Highlander's Bride (Heart of the Highlander Series Book 1) (31 page)

Despite her worry, her tired mind and body cried out
for rest. Wearily, she blew out all the candles except one near the lavish bed.
A lacy sleeping gown lay at its foot. With a spark of determination, she
brushed it to the floor, gathered her travel worn clothes closely about her and
curled up on the bed. The down filled pillow was as soft as lamb's wool. She
clutched it to her, visualized Alexander's face in her mind and prayed for
sleep.

**

Sounds of someone moving about the room awakened
Katherine the next morning. Startled, she clutched the pillow to her and stared
at a young girl who stood in the middle of the room. "
Pardon moi, mademoiselle
.
I have been sent to help you dress and bring you to
le Duc
."

Katherine darted a quick glance at the closed
door. Could she run out before the maid caught her? Was Jules still on guard?
No. She mustn't take the chance. A time would come for her to escape. It had
to. But she was not ready to face Ja Bier yet. What could she say? "I have
no other clothes. I will not meet with the duke until I do. Please tell him
so."

The maid's eyes widened and her face paled. "
Non
!
I… I mean no. You are mistaken, m'lady. There are clothes here for you."

Opening the tall armoire, the servant pulled out a
dark puce colored, sleeveless gown, cut drastically low in front.

Shocked, Katherine stared at it. "That dress
isn't decent! I'll not wear such a revealing gown." She walked over to the
ornate armoire, frowning at her weary reflection in its full-length mirror.
Scanning its contents, she was shocked to see all of the gowns it held were
just as scantily made. "Is there no suitable dress here?"

Light from the hallway spilled across the
furniture as Ja Bier entered the room. The cold gleam in his eyes rested for a
moment on the maid then darted to Katherine. "I have told you I do not
like to be kept waiting. Why are you not dressed?"

Katherine took the revealing gown from the young
girl and held it out toward him. "This is why. No decent woman would wear
such a thing."

A sparkle of jewels flashed through the air as he
grabbed the front of Katherine's soiled gown and ripped it down the front.
"Now you have no choice. Put the other on and come to my chamber quickly
or you shall regret it."

Dropping the new gown, Katherine made a desperate
attempt to cover herself with her torn dress.

Ja Bier watched her for a moment, then walked out
of the room, leaving the door ajar.

Katherine whirled around, turning her back to it,
as Jules' grinning face appeared in the opening.

After hurriedly closing the door, the maid
silently picked up the puce gown and waited with outstretched arms, her pale
face pinched with a look of apparent regret.

Katherine swallowed the tight lump in her throat.
She wouldn't cry. Carefully, she removed her brooch and held it as the maid
helped her to change clothes. Her one quick glance at her reflection revealed
more than she wanted to see. Quickly walking over to the lady's dressing table,
she swept her hand across it knocking everything to the floor but the lace
covering. Grabbing it up, she gathered it around her shoulders like a shawl,
and pinned it together with the brooch.

For a few moments, she simply stood there
motionless. She needed time to calm her frayed nerves. Touching her mother's
brooch helped and she drew strength from the love it represented. She was not
alone.
Maman
and Da's love surrounded her like a warm fur. Katherine
turned to the young girl, nodded silently and followed her to an elaborately
decorated suite.

Jules held the door open to a room that appeared
to be a private office of some sort.

Ja Bier sat behind a massive carved desk, with an
expectant look upon his face. He dismissed the girl and motioned Katherine to a
seat. His gaze rested momentarily on the lace covering her scanty bodice and he
smirked as if amused. "Ah,
mon petite
, it seems you do present well
when dressed appropriately. Does she not, Jules?"

The man grinned and licked his lips. "
Oui
."

Ja Bier returned his attention to Katherine.
"I shall come to the point. A year ago, I learned the lands and wealth
brought to me by marriage to your mother were being contested in court. It
seems some distant relative of hers has questioned the validity of my
possession since the two of you disappeared so long ago under, ah… questionable
circumstances."

