Borderland Bride (6 page)

Servants and household members alike eyed their progress as Jake carried her past the two tables that ran the length of the hall. Isabel’s mouth twitched as she observed Dominic quickly cover his look of surprise with a courteous grin as he came to his feet. He dipped his head to her as Jake came around the head table and eased her down onto a large carved chair next to Dominic.

Gradually everyone turned back to their meal, the clatter of plates and rumble of talk causing the table to judder faintly under her hand. Isabel stared at Jake as he seated himself on the bench beside her.

Thank you
, she mouthed.

He nodded, a twinkle of pleasure just visible in his warm eyes.

How had he known? How had he recognised that all she needed was to escape for a while, to experience some semblance of a normal life again?

She stared around the hall, taking in its splendour. The tapestries were elegant and bright, obviously well cared for, and large ornate candelabras sat around the hall and hung from the rafters, heavy with wax candles. Tiles covered the floor in a twisting floral pattern.

Dominic drew her attention to him as he pushed a bowl towards her. The stew was thick and rich, full of tender chunks of meat and vegetables. Could she manage such food? Isabel coughed, testing her throat. It remained swollen but her stomach grumbled. Aye, she would manage.

It was only as Dominic brought a spoon to her mouth did it occur to her the lord was intending to serve her. She jolted, her mind thoroughly absorbed with watching Jake out of the corner of her eyes. Isabel offered Dominic a polite smile and gratefully took a delicate sip. The stew worked down her throat, the heat easing the ache. Dominic watched her closely. Did he fear she would spill it all like some clumsy oaf? She straightened her back, ignoring the stabbing of her bound ribs. She was in a lord’s home and, by God, she was going to behave like the lady she was.

The spoon came up again and this time she took a bigger mouthful, releasing a breath as the succulent meat practically melted in her mouth. Isabel detected a vague rumble from Jake and she glanced at him, noting the tight set of his jaw. Had she done wrong? Mayhap society was different this far north. Certainly it was not unexpected for a lord to serve a lady further south.

Dominic continued to serve her diligently, forcing her attention on him. His blue eyes remained on her lips, his own curving up as he noticed her study of him.

You look well, Izzy.

Isabel nodded graciously and her lips twisted as Dominic studied her in return, a glint visible in his eye. She doubted very much he had any genuine interest in her. He was likely a consummate flirt. With his clean jawline and long-lashed eyes, he was probably used to maidens falling at his feet. Her own meagre charms were disguised beneath her bruises, though she was grateful that at least the swelling in her face had subsided.

Leaning towards her, he tore off a chunk of bread, dipping it in the potage and bringing it to her lips. Isabel felt the table shake as Jake slammed down his cup.

~* * *~

He seethed silently, biting the side of his cheek. His brother’s flirting was more than he could bear. Here she was, barely recovered from her ordeal, and Dominic was looking at her as if he longed to bed her in the middle of the hall.

Dominic stared at him and Jake realised he had done little to disguise his annoyance. Damn it.

“You should not be giving her bread,” Jake snapped.

Ack, he was doing exactly the opposite of what Isabel had wanted. Jake had recognised her frustration, her need for independence. Such a headstrong woman could not cope with being bedridden for long. Not to mention holding her had brought him no small pleasure. No longer fearing for her welfare, he had thoroughly enjoyed the sensation. 

“Izzy can manage well enough, Jake,” Dominic reprimanded him.

Jake bit back a growl as Isabel viewed the exchange between the two men, her face clouding with confusion. They were probably speaking too fast for her to understand and he was glad she could not hear them squabbling over her like whelps.

A hard glare from Isabel told him that though she could not hear them she understood well enough that he was attempting to mollycoddle her. Jake clenched his jaw and returned his attention to the morning meal. How had his morning gone so wrong? He had gone from carrying a beautiful woman to taking a scolding like a child. He was losing his head around this woman.

Resolving to remain silent, he turned his attention to his meal. If he just remained quiet, mayhap he would not go wrong again. Jake flicked a glance at a Dominic and shook his head at himself as fire surged in his stomach. If he could but behave as Dominic did, with his charm and gallant manners. He would never be anything more than a clumsy giant.

