Rise of the Defender (76 page)

     “Looking for my stockings.” she snapped.

     He watched her for a moment, his jaw
ticking. He could feel himself relenting to her, as he knew he would. He was
coming to realize that her happiness meant everything to him, even in the
smallest matters. He knew she had been looking forward to the ball, but he had
hoped to discourage the strenuous activity.

     “Are you that determined to go that you
would fight me tooth-and-nail for the privilege?” he asked.

     “Aye, I am.” She stood up quickly, her hair
a giant wild mass. “You
promised
.”

     He had, and he was cornered. He scratched
his itchy scalp and sighed in resignation. “Very well, then. If you are
hell-bent on attending this orgy, I shall not stop you. But you will not
overextend yourself in the least, do you understand?”

     She pushed the hair from her face, her
willful stance instantly softening. “I won’t, I promise. Will you bathe now so
you do not go into the grand hall smelling like a stable?”

     He nodded wearily, although it wasn’t a
physical fatigue. This woman taxed his emotions like a syphon.

     Yet he would not be alone. He ordered every
one of his knights to attend, and they were not reluctant. A mask meant a
myriad of beautiful young women and they were most eager to see the goods.
Bathed, shaved and combed, they were dressed in then finest tunics and boots,
sans armor. It was the first time Dustin had seen them all without their armor,
although they were well fortified with an assortment of small daggers.

     Dustin looked absolutely radiant in the red
brocade. She had pulled the front of her hair back to reveal her face and the
heavy golden cross hung most prominently against her breasts. Christopher was
as proud as a peacock, his formidable arrogance fed with his beautiful wife and
her pregnancy. The knights knew, but no one else, and they all smiled knowingly
as Dustin appeared on her husband’s arm. Flushing a pretty shade of pink, she
averted her gaze shyly.

     David escorted Deborah to the grand hall.
The group arrived as the ball was in full swing, gay music and tables of food
and thousands of candles filling the massive room. Christopher immediately took
his party over to a vacant table and sat his wife down promptly, but Deborah
begged to dance and David obliged.

     Dustin watched happily as Deborah took
David through three dances, granting him a rest while she continued with
Leeton. Dustin found herself wishing she remembered how to dance, if only to be
close to her husband. As it was, he was sitting at the table, his eyes roving
the room suspiciously and she snorted ironically to herself. She could dress
him up and make him appear as a gentleman, but she certainly could not conceal
the soldier in him. He actually appeared ill at ease, and she would learn later
that it was because he felt positively naked without his armor.

     John and Ralph and their group of shady
characters arrived late, as usual, and the prince made a grand occasion out of his
first dance. He acted as a child in a sweet shop, pretending to be very
selective with the women he would dance with. His gaze fell on Dustin and he
smiled, but one glimpse of Christopher’s face sent him on his way. Christopher
watched him like a hawk as he made a move for a lovely brunette on the opposite
side of the room.

     There was something remotely familiar about
the woman as the music commenced and the dancing began, but he did not
recognize her until John swung her by his table. Then, realization dawned.

     “Isn’t that Amanda?” David leaned next to
him, casually nursing a large goblet of wine.

     “Aye,” Christopher said faintly, watching
John swing the woman about.

     “Jesus, I'd nearly forgotten about her,”
David replied. “I didn’t even know she was here.”

     Christopher didn't answer, averting his
gaze to another part of the room. David wandered back over to Marcus, who
happened to have heard the exchange.

     “Who's that woman?” he asked David.

     David took a healthy swig of wine. “The one
dancing with John? Her name is Lady Amanda de Fortlage. Her father is the Earl
of Chaumont.”

     Marcus nodded, “I know who she is. I meant
what is she to Christopher? He seems disturbed to see her.”

     David glanced over his shoulder to make
sure Dustin wasn't listening. “She and my brother were… well, involved once.
But her father heartily disapproved of Chris. I think she was the only woman he
ever felt anything for, other than Dustin.”

     Marcus raised a black eyebrow, looking more
closely at the dark-haired woman. “Was he in love with her?”

     “Hell no,” David snorted. “He said she was
good company, and good in bed, but that was about all.”

     Marcus nodded slowly, mildly surprised at
the information. He usually heard all of the rumors, and he hadn't heard that
one.

     “Did he want to marry her?” he asked.

     David did chuckle, then. “Not a chance. He
only married Dustin because Richard forced him to. Chris did not want to marry
anyone.”

     Marcus let the subject go, but he kept
glancing with interest to the pretty woman as she danced with the prince. When
the dance was over, she returned to her friends along the opposite wall, but
not before she had caught sight of Christopher.

     He knew she had seen him and he was
actually nervous. He didn’t want Dustin knowing of his past relationship with
Amanda, but he knew she would approach him eventually. He tried to brace
himself for the encounter.

     Dustin was blissfully oblivious to the
conflict in her husband’s mind. She and Deborah were talking up a storm, joined
eventually by Baron Sedgewick's wife, the Lady Anne. She was a vivacious,
petite woman and Dustin enjoyed her tremendously. The group was rounded out by
Lord Hampton’s two daughters, Emilie and Nathalie, who had become fast friends
with Dustin after learning she had punched their father at the tournament. The
party complete and chattering away, it sounded to the men like a conference of
magpies.

     Actually, David thought Emilie Hampton to
be quite fetching. She was a very pretty girl with blond hair and brown eyes,
the same age as his sister. He kept eyeing her, smiling coyly and turning away
when she would fix her gaze on him. Dustin caught on to the game early on and
goaded Emilie endlessly.

     Christopher knew of the game, too, but was
more preoccupied with keeping Amanda at a safe distance. He was afraid the
woman might say something, however inadvertent, and send Dustin into a frenzy.

