Vow of Seduction (27 page)

Alex kept him talking, hoping to discover a way to break free, but the situation looked hopeless. “Whether my sister was responsible or not, your cousin died two years ago.” Alex glanced at Kat uneasily. “That does not explain why you hired Sir Hugo Krieger to attack me in the Holy Land.” At Sir Stephen’s surprised look, Alex continued. “Aye. The king has Scarface in custody at the Tower. The mercenary admitted to me just this day that you hired him to capture me and sell me to the Mamluks. The king has ordered your arrest and even now his men are searching for you.”

Sir Stephen smiled, his expression smug. “You’re bluffing. Your wife tried the same trick on me. But she could not possibly know Sir Hugo confessed if he just admitted it to you. I think you both lie.”

Surprised at this revelation, Alex glanced at Kat. She held his gaze steadily. Suddenly her recent mood shift made sense. Somehow she had learned about Scarface. That Alex had been lying to her for some while.

But Alex had no time to continue speculating. “Yet I notice you do not deny you hired Scarface. I have yet to understand why, though. What motive could make you do such a thing?”

Sir Stephen laughed gleefully. “Exactly. It’s brilliant. No one will suspect me of your demise. For what reason could I wish you dead?”

Surprisingly, it was Kat who enlightened Alex. Her gaze meeting his confused one, she explained. “He has an accomplice.”

Of course, Alex thought. He should have realized it sooner, but he had been completely absorbed in discovering a way to escape Stephen’s deadly trap.

“Lady Lydia,” Alex breathed the words.

He glanced at Kat again. “When I returned to the palace looking for you, I ran into Lady Lydia. She said she overheard you and Sir Luc making plans to meet at the hunting lodge. I didn’t believe her at first, but—” Alex shook is head with regret. “Obviously it was a trick and she has been behind the attacks all along.”

She gave him an enigmatic smile, though slightly strained. “Indeed.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned
.”

Sir Stephen stopped laughing and turned to Kat. “How did you discover my involvement with Lady Lydia?”

Alex was curious to know that question, too.

Though Sir Stephen asked the question, Kat did not move her gaze from Alex. “Sir Luc,” she replied, her lips down turned in a bitter smile, “confessed to me that he had intended to marry me under false pretenses. Luc said Lydia concocted the whole scheme to revenge herself on you and me because she hated you for refusing to marry her.”

Alex dug his fingers into the chair’s armrests. “But why would Luc agree to such a plan? I thought he despised his stepmother.”

A bark of bitter laughter burst from her lips. “Just the opposite. Luc was in love with her and she convinced him that if he did this for her, they could finally be together. With Luc’s revelation, I realized Lydia was the missing link that connected Scarface’s first attack on you before we were married, and your captivity in Syria. ’Twas a simple matter of deduction that she manipulated Sir Stephen, too.” Kat’s gaze moved to Stephen. “What I do not know is why you agreed to the plot.”

Alex stared at his clever wife in amazement.

Could it be so simple? he wondered. Looking back it made so much sense. As Kat mentioned, it explained the mercenary’s first attack on him the day of his betrothal to Kat. Lady Lydia must have put the plot into motion after Alex refused to marry her. When the first attempt failed, she bided her time and waited for another opportunity.

A loud crash splintered the silence. Stephen had kicked the bucket across the room and it now lay smashed on the rush-covered floor, his face twisted in evil menace. “Lady Lydia was not using me. No one uses me. Sir Luc was
my
pawn.”

Kat turned her gaze on Sir Stephen, her voice mocking. “Lydia enjoys manipulating men. If you think back I think you will agree.
You
and Sir Luc were her pawns. And I would guess there is no evidence to tie her to any crime. Am I right, Sir Stephen?”

Hate distorted the blond man’s features. “Goddamn deceiving bitch. It was my cousin Bertram. Lydia and he were lovers. At her behest, he hired a mercenary to get rid of you. But Bertram sent me to the Continent to hire him. So there is no evidence that can point to Lydia as the instigator.”

Stephen grew more agitated, murmuring under his breath as he paced before the bed. Alex, needing to keep him talking, but unwilling to provoke him, spoke in a neutral tone. “Then I unexpectedly returned from the dead.”

Sir Stephen spun around and snarled, “You should have died in prison!” He grabbed Alex by the throat and squeezed, cutting off his air passage. Alex choked, his face reddening as he tried to inhale air into his lungs. Spots danced before his eyes, his body jerking with the force to breathe. He heard Kat scream, then the pressure lessened and Stephen stepped back. “But it would seem you are a hard man to kill.”

Alex sucked in deep breaths of precious air. The man’s emotional imbalance, shifting from rage to satisfaction in the blink of an eye disturbed Alex. At any moment his rage could push him over the edge of madness. He needed to keep Sir Stephen calm, distracted.

“And when I returned?” Alex choked out, his throat scratchy.

