Forbidden Magic (32 page)

"But I was spared, Gunther," she argued, wiping away the tear that stole from the corner of her eye. "Harcourt belongs to me now. Radolf would have no claim on it." Pulling away from the hand that sought to hold hers, she cast her gaze from him and rested one elbow on the arm of her chair, her lips pressed against her fist.

"Tis why we feel your life is in danger," he revealed softly.

Round, amber eyes glanced back at him. "My life?"

"Yea, Jewel." Gunther nodded. "Though Amery will not admit it if asked—in truth I think he does not know—he took you from Harcourt to protect you. If all at the castle were killed, then 'twas the plan that you would perish as well. You were spared, Jewel, only for the simple reason you were in London at the time."

"But Radolf knew I was there," the said. "Doth that not prove his ignorance of this awful thing?"

"And has he not spoken of his love for you?"

A chill raced through her with his question. She had listened to his telling of the tale with objective thoughts as he had begged she do and had heard the logic of his words. But to place the blame on Radolf was more than she could accept. He had many times visited Harcourt and shared a meal with her family. Her father had openly admitted his admiration for the young man and she had never sensed any hatred between the two. To claim Radolf had raised his sword against the lord out of greed or anything else was unfathomable. And now to propose that his love for her was the only reason she still lived was absurd. Her head spinning with confused thoughts. Jewel closed her eyes, resting her brow on the open palm of her hand.

"Jewel, 'tis not Radolf who wishes you harm, but his mother, Lady Edlyn. 'Twas her plan to have Wellington and Harcourt for her son. Radolf only carried it through. And he wants you as well. He will do all he can to protect you, but Lady Edlyn is an evil woman, and she will find a way to dispose of you as she did her own husband. Its why Amery will not let you return to your home."

"Nay!" Jewel exploded, bolting from her chair. "I will not. . . do not believe! My father adored him as Radolf did my father. He could not have killed him. They were friends!" Tears streaming down her face, she jerked back when Gunther reached out to touch her, a pained expression in his eyes. " Tis only Amery's hatred for his half brother that allows such lies."

Hurriedly coming to his feet, Gunther caught her hand when she tried to leave him. "Why dost thou protect him, Jewel? Dost thou carry love for him in thy heart?"

"Nay," she sobbed. "I love no man."

"But if thou feels the same toward Amery as thou dost for Radolf, why wert thou so easily convinced of Amery's guilt?"

Choking back a sob, she met his questioning eyes. "Because he fled . .. because of the necklace my father held ... because he holds me prisoner .. . because he doth not deny it!"

Pulling her rigid form within his tender embrace, he hugged her to him compassionately and stroked the silken strands of hair flowing across, her shoulders until she relaxed. "And he never will," be whispered after a while. "Tis what sets Amery apart from other men. He is stubborn to a fault and cares little what anyone thinks of him. He will prove his innocence, but not for others to see; rather to be free to claim what is his without objection. Thus I will telll you, Jewel. I will deny the charges brought against him and ask that you forgive him. Think on what I've said and in time you will see I tell the truth, for it can be no other way."

Jewel welcomed the comforting arms encircling her though her mind raced to find the smallest shred of evidence to clear Radolf of all blame, and she laughed sardonically when she realized what Gunther had requested. Pushing back to look into his eyes, she asked, "Forgive him? Doth he seek forgiveness?" She shook her head. "Nay, I think not. Tis you who wants it for him. Methinks he wouldst live his life never caring if I gave him that or not." Reaching up, she touched her fingertips to his cheek. "Thou art a true and good friend to Amery. Not many can make such a claim, and I pray he will never be foolish enough to abuse such friendship." Standing on tiptoe, she placed a kiss where her fingers had been and said, "And now I must go to the kitchen and prepare a tray. The beast has surely risen by now and if we all are to be spared his ill temper, I must see that his belly is filled."

Gunther frowned as he watched her walk away, knowing there were still unanswered questions in her mind. He could not even say for certain that she had believed that Amery was innocent. And why should she? Who was he anyway? They had only met a few days before. How could he expect her to regard his word as truth simply because he recited it? Sighing heavily, he decided there was nothing more he could do but allow Jewel the time to judge for herself. Shoulders drooping, he turned to find his mantle and seek out his men. He would busy himself with work and let destiny have its way.

* * *

A few moments later found Jewel standing before the bedchamber door, a tray filled with a generous sampling of roasted boar, three boiled eggs, a small loaf of bread and a tankard of milk balanced in one hand while she lifted the latch with the other and pushed the portal wide. She glanced briefly at Amery sitting on the edge of the bed, then stepped inside and kicked the door closed again with the heel of her slipper. Without a word she crossed to the small bedside table where she deposited the food, then stood erect to face him, her hands on her hips as her gaze swept the length of him. He had donned his loincloth and chausses and, from the paleness of his complexion, she knew it had taken great effort.

