid of you, Duncan. ’Tis a sorry state of affairs, that,” she added.

She thought her announcement would anger Duncan and was surprised when he nodded. “It’s the way it should be,” Duncan said, shrugging. “I’m lord as well as brother and the first must take preference over the second.”

“It isn’t the way it should be,” Madelyne argued. “A family should be close. They should eat all their meals together and never fight with each other. They should—”

“How the hell would you know what a family should or shouldn’t do? You’ve lived with your uncle,” Duncan said, shaking his head in exasperation.

“Well, I still know how families should act,” Madelyne argued.

“Madelyne, don’t question my methods,” Duncan said in
a low growl. “Why were you weeping?” he asked, swiftly changing the subject.

“Because of what my brother did to Adela,” Madelyne whispered. She rested her face on Duncan’s shoulder. “My brother will burn in hell for eternity.”

“Aye,” Duncan answered.

“He’s a man in need of killing. I don’t condemn you for wanting to kill him, Duncan.”

Duncan shook his head. “Does it make you feel better not to condemn me?” he asked.

She thought she heard amusement in his voice. “I have changed my views on killing. I was weeping because of that loss,” she whispered. “And for what I must do.”

Duncan waited for Madelyne to explain. They reached the doors. Duncan pulled one open without unsettling her. The strength in him amazed her yet again. It had taken all her determination, both hands, too, to work one of those doors open enough to slip through without catching her backside, yet Duncan hadn’t shown the least bit of strain.

“What must you do?” Duncan asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

“I must kill a man.”

The door slammed shut just as Madelyne whispered her confession. Duncan wasn’t sure he’d heard her correctly. He decided he had enough patience to wait until they had reached his bedroom before questioning her further.

He carried Madelyne up the steps, ignoring her protests that she was able to walk, didn’t pause when they reached the hall level, but continued on, up to the next. Madelyne believed he was taking her back to the tower room. When they reached the mouth of the circular structure, Duncan turned in the opposite direction and continued on down a dark corridor. It was too dark to see where it led.

She was highly curious, for she hadn’t even noticed the narrow hallway. They reached the end of the corridor, and Duncan opened a door and carried Madelyne inside. It was obviously his sleeping quarters, Madelyne realized, even as she considered it most kind of him to give up his bedroom to her for this night.

It was warm and cozy inside the bedroom. A full fire blazed in the hearth, giving heat and a soft glow to the otherwise stark room. A single window was centered in the
opposite wall, covered with an animal skin in lieu of shutters. A wide bed took up most of the stone wall adjacent to the hearth, with a chest beside it.

The bed and chest were the only pieces of furniture in the room. It was clean, though, almost spotless. That fact made Madelyne smile. She didn’t know why it pleased her but was glad that Duncan didn’t like clutter any more than she did.

Why then did he allow the main hall to be so ill attended? That didn’t make sense to her, now that she’d seen his own quarters. She decided to question him about it just as soon as she caught him in a good mood. Madelyne did smile then, for she realized she might very well be an old woman before Duncan achieved such a remarkable change in disposition.

Duncan didn’t seem to be in any particular hurry to release her. He walked over to the hearth, leaned his shoulders against the edge of the thick mantel, and began to rub back and forth, obviously appeasing a sudden itch. Madelyne held on to him for dear life. Lord, she wished he were wearing a shirt. It wasn’t decent, she told herself, because she liked touching his skin too much. Duncan was like a bronze god. His skin felt warm, and with her palms resting on his shoulders, she could feel the rippled muscles play beneath her fingertips.

She wished she could understand her reaction to him. Why, her heart was pacing a wild beat again. Madelyne dared a quick look up and found Duncan was watching her intently. He looked so handsome. She wanted him to be ugly. “Are you going to hold me the rest of the night?” she asked, sounding ridiculously disgruntled.

Duncan shrugged, almost unsettling Madelyne. She grabbed hold of him again, and when he smiled at her, she realized he might have jarred her just to get her to cling to him.

“Answer my question first, then I’ll release you,” Duncan commanded.

“I’ll answer your question,” she told him.

“Did you tell me you thought to kill a man?”

“I did.” She stared at his chin when she answered him.

Madelyne waited a long minute for Duncan to comment on her admission. She thought he’d probably lecture her on her weakness for the task of killing anyone.

She was, however, totally unprepared for his laughter. It started as a low rumble in his chest, yet quickly gained in sound, until he was all but choking with true joy.

He’d heard her correctly after all. Madelyne did tell him she was going to kill. That statement was at first so astonishing, he believed she was jesting. Yet the serious look on her face indicated she really meant what she said.

His reaction didn’t please her much. God help him, he couldn’t quit laughing. He let Madelyne slip out of his grasp but kept his hands settled on her shoulders so she couldn’t bolt. “And who is the unfortunate man you plan to kill?” he finally managed to ask. “One of us Wextons perchance?”

