Forbidden Magic (37 page)

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G
unther," Lady Anne persisted, holding her voice to a whisper so that the others in the great hall would not hear, "Tell me what troubles Sir Amery and Jewel. For the past two days they have hardly spoken a word to each other, and every time I ask Jewel if something is troubling her, she smiles and tells me nay. But I can see it in her eyes, Gunther. Jewel is unhappy, and I wish to know why."

"Tis Amery's concern," her husband replied, grinning delightedly as he watched the serving maids fill the long trestle tables with a wide assortment of food and drink.

"And you are pleased," Anne snapped. "On this eve, we will begin the celebration of Christ's birth, and it should be a joyous time for everyone. Is there not a chance we can make peace between them?"

"A few words spoken by either of us will not amend their problems, wife. Tis something they alone must solve, and only time will accomplish it."

"How much time, Gunther?" Anne pressed. "I have grown fond of Jewel and hate to see her suffer for even the briefest moment. If thou wilt tell me what troubles the pair, maybe I can then give comfort and encouragement to her."

Pulling her into his arms as they stood near the fireplace out of the way of the activity going on, he kissed her temple and smiled. "I believe Sir Amery is coming to terms with the fact that he cares about Jewel.. . more than he wishes to realize. Tis difficult for a man who vowed never to love a woman."

"Has he said as much?" Anne asked excitedly.

"Nay, he has not. But I have seen a change in him whenever he talks of her or sees her with Hadwin or any other man who might steal her away from him. The seed of jealousy has sprouted and grows strong within him, and 'tis something he ' finds frightening ... something he has never felt before." He gave Anne a squeeze. "We must be patient, my love. The hardhearted knight is weakening, but if we interfere too soon, our concern could destroy all that has come about so far."

"But what of Jewel? Must such knowledge be kept from her?"

Gunther nodded. "Yea, whatever she has done, whatever she has said to him, has had a strong effect, and if she was warned of his feelings, she might soften and ruin it."

Wrapping her arms around her husband, Anne laid her head against his chest. "But she is so unhappy, Gunther. Knowing Amery cares ... even in the slightest... would bring a smile to her lips and the sparkle back into her eyes. We have talked many times; and although she still refuses to believe Amery's half brother is responsible for the slaughter at Harcourt, she no longer blames Amery. I cannot be sure, husband, but I think another seed has sprouted and grows strong. I think Jewel loves Amery."

A bright smile spread across Gunther's face. "Tis good. Yea, 'tis very good."

"M'lady?" a voice interrupted, and the couple turned to greet Delia, a young serving maid. Trouble abounds in the kitchen, m'lady. Can you come?"

"Yea, Delia." Anhe smiled. "I will come." She waited until the girl had turned from them before looking at Gunther and whispering, "I will hold my tongue where Jewel is concerned, but be warned, should Amery abuse her—"

"Nay," Gunther quickly assured her. "Never." He kissed her brow and set her from him. "Now see to the trouble in the kitchen. I will await you here."

Gunther watched his wife's slender shape as she walked away, thinking how fortunate he was to have such devotion, and he blinked when someone crossed his line of vision. A devilish grin parted his lips once he recognized Aselma and saw that she was heading for the stairs on her way to Jewel. His blue eyes followed her ascent up the stone steps until she disappeared from view.

* * *

"M'lady?" Aselma called out as she rapped softly on the door to Jewel's chambers. A moment later, it was opened, and she gave a short curtsy and lowered her eyes when she saw it was Amery who greeted her. "Your pardon, m'lord,'" she apologized, "but I have come to help Lady Jewel dress."

A frown marred his rugged features, but since it was something everyone at Burchard had come to accept, Aselma was not worried by it, though his presence always seemed to make her blush. He stared at her, his manner relaxed, but his mood warned not to test him overmuch, and when he moved to one side to allow her entrance, she quickly did as he had granted.

Amery watched the young girl cross the room to where Jewel still bathed in the tub, his eyes slowly roaming down her back to her slender hips and back up to the long blond hair tied in a braid. Although she was quite young, the sight of any woman usually sparked his interest, and it puzzled him when the sight of this one did not. Swinging the door shut, he returned to the bed and lay down where he had been when the maid had interrupted, for it seemed the only place he could find escape from Gunther's mocking words or Jewel's brooding looks.

