The Beauty Bride (The Jewels of Kinfairlie) (7 page)

But
then, circumstances were most uncommon. She was angry and hurt and knew not
which way to turn. That she should be consoled by a complete stranger, a
stranger she would be compelled to wed against her own volition, was beyond
belief.

No
less that he would console her with a kiss.

Her
heart had nigh stopped when she had guessed what he would do, then it had raced
when he touched her chin. A measure of her resistance had melted with the
softening of his expression, and she did not doubt that he knew as much.

Then
his lips had claimed hers and she found herself beguiled. Her anger with
Alexander was forgotten in a trio of heartbeats, her curiosity about his sudden
need for coin faded to nothing.

The
sole thing of import was Rhys’ gently persuasive kiss. Madeline would never
have guessed that a man so stern of appearance could grant such a seductive
caress. The very fact of it made her wonder what manner of man he was truly,
whether his garb and manner belied his true nature.

When
Rhys lifted his head, there was a twinkle in his dark eyes, a twinkle as
alluring as his kiss. His grip was tight upon her fingers and he seemed to be
drawn taut, waiting for her response as the arrow waits to be loosed from the
bow.

As
if he cared whether she was pleased.

Madeline
was breathless and disheveled. She found her hand upon the breadth of his
chest, her fingers knotted in the lace of his leather jerkin, and she did not
know what had overcome her.

Then
she met his bemused gaze and understood the danger of this man. Rhys had
undermined her objections to this unconventional match, and he had done so with
a mere kiss. The threat of this man was not in his repute but in his ability to
make her ignore what she knew.

He
was a traitor wanted by the king. He was a man of dark deeds and considerable
coin, which Madeline doubted had been earned with honest labor. Madeline dared
not cede to the passion he conjured so readily as she had done just this
moment.

She
had need of time. Somehow, she had to escape both Alexander’s scheme and Rhys’
intent. But she could not think when her wits were so addled as this.

Madeline
forced a smile. “I would have the nuptials on the morrow,” she said, hoping her
calm tone hid her intent to evade those marital vows. She let her lashes
flutter to her cheeks, as if she were far more demure than she was. “I would
have a night to prepare myself.”

“It
is reasonable enough,” Tynan said firmly when Alexander might have protested.
“Madeline has confronted more surprises this day than any soul could expect.”

Madeline,
for her part, could scarce draw a breath, so aware was she of Rhys’ avid gaze
upon her. He seemed to peer into her very thoughts, to guess at the root of her
hesitation, and she felt a strange compulsion to confess that she had no desire
to wed him.

She
would have refused to wed him outright, had she known why Alexander had such
need of this coin, had she known that he would not then promptly offer
Vivienne’s hand for auction. After all, there was a willing company already
gathered.

“I
invite you all to celebrate this agreement at the board!” Tynan declared. The
men cheered and began to make their way to the hall, the smell of roasting meat
tempting them to hasten. Madeline heard barrels of wine being rolled into the
hall, and a woman from the kitchens shouted that there was ale aplenty for all.

“Do
not do that!” Elizabeth cried suddenly. She pointed over the heads of Madeline
and Rhys. There was nothing there that anyone else could discern.

“Elizabeth,
that it is enough about such nonsense,” Madeline said firmly, having no
patience in this moment for her sister’s ridiculous talk about fairies.

“It
is not nonsense!” Elizabeth swatted with such vigor that she nearly hit
Madeline. “That fairy is knotting your ribbons!”

“What
ribbons would those be?” Rhys asked.

“The
ones it wove together earlier, of course,” Elizabeth said impatiently. “Your
silver one and Madeline’s golden one. But now it knots the ribbons into a most
fearsome tangle, and it laughs.” She gave Rhys a somber look. “It is not a nice
laugh.”

“I
would expect not,” he agreed with equal solemnity and Madeline knew that he
must think her sister mad.

“Halt!”
Elizabeth swung her fist again at the invisible foe and Rhys ducked in the nick
of time. “Cease your mischief, little fairy! I do not know what those ribbons
mean, but your deed cannot be a good one.”

“Elizabeth,
cease your mischief!” Vivienne retorted, seizing her youngest sister by the
arm. Other people were beginning to look askance at Elizabeth and more than one
couple whispered, undoubtedly about the girl’s odd behavior.

Madeline
parted her lips to agree with Vivienne, then had a thought. Would Rhys insist
upon wedding her if he thought her mad, as well? No man could desire a wife who
might give him tainted children.

Perfect!
Here was her means of breaking this agreement.

“Indeed,”
Madeline said, without another moment’s consideration. “You will injure the
fairy with such gestures, and that would scarce be wise. They are said to be
vengeful if wounded.”

Elizabeth
gaped at her, clearly astonished that someone took her cause. “You can see it?”

“Do
you feel well, Madeline?” Vivienne asked.

“Of
course I feel well. And of course I can see it!” Madeline smiled at her astonished
family. Rhys watched her with care, his eyes narrowed. “What is amiss with the
eyes of all of you? It is right there.” And she pointed to the right, high over
their heads. All turned to look, then glanced back at Madeline.

“No,
it is over there,” Elizabeth corrected with scorn, pointing in the opposite
direction. The family turned again, then considered the two sisters with open
skepticism.

“So
it is, it moves so quickly for such a small creature.” Madeline laughed
merrily, then patted Elizabeth’s shoulder as if they two shared a jest. “It
must be those golden wings that grant it such speed.”

“It
has no wings,” Elizabeth fairly growled. “I would wager that you cannot see it
at all.”

Truly,
Elizabeth could have been of more aid in this! Madeline gripped her sister’s
shoulder. “Perhaps you have not looked closely enough to see its wings,” she
said with resolve. “I see that it has little golden wings. And bells upon its
toes. Indeed, it is quite a beauteous little fairy. It might befriend you,
Elizabeth, if you ceased trying to strike it.”