     He could see Amanda across the room,
talking with her friends. She was more lovely than he had remembered, although
she could not compare to Dustin. No woman could. Indeed, he had been very fond
of Amanda, of her wit and intelligence, and she had been a veritable wild woman
in the bedchamber, but his interest had been limited. He knew she had fallen in
love with him and had pleaded with her father to accept Christopher, but much
to his relief, her father wanted nothing to do with the lowly knight. It had
saved Christopher from having to tell Amanda he did not want to marry her, and
they had parted amiably.

     Undoubtedly she had heard that Christopher
was married and he was curious as to what her reaction would be. Would she be
bitter? Happy for him? He wondered, for Amanda was the only woman other than
his wife that he had truly liked as a person. She had a good heart, although
she could be catty, and would make some man an excellent wife someday.

     A pretty ballad started and the women all
bound to their feet, all except Dustin. She looked confused as the ladles
around her insisted she rise and dance with them.

     “Dance?” Dustin sputtered. “But….but I
haven't danced in ages. I do not remember how.”

     “This is a woman's dance, Dustin,” Anne
said, taking her arm. “Just follow what we do and I promise you shall love it.”

     Christopher stood up, the first time all
evening, and eyed the women sternly as they attempted to persuade his wife to
retreat with them to the dance floor.

     “I have forbidden her to dance, ladies,” he
said firmly.

     Deborah looked up at him. “But why, Chris?
There is no harm in dancing.”

     He sighed, looking his wife in the eye.
They would all know eventually, anyway, and he saw no harm in revealing their
joyous news. “Because she is with child and I do not want her to exhaust
herself.”

     That bit of information sent the women into
cries of congratulation and happy kisses, but it did not deter their determination
that Dustin should dance. They tugged her free of the table only to run
head-long into Christopher's huge body as he blocked their way.

     “Surely, sire, your wife must dance this
dance.” Natalie Hampton said. “’Tis an ancient fertility dance.”

     The women giggled and Christopher crossed
his arms sternly, yet there was a faint smirk on his face. “I know what the
dance is, my lady, I have seen it many a time. I simply do not want my wife to
tire.”

     “This dance will not tire her, my lord,”
Anne Sedgewick said. “’Tis slow and beautiful. Surely you do not intend to
forbid Dustin from any sort of activity until the child is born. She will not
break.”

     Where had he heard that before? He raised a
disapproving eyebrow and looked at Dustin’s smiling face. He could see that she
wanted to go with them. “Very well, then. But no jumping or cavorting about.”

     “Cavorting about?” Dustin repeated. “Why do
you always say that as if I jump from table to table? I have never cavorted
about.”

     He grunted at her and moved out of the way,
allowing the women to pass. His knights stood about, watching the ladies and
grinning. Especially David. He smiled broadly at Emilie as she brushed past
him.

     “Cannot I dance, too?” he asked her.

     She turned her pert nose up in the air. “Nay,
sire, 'tis a woman’s dance.”

     “But I want to dance with a woman,” he
persisted.

     She shot him a blatantly flirtatious look.
“Then you should have asked sooner.”

     The knights laughed at David's expense as
the women took to the huge parquet floor. Even Christopher laughed until he saw
that Dustin took up a position two spaces away from none other than Lady
Amanda.

     His smile faded as the possibilities rolled
through his head, so lost in thought that he failed to notice Baron Sedgewick
approach.

     “Greetings, Defender,” Sedgewick said. “I
hardly expected to see you and your men here after the grueling day you put
in.”

     Christopher looked down at the baron, he
was nearly fifteen years older than himself, compact and well built, a very
companionable and distinguished man. Christopher respected him a great deal,
not only because he had fought with his father, Myles de Lohr, but because he
continued to fight even in his advanced age.

     “'Twas a mere training session, Miles,” he
said. “Besides, my wife would not take 'no' for an answer. And speaking of
wives, do you know your wife is most pushy?”

     “Aye, I do,” Sedgewick nodded confidently.
“She is that and more, Chris, although I will respect the privacy of marriage
and not delve into details. Suffice it to say that I am well aware of her
aggressive nature.”

     Christopher grinned, watching the ladles as
they tried to teach Dustin the moves to the dance. “Then it would seem we have
something in common - stubborn wives.”

     Miles snickered.  “You should see our
daughters. Both of them, just like her. God help me.”

     Christopher nodded. “I find myself with the
very same prospect. Only today have I been told I am to be a father.”

     Miles congratulated him heartily. “Pray for
a son, boy. The women folk already threaten to outnumber us.”

     They stood and small-talked through the
entire dance, watching the women laugh and trip over each other as they tried
to teach Dustin the dance. She wasn't particularly graceful and was glad when
the music finished, although she had enjoyed herself tremendously.

     “I told you I could not dance.” Dustin said
as she attached herself to her husband.

     Anne fell against Miles, kissing his cheek.
“You did fine, Dustin. Now tell me, my lord, does your wife look tired?”

     Christopher gazed down at Dustin’s smiling
face. “Nay, but I know she is. Sit down and I shall get you something to drink,
sweetheart.”

     Miles put his arm around his wife. “Well,
then, I will excuse myself and my pushy wife. We have our own guests to
attend.”

     Dustin waved at Anne and took a seat.
Deborah and Natalie were in the process of giggling as David paid attention to
Emilie, but Dustin's eyes followed her husband as he crossed the room. He was
so tall and broad and powerful and she realized then and there that she had
never been happier in her life.

     Marcus watched Dustin as her eyes followed
Christopher, and his jealousy was getting the better of him. What he wouldn't
give if she would only look at him the same way. But now, with the baby, it
would seem that Christopher and she were fused together permanently, and he
felt a sad sense of hopelessness.