Delight (27 page)

2
6

"
I
will not be carried to my woman on a
stretcher,
"
Douglas said, flat on his back, his face a hideous mass of cuts and bruises.

"
Then we
'
ll be roilin
'
ye in the rest of the way because ye canna walk,
"
Baldwin said as he bumped into the roped bridge rail that hung over the black waters of the loch.

Douglas swore at the top of his lungs.
"
Are you trying to kill me when my enemies failed?"

'
If we'd wanted ye dead, we wouldna have joined the battle,
"
Baldwin retorted, backing up to the other rail, which sent a white-hot wave of agony crashing over Douglas
'
s battered body.

He groaned, trying to ease his frame into a bearable position. "I suppose I should be grateful,
"
he said, staring up at the midnight sky. "No doubt you dunderheads meant to be helpful."

"
'
Twas our pleasure,
"
Baldwin began. "We
'
ve—"

Douglas sat up abruptly, his bellow of outrage so loud and unexpected that Baldwin almost dropped him. "Turn this goddamned stretcher around. I want Neacail of Glengalda's head, and I want it now."

"
Then you'll have to go back to the village and dig up his body before the wolves and worms do their work,
"
Willie said.

Douglas lowered back onto his elbows, blinking at the castle.
"
He
'
s dead?
"

The two men carrying him grinned at each other across the stretcher. "Ye dinna remember killin' him?" Baldwin said.

Douglas subsided onto the stretcher with a scowl.
"
That pleasant memory has apparently been denied me. Why does my head swim like a lagoon? Have you dolts drugged me to make me docile?"

"
Docile?" The young man being borne across the bridge on the stretcher behind Douglas gave a weak hoot of laughter.
"
Douglas of Dunmoral does not know the meaning of the word.
"

"Douglas of Dunmoral.
"
Douglas sighed.
"
I suppose I shall die as such. Docile Douglas. The Daisy of Dunmoral.
"

Baldwin shook his head. " 'Twas the doctor who drugged ye and yon young warrior. To dull the pain.
"

"
What pain?" Douglas said.
"
I am a man. I fee
l
no pain.
"

"Douglas!" Rowena could be heard shouting from the gatehouse as the drawbridge was being lowered. "Dear God, he's on a stretcher.
"

"
Are they dead?
"
Hildegarde demanded.

Gemma started to shout.
"
Is my brother dead? Answer me, Baldwin. I have a right to know!
"

Frances joined in the women
'
s wailing and weeping. 'Twas more than Douglas could bear. He lurched to his feet, swaying as if he would topple off the bridge.

Baldwin and Willie wheeled him around. Shandy and Phelps moved to his rear with Jerome's stretcher lest Douglas tumble backward off the bridge.

"Water,
"
Douglas said, pointing down inanely at the loch. Then he looked at the drawbridge. "Gangplank.
"

Baldwin grinned ruefully.
"
Not exactly. Captain.
"

Douglas raised a heavy black eyebrow. "Remind me to have you flogged in the morning for insubordination.
"

"Oh, Douglas,
"
Rowena said sof
tl
y, startling him as she galloped across the drawbridge from behind.

He pivoted woodenly. He stared at her in wonder, endless seconds of silence elapsing. Tears of relief ran down her face until she giggled and
Douglas pulled her clumsily against his chest with his good arm. Then those tears fell on his chest, dampening his filthy shirt.

Still, he said nothing. He fingered her soft hair with reverence. He gazed down into her face, his eyes glazed, his expression bemused.

Rowena frowned in suspicion.
"
Do you not know who I am, my lord? You have a distant look that alarms me.
"

Douglas was offended. "Of course I know who you are,
"
he said with swaggering arrogance. "You are my woman. You wait for me when I return from battle. You will bathe me, and I will bed you."

Baldwin cleared his throat.
"
'
Tis the
princess, sir.
"

"Princess Rowena," Willie said in an undertone.

"That
'
s my cousin you
'
re talking about bathing and bedding,
"
Jerome said from his stretcher. "The Heiress of Hartzburg.
"

Douglas gave her an addlebrained grin.
"
I know perfectly well who she is. She is Princess Rowena of the Pretty Hair. A princess is a good thing—" His grin brightened.
"
Am I a prince?
"

Baldwin chuckled. "The Prince of Port Royal,
sir.
"

"I think His Highness ought to lie down," Rowena said wistfully, peeling his clinging arms from her waist.

