The Border Hostage (16 page)

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After Raven slammed the door, she admitted to herself that the wine on an empty stomach had gone straight to her head. She ate a little food, hoping to diminish her dizziness, and thought about her failed attempt to free Christopher. Try as she might, she could not deny that he had acted cowardly to use her as a shield. She laid the blame at Heath Kennedy's feet, of course, where it belonged. He held the master hand over poor Chris Dacre, whose only weapon was empty threats of revenge. Raven was beset with frustration. She had tried to use her power to help Christopher, but the Borderer's power was far more potent than hers.

She undressed, donned one of the pretty nightgowns that Ada had brought, and slipped into the wide bed, glad that the wine would make her sleep. An hour later Raven did not know if she was dreaming or if she was awake, but she did know that she was not alone in the bed. She turned her head on the pillow and looked straight into Heath's dark eyes.

“You will learn to do my bidding, Raven.” He spoke softly, mesmerizing her with his words. “I will train you to my hand.” He reached out and touched her, stroked her, smoothing his hands over her bare shoulders, combing his fingers through the black curls that lay upon her breast. Then he moved away to the far side of the bed and waited with infinite patience.

She saw that he held her knife in his hand, and it was a potent lure. Slowly, inexorably, she moved toward him until their bodies touched. He had an irresistible power that she could not fight, did not even wish to fight.

“Tell me what you want, Raven.”

“I want to drive you to your knees.”

“That is exactly the position I crave!”

In a heartbeat, she was between his powerful thighs. He knelt above her, naked, and lowered the blade to her breast. She was not afraid of the man who straddled her; Heath would never harm her. With tantalizing slowness
he slid the point of the dagger into the fabric of her nightgown and slit it from her body. She shivered with delicious anticipation, waiting for the moment when she would be completely naked and he would cover her body with his.

“First, you must pledge to me, Raven.” He took her knife and made a cut on his thumb. Then he took her finger and pricked it with the dagger's point. “Merge your blood with mine.”

They pressed their hands together so that their blood mingled. Then their mouths fused and they unleashed the fierce desire that had been mounting since the first moment they had encountered each other and their destinies were joined.

Raven's eyes flew open. She turned her head on the pillow expecting to see Heath Kennedy beside her, but she was alone. That was impossible; she could still feel the heat of his firm flesh on her skin and feel her lips swollen from his passionate kisses. Somehow he had enchanted her, cast a spell upon her. He had come to her bed and taken her into his power!

Raven jumped from the bed and ran into the adjoining chamber. She blinked with disbelief, for there on the narrow cot lay Heath Kennedy in a sound sleep. He had flung off the covers and lay naked, but there was no doubt that he was fast in the arms of Morpheus. She looked down at her own body and found it still clad in the nightgown without any knife slits whatsoever. Slowly she realized it must all have been a dream. She cast a guilty look at his lithe, well-muscled body and felt her cheeks suffuse with a blush. God's passion, what if he opened his eyes and found her there, hovering at his bedside?

She crept back into her room and stood before the fire to warm herself. She had never experienced a dream so real in her life. She turned to the bed, and there upon the pillow lay her black-handled dagger. Raven lifted her finger, and by the glow of the fire, she saw the cut upon it. Her heart began to hammer, then she remembered she had
deliberately made the cut herself, during the ritual she performed with her grandmother. She told herself that she was being fanciful, but somehow she was not convinced. This was the second time he had come to her in a dream. Last time he had stolen the raven's feather from beneath her pillow as a forfeit; this time he was determined to steal her heart.

R
aven stayed in her room for most of the next day. When she finally emerged into the adjoining chamber, she was relieved to find it empty. She decided that for her own peace of mind she would avoid Heath Kennedy at all costs and make sure they were never alone together. She went to the mews to feed her falcons, but since they did not need flying every day, she did not take them to the meadow. Instead, she returned to the castle and sought the company of Valentina. She found her reclining against the cushions of the window seat in the solar, writing letters. The babies lay in their cradles at her feet, while the young maids rocked them and sang to them.