Leaning forward, he spread his hands on his desk.
"The king sent an emissary here asking difficult questions. I found it
necessary to locate you and bring you back as proof of my claim. I have sent
word to court of our arrival. The man should return in a few days, at which
time, I will produce you and put to an end any dispute of my control over the
lands in question."

He sat back in his chair and steepled his fingers
in front of him. "All you must do
petite
, is appear before the
emissary and agree to the information I supply him. After that, you will be
allowed a comfortable life here in the manor with me."

Katherine gripped the arms of her chair.
"You'll get no help from me, Ja Bier. I will tell him of my vile abduction
and plead to be taken back to Scotland immediately!" She braced herself
for his anger. "You may have proof of my birth, but I will never live here
with you."

He shook his head, his thin lips set in a cruel
smile. "
Non
. You will not do this, for there is one thing you have
not considered. Now that I know where to find your mother and her Scot lover, I
could easily do them harm. If you refuse to cooperate, I will send Jules back
to Scotland. As a tinker, he would find it easy to gain entry to their castle and
would not hesitate to kill them."

She gasped and clutched her brooch.
"No!"

His voice continued in a casual, almost pleasant
tone. "And as for you, I would delight in selling you to one of the Paris
brothels with which I am well acquainted. So, you see, it is quite futile to
try to thwart my plans. Either way, you will never leave France, but your
cooperation assures the safety of those you hold dear in Scotland."

Fear welled up in her throat almost choking her.
"How can you be so evil? Release me and let me go back to Scotland. I will
have
Maman
sign the lands over to you. There, we don't care more for
wealth than our own kin. Your land means naught to us. She… she has never even
spoken of it."

The bored expression on his face didn't reach his
eyes which gleamed with an icy fury. "It is of no interest to me what Scot
barbarians think. Nor, for that matter, what you or your foolish mother think.
I told you, no one takes anything from me. I control all I have and no one will
interfere."

He glanced at Jules. "Take her back to her
chamber to think about what I've said." Then he returned his gaze to her.
"I will expect your acceptance by midday."

Furious with her inability to escape or to change
the situation, she refused to answer. Instead she clenched her hands to her
sides and walked out of the room. No matter how hard she thought, she could
think of no way to deny Ja Bier. She would never willingly stay with him in
France, but she wouldn't bring harm to her family no matter what it cost her.

She looked at the silver brooch pinned to the lacy
covering on her gown.
Maman
and Da's love had always guided her,
protected her. Now she must do the same for them. She must accede to Ja Bier's
demands. But she would obtain assurance of her parents' safety first.

**

Within minutes of sending a servant with her
message, she stood again in the duke's suite. He smiled through tight lips.
"So, you are ready to accept my terms?"

She clenched her hands at her sides until her
fingernails bit into her palms. "Only under one condition. You must put
down in writing that you will not harm my mother and friends in Scotland."
She drew a deep breath. "Give it to me with your seal upon it. If you do
this, I'll do as you wish."

Ja Bier stared at her as if she surprised him.
Apparently, he had expected her to cry and beg. Well, he would find she
wouldn't do so. But when a sly smile crossed his lips, she shuddered inwardly.
Had she unwittingly posed a challenge to him? One that he found appealing to
break, to tame to his command? Dear Lord, she wanted none of his attention.

After signaling to a servant to bring him
parchment, quill and ink, he wrote a few lines with a flourish. His expression
remained the same as he melted a lump of sealing wax to the bottom of the paper
and thrust his signet ring into it. As soon as the wax had hardened, he handed
the statement to Katherine, still with that same thin smile. "You have
your condition
mon fille
. Do with it as you wish, but see to it you
abide by our bargain. Else the writing will mean naught. I could easily change
my mind."

Her fingers trembled as she took the parchment from
him and clutched it close to her heart. She turned to leave the room but before
she took a step, he spoke again. "I will expect you to dine with me this
evening as a show of your good faith. Until then,
au revoir
."

