Authors: Amy Mullen
A Stormy Knight (14 page)
For a brief moment she considered this was his doing, but she dismissed that idea immediately. She had hated Nicholas all these years, but she had learned to trust
him in just five short days.
The world spun as she
was roughly rolled over and thrown on her back. The sunlight coming through the trees blinded her for a moment
,
but then her eyes focused on her attacker. It was Phillip Bigod.
H
e
was trouble, but he had always seemed so awkward and clumsy it never crossed her mind he might be smart enough to catch her alone.
She tried to sit up
,
but he pushed her back so hard her head hit the ground with an audible thud. Stars flickered in her eyes as
she struggled to sit up again.
"
Hold still
,
you insipid cow,
"
he said as he punched her in the jaw. She reeled from the blow, tasting blood in her mouth. Vo
mit ca
me up into her throat.
Unable to scream, she kicked her legs as hard as she could.
H
is knee
was
pressed
painfully into her stomach to hold her down
as he
worked at l
oosening his belt and his hose.
A silent scream rose within Gemma as she realized what he meant to do.
This was not a kidnapping
. He was going to rape her! She struggled harder, but the pain increased with each motion.
Stopping, she
hoped
lying still would lull him into thinking she was beaten.
"
Good girl,
"
he said as he tried to free himself from his hose. She
squeezed her eyes shut
in horror as she desperately tried to reconcile in her mind what was happening to her. The terror was too much. She
feared she would
pass out.
"
You have avoided me all these years but not now. I will never hold my father
'
s lands because I am the fourth son
,
and therefore
,
no woman wants me. I watched you wed that
blackguard
de Reymes today
,
but I
'
ll have you afore he can.
'
Twill be my brat you push out, not his, and these lands will be mine.
"
Gemma twisted and fought anew, her arms flailing, wishing for something, anything to help her.
Please God, where was Nicholas?
Bigod gave up on opening his hose for a moment and reached back, his knee firmly planted between her hips, and he felt around for the hem of her kirtle. His hands touched her bare skin as he tried to get her skirt up.
He paused as
a creepy smile crept across his face. He pulled out a dagger and held it to her throat.
"
If you want to live,
"
he whispered with a snarl,
"
you
'
ll stop and take what is coming to you.
"
She froze as the blade sat cold on her skin. He pressed it so hard she feared he would slice her throat and that would be the end of her
. The blade lifted
from her neck
,
and he moved
toward
her cloak
.
The tie was cut with
one swipe, and then he sliced the kirtle recklessly, exposing her bare skin.
"
Aye, you are a fine pie
ce!
"
he said, his eyes bulging.
Aghast, she closed her eyes tightly as if it w
ould stop this nightmare.
This could not be happening!
He moved
,
and before she knew what was happening, his rough fingers gripp
ed
and twist
ed
her skin. A pain shot through her
.
S
he would rather die than endure this any longer. The reaction in her body was
not what it was when Nicholas had touched her. No, she
was filled with
nothing but revulsion and loathing.
Intermittently, he
pinched and tugged, leaving her skin red and
chafed
as he went. He was panting and grunting,
like a pig rutting in the wood.
Desperate to get away, she squirmed again, but this only served to excite him. The blade was once again on her neck, so she dared not fight him. He moved the blade again as he tore the rest of her dress down the middle, exposing her naked body to his gaze, leaving her wearing nothing but her mother
'
s necklace.
His odd noises
sickened her more. Gemma closed her eyes even harder as the blade once again returned to her neck. She knew she was near the edge of the orchard, but no one could see them. Because of the gag, she could not scream.
The knave was going to get away with this!
Something hard pressed against her stomach. He was settling his considerable weight on her, trying to balance the knife and fiddling with his clothes as he tried to free himself. Silent tears streamed from her eyes, leaving a hot path down her head and over her ears. Never in her life had she
been
so helpless and scared.
The knife shook as he moved again. She threw her arms out and grabbed whatever she could find. Her hand landed on a pile of rocks to the left of where he had thrown her. It was one of Isabel
'
s rock collections!
Grasping
the biggest one her hand could hold
, she
swung as hard as she could. Before he could finish what he started, he flailed
backward
and landed
with a thud
, his bulk pinning one of her legs to the ground.
In a panic, she placed her other foot on him and tried to push him from her leg so she could escape. His bulky body was hard to move, but it was nothing compared to the terror she felt. After a struggle, she used every ounce of strength within her to roll him off of her leg.
