Julie Garwood - [3 Book Box Set] (64 page)

Adela started to cry, renewing Madelyne’s anger. She reached over and patted Adela on her shoulder. She couldn’t manage a smile though. “I’m not going to marry Morcar,” she said. “’Tis a fact I’m not marrying anyone.”

“Aye, but you are,” Duncan said. He actually smiled at her when he made his promise.

Madelyne felt as if he’d just slapped her. She took a step away, shaking her head in denial.

“I’ll not marry Morcar.”

“No, you’ll not.”

His answer confused her into temporary submission.

Duncan wasn’t looking at Madelyne now. He watched his brothers walk with Adela toward the entrance. The three of them were taking their own sweet time, acting as though they had armor nailed to the bottoms of their shoes. It was
obvious they were bent on hearing as much of his conversation with Madelyne as possible. Duncan placed the blame for their sudden show of insubordination directly on Madelyne’s shoulders. Aye, it was all her fault. They’d been obedient enough before she entered their lives.

From the moment Lady Madelyne had set foot inside his home, everyone and everything had gone upside down.

Duncan told himself he didn’t like the changes, even as he acknowledged there were still more to come. He was sure to meet with resistance, especially from Gilard. The youngest brother was Madelyne’s greatest ally. Duncan sighed over it. He much preferred a good battle to the dealings of family.

“Edmond, find our new priest and bring him to me,” Duncan suddenly called out.

Edmond turned, a question in his expression. “Now,” Duncan snapped.

His command was frigid enough to chill Madelyne to the bone. She started to turn around to speak to Edmond, when Duncan’s next command stopped her. “Don’t you dare instruct him to obey me, Madelyne, or so help me God, I’ll take hold of your red hair and bind your mouth shut with it.”

Madelyne let out a gasp of outrage. Duncan was satisfied, thinking that his crude threat had made her realize her vulnerable position. His goal was her submission. Aye, he wanted her docile for what was to come.

When Madelyne began to walk toward him with a murderous look in her eye, Duncan decided his threat hadn’t bothered her much. She wasn’t acting the least bit docile. “How dare you insult me? My hair isn’t red, and you damn well know it. It’s brown,” she shouted. “’Tis unlucky to have red hair, and mine isn’t.”

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Her contradictions were becoming a usual occurrence.

Madelyne stopped her advance when she was a scant foot away. Close enough to grab, he thought.

The woman was brave but innocent about the world. It was the only excuse Duncan could find for her comments. There were over a hundred of Louddon’s men waiting outside the walls, threatening to attack if Madelyne wasn’t handed over to them by tomorrow morning. She should have been raging about that situation, he told himself.
Instead, she argues about the color of her hair. It was more red than brown, and why in God’s name she couldn’t see that was beyond him.

“Your insults know no bounds,” she told him. Then she started to cry. She couldn’t look up at him anymore, and surely that was the reason she allowed him to take her into his arms.

“You’re not going back to Louddon, Madelyne,” Duncan said, his voice gruff.

“Then I’m staying here until spring,” she said.

Edmond appeared at the entrance with the new priest. “Father Laurance is here,” he announced to get Duncan’s attention.

Madelyne pulled away from Duncan. She turned to look at the priest. Why, he was so young. That surprised her. He looked vaguely familiar to her, too, though she couldn’t put her finger on just where she might have met him. Very few young priests visited her uncle Berton.

She shook her head, deciding then that she couldn’t have met him before.

Duncan suddenly pulled Madelyne up against his side. They stood so close to the fire, Madelyne forgot about the priest and began to worry her gown would catch flame. When she tried to move away, Duncan tightened his hold. His arm was draped across her shoulders, anchoring her to him. Odd, but after a moment or so, his closeness calmed her, and she was able to fold her hands in front of her and regain her composed expression.

The priest seemed worried. He wasn’t a very appealing-looking man, for his face was pock-marked into scars. He looked unkempt too.