It shouldn’t bother him. He shouldn’t care if she enjoyed Dominic’s attention. After all, it was Dominic that wanted a wife, not him. His nostrils flared as he thought of Dominic wedding Isabel. Ack, he had no use for a woman, even one as beautiful as Isabel.

The meal stretched on endlessly and Jake tasted little, aware of Isabel’s every movement. He was glad when she declined more food, pushing Dominic’s hand away with a smile. Exhaustion lingered in her delicate features and Jake stood quickly. His brother would not steal this opportunity from him too.

Isabel stared up at him as he moved to her side, her eyes wide.

“Can I take you to bed, lass—”

Dominic gave a choking laugh and Jake scowled at him.

“I mean, you look tired. Shall I take you back to your room?”

A flash of feeling sparked in her blue eyes and it clutched at his heart.

Aye, thank you.

Jake released a sigh and lifted her carefully into his embrace. Isabel settled easily in his hold and her head came to rest in the crook of his neck. Dominic stared at him with an arched brow and Jake narrowed his eyes at his brother. No doubt, he would be on the receiving end of much jesting later.

Carrying Isabel seemed like the most natural thing in the world. She was long, he realised, with slender legs that likely stretched for miles. While most women just reached his stomach, he imagined she would be tall enough to reach his chest. What he would not give to see her stand, proud and wilful once more.

His loins throbbed as her fingers brushed over his neck.
What he would not give to see those legs in their entirety.

His stomach dropped as they entered her room and he placed her softly onto the bed. A flash of leg peeked from her skirts as she settled into the sheets and Jake gulped, snapping his eyes to the window.

When it was clear she was comfortable, Jake brought his gaze back to her noting her flushed cheeks. Had he erred in taking her to the hall? Mayhap she had over-exerted herself.

Isabel’s lips twisted.
I am well.

“Aye, good.”

On the morrow? Supper?

Was she ordering him about? Hell, he would not pass up the opportunity to be close to her again.

“Aye, on the morrow.”

Jake groaned as he left her. With Isabel around, he spent all of his days anxiously awaiting the morrow.

~* * *~

The next day Jake brought her down for supper, and he continued to do so for the next few days, drawing secret pleasure from the feel of her lithe body pressed against his. There was not a single night that Isabel didn’t haunt his dreams.

They communicated with ease, and Jake could read her moods effortlessly. He suspected Isabel could read him just as well. She would be the first. No woman had ever succeeded in penetrating beneath his scowl. And he had not wanted them to, not since his wife.

But for all his understanding of her moods, he could not comprehend how she felt about him. His stomach flipped. Dare he hope she held any regard for him? Isabel was surely too beautiful, too perfect to fall for a man like himself. He smirked to himself. It was not as if he could give her all she deserved. Jake had sworn not to trust another woman again. Nay, she deserved better than a giant with rough manners and too much bearing down upon his soul.

The door was ajar when he came to collect her for supper once more and Jake could see her laid out, asleep on her bed. Isabel’s auburn curls lay spread out about her as her face remained tilted to one side. Her gentle hands rested either side of her head and Jake was transported back to the forest and the moment he had come upon her beaten body. Bile rose in his throat and he fought the urge to dash forward.

Sucking in a calming breath, he eased open the door and stepped inside. Jake cast his eyes over her parted lips, her freckled nose and delicate chin. His fingers twitched as he followed the curve of her breasts, encased in a tight green and gold bodice. Heat stirred within him and he forced his gaze back to her face.

“Lord, you are beautiful,” he murmured.

Isabel’s eyes flew open and Jake jumped back as her sapphire eyes met his. Her lips tilted upwards.

“Can you...? You heard me?”

She nodded with a widening grin and sat up carefully. Jake hastened forward, easing her to sitting and attempting to ignore the rush of pleasure her slender body underneath his hands gave him.

He stepped back again, taking her in. “But you still can’t…?”

Nay.
Isabel lowered her head.

“Well, ‘tis no matter. I do not doubt that when your voice returns, we shall regret ever wishing it so.”