Stephen’s gaze glittered black with hatred. “I decided to take matters into my own hands when you returned. Originally I hired the mercenary at Bertram and Lydia’s behest, but now I want revenge for his murder. When Lady Lydia arrived at court, together we began to plot your demise.” He turned and stared at Kat slyly. “’Twas Lydia who arranged today’s roadside attack on you. You and Luc fell neatly into her trap.” Stephen sneered, his maniacal laugh grating.

Alex swung his gaze to his wife. Kat was attacked today? Upon closer inspection, he noticed the bruising on her cheek and lip. In the shadowed canopy bed it was unnoticeable at first. Fury welled up inside him. His fists clenched, he strained against his bonds.

Kat gazed at Sir Stephen in contempt. “I was not the only one Lydia manipulated. You had no idea Lydia and Luc were lovers. That she plotted behind your back with him.”

“Nay. The bitch lied to me. Nor did Sir Luc seek to enlighten me, either.”

Alex jerked in surprise. “Do you mean that Sir Luc was involved with your plot, too?”

“Aye.” The blond man smiled in evil satisfaction. “I approached Sir Luc after you returned to England. I realized I could use him to stir up trouble between you and your wife. You see, he thought my goal was to destroy your marriage.” Then he frowned, remembering Luc’s ulterior motive. “But at the time I thought he was doing it to win Lady Katherine, not Lydia.”

Alex shifted in his chair. The ropes binding his wrists, which he had been working to loosen while distracting Sir Stephen, slackened a little. On the bed he heard Kat moving about quietly and wondered what she was about. But he dared not look her way.

“So you used Sir Luc to cause trouble between Kat and me. Was Luc involved in the plot to kill me? Did he have aught to do with the arrow attack in the woods, or the bear attack at the faire?”

Cruel satisfaction gleamed in Stephen’s eyes. “Nay. The fool. He had no idea I had anything to do with your captivity, or my attempts to kill you. He is a weak man and I could not trust him with all my plans. And obviously I was right because he could not even keep his mouth shut about his association with Lady Lydia.” Stephen glowered at Kat. “But enough of this,” he said, slashing his hand in the air.

Panic assailed Alex. His hands were still bound and he had yet to form a plan to escape and save Kat. “Wait. You said revenge was only one motive. What other reason could you possibly have to want me dead?”

Stephen grinned. “Land and power, of course. With you dead and your father another victim of a freak accident, I’m sure then King Edward will give me wardship of my nephew. Young children are so vulnerable, what with illnesses and accidents. A shame, really.”

“Never. I shall see you dead,” Alex swore.

Sir Stephen, his eyes glittering with madness, fingered the Beaumont dagger at his waist. “You are in no position to stop me. I’m the one in control. Do you not wish to know what I have planned for your deaths?”

Kat spoke up, shifting in the bed. “Sir Stephen. Do you really expect that you can kill us and get away with it? King Edward will hunt you down till you are captured or dead.”

Sir Stephen ignored her. He paced to the end of the bed, withdrawing the jeweled dagger and digging the tip into the flesh of his palm. “My plan is brilliant.” He cackled. “Sir Alex, having discovered his lady wife fornicating with her lover, went on a murderous rampage and brutally stabbed the lovers to death.” Alex exchanged a fearful look with Kat. Sir Stephen spoke as though they were already dead. “When Sir Alex realized what he had done, he committed suicide in despair. They say his body was found floating in the Thames. How sad. How tragic.”

Alex jerked in his chair, sweat beading his forehead as panic overwhelmed him. “You shall not get away with this, Stephen. King Edward will never believe that story, no matter the evidence you concoct.”

Stephen moved closer to Kat, his gaze unblinking, emotionless. “On the contrary. He may be suspicious, but there will be no proof of foul play. The court will revel at the salacious nature of the killings and be all too willing to believe the tale.”

Then he held the dagger up to the glow of the lamp. “After all, Sir Alex’s dagger was discovered with the bodies to lend credence to his crimes.”

Alex began to struggle in his chair, his heart hammering. Kat stared up at Sir Stephen with a feverish intensity, the light refracting off the jeweled-pommel splashing red across her drawn face. “You have always been a coward, Sir Stephen. Release me and fight me like a man!” Alex yelled desperately.

Despair flooding him, Alex twisted and tugged as hard as he could on the ropes. His flesh was raw and slippery with blood. He pulled so hard that the chair scraped the floorboards as it dragged across the floor.

Alex looked up and caught Kat’s gaze, all the love he felt for her shining in his eyes. Then he stared aghast as Sir Stephen raised the dagger high and plunged the knife down at her chest.

Kat screamed. Alex howled her name and his chair toppled over with the force of his rage. He landed close to the bed, the oak monstrosity blocking his view. Pain shot up his arms. But it was naught compared to the pain that reverberated through him at the sickening plunge of the dagger into Kat’s flesh. A death gurgle rattled, followed by silence, except for Alex’s harsh breathing.

