Surrender (43 page)

"What the Hades are ye doing here, Elspeth?
Ye disappeared years ago, so why did ye bother to come back now? We
even found a body with yer clothing clinging to it."

She pursed her lips and wet them, trying to
entice him. He didn't fall for it, but she had a radiant smile on
her face as if he'd actually said he'd loved her!

"Did ye cry for me, love?"

"I cried for the woman who I thought loved
me. I cried believing ye had died a fearful death! But after
talking to yer father today, ye are no longer the woman I once knew
and loved."

She reached up and locked her hands behind
his head. When had she become so strong? She rose on her toes and
started to kiss him as though she was ravenous. He tried to lift
his head, but each time he did, she forced it back to her lips,
grinding her mouth against his until he tasted blood on his
teeth.

Finally, she stopped and smiled at the
stairway. He glanced up and saw Elyne's stiff back disappearing as
she led Ysabel up to her bridal bedchamber. Fury built in him for
Elspeth pretended she was his lover to make Elyne suffer. He
grabbed hold of the woman's shoulder and shoved her into the
hallway.

"Ye little bitch! Ye were Feradoch's lover
all those years when I worried about ye. Now he's dead, ye think to
fool yer father and me into thinking ye were helpless!"

"Oh, but I was. Feradoch was such a powerful
lover. I truly was helpless to leave him. Where ye were soft and
reluctant, he was strong and forceful. He satisfied me in every way
possible. Yer wife looks more your squire than a woman. If ye'd
like, I will teach ye ways to pleasure yer gawky wife so she'd
appear feminine to ye?"

"Gawky? Squire? She is a hundred times more
the woman than ye. If ye dinna leave within a sennight, I will
force ye to marry the most warty, ugliest warrior in Clibrick's
army!"

He shouted so loud he feared the guests in
the great hall would hear him.

"I don't think so," she said silkily. "Ye'd
best look to yer own. I heard about her sleep walking. Maybe she's
looking for a real man to pleasure her?"

"Stay away from her and from me. I want ye
gone from this castle!"

Graemme turned and near fled her hateful
presence. His hands kept clenching and unclenching, longing to have
her tiny neck within them.

He shuddered thinking she had been Feradoch's
leman all those years while he had mourned for her.

For the first time, he felt no remorse. He
was truly glad Feradoch was dead.

He went back into the great hall in time to
escort Colyne up to his bride. He tried to calm his breathing, but
he knew from the tenseness in his neck that his face was red. The
men looked at him and shook their heads. Did they, too, think he
had swived the bitch?

He pasted a smile on his face when he went up
to bang on the door. 'Twas his place to bring the groom to his
bride.

"Yer husband is ready and eager, Ysabel! If
ye make him wait, he will split at the seams!"

The door swung open and the men burst into
the room, pushed from those behind.

The bride looked as beautiful as any bride
could. Her long wheat-colored hair curled around her shoulders and
down across her breasts, hiding them beneath the thin smock she
wore. He felt Elyne's eyes scorching his skin. She was far past
angry. She was as furious as any woman could be. The others might
not see it. But he knew. He could feel it radiate from her.

"Back yerselves out and return to the hall,"
Grunda said in her loudest voice, "or do ye want me to shrivel yer
tarses to the size of a newborn?"

She flicked her hands at them as she came.
They felt her force against them as surely as an army of shields.
They near fell over their feet backing out of the room.

She held Graemme with her eyes. "Ye are a
blind fool. Dinna try to explain this night. Wait until she sleeps
afore ye come to yer room."

Graemme nodded, inwardly glad to put off
having to explain to Elyne what had happened.

He doubted she would believe him!

"Let me brew ye a draught to help yer sleep,"
Grunda asked Elyne.

"Nay. I will sleep well enough. If Graemme's
brain is as wise as a hare's, he will stay away from me this night.
Ada will help me undress. Seek yer own bed."

Elyne reached out and hugged the old woman
who looked so tired and worn.

"Ye will do nothing foolish if he
appears?"

"Foolish? Like cutting his ballocks off to
send to Father?" She shook her head. "Nay, too bloody. I'll do
nothing so drastic. He will be safe enough."

