The Conquest (12 page)

Adelstan lifted a brow. “I’m surprised you’re not in the company of a certain knight.”

His white teeth flashed in the night. “You wish to change the subject. Very well, I had every intention of finding Dante, and I did. He was near the stables, where he happens to linger each night, waiting for the stable master. Apparently the two enjoy a friendly game of chess. The odd thing is, tonight the stables were locked.”

“Locked?”

“Aye, bolted from the inside.” Jorden pushed away from the wall, walked to Adelstan, and leaned over the battlements. “Dante said he saw Lady Rhiannon enter just after supper.”

Adelstan frowned. “You think it is Lady Rhiannon who is locked in the stables?”

“Dante said Rhiannon’s maid and the stable master entered not long after she did.” He lowered his voice. “The three have been locked in ever since.”

Adelstan’s stomach twisted. “I do not believe it.”

Jorden flinched as though struck.

“I did not mean to imply—”

“I understand, my friend.”

When I touch myself…it is your hands I feel on my body.

Since meeting the Scottish lass, Adelstan had wondered about her frank speech, bold looks and the way she spoke freely about touching herself. Perhaps she knew much more about making love than what she let on.

I wish ye were Baron de Cion. I wish it were ye who would take me to my bridal chamber. I wish it were ye who would take my maidenhead.

“Perhaps I shall check on her myself,” Adelstan replied, his gaze shifting to the stable doors and the sliver of light beneath.

“I shall have your back, sir.”

Adelstan nearly told Jorden not to follow behind just in case he found Rhiannon in a compromising position, but knew his friend would not take kindly to being told no. “Swear to me that no matter what we find, you will not speak of it to anyone.”

Looking hurt that Adelstan would question his loyalty, Jorden nodded. “Of course. You have my word.”

The two made the bailey just as the stable doors opened and a couple appeared. Adelstan’s heart skipped a beat when he recognized Elspeth and the stable master. Relief washed over him in waves. Jorden must have been mistaken. Rhiannon must have left beforehand. Perhaps she had gone looking for Elspeth and had exited as quickly as she’d entered.

“Mayhap I was wrong,” Jorden said, watching the two share a passionate kiss. “The maid is quite comely, is she not?”

“Aye, she is,” Adelstan agreed, the relief he felt making him grin like a boy. “Her name is Elspeth.”

Elspeth put her lover at arm’s length and plucked straw from his hair. She cradled the stable master’s face with gentle hands and kissed him again.

“Come, let us leave them alone.” Adelstan walked toward the keep when Jorden reached out a hand and grabbed him by the wrist. He pointed to a dark hallway that opened on the far end of the stables.

At first Adelstan didn’t see what Jorden pointed at, until a slight figure emerged from the hallway, dressed in the same familiar old cloak she had worn just last night.

Rhiannon.

His blood ran cold.

She had told him she never went out by herself at night, and yet here she had done so two nights in a row. And last night she’d worn only her shift beneath the cloak. Had that been for her lover’s benefit?

Adelstan pulled Jorden back into the shadows. “Do not tell a soul what you have seen.”

“I already gave you my word, sir.”

Adelstan turned and looked into his friend’s silver eyes. “I trust you.”

Jorden’s mouth curved. “I trust you, too.” A dark brow lifted. “Look, there she goes.” Rhiannon looked left then right and, seeing the path clear, slipped out into the inner bailey, making her way quickly toward the tower.

Adelstan’s fury grew by the second.

He knew full well what the three had been up to, and yet a part of him couldn’t accept that she was far from innocent. Jorden himself had told him the stable door had been locked from within. There was only one explanation for that, and even more damning was the fact that Rhiannon had left by way of a different exit so anyone seeing wouldn’t assume the three had been together.

Is that why she had shown so much interest in Adelstan? Had she wanted him to make love to her so she had someone else to blame for her lack of maidenhead come the morning after her nuptials?

Dear God, what if she were already with child?

Devious woman.

Elspeth pulled her cloak over her blonde curls, and nearly ran right into them.

“Elspeth,” Adelstan said, and the woman gasped.

“Good evening, sir.” She glanced at Jorden, smiled.