“Raven, come and join the family circle. Heath tells me you train hunting birds. I find it interesting that Heath's passion is horses and yours is falcons. I saw the two of you yesterday, from my windows. When you ride together, it is easy to see that you both share a great love of nature.”

“Your brother is holding me captive against my will,”
Raven said quietly. “He permits me to fly my hawks only in his presence.”

Tina stroked her chin with the feather quill as she studied Raven. “Between a man and a woman, it is difficult to know who is the captive and who is the captor. Their roles change back and forth, in my experience. A clever woman can always gain the upper hand, then hold it by wearing a velvet glove.”

“You make it sound like a game.”

“Between a man and a woman, it is always a game. You have been playing two men against each other. I have only just learned that one of them is a Dacre. You must know that Heath will do everything in his power to save you from such a fate.”

The families were old enemies, a classic case of Scots against English, and Raven realized she could say nothing to change Valentina's mind. It also was plain that Tina would not take her side against her brother Heath's. Raven felt a pang of guilt for trying to involve Tina in her problem. The new mother had enough on her plate at the moment. “I cannot fault you for being loyal to your brother.”

“Heath and I are very close. He always accepted my willful, reckless behavior. I suppose it's because our temperaments are similar, completely unlike our other siblings'. I am writing to my brother Donal and his wife, Meggan, to give them the news about the twins. He's a dear soul, and I love him, but he is such a simple, uncomplicated man with no passion in his blood. He is quite content to live quietly on his land and graze thousands of sheep. He has no ambition, yet someday he will be Lord of Galloway.”

“And your other brother?”

“Duncan. He helps my father run the merchant shipping business. They export Kennedy wool to Flanders. He used to be good-natured, but he turned bitter after Flodden. He's quite avaricious; thinks everyone is out to cheat him,
especially women. That's why he's still unmarried. He is fully convinced that he should have been the heir, rather than Donal.”

Raven could not help liking Valentina. She was so frank and honest. Before she was married, she had been known as Flaming Tina Kennedy, but that hadn't hindered her in making a powerful marriage. She had radiant beauty, but she also had great magnetism, and something else, which Raven realized was the sexuality her grandmother had spoken about. She had the power to hold any man in the palm of her hand and enslave him. Raven gazed at the lake outside the window, wishing she could acquire the same confidence as Valentina. A movement on the water caught her eye. “Oh, you have swans. How beautiful they are!”

“You know all about birds. What can I do to make them stay?”

Raven remembered a trick her grandmother had taught her. “You must put grain out for them. Then get a rope with a bell on it and hang it from this window. When you throw out the grain every day, you ring the bell, and the swans will learn to come for it.”

“Does it really work? It sounds like a magic trick!”

“No, it is training. Most birds can be trained.”

“Oh, we must try it. Ada, do go and get one of the stewards to get us a rope and a brass bell.” As soon as Ada departed, Tina said, “Raven, will you teach me how to fly a hawk? I must get back in the saddle if I am to regain my slim figure.”

“Don't you think it's too soon?”

“Oh, now you sound like Ada. I am determined.”

Though Raven didn't believe she would be at Eskdale much longer, she nodded. “Whenever you feel up to it.”

Ada arrived with the steward, who fastened the bell to the rope and lowered it from the window, as she instructed him to do. Then Tina scattered the grain he had brought while Ada rang the bell. As Raven watched, it was
brought home to her that here was another woman who had great power over men. The steward would have gladly lowered
himself
into the water, to please Ada.

Ram Douglas arrived on the scene and listened with amusement as Valentina explained what they were up to. “I came tae see if ye would grace the hall with yer presence tonight. Everyone is clamoring fer a glimpse of the famous Douglas twins.”

“I shall be delighted. Will you carry their cradles down to the hall for me?” When Ram immediately lifted one, Tina began to laugh. “No, no, I must feed them first, unless you want everyone in the hall to glimpse the other famous Douglas twins.”

