Ria Cantrell - Celtic Storm 03 (11 page)

Aaron Jasper saw to it that when Randall was at his weakest from the beatings, that he was drugged with a potent spirit to quell his memory. It had worked, too. The man could not even remember his name. It was positively brilliant. Aaron wanted to try a similar dose on the girl, but only enough so she forgot her haughty place, for he wanted her to remember the pain he intended to inflict on her.

Oh, but Aaron Jasper had gotten complacent. Somehow, the bastard brother escaped. Aaron could not fathom how, for in his state, Randall could not have gone far and in fact, he may have ended up dead after all. He had been starved, beaten and drugged. More than likely, he would not have been able to survive. There had been no retaliation against him. The royal envoy that had arrived at Montefort had made no threats to Morcar Keep, so Aaron Jasper thought perhaps he may still have been in the clear.

During most of his life, Aaron had the misfortune of bearing pustules and angry red inflammations on his face, neck and back. Aaron had sought to find ways to heal the constant skin eruptions that had plagued and marred him his entire life, marking him undesirable to females. While cures were never forthcoming, his studies soon turned him to darker practices of alchemy and black magic. His dabbling with these arts created still another reason that the du Montefort witch would be valuable for his taking. She was known for her sorcery in these parts and Aaron thought he could soon turn her to dark witchcraft with perhaps the proper amount of pain.

He might also be able to dose her with some of his most powerful vapors until she became bendable to his will. He absently fingered the scar that ran down his cheek from the hollow socket where his eye had once been. If his pocked skin made him undesirable, that horrible disfigurement now sealed his fate. He had been careless that day, as well, and came out the worse for it when he had sought to pilfer a man’s purse. He had thought the bastard was well in his cups when he reached for the coins. Instead, the man surprised him and beat him at his own game. It was a steep price to pay for the paltry purse of coins. The dagger meant to take his life slipped and carved out a ridge in his face that looked like a twisted road and took out his eye in the process. Just thinking on that day caused rage to boil forth again. His maiming would not matter once he had the du Montefort witch ensnared. He just had to plan a way to get to her, especially now with the royal envoy at her doorstep.

Grimacing so that the jagged scar in his cheek turned a livid white, Aaron Jasper thought perhaps there was another reason that the envoy had arrived at Montefort Keep; and that had to be to offer for the witch’s hand in marriage to one of the royal lackeys. That thought did not sit well with Aaron Jasper. He needed to act quickly before she became the wife of some high and mighty nobleman. Only, what plan could he put in motion to capture the raven haired enchantress?
Especially now that the keep was heavily guarded like a fortress with the king’s entourage present within its walls!

Aaron Jasper had to ponder his course of action to get the witch into his clutches and into his bed. He cared not if there would be casualties in the midst of it. Just what; how could he route out the king’s men so that she was free for the taking like a ripe plum? Yes, there would be ways to cause trouble and Aaron Jasper was a master of just such plans. He would send his scout back to learn the nature of the visit of the king’s men. He would plot his course once he gleaned the information. Just the thought of the reprehensible things he planned for the du Montefort witch brought fire to his loins.