Jorden nodded, his gaze shifting over Elspeth slowly, making the stable master uncomfortable. The man slid a possessive arm around her shoulders.

“How are you this evening?” Adelstan asked, nodding in greeting to the man at her side. The stable master was handsome, though his nose was a bit too large for his face.

“I am well,” Elspeth replied, catching Jorden’s intent gaze once more, her brow furrowing before glancing at her lover, and giving him a reassuring kiss on the cheek.

Jorden’s lips quirked.

“Can I help ye, sir?” the stable master asked, his irritation at being interrupted obvious.

“Jorden had mentioned to me that the stables had been locked, but I can see that is no longer the case.”

Elspeth dropped her gaze to the ground, but Antony didn’t so much as blink. “All the horses have been fed and I was not told anyone would be leaving tonight. I would be happy to assist ye now if—”

“Nay, all is well,” Adelstan said, noting the concerned look in Elspeth’s eyes.

“Are you returning to your mistress, Elspeth?”

She swallowed hard. “I am.”

“I have something to discuss with her. May I join you?”

She gave a curt nod. “Of course.”

“Antony, isn’t it?” Adelstan queried, and the man nodded.

“Yes, sir.”

“Thank you, Antony.” Adelstan glanced at Jorden. “I shall see you in the morning for drills.”

Jorden perked up. “I look forward to the exercise.” His gaze slid to Elspeth, who seemed amused, if not confused, by his sudden interest.

Adelstan followed behind the servant, who walked slowly and kept her shoulders erect. Hundreds of questions raced through his mind, but he knew asking Elspeth would be a waste. She would be loyal to Rhiannon and lie whenever necessary.

Nay, the person he needed to ask was probably now sitting in the tower, perhaps preparing for a bath before she climbed into bed, her body now sated.

Fury nearly choked him, almost as much as the jealousy squeezing his heart.

They made it to the tower without saying a word to each other. As they climbed the spiral staircase, Elspeth glanced back at him, but it wasn’t until they reached the chamber door that she whirled around. “Ye saw her, didn’t ye?”

He did his best to look confused. “Saw who?”

She frowned, and dropped her gaze to her feet. “I thought…”

Before he could respond, the chamber door whipped open and Rhiannon appeared, a wide smile on her face. “Elspeth, I cannot believe how wonderful that was. Thank ye so much. I shall never forget—”

All the hope Adelstan had been feeling shattered as Rhiannon’s smile faded from her lips, her gaze shifting from Elspeth to Adelstan, who had stepped from the shadows.

“Adelstan, what are ye doing here?”

Adelstan put a hand on Elspeth’s shoulder, and pushed her gently aside. “I would like a word alone with your mistress.”

“Sir, please do not do anything ye will regret,” Elspeth said, grabbing on to his tunic. Her tone and expression intense. “Give me your word.”

He looked down at where she held a fistful of tunic, and she quickly released her hold on him.

The last person Rhiannon expected to find at her chamber door, especially this time of night, was Adelstan Cawdor.

Indeed, she’d been so excited to talk to Elspeth and thank her for sharing such an intimate moment with her, that when she’d seen Adelstan, her shock must have shown tenfold.

From the look on Adelstan’s face, he was not here for a friendly visit either. In fact, he looked furious.

The stable door had been locked, so no one could have known what had happened within those walls, right?

Unless someone had seen her leaving…

Composing herself, she walked away from the door.

Without taking his eyes from her, he stepped in and shut the door firmly behind him. A moment later he slid the bolt in place.

Her mouth went dry, and she lifted a goblet of ale with a trembling hand, bringing it to her lips.

“Explain yourself.”

Setting the goblet down before she toppled it, she nervously wrung her hands together and paced before him. “What would ye like me to explain?”

“Why you, Elspeth, and Antony were in the stables behind locked doors.”

Damn!

What had Elspeth told him? Already she could feel her cheeks grow hot. “I do not want to say for fear of what ye might think of me.”

He ran a hand through his thick, blond hair, and she was shocked to find he trembled as well. “I can assure you that whatever you have to say cannot be worse than the images racing through my mind.”