"Where didst thou think thou wast going?" she asked with a raised brow.

Amery stared at her a moment, disapproving of her manner, for it seemed by her tone that she reprimanded him as she would an unruly child caught stealing." Tis not my habit to lie I about all day in bed," he grumbled, eyeing the tray of food.

"Nor is it your custom to sport a wound that demands you rest." Reaching for the pillows, she fluffed them up, then propped them against the headboard. "Now lie back and I shall feed you." When he failed to move, Jewel looked at him with a frown.

"I am not crippled," he growled. "I can feed myself."

"As well as you managed to dress yourself?" she asked, a vague smile tilting the corners of her mouth.

He gave her a cold glare, then swung his legs back up on the bed. Shifting until he found a spot that seemed comfortable, he silently watched her lift the tray and place it on his lap before she moved to examine his injury. Gingerly, she stripped away the cloth, gently poking at the pinkened skin around the long gash, and Amery considered her with bemused interest, wondering at the attention she gave him.

"I'll get fresh linen to cover it," she announced suddenly, and without a look his direction, she left the room.

Amery studied the empty doorway, a suspicious frown drawing his brows together. He had expected her sarcasm but not her help, and her sudden change of mood warned him to beware. Any damsel who had eagerly attended his needs had always sought something in return. And with Jewel it could mean only that she hoped to weaken his defenses enough to gain her freedom.

The warm aromas of his meal drifted up to envelop him, and since the hope of sating his hunger had been the cause that had driven him from his bed earlier, he centered his attention on the tray he held. She would have to be more cunning than she had been thus far to outfox him, he deduced, cracking the shell of one of the eggs. He had seen every trick played and doubted she could fool him, no matter how hard she tried.

Only a few minutes passed before Jewel entered the room again. In one hand she carried clean strips of cloth and in the other she held a bowl. Amery eyed her curiously as she came to him and sat down on the edge of the bed without a word, her concentration focused on his wound. Dropping the bandages in her lap, she dipped a finger in the bowl and scooped up a generous amount of yellow salve, which she intended to smear on his arm. But Amery jerked away suddenly and Jewel raised angry eyes to look at him.

"'Tis only meant to aid in healing, Amery." She scowled.

"Twill not cause you any pain."

"Not now, perhaps. But what of the morrow?" he challenged.

Her frown deepened. "Without it the pain will worsen. Is not the arm already stiff, the skin tight?" She waited for his stubborn nod, then offered, "If thou findest I lie, oh gallant knight, I will give myself to you for punishment. Doth that not ease your fears?"

She had thought to mock him, but from the suggestive gleam in his eye, she realized her mistake in granting him liberties of any kind. With a disgusted curl of her lip, she returned to her work without his permission and none too gently rubbed the balm across the wound, enjoying the way he tensed the muscle in his arm against the discomfort she caused. When she had finished, she wrapped the limb with the fresh linens and stood abruptly. Turning her back on him, she crossed the room and sat down in the chair near the hearth to watch the flames and ignore his presence, relaxing in the warmth they radiated.

Before long, her mind wandered to the stones Gunther had told her about Amery, the unhappy childhood he had endured, his father's rejection, and Lady Edlyn's constant cruelty. Covertly, she looked over at Amery as he sat eating his meal and noticed the scar that gleamed white against his bronze cheek, wondering how any woman could have struck a child as viciously as Edlyn had obviously done.

Although Harcourt and Wellington shared the same boundaries and Lord Ryland had visited often, his wife had seldom ventured from the castle. As a child growing up, Jewel had envisioned the woman to be old and frail, the cause that had kept her hidden away. She remembered how surprised she had been the first time she had seen Edlyn, for the lady of Wellington had been far from the image the young girl had invented. But she had also discovered that the woman's beauty lay no deeper than what the eye could see, for her nature had been arrogant and rude. Yea, she could believe that Lady Edlyn had been an unkind mother to Amery and even accept the possibility that Lord Ryland had died at her hand, for her hatred of him had shown clearly in her manner. Neither was it impossible for Jewel to suppose that Edlyn wanted Wellington for her true son and conceivably Harcourt as well. But unless she heard the confession from Radolf's own lips, she would never declare him guilty of her father's murder.

Kicking her slippers from her feet, Jewel curled her legs beneath her in the chair and leaned her head back to stare absently into the fire. Gunther had said that Amery had taken her away from her home for her protection, that if she had remained, her life would have been in danger. She had to admit it made sense. If Edlyn was behind all this and she wanted Harcourt for her son, Jewel would be in the way. But Amery accused Radolf and claimed Radolf would be the one who would try to kill her and she did not agree. Radolf would protect her. And she must return home. Staying here solved nothing. Amery only used her to lure Radolf closer and she would not be the cause of Radolf's death. There had been enough killing.