Elyne kept her face still and tried to appear
serene. When Grunda went through the doorway, Squat squeezed past
her and came scurrying into the room. He must have escaped from
Gille, who had taken such a liking for the little dog.

Jumping up on the bed, his beady eyes looked
at Elyne, studying her. He turned his head to right, listened for a
bit then flipped it over to the other.

"Dinna try to figure me out, Squat. Ye are a
male. Ye would need to be a bitch to understand."

"Sometimes I think the dog does understand
everything," Ada said as she untied the ribbons on the sides of
Elyne's red kirtle.

Once Elyne had her night smock on, she didn't
get into bed. Ada stood there holding the blankets and sheet up for
her to slide between, but Elyne lowered her hand. She went over and
opened her clothing chest. She picked up a sheathed knife off the
top wooden tray and brought it over. Ada gasped.

"Ye told Grunda ye wouldna do anything
foolish!"

"I'm not. I want ye to help me. Remember when
ye first saw Muriele's hair after it was cut?"

"Aye." She eyed her suspiciously.

"Help me, then."

Elyne walked over to the polished steel
hanging over the wash basin. She grabbed a handful of hair at her
shoulders and cut through it before Ada realized what she wanted.
The poor girl gasped and backed away.

"By the Saints! What have ye done? Yer
beautiful hair!"

"Looks terrible, doesn't it?" Elyne studied
herself in the mirror. "Well, now, the only thing we can do is cut
it the same length. Ye are better at trimming the men's hair than I
am. This should be simple for ye."

She turned the handle toward Ada and waited
until her friend's trembling hand accepted it. As she cut each
hank, Elyne took it in her fist with the first one. Finally, she
had to hold it with both hands.

"There are some ribbons on the tray. What do
ye think? All in one bundle or two?"

Ada swallowed. "Two. It will be easier to
tie."

It took longer than Elyne expected to tie the
curly hair into two bundles. Lifting Graemme's pillow, she
fashioned each bundle into a ring then replaced the pillow. Every
footstep she heard, she prayed it wasn't Graemme.

Her head felt lighter. She stood back and
fluffed it after Ada finished trimming. Freed of its length, it
curled and bounced as she walked. One curl fell over her right eye.
She stuck out her lower lip and blew at it, lifting it away.

"'Tis a trick I learned from Muriele," she
said then grinned.

After they'd picked up the stray pieces and
threw them out the window, the room looked normal again.

"Thank, ye, Ada. Ye are a good friend. Dinna
tell Graemme ye helped me. Go to yer lover now and relax for the
night." She leaned over and hugged her friend.

After she climbed into bed, she realized how
tired she was. Anger had drained her energy. It had also drained
all other feelings from her, too. After the door closed, she yawned
and was asleep.

When Graemme entered the bedchamber, he
placed his feet carefully and dropped his clothing as he made his
way to the bed. He was already snoring by the time his head hit the
pillow.

Graemme slept on his stomach, his face
pressed against the end of his pillow. His nose twitched and
disturbed his sleep enough to half awake him. When he tried to
brush a hand over his nose, he realized he gripped heather scented
hair in his right hand. Burying his face in it caused his sex to
stir.

He tamped the feeling down, for if she was as
angry now as she had been in Ysabel's room, she'd probably stop him
with a whack to his nose. Instead, he gathered her hair and rubbed
his face in it. Her hair had grown lately, from the feel of its
abundance. Frowning, he rose up and squinted, trying to see her. If
he pulled the hair too close, it would wake her.

Blinking, he could swear she was an arm's
length away, close to the edge of the massive bed. Too much wine
last night must have caused his eyes to misjudge the distance. But
why did he not see the trail of hair between them. He got up on his
knees and bent down, the better to see the handfuls of hair. His
eyes cleared when he saw they led back to his pillow.

Graemme flipped the pillow onto the
floor.

His bellow of rage was loud enough to wake
the creatures of the night.

"Cursed Lucifer's…Satan's black…!"

His voice spluttered as he stared at the two
bundles of dark, curly hair. Light from the fireplace flickered,
showing the hair's fiery auburn lights. He threw the offending
locks in her face.

He spluttered even more, trying to find words
to satisfy his anger.

"Satan's windy arse!"