She stopped her pacing and turned to him. “What images?”

“I prefer not to say.”

She stared at him for a long, awkward moment. “Oh my God, ye actually think I was with the two of them, don’t ye?”

“Are you telling me you did not participate?”

“Not in the way ye are implying.”

He shook his head as though he had not heard her correctly. “Then pray, tell me what you mean.” He grabbed a chair, pulled it toward her, and straddled it, crossing his arms over the back. “I am all ears, my lady.”

If he meant to intimidate her, he was doing one hell of a job. But even more, she found the way he sat now, his legs spread wide, his strong forearms braced over the back of the chair, sexy and masculine. He leaned forward, his light green eyes watching her closely as she paced back and forth.

“I am waiting, Rhiannon.”

Taking a deep breath, she turned to face him, folding her hands demurely before her. She could see the nerve play in his jaw, the way his gaze slid over her.

She smiled inwardly. He was jealous. Jealous of what he believed had happened in that stable. What were the “images” that raced through his mind?

He cleared his throat.

“I have been curious as to what happens between a man and a woman for some time now, and since I am engaged and will be expected to share my husband’s bed, I thought it wise to ask someone for assistance.” Rhiannon took a deep breath, released it. “I have no mother to ask about such things, so instead I asked Elspeth to answer my many questions.”

He shifted in the seat, looking increasingly uncomfortable.

“When Elspeth offered me the opportunity to watch her and Antony make love in the stables, I told her I would like to.”

His green eyes narrowed. “So you watched your servant and her lover engage in sex in order to know what to expect on your wedding night?”

She met his gaze without blinking. “Aye, that is exactly what happened, whether ye choose to believe me or not. Do ye think me wicked?”

“Did this experience answer all your questions?”

“Nay.”

He frowned.

“Do ye think me wicked, Adelstan?”

The corners of his mouth lifted the slightest bit, and she relaxed a little. She had shocked him perhaps, but she could also see the relief in those light green eyes of his.

“I do not think you wicked, Rhiannon,” he said, his voice silky soft.

* * *

Adelstan was so relieved. Nails that had been digging into the chair rail relaxed and he even managed to smile.

Rhiannon smiled in return, her chest rising and falling as she took a deep breath. The garment only reached to her ankles, showing off small, dainty feet.

As he continued to watch her, she walked toward him, this bold girl, coming to a stop not an arm’s length away. He could see the outline of her pale nipples, and the triangle of hair that covered her sex. “This was not the only time I have seen two people making love.” A smile played at her lips.

His cock lengthened and hardened. “If you walk around any castle, you are sure to find people making love in almost every dark alcove.”

Her smile widened, a knowing grin that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. “Even in a bakehouse?”

He could feel blood rush to his face as her violet eyes stared into his.

She had seen him with Machara, just as he’d suspected. She had not been leaving the chapel after prayer. Rather, she had been spying on him. Perhaps intentionally.

“Your complexion has changed, Adelstan,” she said, the coy smile disappearing from her angelic face.

“What I do on my own time should make little difference to you,” he said, the words coming out colder than intended.

Her hands settled on her hips, pulling the material tight. He wished she wouldn’t have done that, because now he could make out every detail of her beautiful body. “Why should I have to explain myself if ye do not?”

“You are to marry Baron de Cion, and he expects his bride to be chaste.”

“Is
he
chaste?”

Adelstan opened his mouth and closed it as quickly.

She sighed in disgust and he noted her hands were closed into fists at her sides. “Why is it that a man can experience all lovemaking has to offer before he marries, and yet a woman is not allowed to do the same? I would be damaged goods if I slept with another, but I must accept him, a man who has been with many women, and even a wife! It is so unfair.”

Pressing her lips together, she started pacing again. “I wish I had been born a man.” She looked at him then, caught his gaze. “If I were a man, I would want to be as tall and strong as ye, and as handsome.”

His stomach tightened.

“Ye are the perfect specimen, Adelstan. I have watched the women in this castle turn to pottage when ye come around. They begin to giggle and twitter amongst themselves, each vying for your attention, waiting for the moment ye notice them.”