Princess Avenger - Brightcastle Saga Book 1 (14 page)

“
You
have
been
avoiding me!”

“Do not
flatter yourself,” Alecia said. “Why would I avoid you anyway?”

“Because you
have another on your mind.” His eyes swept to Vard, where the
captain stood chatting to Queen Adriana. “He is not the one for
you, Alecia.”

“Captain Anton
is nothing to me but my guard.”

“I have seen
the way you stare at him. How your eyes follow him. He has the same
effect on all the women he encounters, even the Queen. I do not
understand how he does it. He is not that handsome.”

“Ramón, you
are prattling.”

The squire’s
eyes grew stormy. “Watch yourself with that man. I do not trust him
and neither should you.”

Alecia sighed.
“I will watch him. Now, will you dance with me tonight?”

Ramón frowned
at the change of subject however, as Alecia had suspected, the
topic was too enticing to ignore. “Of course I will dance with
you.”

“Don’t you
have duties to attend to, Squire?” Vard’s deep tones had Alecia
instantly distracted.

“Remember what
I said, Princess,” Ramón said. “Captain.” The squire stalked away
towards the kitchens, no doubt to supervise the preparation of the
meal that was being laid in the formal dining room.

“I can’t leave
you for a moment and that puppy scurries over,” Vard said.

Alecia
frowned. “He is hardly a puppy. He is the same age as I.” She
watched his jaw tighten. “Why do you dislike Ramón?”

“I have no
feelings for the squire one way or another but surely you can see
that you and he can never enjoy your father’s support?”

“
He is a
friend. Why can
you
not see
that?”

“Princess, for
all your twenty-four years, you’ve precious little knowledge of
men. Squire Ramón isn’t the tame friend you imagine.”

“You are
wrong.” She was sick of the subject of the squire. “Can we talk of
something else?”

He raised an
eyebrow. “What topic had you in mind?”

“Yourself; the
intriguing Captain Anton who has women falling at his feet and men
desperate to best him with the sword.”

The captain
looked across the foyer and frowned. “Ask away.”

“Where did you
learn the longbow?”

Alecia’s
stomach tightened as the color drained from Vard’s face. “Father
taught me.”

“Where is your
father now?”

Vard seemed to
have drifted away, his thoughts in another place. “I don’t know. I
was a lad when last I saw him. He could be dead for all I
know.”

Alecia
suddenly had a premonition. “You will find him one day. You must
not stop searching.”

His piercing
gaze made her blink. “I’ve long given up hope of finding Papa. My
purpose is to serve others. You do me no favours pretending
prophecy.”

Alecia
dropped her eyes.
Goddess!
She
hated it when those impressions hit her! They were like the dreams
she had, and they were always true. Why was she cursed with them?
Most people were like Vard and didn’t want to know. “I am sorry,
Captain. I did not mean to upset you. You talk of service with
almost religious zeal. It is unusual in a soldier.”

He nearly
smiled. “You are perceptive; that is nearer the truth than most
come.”

“
There
you go,” Alecia said, “speaking in riddles again.”
He would make a
good poker player, this inscrutable man.
“What of your family, your mother,
siblings…wife?”

Vard’s poker
face slipped and utter bleakness swept the light from his eyes. “I
had a cousin who was like a brother. Frel and I did everything
together.” Alecia was reminded of the night in his room, and the
pain in his voice brought sudden tears to her eyes.

“I must leave
you for a time, Princess,” he said, guiding her over to the doorway
of the luncheon room and avoiding her gaze. “Your father has asked
that you dine with the King and Queen and then go to your chambers
to prepare for the ball. I’ll collect you at six this evening.” He
gave an abbreviated bow and strode through the doors of the dining
room, every female eye following his departure.