A loud crash brought Jewel from her chair and she spun around to find the tray and its contents scattered across the floor. Amery was struggling to keep himself from falling out of bed and she instinctively rushed to his aid, slipping her tiny frame beneath his arm and pushing up with all the strength she had. She thought the battle nearly lost when his weight seemed more than she could bear and was about to cry out for help when his injured arm suddenly scooped around her and trapped her within its hold. She knew in that instant the game he played and she turned her efforts to freeing herself rather than seeing him safely abed, for there was little doubt in her mind that be wanted her to join him. But her struggles were brief, for even in his weakened state his energy out mastered hers and he easily lifted her from her feet to tumble upon the bed.

"What tricks dance about in that lovely head of yours?" he asked with a grin, easily pinning Jewel beneath him.

"Tricks?" she railed, marveling at his ability to ignore the discomfort in his arm for other things. '"Twas not I who staggered weak-kneed from a sick bed, then showed the strength of a man well rested. Doth a fever plague thee and burn what little sense you have to accuse me of games?"

"My wits are sharp, little one, my eye keen. I have seen a change and only question the cause."

"Dost thou?" she challenged. "And what, prithee, is that? Hast thou seen my hatred for you grow?"

Shifting, he rested on his good elbow and draped a long leg over her tiny form while he lifted a strand of coppery hair between his fingers and enjoyed its silky texture for a time. "Nay," he said quietly. "I have seen a softening in thy spirit, and think only to warn you."

"Of what?" She frowned.

"To beware ... to guard thy heart. Though I cannot name the time, it will surely come, when I will leave thee for another. It will hurt less, not caring." His warm, green eyes held hers, and he chuckled at the fire he saw raging in their amber depths.

"If thou saw a change ... a softening, oh pompous knight, 'twas only my concern for a wounded friend of Sir Gunther's. I cared for you as the blacksmith cares for a lame jackass!"

His deep laughter rumbled in his chest when she tried to push him away.

"Loose me, Amery. The sun is high and others walk the halls of Burchard. 'Tis not the time to play the rutting knave."

"My passion doth not seek the shadows, Jewel," he whispered. "It rides high each time you enter the room or sit by the fire or close your eyes in slumber. If I am plagued with fever, 'tis the burning desire I have to bed you."

His mouth swooped down to capture her slightly parted lips, and Jewel knew all was lost. He would care not if an army of King Richard's knights burst through the door, nor did her shame bother him. She jerked her head away and fought to shove him from her, searching her mind for something to say that would sway him. Then his kisses trailed down her neck and set her aflame while his fingers worked free the fastenings of her gunna. His weight and size held her fast, and in the next instant he had stripped away her clothes.

"Nay, Amery," she begged. "Thou mustn't. The sun!" Her flesh burned wherever he touched her. He kissed the corner of her mouth, her chin, the delicate line of her jaw and nibbled on her earlobe while his hand explored the curve of her throat, the silken texture of her shoulder, then on to the firm mound of one breast, his thumb gently stroking the peak. It grew taut beneath his caress and Jewel silently cursed the body that so quickly responded when her mind demanded otherwise. Then his mouth trailed a path of liquid fire down her throat and through the valley between her breasts before hungrily capturing the hardened nipple. Her will to resist was melting and it puzzled her. Was it possible that he was right about her, that her thoughts of him were softening? He rose from her to shed his chausses and loincloth, and even though her face flamed, she boldly watched him, silently praising the broad shoulders, the iron-thewed magnificence of his chest, the narrow hips, muscular thighs, and lean, flat belly. She understood why women lusted after him. What she could not understand was how any of them could let themselves be fooled by him. He made it very clear that a pledge of lasting loyalty was never a part of it.

She quickly closed her eyes when be started to look up, and tears burned the backs of her lids as he lowered himself upon her, a knee thrust between her thighs. He did not think of her any differently than he had any of the others. But what truly caused the ache in her heart was that she knew she would not be the last. He had told her that many times. A tear slipped between her dark lashes and made a wet path down her cheek. And because of her, he would kill his half brother.

Suddenly, Jewel sensed he was watching her, and she opened her eyes. His were the shade of a new, budding leaf and filled with curiosity. He cupped her face between his huge hands and with his thumb gently wiped away the moisture from her cheek. Then he kissed her with more tenderness than she had ever imagined him capable of, and her passion stirred anew. Maybe there would be others, but Jewel vowed that she would be the one to linger in his thoughts for all eternity, for on this eve she would seek out Hadwin's aid in leaving Burchard Castle.