His heart was ripped from his body with Kat’s last breath. Numb, shock whispered through his body like a cold artic blast. He had fought for so long and hard that the fight left him at last. Without Kat, he had no reason to live. Sir Stephen could do with him what he would.

Then he heard a strange sound he could not identify and the ruffling of the bedcovers. Slowly, Sir Stephen came around the bed. Alex looked up, his eyes bleak, uncaring what was in store for him. But he received another shock. It was Kat who stared down at him, her bodice ripped and her black hair hanging wildly about her pale face. Her eyes were unfocused, an odd light glowing within them, and her bloodied dagger dangled from her fingers.

“My God, Kat. I thought you were de—” Emotion clogged his throat.

Kat, her legs shaking, fell to her knees before Alex. With her bloody dagger she cut through the ropes around Alex’s wrists. Her emotions were a tangle of guilt, horror, satisfaction and—oddly—understanding. Sir Stephen had loved his cousin to such a degree he was willing to kill for him. And in the end, that single-minded devotion drove him to madness.

As she sawed through the ropes with the blade, her hand began to tremble. She saw again Stephen’s eyes bright with madness, the blade plunging down towards her, only moments after she had retrieved her own dagger.

“Easy, my love. You are alive. We both are, because of you. Stephen can never hurt anyone again.”

His voice, soft and sure, enabled her to gather her composure. Her body shuddered once and she continued slicing through the rope around his ankles.

“How did you do it? I thought Stephen had…” He shook his head as though unable to complete the thought. “How?”

Her mouth twisted in an ironic smile. “While you kept him occupied talking, I was able to retrieve my dagger from under my skirts. He couldn’t see me clutching it under the coverlet and when he went to stab me I drove it into his heart. He died instantly.”

Once free, Alex rose to his feet and pulled her into his arms. Dropping the dagger, she went willingly and snuggled close to his chest, savoring his warmth, his masculine scent, and his strong arms around her. But it was a temporary balm.

Alex pulled back and stared down at her, she read the light of admiration in his cobalt gaze. “Kat, you are the most amazing woman I have ever met. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

Was that the remnants of dried tears she saw on his cheeks?

He gently rubbed her swollen lip with the pad of his thumb. “Are you all right? Did they hurt you?”

She shook her head. “Have no fear, Alex. I shall be fine. ’Tis just a couple of bruises. The villains Lydia hired to attack me had no time to do any further damage. One man escaped, but not far from here his accomplice is tied up in the woods of Kilburn.”

Rage glittered in his eyes. “I will see Lydia pay for hurting you.”

Then a ragged groan escaped him and he pulled her into his embrace. Surrendering for the nonce, she melted into him, her breasts pillowing his warm chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck and raised her mouth to his. A soft moan beckoned him. Alex answered the call and kissed her, his lips tender, soothing her abused flesh. With a lick of his tongue, warmth salved her split lip.

His hand slid inside her torn bodice and kneaded her breast. Still tender from Stan’s foul touch, she flinched and jerked away. She could not look at Alex.

“Kat. What is wrong? Did I hurt you?”

She shook her head and turned away. Her gaze landed on Sir Luc. Good Lord. How could she be so thoughtless? She moved to Sir Luc’s side and pulled back the coverlet, ignoring the body slumped face down on the other side of the bed.

Sir Luc’s tunic and sherte had been removed, but his braies and hose remained. She leaned over and discovered him still alive, barely. His breath was shallow and erratic. Then she checked his wound. Low and on the left side, an arrow with the fletching broken off protruded from Luc’s stomach. A pool of congealed blood saturated the linen sheet beneath him.

“How is Sir Luc?” Kat looked up at Alex’s query. He stood opposite her and had turned Sir Stephen over. Blood soaked the dead man’s tunic where she stabbed him, his face a grimace of surprise. Alex’s eyes held hers tenderly.

Kat turned her attention to Luc again. “He has lost a large amount of blood. He needs care immediately. You will have to ride to the palace to fetch the physician.”

Alex nodded reluctantly. “Will you be all right alone here while I am gone?” He pried his dagger from Sir Stephen’s clenched fingers, retrieved the enameled-sheath and returned the sheathed dagger to his waist.

“You needn’t worry about me. I shall be fine.”

“Need aught else before I leave?”

She looked up at him once more. “I can manage, but…Prithee, take that foul offal and remove him from the lodge.”

“Of course.” Alex came around and took her hand in his. Her palm was sweaty. “After I arrange for Sir Luc’s care and see that Lady Lydia and the villains who attacked you are detained, there are things we need to discuss.”

Kat nodded, but she had already made her decision. This day’s events had merely reinforced her belief that ending her marriage was the right choice. Alex smiled gently and hugged her one last time. Then while he dragged the corpse from the lodge, she busied herself with starting a fire to boil water.