At
luncheon, Alecia picked at her food, distracted by Vard’s reaction
to her questions and her premonition. Tragedy lurked behind this
mysterious cousin Frel, who was no longer in Vard’s life. She
itched to know the story, ached to make some of his pain go away.
Perhaps he would allow her close enough to discover his secrets in
time. It would mean risking her other self but she could no more
ignore her enigmatic protector than banish the premonition that had
struck her today. She was certain Vard was a part of her
future
-- was that true
intuition or just desire? Her father might plan her betrothal but
how could she accept that fate now that she knew what she would be
giving up?

At the end of
the meal, the King himself escorted Alecia to her chambers.

“It is
wonderful to see you again, niece. Adriana and I wish you could
visit more often.”

“It is a
desire I have known as well, uncle. Perhaps soon I will visit you
at Wildecoast.”

“I would love
nothing better, however I fear your father has plans that will make
a visit impossible.”

“You talk of
my betrothal and marriage,” Alecia said.

“That would
not be a hurdle, Alecia, but your father plans for an heir as soon
as possible. If you are with child, you must stay in Brightcastle.
We cannot risk the heir to the kingdom.”

“How can you
talk like this when Aunt Adriana struggles so hard to give you a
child? It must hurt her to know you plan for your succession with
your great-nephew.”

“The Queen is
a practical woman, Alecia, and knows we must secure the throne for
our family. She herself has suggested I put her aside or take a
mistress who can produce an heir. I would not do that to her.
Surely you see that to bring a great-nephew to the throne is a
lesser evil than that?”

She grasped
Beniel’s hands. “I am not ready to bear a child, Uncle.”

King Beniel’s
face grew stern. “You must do what is best for the kingdom, Alecia.
Do not avoid your responsibilities. I will see you this
evening.”

The King swept
down the hallway. Alecia entered her apartment and drifted across
to the painting of her mother that hung above her bed. The portrait
depicted a sombre woman with straight blonde hair and pale blue
eyes. Alecia’s attention was caught by the determined set to her
mother’s mouth that she imagined she shared. Loneliness, which she
usually managed to ignore, swamped her and she threw herself face
down on her bed. She truly was on her own. Uncle Beniel would not
be an ally. No one would stand in the way of her father’s plans for
her; she would be sacrificed for the Zialni name.

The sunlight cast
long golden patches on the slate floor beneath her windows when
Alecia finally awoke. Her head ached from the tears she had shed
but tonight she would conduct herself as she knew her mother would
have
-- with dignity and
strength. Her father and uncle would not see the pain they caused
with their ultimatums and arrangements. Vard would not intimidate
her with his warnings. She was a princess of the people.

However,
when Alecia saw her face she doubted she could survive even the
next few minutes, let alone the gruelling night ahead. Dark smudges
lay beneath her eyes and tears had left tracks down her cheeks. Her
eyes belonged to a frightened girl, not a courageous young
woman.
All
will be well if I
just keep moving
.

She scrubbed
her face in cold water and used some of Hetty’s concealing lotion
to fix the darkness beneath her eyes. By the time Millie arrived,
Alecia had lined her eyes with kohl and applied rouge and lip balm.
She was able to smile at the woman in the mirror now.

“You look
beautiful, Princess,” the maid said. “The captain won’t be able to
take his eyes off you.” Millie teased the strands of Alecia’s hair
into an elaborate twist. “I just saw him, Highness, striding
through the castle, his eyes everywhere.”

“I dare say he
is trying to ensure the safety of all who attend the ball tonight.”
Alecia couldn’t see how Millie did such an expert job with her hair
while rabbiting on about Vard.

“He could do
that in his sleep, Princess.” Millie finished the creation and
sprayed Alecia’s hair with another concoction of Hetty’s that was
designed to hold the style. “There’s something else on that man’s
mind, just as His Highness is planning some excitement for this
evening. You mark my words.”

Alecia pushed
Millie’s words from her thoughts; getting through the evening with
Vard as escort was enough to contemplate.

Millie laid
the gold Zialni tiara in Alecia’s hair. “You are a picture,
Princess. Now for the dress.” She helped Alecia out of her crushed
blue gown and into the cream satin, making light work of the pearl
buttons that created a stunning feature at the back. The round
neckline of this gown was more modest than the blue Alecia had worn
earlier but still left her shoulders bare. Sparkling amethyst gems
at her throat and ears completed the ensemble.

