Maggie Mine (10 page)

He
opened the door
only to face her again
.
His expression was even more troubled now.
“I nearly forgot the news I learned just before I went up to find you on the observation platform. The Earl of Dunston will be here in a week to see you.”

Her heart stilled. So it was finally time to face her future. Somehow she found the courage to nod acknowledgment. “Ye must be most pleased.”

A frown creased his brow and he pulled the door closed while saying, “You will stay here but come down for sup.”

Maggie watched the
domineering
man, who had become more of a thorn in her side than the man she would miss once married off, rise from his chair and scowl down at her. They hadn’t broken their fast together in nearly a week. In truth he’d barely spoken to her since that awful incident when she’d accidentally shot his hawk with an arrow, since he’d paddled her. She’d avoided him. He’d avoided her, except when he had some order about this or that to give her in connection with the running of the keep. She knew far better how to act the castellan than he did and had grown weary of his orders. And she’d grown beyond weary of trying to teach Lady Stanhope anything about the duties of being the lady of a castle. The woman paid her no heed at all, avoided actually helping…unless, of course, Nicholas was within her sight. Then she was all charm and sweetness, as now.

“I’ll be certain to arrange for a wonderful feast tonight, Lord Middleham.” Mary sent him a beatific smile
, then
spared a tolerant glance at Maggie
,
before focusing on him again. “Everything will be properly arranged and ready by the time the Earl of Dunston and his men arrive this afternoon. Dear Maggie will have her time full with her personal preparations to meet him.”

Dear Maggie
? Maggie rolled her eyes and all but bit her tongue in two to keep from snarling at the woman seated opposite her at the trestle table. She’d already made one miss-speak concerning the other thorn in her side,
Dear Mary
, and been chastised about it by Nicholas. It had been embarrassing to be called out by him and have the near room full of people overhear. Now she noted how he clenched and unclenched his hand on the table. The look in his eyes warned her that hand could easily connect with her bottom if she pushed him any further. She was not about to share the evening meal and face this potential husband while squirming in discomfort on the bench at the table.

“’Tis kind of ye to offer to help with instructing the cooks,” Maggie said as sweetly as she could stomach, forcing a gracious smile. “But I ken I can handle it and my personal preparations as well.”

Nicholas shoved to his feet. Impatience once more imprinted on his face. “Lady Stanhope,
you
will
be in charge today.” He looked down at Maggie and the familiar
inflexibility
settled in his eyes. “
You
will use the day to rest up for Dunston’s visit. The maids will prepare you a bath and Fia can help you dress in one of your best gowns.”

“But
—”

“Nay
buts
to it, Lady Urquhart. Unless…
.
” His glance narrowed and she immediately understood what he hadn’t added.

Her face heated and Maggie fisted her hands under the table and gave a curt nod. “As ye wish, Lord Middleham. I shall do all necessary to make sure the earl asks fer m
y
hand in marriage this verra day. Ye will be rid of me
befo
re a few days at the latest.
Does that no’ please ye
?”
The idea sickened her, but it was inevitable that she would leave here.

He held her gaze for a few seconds, his expression turning hard to read. Then he
stiffened his shoulders and
walked off to join Gerald and Richard where they waited for him at the end of the table. His lack of response had Maggie watching him and feeling confused. She
ha
d expected him to almost
dance
in
delight
at the mention of her being gone in a short time. But then she’d not seen him show any real pleasure
almost since she’d met him. As much as he annoyed her at times, she worried about him, too. Was he even capable of smiling? Laughing? Tenderness?

Tenderness
? Good Lord, what was she thinking! It was the sadness she caught in his gaze at times that got to her. The loneliness she sensed. He trained hard with his men, talked much with his two firsts, and had already earned the respect of the people of Middleham in the short time he’d been here. But when the day ended and the men started sharing stories and flirting with the women in the great hall, he took himself up to the solar and spent the rest of the eve alone until he retired to his bedchamber. She’d avoided direct contact with him, but she’d watched him from a distance. He needed more than just Middleham and his other holding to care about. He needed a wife. Someone who would heal whatever inner wounds he had. Someone he could love and who would love him back.

She snorted to herself. Love generally had little to do with a marriage, especially an arranged marriage. Her own parents’ marriage had been an arranged one. Yet they’d grown to love one another, or so she’d been told by her older brothers. Her mother had died giving birth to her and it had nearly destroyed her father, again, so she’d been told. He’d shunned her at first for costing him his precious wife. But it hadn’t taken him long to bury his grief and begin doting on her. He’d loved her mightily, even though he’d been a stern parent. He
ha
d loved only two women in his life: her mother and her. She wanted that kind of love for herself, but doubted she
woul
d ever have that.

“I hear the earl has been married thrice before,” Mary said, interrupting Maggie’s thoughts.

“Aye, I’ve heard as well.” Maggie took a final sip of mead and rose from the table.
She didn’t want to talk to Mary about anything, certainly not Dunston.

But Mary was not ready to give up on pestering her.
“He has two grown sons and a daughter, all older than you. At least he won’t need to get you with child for an heir.” Mary smiled knowingly. “I have also heard that he’s a randy man. That he wore at least one of his wives out with his insatiable needs. It is a good thing you are young.”