The reference to her breasts brought a smile to everyone's lips, including her husband's, and Raven saw the look of intimate adoration on his face that told everyone he was deeply in love.

“Darling, I've written letters to my family, telling them about our amazing blessed event. There's one for Donal and Meggie, one for Father, and a third for Mother and Beth in Carlisle. I want them to have the news right away so they won't be worried.”

Ram kissed her hand that held out the letters. “I will see that they are dispatched immediately, my honey love.”

Raven avidly watched the interplay between the lovers. He granted Tina's every request as if she were a goddess, and if he didn't have a swift messenger available, looked ready to call upon the god Mercury to do her bidding!

Raven thought about her own family and was vastly relieved that they would not be worried about her, at least not yet. Her mother believed she was staying with her grandmother, who in turn thought she was at Bewcastle. She hoped they would never learn the truth, and prayed that Lord Dacre would ransom them soon. She had no idea how long it would take, and resolved to confront Heath Kennedy tonight and demand some answers. She had been patient long enough.

*  *  *

The hall was lit with a hundred torches. It was the first time Raven had dined there, and she found it fascinating. Valentina and the two cradles holding her babies were elevated upon a dais displayed like treasure. The hall was filled to capacity by the men and women who served Douglas. Some of the moss-troopers were married, some were handfast, others completely unshackled, but every male had a female companion by his side. Most belonged to Clan Douglas and were connected by bonds of blood, marriage, or loyalty. All took great pride in the fact that Lord and Lady Douglas had produced twins.

Mr. Burque, the French chef, presented the dishes he had prepared to Lady Douglas for her admiration. He made a great show of serving Valentina first, then Lord Douglas. When they enthusiastically nodded their approval, Burque clapped his hands and the servitors carried similar dishes to the other tables.

Raven's glance traveled around the hall searching for Heath Kennedy. She had successfully avoided him all day, but fully expected that he would dine in the hall tonight. Where was he? She was eager for the confrontation, but now the exasperating devil was nowhere in sight and seemed to be deliberately avoiding her! It occurred to her that now would be a good time to search his chamber. Perhaps she would find notes about the ransom demand, or even the key to Christopher's tower room, if her power was strong tonight.

Raven waited until all the toasts to Valentina's health had been offered and acknowledged. Then when everyone formed a long line to visit the dais and view the celebrated babies in their carved cradles, she slipped from the hall.

Upstairs in her own chamber the fire blazed cheerfully, and she used it to light all the candles in both rooms. As she moved toward the table beside his narrow bed, she drew in a swift breath. She picked up the black raven's
feather with fingers that suddenly trembled. She dropped it quickly, scolding herself for being ridiculous. Anyone could have a black feather. It meant nothing.

She opened a drawer in the table and was amazed to find that it held tarot cards and a peculiarly shaped stone. Though she had never seen one before, Raven immediately knew what it was. Its phallic shape proclaimed it a god stone. Here was proof that Heath Kennedy practiced the Craft, and Raven's worst suspicions were confirmed. The dark devil
did
have the power!

She was careful not to touch anything. He must not know that she knew his secrets. Raven moved to the wardrobe and began to search the pockets of his clothes, looking for the key. The scent of his garments stole to her as she touched them. The masculine smell of leather was mixed with something else, something exotic like sandalwood that stirred her senses.

“Is this what you are looking for?”

Raven whirled around, angry that she had been caught, furious that he could move with such silent stealth, and incensed that he was dangling the key from his fingers. “I am looking for
answers!
I absolutely refuse to be kept in the dark from now on. I demand to know how much longer this will take. No evasions! I want you to be straight with me, Heath Kennedy.”

“Ask your questions, Raven. I will tell you anything you wish to know. Come and sit down.”

She took the chair because her knees felt like wet linen. He sat down in the chair facing her and waited for her questions. She took a deep breath to calm herself, wondering where to begin. “I know nothing about holding someone for ransom. What are the steps involved? How long does it take? What happens if the ransom is not paid? I am racked with worry for Chris Dacre's safety.”