Elizabeth
granted Madeline a dark glance. “It is the most ugly creature that ever I have
seen, and it is cruel besides. You should understand as much, seeing as it is
knotting your ribbon with such malice.” With that, the younger sister put her
nose in the air and marched toward the great hall.

Madeline
watched her go for a moment, then summoned a bright smile. “Of course, I had
forgotten the ribbons,” she said gaily to her family.

“Perhaps
because you cannot see them?” Vivienne suggested.

“Is
it not said that the fey appear differently to the eyes of each mortal?”
Madeline said, wishing someone who shared blood with her might be of assistance
on this day. “Who can say what scheme this one has to appear so loathsome to
Elizabeth?”

“Who
indeed?” Rhys murmured, then laid claim to her elbow. “Shall we proceed to the
hall, my lady?”

“Look!
The little fairy is on the end of your nose!” Madeline laughed and pointed at
Rhys’ nose. “Can you not see it?”

“Nay,
I cannot,” he said. “But perhaps I am merely hungry.”

“Oh,
there it flies, its little wings flashing!” Madeline laughed like a lunatic,
and all but Rhys quickly put some distance between themselves and her. “Oh, it
is entangled in the ribbons. How amusing!”

Rhys
made to lead her from the hall, apparently untroubled by her manner.

Madeline
pulled back from his grip to meet his gaze. “Are you not concerned that I see
creatures that you do not?”

He
shook his head. “The fey show themselves where they will. Indeed, it has been
said that it is a gift to see them. Perhaps you will bring fortune to my days,
my lady.”

Madeline
grit her teeth, irked that he could find merit in her ploy. “I have never heard
of madwomen bringing good fortune to their spouses - quite the opposite, in
fact.”

“That
may as well be,” he agreed easily. “But you are no more mad than me.”

“But
my sister...”

“Has
an uncommon gift, it is clear, as might you. I have no concerns with kin who
can see the fey - quite the contrary, in fact. Come, the meal awaits.”

Madeline
gaped at her betrothed, uncertain what to make of his manner. This warrior
believed in fairies?

He
spared her a sudden glance, his eyes twinkling so merrily that he might have
been another man than the stern one who had won her hand, and her heart skipped
again.

How
much else did she not know about Rhys FitzHenry?

* * *

Madeline’s
sisters closed ranks around her as they made their way noisily to the great
hall, and she was separated from Rhys. Vivienne gripped her right hand, her
characteristic merriment dispelled. Annelise held fast to Madeline’s other
hand, and was uncommonly quiet even for one known to be quiet. Madeline assumed
that Rhys had gone on to the hall and indeed, she was glad to have a moment
with her sisters.

“We
shall ensure that your dress is absolutely perfect,” Vivienne said with such
false cheer that Madeline knew she spoke for the benefit of the younger girls.
“Do you think the blue samite needs another row of pearls upon the hem?”

“A
wedding should be rich indeed,” Isabella said. “And you will be the first of us
wed, Madeline. Can we come to your new abode to visit?”

“Of
course,” Madeline said, then wondered where that abode might be. Did Rhys even
have claim to a keep or a hut, or did he travel all the time? Where would her
home be? Had Alexander behaved responsibly, they would all know this critical
detail.

“Will
you have babies of your own?” Annelise asked shyly.

“I
suppose that I will,” Madeline said.

“We
could persuade Uncle Tynan to open his treasury and spare more gems for you,”
Isabella said. “To ensure that you will be a glorious bride.”

Rosamunde
laughed beneath her breath, her hand landing again on Madeline’s shoulder.
“That would be a fair triumph.”

“But
what of you, Aunt Rosamunde?” demanded Isabella. “Will you not shower Madeline
with rubies and sapphires on the night before her wedding? She could be as
radiant as the sun!”

“Indeed,
Aunt Rosamunde,” Tynan said darkly. “There are treasures aplenty in your stores
that you might spare a few.”

Rosamunde
granted him a telling glance. “Madeline will be radiant with or without more
gems. I would share with her something more enduring.”

“Like
what?” The girls clustered around Rosamunde, their eyes wide.

“It
will be a secret between Madeline and I,” Rosamunde said mysteriously, which
did little to sate the curiosity of Madeline’s sisters. Madeline could not be
certain what her aunt meant, though she suspected Rosamunde’s gift would be
counsel.

Madeline
knew something of what happened between men and women - she had been in the
fields in the spring, when the animals mated, after all - but felt in need of a
little more information. She had no doubt that Rosamunde knew much more about
such deeds.

“Nonetheless,
we will stay awake all the night long!” Isabella said, happy at the prospect of
a celebration. She raced after Tynan, while quiet Annelise hung close to
Madeline. Madeline could fairly smell the concern of her next two sisters, the
fear for their own futures.

She
had to do something to ensure that Alexander did not repeat this folly.

To
his credit, Alexander looked somewhat uneasy with what he had wrought. “I am
sorry, Madeline,” he said. “You must know that this was not the outcome I
anticipated.”

If
he thought matters could be repaired with a pretty apology - after he had
recklessly shaped the rest of Madeline’s life! - he was mistaken. “You took his
coin amiably enough,” she observed, not troubling to hide her displeasure.

Alexander
flushed. “You would not wed of your own volition and I had to make a choice.
You will be happy enough in a year, when your belly is round with a child.”

“You
think the matter as simple as that?” Madeline was aghast.

Alexander’s
lips set stubbornly. “I had little choice. You do not understand the challenges
before me.”

“No,
I do not.” Madeline held his gaze with no small measure of determination
herself. “You might tell me of them.”

“I
cannot.” Alexander cast a glance over the watchful sisters. “Not here. Not
now.”