Maggie felt a shudder sweep over her and turned away. She
ha
d heard a few of the men talking as well in the last few days. She’d tried not to think about the rumors
—
hopefully they were only rumors
—
or even think about the man himself. It was distressing enough to know that her future was to be decided by others, by Nicholas and his English king. She still considered the idea of running away, but there were too many men here now, too many guards on the walls, and too many watching eyes.

Her shoulders slumped for a second and then she raised her head to face Mary with a wicked smile of her own. “If the earl doesna find he likes me, mayhap he will seek ye as his wife.”

Mary’s eyes widened and she paled. “Nay! Nay, I am most sure he will seek a contract for your hand in marriage.” She gathered herself and stood as well. “Besides, Nicholas is beginning to realize I will make a good wife. Once you are gone from here he will
—”

“I wouldna be setting m
y
hopes on marryin’ the laird,” Fia said in disgust from behind Mary. She walked around her and over to Maggie from where she’d been breaking her fast at the next table with a dozen other servants.

“This is none of your business,” Mary snapped. Her thin face pinched tight in annoyance.

Maggie wasn’t in the mood for continuing the verbal fight with Mary and she didn’t want her friend to get into trouble. If she didn’t separate them right now, Mary would find some way to cause grief for Fia. She’d done it before. Fia had told her in embarrassment the other day that Nicholas had taken her to the solar and thrashed her a
half-
dozen times with the str
o
p for having showed disrespect to Mary. Maggie had wanted to go to him when she’d found out about the incident and give him a piece of her mind about punishing Fia because of some lie Mary had told him.
 
But Fia had warned her against doing so. Both of them knew she was skirting being taken over his knee herself. She’d backed down, but she’d been seething about the injustice since then. Soon she wouldn’t be worrying about when next he would decide to punish her.

Her stomach knotted and she wondered if the earl would physically punish her. She didn’t like thinking about it, but it was a concern. As was this insatiability of his for sex. That worried her far more than suffering a burned bottom at his hand. Oddly, she didn’t think she’d mind at all if Nicholas were to feel such a need for her. But that would never be.

She forced the troublesome thoughts aside and took Fia’s arm to pull her toward the other end of the great hall. She ignored Mary and the others in the large room who had no doubt been listening. “I will need help with a bath later. Fer now I would ask ye to help me choose a gown to wear to meet Dunston.”

*
*
*

“I hear Dunston has a rather nasty reputation with women,” Sir Richard said with an edge of anger.

Nicholas feigned off the thrust of Richard’s wooden practice sword. The scowl he’d worn since breaking his fast and walking away after Maggie’s pronouncement that he would be rid of her in a few days deepened. He hadn’t liked hearing the words, even if they were true, even if that had been the plan all along. He didn’t like being reminded of the rumors he’d heard as well about the fifty-something Earl of Dunston.

He thrust his sword hard at Richard. “I cannot judge a man on reputation alone. Often they are false rumors, strengthened with the re-telling.”

Richard’s face hardened. He’d only known Maggie a few weeks, as had everyone at Middleham, but
clearly
he’d grown fond of her. Nicholas knew all here were fond of the Scottish lass who made sure she knew each and every name of everyone who resided here. She had tended various injuries from training and other mishaps. She listened to the soldiers’ boastful tales from the battlefields, even shared some of her own memories of defending her home. They watched and heard her go nose-to-nose with him on an almost daily basis over this or that. Their rounds amused his men and the servants. In truth, after he’d cooled off and was away from her, he, too, often felt something akin to amusement. He’d never thought he’d admire a strong, sometimes willful woman, but he did. More than that, he could not sleep at night without thinking about her. He’d seen her creamy flesh when he’d bared her bottom for punishment. And he’d wanted to touch far more than just her backside.

“I wouldn’t like to see the lass abused,” Gerald added as he looked over from where he practiced with another soldier nearby.

Nicholas thrust again at Richard. Most of the men and the servants knew he punished Maggie on occasion, particularly after the time she’d disobeyed him by not staying in her chamber as he’d ordered and shooting his hawk. A man taking his hand to his wife’s bottom was not a rare thing. But she wasn’t his wife. He’d also
dealt with
Fia recently, also not a rare thing. Lairds and heads of staff were known to punish misbehaving or errant staff. He had done so before, but not often. Properly delivered punishment for disobedience was expected, not considered abuse. Gerald had approved of Nicholas thrashing Fia for her attitude issues with Mary, but Nicholas knew his friend had also soothed her in his bed later. Which had been fine with him. Nicholas, too, had wanted to soothe Maggie after the paddling he’d given her. He’d fought hard
to keep
from going back to her room that night and doing so.
In truth, there’d been many nights when he had to force himself to stay away from her bedchamber.

T
he “abuse” his first referred to
now
was sexual or verbal abuse.
H
e wouldn’t want to see Maggie abused either. He
ha
d almost sent back a message to Dunston to refuse him coming to Middleham. But Mary had convinced him to give the man a chance. She seemed to believe the rumors were unjustified, spread by envious men because the earl had been married three times, to supposedly beautiful women each time. Still, it worried Nicholas and he would watch the man well.

He was about to respond when one of the soldiers on the wall called down. “Dunston has arrived,
M
y
L
ord.”

Nicholas
shared a brief look of acceptance with Gerald and Richard. Neither man looked happy with the situation. A feeling of apprehension scurried through him, but he could not give it weight. He would not judge the man on reputation alone.

*
*
*