**

Katherine looked down at the sewing in her lap. It
had taken hours of cutting and mending. Still the old gown wasn't fit to wear.
She needed more fabric to repair the damage. Swallowing deeply, she pulled the
lace wrap closer about her shoulders. She glanced at the barely touched plate
of food from her afternoon meal then fidgeted with her sewing once more. Sweet
Mary, how she wished dinner with Ja Bier was already over.

The stillness and inactivity were driving her mad.
She couldn't just sit here waiting like a spring lamb going to slaughter. She
must move. Tossing the mended gown on the bed, she walked across to the lady's
dressing table, straightened its contents and then went back to the bed and
folded the dress. Carrying it to the armoire, she hid it inside and walked
around the small room. Perhaps if she searched hard enough, she might find a
secret exit or something to use as a weapon.

After pushing the armoire back in place, Katherine
began to look behind the heavy draperies. Surely, there was some other way out
of the room. The knock at her door barely gave her enough warning to yank the
drapes together and turn around before a servant walked in.

"
Pardon moi, mademoiselle
, but I have
been sent to bring you to
le duc's
chamber for dinner."

Katherine nodded.  She was almost glad to leave
her room. She didn't know how much longer she could have endured her
confinement with naught to do but worry and pace. Her relief turned to
trepidation when she entered the duke's suite and saw a small dining table and
two chairs set up in a secluded corner of the chamber. The room's only light
came from a fireplace across the room and an ornate candelabra on the table.
She looked back at the table set for two. Was she to eat alone with him?

She threw an apprehensive glance across the empty
chamber then her pulse steadied when she saw two older servants standing beside
a serving table of food.

"Are you as hungry as I,
mon petite
?"

Katherine jumped at Ja Bier's voice behind her.

With great finesse, he lifted her hand, placed it
on his arm, and escorted her to the small dining table.

Bile rose in her throat at his touch. Swallowing,
she fought for composure and walked stiffly at his side.

He smiled as if her response amused him. After
leading her to a chair, he waited while a servant pulled it out for her, then
bowed and brushed his lips against the back of her hand.

Sickened, she jerked her fingers from his grasp
and wiped her hand against her skirt.

Ja Bier walked to the other side of the table and
sat facing her, his lips still set in that thin cruel smile she had come to
recognize. He handed her a goblet of wine. "I do not eat heavily at night,
mon fille
. I prefer a light repast before I adjourn. Therefore, dinner
will not require a great deal of your time. Unless of course, you wish to
prolong our first meal together." His pleasant expression did not reach
the cold depth of his eyes.

"No, Ja Bier, I have no wish to prolong the
meal."

They ate in silence except for the duke's
occasional remarks on the excellence of French cuisine. When the short meal was
over, he signaled to the servants to clear away the dishes and leave. Relieved,
she let out a shaky breath and stood.

He shook his head, reached out and closed his
fingers over her wrist. "Ah,
mon petite
, do not rush away so soon.
We have not yet enjoyed a glass of cognac. I find it to be a most stimulating
way to end a meal." He nodded to the door closing behind the servants. One
of them will return for you later."

Her gaze darted to the door and back. What excuse
could she give to leave? She must think of something quickly without causing
his anger and perhaps harm to herself. She winced as his grip tightened, then
nodded silently and sat back down.

Ja Bier strolled over to a corner table and poured
two glasses of cognac. He stood close as he handed one to her. The light from
the candelabra sparkled in the pale amber liquid like the jewels on his hands.
Both left her cold. With slightly trembling fingers, she took it, but didn't
drink. He raised his glass to her in a mock salute. "Let us make a toast,
mon
petite
, to our future together."

"I don't wish to drink."

"But I insist." He drank, set down his
glass and closed his fingers over hers, forcing the glass to her lips.

She took a small, hesitant sip. When he released
her, she put her drink down and once again rubbed her hand on her skirts to
wipe away his touch.

"Ja Bier, I wish to return to my chamber
now."