Isabel shook her head with a roll of her eyes.
Aye, you will.

“You do look well, lass. I’d wager you’ll be fully recovered before long.”

Her eyes dimmed.
Aye.

Why did that cause her anguish? Jake rubbed at his neck as he considered her. “Isabel, if you have a home to return to, you need to tell us. You must know you’re welcome to stay here as long as you need.”

Nay, I have no home.

“You must come from somewhere. Will you not tell me about it?”

Isabel twisted her hands and stared at them before meeting his gaze with a shaky smile.
Naught to tell.

Jake sighed. Whatever had happened to her home, it obviously brought her sadness. Would that he could erase that sorrow. But he knew enough of Isabel’s stubbornness to know she would not respond well to his persistence. Hopefully, in time, she would reveal the secrets of her past and how it was she was all alone in the world.

“Can I escort you to supper then, my lady?”

You can, my lord
, she told him with a grin, holding up her arms to be carried.

Groaning internally as his knees weakened, he lifted her into his embrace.

~* * *~

Did he hear her contented sigh? Jake holding her was steadily become her favourite thing to do. The heat of his hands leeched through her garments, branding her skin.
Making her his?
She shuddered as an image fluttered through her mind of how he could truly make her his.

Had a man ever occupied her thoughts so thoroughly before? Nay, surely not. Yet, she could not decide what he thought of her. Were his attentions merely because he felt duty-bound towards her? But he thought her beautiful. No man had ever called her that before. Aye, she was attractive in a way but her willowy figure and freckled nose was a far cry from the buxom, pale-skinned women that most men found beautiful.

Jake flicked a glance down at her and she noted the uncertainty in his gaze. She knew him, she was sure of that. She understood the man that lay beneath the hard, stern exterior, so how was it she could not tell how he felt towards her? If she only had her voice, she would probably ask. Isabel giggled to herself. Aye, she was outspoken enough. It was probably a good job she did not have her voice because he would probably drop her then and there in surprise.

What could she offer him anyway? Jake could never know the truth, not if she wished to stay safe. Nay, she would do well to put an end to these useless thoughts. Once she was better, she would leave and continue on with her plan.

Chapter Four

The physician came to visit Isabel a few days later. He pronounced her ribs nearly fully healed but ordered more bed rest. More bed rest! Lord, if she stayed in bed much longer, she’d lose her head. Jake had taken her to supper and there was little else to do. Most of the household was abed but she was not tired. How could she be when she had spent the best part of the day in bed?

Isabel nearly jumped with glee when Winnie came to help prepare her for bed. Winnie puffed and sat on the bed for a moment as she gathered her breath. Grabbing Winnie’s arm as she made to gather her comb, Isabel shook her head.

Talk to me
, Isabel implored.

The maid tilted her head with a soft smile. “Are ye not tired, milady? Ye wish for some entertainment? I’m not sure I’ve much to tell ye but I’ll try.”

Tell me of Thornewall. Tell me of the lords.

Tell me of Jake, she thought.

Shifting her rounded bottom, Winnie made herself comfortable. “Well now, what can I tell ye? I’ve lived in Thornewall all my life, ye know. Aye, I was already working in the keep when Lord Dominic was born. Such a bonny babe. We were all grateful when his mother married our lord. She were a kindly woman. Quiet, like Lord Jacob, but she cared for all around her. I attended her until her death. Our lord, Lord Edward, followed her some twelve summers later.” Winnie dabbed at her eyes and Isabel reached over, taking her hand in hers.

Winnie gave her a wan smile. “There now, milady. ‘Twas a long time ago now. Lord Jacob was a sweet boy too. He doted on his brother and Lord Dominic looked up to him. They were quite the pair.”

Isabel grinned, imagining them as boys, running around causing mischief.

“Aye, they were a handful but Lord Jacob took his role as older brother very seriously. Still does. There are people who think him a nothing more than a borderland warrior with his height and strength…”

Isabel shook her head vigorously and Winnie chuckled.

“Aye, I know ye do not. Ye’ve seen the soft side o’ him. If only more lasses could. Mayhap then he would find another wife.”