Madelyne pulled away from him. “Of course it isn’t a Wexton, though to give you the full truth, if I had an evil soul, you’d be the first on my list of those I’d do in, milord.”

“Ah,” Duncan returned, smiling still. “If it isn’t one of us, my sweet, gentle lady, then who do you wish to ‘do in’?” he asked, using her ridiculous expression for killing.

“Aye, ’tis the truth, Duncan. I am a sweet, gentle maiden and it’s high time you understood that,” Madelyne answered. Her voice didn’t sound particularly sweet now.

Madelyne walked over to the bed and sat down on the side. She took a long time smoothing her skirt and then folded her hands in her lap. She was truly appalled that she could speak so easily of taking another’s life. But then, the man she had in mind was certainly in need of killing, wasn’t he?

“You’ll not get his name from me, Duncan. ’Tis my own affair, not yours.”

Duncan wasn’t in agreement but decided to wait before he forced the truth.

“And when you kill this man, Madelyne, will you lose your food from your stomach again?”

She didn’t answer him. Duncan thought she might be realizing just how foolish her plan was. “And will you cry as well?” he asked her, repeating her reaction after killing the soldier who attacked Gilard.

“I’ll remember not to eat anything before I kill him, Duncan, so that I won’t become ill, and if I cry after I’ve done it, then I’ll just find a private place so that no one will see me. Is that explanation enough for you?”

Madelyne took a deep breath, trying desperately to keep
her expression contained. Lord, she already felt like a sinner. “Death is not to be taken lightly,” she said then. “But justice shouldn’t be cheated either.”

Duncan started laughing again. That infuriated her. “I’d like to sleep now, so please leave.”

“Do you think to tell me to leave my own quarters?” Duncan asked.

He wasn’t laughing now, and Madelyne didn’t have the nerve to look at him.

“I was,” she admitted. “If I’m being disrespectful, I’m sorry for it. But you know I don’t lie. It’s kind of you to give up your bed for this one night. I really do appreciate it. And I’ll return to the tower tomorrow, after Adela’s room has been scrubbed.”

She was out of breath after she finished her explanation.

“Your honesty is refreshing.”

“It gets me into mischief.” Madelyne sighed. She continued to look down at her hands, wishing Duncan would hurry up and leave. Then she heard a soft thud. That noise did draw her attention, and when she glanced up, she was just in time to watch Duncan remove his second boot and drop it to the floor.

“’Tis indecent to stand before me without your shirt on,” Madelyne stated. “And now you’re taking off the rest of your garments before you leave? Do you parade around Lady Eleanor like this?”

Madelyne could feel herself blushing. She was determined to ignore Duncan. If he wanted to strut around half naked, then she’d just close her eyes. And he’d get no parting words from her either.

She was a bit slow to catch on to Duncan’s intentions. Madelyne continued to watch him out of the corner of her eye. Duncan knelt down in front of the fire, added another fat log. She almost thanked him for that courtesy, until she remembered she was bent on ignoring him. Lord, he did make her lose her train of thought, didn’t he?

Duncan stood up and walked over to the door. Before Madelyne knew what he was about to do, he pushed the thick slat of wood through the metal loops.

Her eyes widened in astonishment. She was locked inside the bedroom, but the true problem, as she viewed it, was that Duncan was on the wrong side of the door. And not
even a sweet, gentle lady of breeding could misinterpret the meaning of that action.

Madelyne let out a gasp of outrage, bounded off the bed, and ran over to the door. Her intention was single-minded. She was going to get out of this room and away from Duncan.

He watched her struggle with the latch for a moment. When he was satisfied she’d never be able to figure out the unusual lock beneath the bar, he walked over to the bed. He decided to leave his pants on out of deference to Madelyne’s feelings. She looked close to the brink of losing her control again.

“Come to bed, Madelyne,” Duncan demanded as he stretched out on top of the covers.

“I’ll not sleep next to you,” Madelyne stammered.

“We’ve slept together …”

“Only once, in that tent, Duncan, and that was for necessity’s sake. We shared each other’s heat.”

“Nay, Madelyne, I’ve slept beside you every night since,” Duncan announced.

Madelyne turned to glare at Duncan. “You have not!”

“Aye, I have.”

He was smiling at her. “How can you lie so easily?” Madelyne demanded.

She didn’t give him time to answer but turned around again and began to work on the latch.

A sliver of wood under the tender skin on her thumb was her reward for her efforts. She yelped in anger. “And now I’ve most of this damn wood under my skin, thanks to you,” she muttered as she bent her head to look at the damage.

Duncan sighed. Madelyne heard the exaggerated sound all the way across the room, but she didn’t hear him move, and when he suddenly grabbed hold of her hand, she jumped back, clipping the top of her head against the bottom of his chin. “You move just like a wolf,” she announced as she allowed him to drag her toward the light of the fire. “’Tis no compliment I’m giving you, Duncan, so you can quit smiling.”