Gilard rushed into the room. The look on his face suggested he was ready to do battle. He and Edmond had suddenly changed dispositions. Edmond was smiling now while Gilard scowled.

“Duncan, I’ll be the one to marry Lady Madelyne. I’m more than willing to make this sacrifice,” Gilard announced. His face was red and he’d deliberately used the word sacrifice so that Duncan wouldn’t know the depth of his true feelings for Madelyne. “She did save my life,” he added when Duncan didn’t immediately answer him.

Duncan knew exactly what was going on inside Gilard’s
mind. The brother was as transparent as water. He thought himself in love with Madelyne. “Don’t give me argument, Gilard. My decision is made and you will honor it. Do you understand me, brother?”

Duncan’s voice was soft but menacing, and Gilard, after giving a loud, angry sigh, slowly shook his head. “I’ll not challenge you.”

“Marriage?” Madelyne whispered the word as if it was a blasphemy.

She shouted the next. “Sacrifice?”

“Giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel.”

NEW TESTAMENT, I PETER 3:7

“I’m not marrying anyone.” Madelyne meant to shout her decision, but the words came out strangled. She couldn’t help that, for she finally understood what Duncan meant to do. Gilard might not challenge that decision, but
she
certainly was going to.

Duncan did seem determined in the matter. He ignored Madelyne’s struggle to get away from him and motioned for the priest to begin the ceremony.

Father Laurance was so flustered, he couldn’t even remember most of the standard phrases, and Madelyne was so incensed, she wasn’t paying the least attention. She was too busy yelling at the man trying to squeeze her to death.

When Madelyne heard Duncan promise to take her as wife, she shook her head. The priest then asked her if she’d have Duncan for husband. Madelyne gave an immediate answer. “Nay, I will not.”

Duncan didn’t care for her answer. He gripped her so tightly, Madelyne thought he was trying to push the bones right out of her.

Duncan grabbed hold of her hair, twisted it back until she was looking up at him. “Answer him again, Madelyne,” Duncan suggested.

The look in his eyes almost changed her determination. “Let go of me first,” she demanded.

Duncan, believing she meant to obey him, released her. His arm settled on top of her shoulders again. “Ask her again,” he told the frazzled priest.

Father Laurance looked ready to faint. He stuttered out the question again.

Madelyne didn’t yell a denial or an acceptance. She didn’t say anything at all. Let them stand there until morning, she didn’t care. No one was forcing her into this mockery.

She hadn’t counted on Gilard’s interference. Madelyne thought he looked as if he wanted to kill Duncan. When his hand went to the handle of his sword, and he took a threatening step forward, she let out an involuntary gasp. Good God, he was going to challenge Duncan. “I do take you, Duncan,” she blurted out. She continued to stare at Gilard, saw the indecision in his eyes, and added, “Willingly do I pledge myself.”

Gilard’s hands dropped back to his sides. Madelyne’s shoulders sagged with relief.

Adela walked over to stand between Edmond and Gilard. She smiled at Madelyne. Edmond was grinning too. Madelyne wanted to scream at both of them. She didn’t dare, what with Gilard looking so crazed.

The priest rushed through the rest of the ceremony. After giving an awkward, backward blessing, he excused himself and rushed out of the room. His color had turned green. The man was obviously terrified of Duncan. She understood that feeling well enough.

Duncan finally let go of Madelyne. She rounded on him then. “This marriage is a mockery,” she whispered so that Gilard wouldn’t hear. “The priest didn’t even give us a proper blessing.”

Duncan had the audacity to smile at her. “You told me you never make mistakes, Duncan. This time you certainly
have. Now you’ve gone and ruined your life. And for what purpose? Your vengeance against my brother is endless, isn’t it?”

“Madelyne, the marriage is real enough. Go up to my room and wait for me, wife. I’ll join you soon.”

He deliberately stressed the word
wife.
Madelyne stared up at him in astonishment. There was a warm glint in his eye now. His room?

Madelyne jumped when Adela touched her on the shoulder, trying to tell her everything would be all right. That was certainly easy enough for her to say; she wasn’t the one bound to a wolf.