She scrambled up. Frantically she tried to pull her tattered gown around her nude body as she
focused on
Phillip,
who was
breathing hard but lying still. His eyes were closed, but she did not know how long they would remain that way. Forgetting her modesty for a moment, she let go of her dr
ess and grabbed his knife. C
arefully but quickly
she
cut through the gag, nipping her own cheek as she did so. Once the gag was free, she screamed as loudly as she could with energy she did not know she possessed. The knife fell to the ground from her shaking fingers. Her entire body was trembling so hard her knees threatened to give out. She tried again to cover herself with her ruined dress.
Within seconds she heard heavy footsteps pounding on the earth as someone burst through the trees. Nicolas was beside her within seconds as she heard more and more footsteps through
the
bailey coming
toward
the sound of her voice.
"
Nay
!
"
he bellowed as he surveyed the scene around him. Gemma continued
to tremble uncontrollably as his eyes moved
from her to Phillip, who was lying on the ground now
and
bleeding from the head.
"
What did he do to you?
"
Unable to answer, she swayed on her feet. The terror, the pain, the confusion, and the horror of what had just happened were too much. She fainted.
Nicholas scooped Gemma
'
s limp body into his arms before she had a chance to hit the ground. There was an angry red mark on her check and jaw, and a small trickle of blood was already forming a scab where she had nicked her face. She felt weightless and was almost nude. He knelt down and picked up the cloak he had given her to put over her before his men came in among the trees.
He
whirled
around with Gemma in his arms as Willis came to a halt beside him. His ears rang
,
and his blood ran cold. More men appeared
,
and a collective gasp could be heard as
they
all realized what had been happening.
"
Where is Oliver de Toeni?
"
Nicholas demanded,
"
He
was guarding her. I was gone but only a moment. Find him!
"
Willis scurried away as fast as he could, signaling for a few men to come with him. Gemma moaned in his arms
,
and he held her tighter.
"
Milord
â¦
"
one of the men started
,
but Nicholas cut him off.
"
Take Bigod to the dungeon. There are a few rooms in the northeastern tower
that
will work nicely. He is not to be fed or given drink until I arrive. Guard him. No one sees him but me.
"
Phillip groaned. Nicholas kicked him in the stomach and carried his new bride out of the orchard
toward
the great hall.
Of all the things to happen on their wedding day, this scenario never entered his mind. He was angry. It was best Henry decided Bigod
'
s fate, but he worried he would kill him with his own two hands before he could turn him over to the king. He could get far too wrapped up in Bigod and would again lose focus on his real purpose here. As much as he would love to see the last breath leave
Bigod
'
s
body, he knew Henry would be ruthless and he could not ask for more than that. He was going to question him before he left, however. Bigod was not getting out of Blackstone until he had some answers.
With great care, he carried his bride through the great hall, past the surprised guests, and up the steps into the solar. He laid her gently on the bed. Hesse and Isabel were right behind him. Isabel started screaming when she saw the bruise on her sister
'
s cheek. She ran to Nicholas and started hitting him with open hands.
"
What have you done to my sister!
"
she demanded as Hesse pulled her away from him.
"
Nay, sprout, I have not hurt your sister!
"
he said with more understanding than he would have had in the past. The little imp had already won his heart. He bent to speak with her
.
"'
Twas Phillip Bigod
.
H
e meant to hurt your sister. Do not fret. You and Hesse should go get Father Darius and fetch Leda from the kitchen to aid in caring for your sister. I do not yet know what happened, but she fainted when I got to her. I hope the bruise is the worst of the damage. Can you go fetch them for me?
"
She backed away slowly, biting her bottom lip. A large tear dropped from her eye and landed with a plop on the sleeve of her kirtle.
"
I will,
"
she said and then added,
"
I am sorry
,
Nicholas. I was scared.
"
"
We all are,
"
he admitted as he ruffled the hair on her head. She left t
he room with Hesse to get help.
After they were gone, he
moved
toward
his wife, lying peacefully on the bed. Her
breathing was normal
,
and she appeared serene
. He was sure she fainted from the stress of what Bigod was going to do, or had done, to her. All he could do was wait.
A sheet was pulled up over her
. She was his wife now, but he wanted to respect her modesty.
She should come to him
willingly as his wife
and
not be ashamed. This sharpened his senses. With a heavy heart he feared for her. When had he started to care?
Leda came in
,
and he stood aside awkwardly, not quite sure what to do.
"
You can stay if you like,
"
she said,
"
but I have ta clean her up and check her fer injuries. Father Darius will come if I need him.
"
She set a bucket of hot water on the floor and dunked a
cloth
into it.
"
I shall wait out in the passageway for your report,
"
he said and left the room quickly. He then spoke with Willis, who told him
Bigod was secured in the tower.
Leda emerged ten minutes later and bade him to enter. Gemma was still asleep but was cleaned up and lying under a white lin
en sheet where he had left her.