Great Protector (21 page)

Arissa's
grip tightened. "And you let him.... you actually coupled with him?"

Regine
nodded unsteadily, tears flowing down her cheeks. She was truly terrified. "It
was.... I liked it until he.... my God, Riss, it was so painful I thought I
might die. He told me to lie still and I would enjoy it eventually. I was
beginning to understand what he meant when...." her voice faded, overcome
by sobs of shock and fear.

"When
I interrupted," Daniel's voice was considerably softer. "Riss, it was
one of Richmond's men. I placed him in the vault."

Arissa
closed her eyes for a brief moment as if to ward off the greater implications.
"Have you told him?"

Daniel
shook his head. "He caught Regine himself the last time she attempted
something like this and blistered her behind. In faith, I fear for his temper
should he discover a repeat offense."

Richmond's
temper was legendary; once aroused, it had a tendency to be fierce. Every soldier,
every knight under his command knew of Richmond's powerful, decisive temper and
went to great lengths to avoid an encounter.

Arissa
dropped her hands from her sister, gazing at the young girl as if she had
completely lost her mind. "How could you be so foolish, Regine? Do not you
know what father is going to say to this, not to mention Richmond?"

Regine
was a shaking, disheveled mess. "You do not have to tell them. Do not
tell, Riss. I promise I shall never do it again!"

Arissa
sighed heavily, disgusted and wracked with disbelief. Her sister's promises
were impotent and sorely lacking, as Regine had proven many a time. She glanced
up at Emma, Penelope. "This does not go beyond this room, do you
comprehend me?" she said.

Both
young women nodded solemnly. Daniel stood waiting, hands on hips, for Arissa to
make the final decision regarding the fate of her promiscuous sister. But
Arissa could only stare at Regine in wonder.

"I
never thought you to be daft, Regine," she said softly, her tone laced
with pain. "You gave yourself to a common soldier rather than wait for
your noble husband."

Regine
wiped her nose on her sleeve, regaining her senses somewhat. Glancing about at
the shocked and disgusted expressions, an instinctive surge of
self-righteousness filled her. "It's not as if my husband will be virgin
when he comes to me. He will appreciate the fact that his wife has not come to
him a naive maiden, but rather a woman who can match his experience and know
the meaning of pleasure."

Arissa
let out a hissing sigh, indicative of the amazement at her sister's
preposterous statement. "I am not going to argue this with you. What you
have done is wrong and the soldier will be punished. Are you not the least bit
remorseful for causing the suffering of another?"

Tears
fading, Regine's stubborn nature was beginning to regain control. "I do
not want him punished. 'Twas my idea."

Arissa
shook her head, at a loss to understand. "But why?"

Regine
averted her willful gaze. "Because.... because Penelope has Daniel, and Emma
has eyes for Tad, and.... Tessa de Rydal is already married and she’s only
eleven years old. I am older and not even betrothed."

"You
want to grow up too fast, Regine," Arissa said softly. "In your
haste, I fear you may have ruined your chances for a decent marriage."

Regine
met her sister's eyes. "That is not true. Especially if father does not
know the truth."

Arissa
looked to Daniel, torn in her decision. Part of her wanted to forget the
incident, and part of her wanted to confess the entire occurrence to her father
and pray for his wisdom in the matter. But the majority of her wanted to take
Regine over her knee and beat her backside raw.

"Daniel,"
she said softly, "I am afraid I will have to ponder this for a time. Not a
word to anyone until I have made a decision."

Daniel
nodded, casting a long, regretful glance at Regine. Then his gaze moved to
Penelope as he turned for the door. "If you are ready, I shall escort you
to the hall. The guests are already beginning to assemble."

Penelope
nodded weakly, taking his offered arm. Daniel had barely opened the door when
Richmond was suddenly in the archway, his beautiful face grim. He focused
directly on Regine.

"You,"
he pointed a long finger at her. "Come here."

Regine
shrieked and ducked behind Arissa. Richmond swept into the room, snaking an arm
behind Arissa and snatching Regine by the sleeve. Regine's shrieking turned to
full-blown screams as he tore her away from her sister's protective custody.
Without a word, he bent at the waist and threw Regine over his shoulder,
turning for the door in one effortless, unhurried motion.

Arissa
was stunned speechless by the knight's sharp actions until Richmond was nearly
through the doorway. Suddenly finding her tongue, she dashed after him.

"No,
Richmond!" she cried. When he did not respond, she grabbed hold of his arm
and dug her heels into the floor. "Put her down!"

He
paused, his -hued eyes like blue steel. "This is none of your affair, my
lady. Kindly refrain from interfering."

"I
will not!" she retorted urgently. "What are your plans with my
sister?"

His
expression was entirely emotionless, purely professional. She was so accustomed
to being greeted by his smile that she felt a certain amount of devastation at
his seeming indifference. But she'd seen this persona before her many a time;
the cold, professional soldier. And he scared her to death.

"As
I said, it is none of your affair. I will deal with your sister alone."

Arissa
forced herself to calm. Her hands moved from his forearm to his hand, curling around
his massive fingers tightly. She hoped her touch would soften him somewhat,
although glancing at his face, she deemed that result improbable. Still, she
had to try.

"Who
told you?"

He
gazed at her a moment before answering. "I went in search of an errant
soldier who failed to show at his post at the proper time. I was told by one of
the earl's men that he had seen Daniel take my soldier to the vault. The moment
I entered the man's cell, he confessed his sins and begged forgiveness."

Arissa
took a deep breath, attempting desperately to swallow her fear. She squeezed
his hand tightly. "What are you going to do?"

"That
will be for your father to decide when he’s made aware of Lady Regine's
escapade."