She had to get away from all the Wextons. There was so much to think through. Madelyne lifted the skirt of her gown and slowly started to walk out of the room.

Edmond stopped her when she reached the entrance by putting his hand on her arm. “I would welcome you into our family,” he said.

The brother actually looked as though he meant what he said. That infuriated Madelyne almost as much as his horrible smile. She much preferred him scowling at her. “Don’t you dare smile at me, Edmond, or I’ll hit you. Just see if I don’t.”

He looked surprised enough to satisfy her.

“I seem to remember your threat to hit me for just the opposite reason, Madelyne.”

She didn’t have the faintest idea what he was talking about. Nor did she particularly care, for her mind was filled with far more important matters. Madelyne pulled away from Edmond, muttering to herself that she hoped he’d choke on his dinner, and then he walked out of the room.

Gilard tried to go after Madelyne but Edmond grabbed him. “She’s your brother’s wife now, Gilard. Honor that bond.” Edmond kept his voice low so Duncan wouldn’t overhear. The eldest brother had turned his back on them and was staring at the fire again.

“I would have made her happy, Edmond. Madelyne has had so much pain in her life. She deserves to be content.”

“Are you blind, brother? Haven’t you seen the way Madelyne looks at Duncan and the way he stares at her? They care for each other.”

“You’re mistaken,” Gilard answered. “Madelyne hates Duncan.”

“Madelyne doesn’t hate anyone. She isn’t capable of it.” Edmond smiled at his brother. “You just don’t want to admit the truth. Why do you think I’ve been so angry with Madelyne? Hell, I could see the attraction from the beginning. Why, Duncan never left her side when she was so ill.”

“That was only because he felt responsible for her,” Gilard argued.

The youngest brother was trying desperately to hold on to his anger, yet Edmond’s argument was staring to sound reasonable.

“Duncan married Madelyne because he wanted to. You know, Gilard, it’s quite remarkable that our brother married because of love. In these times, that is a rarity. He’ll not gain any lands, only the king’s displeasure.”

“He doesn’t love her,” Gilard muttered.

“Aye, he does,” Edmond contradicted his brother. “He just doesn’t know it yet.”

Duncan’s mind wasn’t on his brothers. He ignored them as he reviewed his plans for tomorrow. The messenger had hinted they’d attack with first light if Madelyne wasn’t given to them. Duncan knew it was a bluff. He was almost disappointed. Aye, he was aching for another battle with anyone pledged to Louddon. However, the paltry assembly freezing their backsides outside his walls wouldn’t be foolish enough to challenge their leader’s petition. They knew they were outnumbered, outskilled. Louddon had probably sent them so that he could stand before his king and show he’d tried to regain his sister back without involving his leader.

Satisfied with his conclusions, Duncan put the matter aside and turned his thoughts to his new life. How long would it take her to accept him as husband? It didn’t make the least difference to him how long it took, he told himself, but the sooner she came to terms with her new life, the better for her own peace of mind.

He felt honor bound to keep her safe. She’d given him her courage and her trust. He couldn’t turn his back on her. Aye, it was a sense of duty that propelled him into this hasty decision. Sending her back to Louddon would be like sending a child into a cage to fight a lion.

“Hell,” he muttered to himself. He’d known from the beginning, when he first touched her, that he’d never let her go. “She is making me daft,” he said, uncaring who overheard.

She did please him. He hadn’t realized just how rigid his life had been, until Madelyne began to interfere. She could get reactions from him with just an innocent look. When he wasn’t thinking about strangling her, he was obsessed with kissing her. It didn’t matter that Louddon was her brother. Madelyne didn’t have his black soul; she was gifted with a pure heart and a capacity for love that rocked all of Duncan’s cynical beliefs.

Duncan smiled. He wondered what state he’d find Madelyne in when he went upstairs. Would she be terrified or would she give him one of her practiced serene expressions again? Would his new wife be a kitten or a tigress?