He nodded like a clodpate. "I think we ought to lie down, too. I have a stretcher for such a purpose.
"

Rowena shook her head sadly. "He does not know who I am. Get him on his back and carry him inside.
"

Douglas dropped down on the stretcher, groaning as if their conversation had drained the last of his strength. He folded his hands over his chest. He looked up with a thoughtful frown. "I know that you are the Princess Rowena, and I, apparently, am a prince. What I do not understand, however, is why we have not yet boarded my ship.
"

27

"
H
old still, Douglas, and let me finish bind
ing your shoulder.
"

He reached up, chuckling, and caught her finely boned wrist.
"
I would rather bind you to the bed, Rowena. I would prove to you my virility again. For political purposes.
"

"Political purposes, is it?
"

"We will couple for your country,
"
he said lustily.

"
Do I need to summon help?
"
she said.

"
I wish to prove my patriotism, princess." He winked at her with his blackened eye.
"
I shall be your most loyal subject.
"

Rowena straddled him and forced him back down onto the counterpane. For about two seconds he pretended to comply. Then he pulled her between his legs, capturing her mouth in a deep
kiss that brought complete silence to the room. On his death bed, she thought, this man would be proving himself.

The fat tallow candle on the nightstand cast shadows between the green velvet bed curtains.

Douglas lowered his mouth to the creamy valley of her breasts. His free hand moved up to grip her bottom. This action caused him great pain. He was too much a man, however, to show it.

"
The doctor will be here at any moment,
"
Rowena whispered. "You are the worst patient I
'
ve ever seen, and Frederic and Jerome aren
'
t any better.
"

He hooked his ankle around her stockinged calf, pinning her beneath him. She sighed in momentary surrender. Her hair had gotten wrapped around his muscular forearm. The weight of his groin, its warmth and vitality, pressed against hers. Delicious impulses sparked deep inside her.

"
Pirates do not make good invalids,
"
he said, his black gaze glittering. "We chase women around on our wooden legs and ogle them under our eye-patches. Once we get our hands on a genuine prize like a princess, our evil knows no end.
"

"
You
'
re dripping that vile poultice on my petticoats,
"
Rowena said.

He brushed his unshaven jaw across the cleft of her breasts. "Take them off. And the poultice.
"

"Mrs. MacVittie is waiting for me to come
down to supper,
"
Rowena said primly, suppressing a shiver of pleasure.
"
Your men have been working on their manners for the wedding feast, and want to show off."

"Why does the very prospect send a chill of terror down my spine?
"
Douglas said.

"I
'
ve no idea.
"
Rowena smiled.
"
They
'
re the most darling men. Now be a good pirate, and lie still. When we
'
re done, you can wear the lace sling Hildegarde made for you.
"

Douglas sat up in horror, spilling Rowena to his side. "A lace sling? My men will laugh me into the loch.
"

"
Not after the way you fought three days ago,
"
Rowena said.
"
Are you certain you should not remain in bed another week, my lord?"

"I need to prepare myself to rescue your father, Rowena. Lying in a bed weakens a man."

Rowena compressed her lips. Douglas would not be rescuing anyone, but his pride probably was not ready to accept this sad fact. Still, her papa needed someone
'
s help, and she could not remain in this castle much longer than it took for travel arrangements to be made.

Douglas fixed her with a baleful glare. "There is nothing wrong with me. Good God. I can most assuredly withstand a walk to the supper table.
"

"
Do you want your crutches?"

"
Crutches? I do not need crutches.
"

To prove this point he vaulted off the bed and executed a series of deep-knee bends. For a terrible moment he thought he might have to grab the bedpost for support. His head spun like a top. His heart pounded.

"There. I told you.
"
He schooled his grimace of agony into a smile as every muscle and bone in his big body throbbed in rebellion. Lord, was there an inch of his flesh that did not ache? And his feet hurt, for the first time in his life. His blessed feet were killing him!