Since their heated exchange two days before, they had spoken as lowly serf to king, seeking permission to do a task and having that permission granted. And although he would have preferred things as they had been, Amery—oddly enough—found no objection to Jewel's absence from their chambers. Shortly after sunrise, she would leave him and venture to the kitchen where she would help Anne any way she could, whether it was supervising meals, the laundry, or caring for Anne's young daughter, Ella. It allowed him the time to stubbornly condemn Jewel's cool aloofness toward him when he still could find no cause. But by midday he would grow lonely for her and seek her out. Yet once he found her and realized that her mood had not softened toward him, he would grow angry again and busy himself with duties away from the castle. And his temper grew shorter still when it seemed no one agreed with his views and he was forced to spend much of the day alone.

The evening past, while they were sharing a meal with the others in the great hall, Amery had suddenly felt very much the stranger to Burchard Castle while Jewel seemed the honored guest. Gunther had sat at the head of the table, Anne to the right of him, Jewel to his left, and before Amery had been able to take his place beside her, Rickward and Stafford had claimed the first and second spots while Hadwin had seated himself next to Lady Anne. Pretending that it mattered naught to him, he had sat next to Stafford and quietly eaten his meal while the rest had laughed, had a merry time, and totally ignored him. Only once had he caught someone looking at him. It had been Lady Anne, and the expression on her face had seemed almost pitying. Unable to accept her sympathy—for he truly felt no need of it—he had finished off his tankard of wine and had left the castle.

The sun had disappeared long before the cold night air had chilled him to the bone and he had been forced to return inside. The great hall had been empty, the tables cleared, and the dogs Gunther kept as pets had been sleeping soundly by the hearth. They, too, had ignored Amery when he had approached and drawn up a chair to sit by the warm fire, a drinking horn dangling from his hand. Several hours passed as he drank and stared into the flames, unaware that for a long while Gunther had stood at the top of the stairs, watching. When his eyelids had drooped and he had finished the last drop of wine, he had awkwardly pushed himself to his feet and stumbled toward the stairs, losing his balance once and stepping on one of the dog's , tails. The poor canine had yelped in pain, and Amery had cursed the fool dog for being in his way, then staggered for the staircase. Mounting the treads had proved quite difficult for him, for it had seemed the steps constantly changed height, depth, and number, and the only way he had managed not to fall back down them was by placing both hands on the wall beside him to steady his reeling world and blindly lead him to the top. Once there, he had straightened and aimed his feet down the hall, thinking that he and Jewel would have it out. He had given the matter considerable thought and, not finding blame with himself, he had decided Jewel had a lot of explaining to do. Lifting the latch to their chamber door, he had pushed it open and had nearly fallen through it when his head had begun to spin.

"Amery!" had come the sharp reprimand from the darkened shadows in the huge bed. "Thou art drunk!"

"I have had my share," be had agreed, "but not enough to dull my mind on a matter most urgent."

"And prithee, what is that?" Jewel had asked. "Finding your way to bed?"

Amery had raised a finger in the air and waved it side to side. "Nay. The matter is you, little one." He had moved further into the room, then turned back to close the door.

What should have taken him a second or more took thirty instead, and when his body weaved enough that Jewel was sure he would fall, she had scrambled from the bed to help him.

"And what matter is that, that you must find the courage to speak of it in a drinking horn?" she had scoffed, draping his arm over her shoulder and guiding him toward the bed.

'"Tis not courage I seek, but peace," he had explained with a scowl, leaning heavily against her when the room began to spin.

"Peace?" she had mocked, turning with him and letting him fall backward on the mattress. "Doth something evil plague thee, that you seek peace the only way left you?"

"Evil? Are you evil, Jewel?" He had frowned, struggling up on his elbows. "Tis thee who plagues me."

Coppery hair falling about her shoulders, tiny fists resting on her hips, Jewel had stared irritably back at him. "Methinks 'tis guilt you suffer, oh gallant knight, but thy head is too thick to understand it. What you have done to me lies heavy on your conscience, and each day that passes only burdens it more. To find your peace you must set me free, allow me to return to Harcourt as I wish to do." Her amber eyes had darkened with her anger. "Then you can set your mind to forgetting me and peace will surely follow."

The vision of her had blurred then, and Amery had closed his eyes for a moment to still his rotating world. "I have never felt guilt for anything," he had muttered, pushing himself up to sit on the edge of the bed and cradle his head in his hands. "And forgetting you will not be a simple task." He missed the surprised look on her face as he contemplated the only possible way it could be. "Unless of course there is another to take your place," he had speculated aloud, wondering for the first time if there was such a woman.

Jewel's anger had flared anew. "Set thy mind at rest, Sir Amery, for you have confessed repeatedly that all you had to do was look. Another would come along before my shadow left your chambers."