Over
his massive shoulder, Regine kicked and moaned in protest. Arissa passed her
sister a despairing glance before refocusing on Richmond.

"If
you tell him now, you shall ruin the entire evening," she said in a low
voice. "This can wait until the festivities are over."

His
jaw ticked. "My lady, one of my personal soldiers is presently awaiting a
harsh sentence for molesting a woman of noble breeding. You fail to understand
the severity of the situation."

Regine
kicked and cried again, catching Arissa's attention once more. Her fingers
tightened around Richmond's free hand. "Put Regine down and we shall
discuss this further."

"There
is nothing to discuss," he pulled his hand free. "After I have seen
to your sister, I shall return to escort you to the feast."

His
manner was cold. Hard. A spark of anger ignited in Arissa's chest, immediately
becoming a blaze of fury. She continued to gaze at him, her pale green eyes
transforming from softly pleading to razor shards of ice. Damn him and his
determined sense of duty!

"Do
not bother," she said coldly. "Since you see fit to ruin my birthday
feast, I shall not be attending. For that matter, Richmond le Bec, I do not
care if I ever see you again. Any man who would brutally handle a young girl
and threaten chaos over a situation that could just as well wait until the
morrow is unworthy of my attention or friendship."

His
gaze was steady. "I am sorry you feel that way." Turning for the
corridor, he called to Daniel over his shoulder. "Since Lady Arissa wants
nothing more to do with me, you will have the privilege of escorting the three
young ladies to the feast. Do not be late."

They
could hear Regine's grunts and shrieks over Richmond's footfalls as they faded
down the hall. Arissa stood in the center of her chamber, stunned and
bewildered. The anger that had consumed her manner not a moment before was
suddenly gone, replaced by tears of frustration and disbelief at Richmond's
behavior.

Penelope,
Emma and Daniel exchanged uneasy glances as Arissa began to wipe at the tears
that were bathing her cheeks. Daniel cleared his throat and moved toward her
timidly.

"My
lady," he said softly. "Mayhap we should retire to the gallery and...."

"Nay,"
she shook her head, cutting him off. "I shall not attend. Tell mother and
father that I am feeling ill and wish to be left alone."

"Riss...."
Penelope began pleadingly.

Arissa
whirled toward her fair-haired friend. "Nay, Penelope! Tell my parents
that I am ill; I am always ill and they will believe you without question. You
and Emma and Daniel enjoy yourselves, but I am not in the mood for such gaiety.
Go now. Please."

"But
it's your party, Riss," Emma pleaded softly.

Arissa
shook her head, turning away. "I am not.... going. Leave me."

Daniel
glanced to Penelope, who merely shrugged. Without another word, he herded the
two young women out of the room, passing a long look at Arissa's dark head
before shutting the door softly.

Somehow,
he had a feeling that she would not remain sequestered all night. He would not
be at all surprised to find her in the gallery later, dancing the evening away
in the arms of several admirers. And he would not be at all shocked if Richmond
was included in that throng.

Somehow,
the two couldn't seem to remain apart. If he did not know better, he would have
suspected the feelings ran beyond those of typical camaraderie.  He would have
suspected that there was far more to their relationship than met the eye.  But
Daniel knew that Richmond had practically raised Arissa; therefore, an intimate
association would have been something of an incestuous action.

But
the fact remained that Richmond was not a blood relative. Daniel chewed his
lip, deep in thought as he escorted Penelope and Emma to the stairs. If he did
not know better....

***

Regine
was bawling her eyes out; even so, she could have been dealt far worse. After
Richmond took his hand to her backside, he had issued several commandments and,
extracting her word that his demands would be adhered to, left her to compose
herself.

Alone
in her bower, she had ripped the place apart in her anger and frustration
towards Richmond le Bec. She did not bother to consider herself fortunate that
a spanking was all she had been dealt.  All that matter was the fact that
Richmond was a hateful monster who did not understand her, and she would hate
him forever.

But
it was not as if this was the first time he had disciplined her. He had become
quite familiar with her fat white bottom over the years and she feared Richmond
far more than any other authority figure, including her father. Richmond was
not afraid to punish her, and her father allowed him the duty simply because he
was not overly involved or interested in his children's lives. Unless the crime
was of mortal consequence, he would not be bothered with it.

But
Richmond would. Where she perceived herself as suffering punishment and
humiliation at the hands of the massive knight, the reality of the matter was
that Richmond was trying to shape her character and instill the morals of right
and wrong into her thick skull. Where she perceived his actions as cruelty, he
knew them to be the result of his concern for her.

And
like any good father, Richmond knew of her fury and annoyance toward him, but
he was impervious to it. As far as he was concerned, he had dealt with her in
an extremely fair manner considering her offense and had no desire to waste
another moment on the matter. His attention moved onward, away from the spoiled
child, and focused on the arrival of his second in command less than a half
hour earlier.

Leaving
Regine a howling mess, he descended the stairs into the gallery. Almost
immediately, his gaze fell on Gavan in discussion with the earl. Thoughts of
Regine and her deviant behavior faded altogether as he approached the two men.

Gavan
Hage was closer to him than a brother, an extremely handsome man of massive
build. Eight years younger than Richmond with uncanny wisdom, Richmond was glad
to see the man and shook the man's hand amiably.

"If
it isn't my wandering general," he said with a grin. "How gracious of
you to bless us with your presence."

Gavan
cocked an eyebrow. "I did not come to see you, merely the Lady Arissa. It
is her birthday, after all."

"But
you missed the festivities of the day," Richmond reminded him. "You
had better have an excellent excuse if the lady is going to forgive your
truancy."