Alecia slid
her feet into the cream satin slippers and crossed to the
full-length mirror. She could hardly believe the transformation.
Her lilac eyes shone without a trace of the weariness and fear that
had been there before.

A quiet knock
sounded at her door and Millie scurried out to answer it. Alecia
followed and stood in the doorway to her bedroom. The maid swept
such a deep curtsy that Alecia expected her father or the King to
be standing without; instead Vard stepped over the threshold. He
came to an abrupt halt as he saw Alecia.

His eyes
swept from the toes of her slippers to the tiara in her hair and
Alecia was certain he had not missed a single detail. She would
have blushed only she could not take her eyes from him. There was
something different about him this evening, his presence heightened
far beyond even his usual magnetism. Alecia could not see what had
caused it. He looked the perfect picture of an army captain: fit,
hard and disciplined. The familiar gilt flecks in his eyes glowed,
their intensity framed by his dark curls, tanned skin and sensuous
mouth; a mouth that curved into a mocking smile. Millie was right.
Something absorbed his attention, focused his desire. Alecia did
blush at
that
thought.

“Go and offer
the Queen your help, Millie,” Alecia said. “I no longer require
your presence.”

“Yes,
Princess.” Millie curtsied and left, the door banging shut behind
her.

Vard cleared
his throat. “You’re beautiful, Princess.”

Her
insides grew warm under his gaze but she remembered her pledge to
make her mother proud.
He is just a man
. Her stomach lurched at the thought but she
squashed the panic she felt at being alone with him and smiled.
“Thank you. You look dashing tonight.” The words sounded
awkward.

He did not
smile again, just looked at her, a tiny frown on his brow. Too
late, she remembered to look away. Keeping her secret from Vard had
seemed less important since the kiss.

She walked
across to her dresser to retrieve the drawstring bag that contained
her powders and blusher and then sprayed her neck with liberal
quantities of the floral perfume she kept for special occasions.
When Alecia turned back to Vard, he was right behind her, his body
tensed as though ready to fight…or run, his eyes burning with
potency.

“Are you well,
Captain?” Excitement and fear charged her body. Perhaps it was
contagious.

He blinked and
seemed to relax a little. “I’m well,” he said, “but I can see
you’re nervous. I’ll keep you safe; you must do your best to enjoy
the evening.” He smiled suddenly, one of the first real smiles
Alecia had seen on him. “I certainly look forward to the company of
a beautiful woman tonight.”

Alecia peered
up at him. His smile had ignited a warm glow low in her belly and
she was drawn to him as if she had no free will. Unable to look
away, she stepped closer and laid her hands on his chest. He
tensed, his gaze falling to her mouth and then darting around her
face before coming to rest on her eyes once again. His throat
spasmed as if he warred with some emotion.

She braced
herself for his rejection but kept her eyes on his, willing him to
accept what she offered. Slowly his arms came around her waist and
crushed her against his hard maleness. Her heart beat wildly, or
was it his? They stood like that for long moments, welded in the
embrace, Alecia drinking in his heady scent, her body alive to his
touch, yearning for the thrill of his skin against hers. She
brought her hands up to place some distance between them but Vard’s
arm moved up her back to cup the base of her skull, and he tilted
her head until their eyes met once more. His irises revealed the
depth of his arousal: mere bands of gold around swollen pupils.
Alecia’s heart leaped as she watched his lips descend to hers.

His mouth was
hard, demanding, his lips possessing hers from the first touch. As
she responded, arching her body against his, his tongue forced its
way into her mouth and she moaned at his intimate exploration.
Alecia pulled his face hard against hers, her fingers trapped in
his hair, her tongue probing with a life of its own. Now it was
Vard’s turn to groan and his hands roved over her back and
buttocks, kneading the soft tissue there and pulling her against
the bulge in his breeches. Her body betrayed her desire, pushing
closer, wanting him inside her.