In his besotted state, Amery could not be sure whether he had heard the icy tinge to her words or had only imagined it, and he had raised bloodshot eyes to look at her, failing to understand the reason for the sparks of rage he saw burning in her own. "Yea, as one will find his way to you," he had remarked, tawny brows drawn together. His own irritation had peaked. "You have but to sway your hips or flutter your lashes and the fools will flock to your feet. Even Gunther's head has turned your way and he is married!"

"He looks at me with friendship and compassion, and nothing more. You look at me through green eyes of jealousy!"

"Ha!" he had exploded, bolting to his feet. He had intended to say more, to spill the truth as he was sure he saw it, but the sudden movement had set his head spinning at a dizzying speed. His face had paled and his knees had weakened, and before he had been able to sit down on the bed again, his vision had swirled to such a degree that he lost his balance and tumbled noisily to the floor, unconscious.

Jewel had obviously felt no pity for him, for he had slept the night away in the spot where he had fallen, with no pillow for his head or fur pelt to chase away the cold. When he awoke, he was stiff and sore, and the pounding in his head would not cease its relentless hammering. Even the morning light had challenged him, sending a single, bright golden ray to blind him. Groaning, he had pulled himself into the empty bed and laid there until the drumming in his head had lessened slightly, then he had opened one eye to look for Jewel..The room had been empty, and it was a long while before the door to his chambers opened. He had struggled up on his elbows, thinking Jewel had finally returned to apologize for the way she had treated him. But it hadn't been Jewel. Instead, it was Aselma, sent by Jewel with a tray of food for Amery to eat, and a message that Jewel would be working in the kitchen all day helping to prepare the feast for this eventide. It had angered him to think his health meant so little to her, and he had vowed that if spending her time in the kitchen was more important to her than seeing to his care, he would pretend that he had not noticed. He had waved off the food the maid had brought him, rolled over, and promptly gone back to sleep.

By late afternoon, he had felt much better. He had risen, changed his clothes since those he had slept in were wrinkled, shaved the stubble from his face, and ventured to the great hall for something to eat. He had not stayed long, for the gaiety of the celebration had already started and the noise and merriment had proved too much for him to bear—that and the fact that Jewel had been nowhere to be seen. He had gone then for a walk outside in the cold, crisp air, welcoming the chance to get away from everyone and everything. But the serenity of the moment had not lasted long, for while he had strolled aimlessly about the grounds outside the castle, he had spotted Hadwin going toward the stables and he had been hit hard with a strange emotion that dared him follow the young knight and have it out with him. He had even gone so far as to take a dozen steps or more in that direction when he realized how foolish he would seem to the boy, and he had angrily returned to his chambers instead.

An hour had passed before a knock came to his door and upon bidding them enter, a stream of young girls filed into the room carrying buckets of warm water for Jewel's bath. At first he had thought to leave her to her privacy, then decided differently. She had cared nothing for his feelings; why should he care for hers? Stretching out on the bed, he had folded his arms behind his head and feigned disinterest in the young beauty who thanked the maids for their help before closing the door behind them.

Amery had watched her out of the corner of his eye, smiling to himself as he waited for her to turn to him and request that she bathe in solitude. But to his surprise and slight irritation. Jewel had acted as though she was not even aware of his presence. She had gone to the hearth, added several logs to the fire, then casually began to disrobe near the tub, completely ignoring the man who had slowly sat up in bed to stare at her in total bewilderment. Bright, golden firelight had gleamed against her ivory-colored flesh as her garments slid from her trim figure, and for a brief second, Amery's passion had stirred, tempting him to take her in his arms whether she wanted it or not. But as she lowered herself beneath the surface of the water and hid the luscious curves from his view, he had realized the game she played with him. She wanted to prove to him that he could not so easily forget her. She had said as much. His green eyes had sparkled with devilment as he thought how effortlessly he could refute her claim.

Jewel had taken a leisurely bath, and it was not until Aselma had knocked on the door and Amery had gotten up and let her in that he realized he had managed not to say a word or look Jewel's way the entire time. And once the young maid had crossed to the tub and held out a large white piece of linen to wrap around Jewel's moist, glowing body as she stepped out of the water, Amery had taken his place on the bed again, musing over the possible ways he could prove how easy it was for him to ignore her. And it could not have come at a better time. Tonight the great hall would be full of merrymakers who would be eating and drinking and sharing tales of their adventures while music filled the air and dancers entertained all who were present. A half smile had creased his suntanned cheek. And plenty of young maids eager for his attention. Tonight, Jewel would learn that any wench could turn his head and that he would not feel an ounce of guilt in responding to their flirtatious advances. All her scheming would be for naught.