"
I have conquered Spanish garrisons and captured galleons, Rowena. A little tussle won
'
t stop
me.
"

"You brought down seven men in that hut, my lord."
'

"Seven?
"
Was that all? he wondered. Hell, to judge by his groaning bones he would have sworn it had been at least fifty. Ah, well, he had won the fight. Neacail was dead, and Douglas did not look like such a daisy. He had kept his promise to Dunmoral, and to himself. He would heal, his desire for Rowena
a potent medicine. He would marr
y her and concentrate on the happy business of begetting heirs. In a hurry.

"Now all we have to do is rescue Papa, reclaim his power, and round up the insurgents who threaten Hartzburg,
"
Rowena said.

Douglas frowned. "Well, what are we waiting for?
"
He headed dizzily for his wardrobe. He would not lead a rescue in his nightshirt.

"You
'
re in no condition to command an army, my lord." Rowena winced as he limped past her,
banging his bandaged knee on the dressing table.
'
"I
must find another man to rescue Papa.
"

He skewered her with a dragon scowl.
"
Upon my corpse, woman.
"

"
If you force that battered body of yours into another fight, then dropping dead at my feet is a distinct possibility.
"

"I
conquered Spanish garrisons with a concussion, Rowena.
"

"Ten years ago, my lord.
"

"Ten?" Douglas said in astonishment.
"
How the devil do you know?
'
Twas three at most.
"

"Ten, Douglas. I have memorized the date and place of most of your daring exploits."

He fought a wicked urge to push her down on the bed and throw himself upon her. Except that he suspected he might not have the strength for it. Had he broken his bloody kneecaps?

"My wounded warrior,
"
Rowena said with a gentle smile. "My dragon in bruised scales. I shall pray that your body mends.
"

Douglas grunted, sinking down on the bed. "Stop that embarrassing prattle, Rowena. I need a mere day or two to heal before we travel to Hartzburg.
"

"
Let us see if you can make it to the supper table first, my lord.
"

He pulled himself up by the bedpost. Then he drew her back against him, locking her arms in his hand without any effort at all. His other hand busily began to unbutton her gown. He untied her
chemise and petticoats next. Rowena stared down in disbelief at the pool of silk and muslin that imprisone
d her. With a wicked grin he re
moved his shirt.

His voice was a seductive whisper. "You cannot refuse me, Rowena.
"

It was, unfortunately, true.

Shivers ran down her spine as she felt his erection pressing against her bare buttocks. Then he began pinching her nipples between his callused fingertips. The muscles of her belly tightened. She felt a shameful dampness between her thighs.

"
I love the way you respond to me," he said in a ragged voice.

She was too embarrassed to say anything. She just squeezed her eyes shut as he pulled her down on the bed, his big body looming over hers. He brushed his mouth back and forth across her distended nipples, and it felt so wickedly good, she wanted to die. He ran his hands over her naked curves. He probed her secret places with his fingertips until she couldn
'
t hold still. She had to strain upward to feel him. She needed him deep inside.

He penetrated her slowly at first. He pressed inside, then withdrew in a rhythm that drove them both wild. But she was so tight and willing that he soon began to thrust, sliding his hands under her bare white bottom to bring her closer. Pleasure streaked through his groin as she
stretched to accept his pulsing staff. He released a deep growl of domination.

He possessed her, not once but twice, proving his power and mastery.

He loved her so late into the night that Frances burned the haunch of venison and ended up making a stew from what she could salvage. He loved her with such abandon that Hildegarde, concerned by her mistress
'
s absence, half-
convinced Aidan that the water-horse had reawakened to spirit Rowena away.

He loved her until a cloaked silence fell around the castle, and Rowena, her supple body damp with perspiration, her veins bubbling, could barely heave a sigh of utter contentment.

"
And now supper," he said cheerfully, springing out of bed, stretching his abused warrior's body this way and that to impress her with his prowess.

'
Twas yet another deception (he felt like death), but Douglas would be damned before he
'
d sink exhausted back onto that bed. And as he helped his lady dress, he was too much in love, and pain, to hear the sentry
'
s shout of surprise from the watchtower.

He was too engrossed in his princess to realize the threat he had most feared, and temporarily forgotten, was about to come true.