His screamed words echoed off the walls so
loudly footsteps raced toward their room and swords struck the
walls as men ran to battle whoever was attacking Graemme.

He leapt across the bed and locked Elyne
between his legs. She shook her head, sending the hair beside her
on the pillow. Her brown eyes flashed fury up at him.

"Blessed Saints, Graemme, what have ye done!"
Chief Angus yelled.

"Dinna tell me ye cut her lovely hair in
spite," Colyne said.

"Why, he's trying to strangle her with it,"
Ysabel cried out as she ran and leapt onto Graemme's back.

Grunda quietly walked up to the bed and pried
Ysabel off him.

"Nay, he isna trying to strangle her. 'Tis
his own fault. Did Elyne not forewarn ye what she would do if ye
wavered in yer marriage vows?"

She turned to Chief Angus and ordered him as
if she was in charge of Clibrick.

"Send everyone back to their beds. This is a
matter to be solved between these two alone."

Elyne was as angry as she had ever been. Here
she was with all these naked people in her room staring at her as
if she had four legs. Or were the women staring at Graemme's
handsome arse? His blond leman was taking her time looking him
over. Elyne didn't miss the passion which flared on Elspeth's face
when Graemme's nested sex appeared as he rose on his left knee and
swung his right leg off her. Elyne could finally take a full
breath.

Elspeth licked her lips when Graemme snarled
on spotting her. His expression was murderous, yet the woman became
even more excited.

Well piss and shite! The bitch was nekid,
too! Her nipples hardened as she kept her eyes on the joining of
Graemme's legs.

"Get out of here, ye slut, else I'll push
this fool off the bed and skewer ye instead!" Elyne pulled out a
dagger from beneath her pillow as she struggled to get out of
bed.

When Elspeth turned and swayed her beautiful,
bare buttocks as she left the room, her tinkling laughter of
triumph trailed her.

"Fool. I once told ye to take heed of two who
say they love ye, for one is yer worst enemy. Did ye pick the wrong
one to believe?" Grunda's gravelly voice asked.

She turned her eyes on the people still in
the room and they scurried to leave afore she could lay a curse
upon them.

The old woman shook her head and left once
Elyne and Graemme were alone.

"I canna believe ye'd cut yer beautiful hair
to spite me! Why did ye do such a sheep-witted thing?"

Elyne sat up in the bed and brushed the shorn
hair from her lap.

"Why? Ye ask me why when ye near crawled into
the mouth of that blond devil's spawn? In front of my very eyes and
everyone in the hall? I saw the way ye watched her. Yer thoughts
were clear enough for everyone to read."

"Whatever ye saw in my eyes, it wasna lust! I
have not swived the girl, nor will I ever."

Graemme advanced on her, his lips thin, his
dark eyes black with rage. His hands balled into fists then opened,
again and again. Never had he been so enraged at a woman.

She didn't even cringe, but sat there with
sparks flashing from her eyes.

"I told ye I would beat ye if ever ye took a
knife to yer hair!"

"And I told ye I wouldna share any part of
ye."

"I just told ye I didn't swive the girl!"

"Maybe not. But ye sure as Hades wanted to.
Half the people in the hall expected ye to throw her on the banquet
table! They saw the blood on yer lips from yer passion, ye horse's
arse!"

Elyne rose to her knees and gripped her
dagger in front of her. Firmly.

Graemme had never violently beaten a woman.
He'd thought the threat would be enough to make Elyne obey him. He
should have known she wouldn't pay heed to his words.

To keep himself from doing something
despicable he'd regret for the rest of his life, he gathered his
clothing from where he'd dropped them in his drunken stupor and
dressed quickly. He avoided even going close to the bed and made a
wide detour to collect his sword and weapons.

"Where are ye going?"

"I'll sleep elsewhere until ye come to yer
senses."

"Dinna forget to take yer present with
ye!"

Two soft objects hit his back, one after the
other, and then slithered to the floor. 'Twas her beautiful locks.
He looked over his shoulder to glare at her.

"There is nay talking to ye when ye're dafty
as a half-plucked fowl!

He made his exit in the nick of time. No
sooner had he closed the door than a hard object hit the inside
panel. Whether the pitcher or the basin, the door would have a
good-sized gash in the wood.