~Chapter Fifteen~

Erik was restless. During the entire walk back to the keep he could think of one thing and one thing only. He felt foolish for his musings. He was a warrior and he was trained in discipline and self-restraint.
But for the love of God, he could not stop thinking about kissing Rhianna.
It was absurd. Just that, after seeing her in her element, Erik’s heart was opened to the gentle kindness and care she had shown to her people. On their walk back, they had stopped to visit an elderly couple who had outlived their offspring. She took them some honey and some fresh bread and helped tidy their dwelling as neither could get around very well anymore. Erik’s heart already brimmed with pride at the care he witnessed Rhianna bestow on the sick child, but her compassion with the old couple was something that gutted him. While his own parents were far from elderly, Erik imagined that his Rhianna would treat them equally with love and when they entered their golden years, Rhianna would be a comfort to them as well.
His Rhianna
…he almost laughed to himself. Just the past day he had dreaded marrying a vile spell-casting hag and here he had claimed her as his own. The truth of the matter was that Erik now wanted to wed her, despite her thorns, for the rose would be worth any pricks, Erik was certain. He was insanely attracted to her. She was beautiful and he could see in her dealings, she had a passionate nature. He wickedly would like to nurture that passion elsewhere. Only, he was pretty certain she did not like him very much. She had tolerated his companionship and was even pleasant to him, but he could sense she was guarded. Rhianna would not be an easy woman to win over, but for some reason, Erik suddenly really wanted to try.

~~~~~

Rhianna went about her daily tasks and tried to put the many disconcerting thoughts out of her mind. She tried to put thoughts of her betrothal behind her. She was not ready to marry the Viking, that she was certain. Except, she could not get the image of him chopping that wood from her thoughts. She tried to not think on it, but it crept back time and again even when she was doing mundane things, like planning the evening meal and checking on the stores in the buttery and kitchens. She thought that if she went to her private herb garden to gather medicinal plants, she would lose herself in her task. She always loved being out in her garden and finding the choice leaves, roots or petals for her many uses. Whenever she had found herself sad or anxious, even a few moments out in the fragrant patch would help her wash her cares away. As she sat on a cloth beside some of her lavender plants, she pulled out weeds that wanted to disrupt the good things growing beside them. Instead of losing herself, she was plagued with thoughts of
him
. He could be the most infuriating man she had ever known, but he was also rather intriguing. He had forced her to bear his company as she tended to her people. She wanted to despise him and distrust him, but he had been so helpful. When she expected him to be curt and terse with her, he had actually been quite pleasant and gallant. When he had leaned close to her and kissed her hair, Rhianna thought that was quite endearing. Only, she secretly wished he had boldly stolen another kiss as he had done when he first met her.

This was lunacy!
Rhianna had been outraged at that kiss he had taken just yesterday and here she was thinking she had wished he had dared it again today. She supposed it would not be wrong for him to kiss her. They were betrothed in a matter of speaking, after all. She worried her lip with her teeth as she realized she would have to sit the evening meal with him. She had no idea what to even talk to him about.
Perhaps if you kiss him, there will be no need for talking….

“Ugh,” she groaned out loud and she hacked at the soil in exasperated violence.

Erik watched from a distance. He had been wandering around the grounds to clear his mind and he saw Rhianna walking toward a fenced garden with a blanket draped over one arm and a basket dangling over the other. She had a small pair of shears strung on a ribbon around her neck and she carried a hand spade. He followed quietly, not to spy on her, exactly, but it seemed he enjoyed looking at her. He saw her put the blanket on the ground and he watched her digging in the earth. She seemed lost in thought and then he heard her make that sound of frustration. He wondered at it. Now she was stabbing at the patch of dirt beneath her as if she was committing a crime. Ahhh, she did have a bit of a temper. Erik wasn’t certain why, but that little display made him smile. Maybe an insect bit her and she was spending her venom on it.

He calmly strolled over to her and he knelt beside her. Her eyes widened in surprise and he thought she was going to toss a clod of dirt at him. As a precaution, he took the little trowel from her fingers and he inspected the area that she had dug up. Smiling at her little silent tirade, he asked, “What is wrong?”

“Nothing…I…hate…weeds. Yes, I hate weeds and these were choking my beautiful lavender,” she lied quickly.

Erik was not sure she was telling the truth, but he just nodded and said, “Well, then, I think you have more than had your revenge on them.” 

He sat down next to her and he looked around. “This is a lovely garden. I hope you don’t mind me exploring some of the grounds. You see, I have had no one to show me around,” he said wistfully.

“I grow the things here I need to aid in the mixtures I use,” she said shyly.
Clearly, he could see that this was an herb garden…say something interesting! He is a soldier in the king’s army and used to women that are worldly. You will bore him to tears with your simple country ways.

“Yes, I see. I thought you were quite remarkable with that baby today. I am intrigued at your skill as a
healer
.”

Erik was careful to not say “witch”. In truth she was valuable with her knowledge of herbs, but he was not quite certain she wasn’t a witch after all. It was beyond knowledge of herbal mixtures. She had a natural way and a very gentle touch that made her people trust her. She was a good healer, he was quite certain of that. He watched her blush at his compliment and he was once again charmed by her innocence.

Without thinking, Erik leaned in and kissed her mouth softly. He heard her gasp but she did not seem to want to prevent it, nor did she pull away.
That’s good!
He lifted her chin with a strong finger and he kissed her gently again. She allowed it, but then said, “I do not think you should do that.”

With a teasing grin, he said, “Why? Was it horrible?”

She shook her head and said, “Nay, but….”

“Well then, what harm is there? I mean we are going to wed, after all.”

That broke the momentary spell. Erik found himself gazing into eyes of a woman who suddenly did not look like she wanted to kiss him at all. She looked like she wanted to run.
Well, I’ll be damned, the girl is scared
, Erik thought. He said, “I did not mean to frighten you. I know this betrothal has been rather sudden…for both of us.”

Her big fathomless emerald eyes were wide and Erik thought it was not unlike the look in a deer’s eyes when an animal knows it is doomed. Was the prospect of marrying him so horrifying? He wanted to laugh. It was only just a day when the thought of marrying her terrified him as well. His grin widened and he said, “We do not have to marry tomorrow, Rhianna. I am not an unreasonable man.”

Erik was sure the king wanted the wedding to take place as quickly as possible, but he did not see a reason to rush it. He wanted to get to know the woman and allow her to learn some things about him, as well. Suddenly, he wanted her to know that he was an honorable man, albeit one that wanted to do dishonorable things with her. Well, not dishonorable things exactly, but things that would more than make her blush, no doubt. For now, he was content to try to kiss her again. So before she could answer him, he leaned in and kissed her honeyed lips less than quickly. When he did not feel her pull away still, he let his lips press a little more firmly to hers until he felt them part.

Rhianna could not believe this was happening. Only moments before, she had been daydreaming of kissing Sir Erik Ragnorsen, Viking usurper. Well, not exactly a Viking and not necessarily a usurper. She wanted to believe the worst about him but at the moment Rhianna could not think of anything that was truly horrible about him.
And he was kissing her. It was gentle. It was nice.
It was more than nice. She was out of her league. Yes, she was capable of running her own household, but she did not have a clue about how to behave with a man. She had seen maids sneaking off to kiss when they thought they were being discreet, but she had never actually done it herself. She felt like a fool. She murmured against his mouth, “Why?”

“Why, what, Rhianna?”

She liked when he called her by her name.
Concentrate, fool; he asked you a question.

“Why did you kiss me?”

“Well, I think you are…well, you are beautiful.”

She blushed and actually laughed nervously.

“So if I was ugly, you would not want to kiss me?” It was a silly question, but Rhianna was feeling a little giddy.

“Well, I don’t know. I really admired what you did with that family today and I think that now that I am learning a little about you, I may have wanted to kiss you even if I didn’t think you were beautiful…but the point is that I do think you are beautiful.”

“You did not seem to like me yesterday. And you thought I was an urchin. You said so yourself and yet you still kissed me.”

“So I did, didn’t I?”

“You kissed me to punish me.”

“Mmm, yes, a little.”

“But you aren’t punishing me now.”

“No.”

Her innocence was almost childlike and it dawned on Erik that perhaps in this sort of thing she was like a child. He was quite certain she had never kissed a man before and that thought saddened him a little, but also forced a tender feeling to wash over him. Touching her face and looking into her eyes, he said, “Punishing is not what I want to do at this moment.”