Cast Love Aside (11 page)

Alice didn’t answer. She just leaned back
against the pillows with her ankles crossed, smiling.

In exasperation Lilianne went to the table
and poured water into the basin. It felt good to wash her face and
hands, and if her cheeks grew any hotter she could blame it on the
steaming water.

“I wish I had a comb,” she murmured.

“Ask Magnus,” Alice said again.

“That's all of it.” In the solar Magnus
finished his report to Royce while Braedon and William listened.
“We saw no other choice but to bring the women to England with us.
Erland's men-at-arms are a rough crew. I don't like to think about
what they'd have done to Lilianne and Alice without Erland present
to control them.”

“You did the right thing,” Royce said, “and
from what you say, Lady Lilianne did repay you by helping you to
leave the manor as quickly as possible.”

“She’s a most resourceful lady,” Magnus
agreed, thinking of the amethyst ring Lilianne had tried to bribe
him with, the ring that presently lay nestled between her
voluptuous breasts, where he would dearly love to rest his face. At
the image of his lips and hands caressing Lilianne’s richly rounded
flesh, he felt his body quicken. He had to make a serious effort to
drag his lusty thoughts away from Lilianne and back to what Royce
was saying.

“I have sent a letter to King Louis by way of
the
Daisy.
Captain Piers will leave for France on the
evening tide and put my courier ashore at dawn,” Royce said.
“Barring some unforeseen mishap, the courier should reach Paris
within two or three days. We are fortunate that the calm weather
has held, with no storms to disrupt traffic across the Narrow
Sea.”

“How soon do you expect a response from King
Louis?” Magnus asked.

“Not for two weeks at least, and possibly
much longer. But from the moment when the courier places the letter
into Louis's hands, we can count Desmond safe from mistreatment.
King Henry's avowed interest in Desmond will serve as protection
for him.”

“You’re assuming he hasn't already been
mistreated,” William said.

Magnus shivered at the words. The involuntary
movement produced a faint crackling sound that jogged his memory.
To conceal his momentary weakness, he reached beneath his tunic and
drew forth the bundle of folded parchments.

“You didn't ask us to purloin documents, but
I took these from Erland's desk anyway,” he said, handing the
packet to Royce.

“I never quibble when my men exceed their
orders by making an intelligent decision.” Royce began to unfold
the documents, bestowing a first, cursory glance upon the contents.
He went still, frowning in concentration.

“I hope it's useful information,” Magnus
said, his imagination stirred by the close way in which Royce was
perusing the pages.

“I think so, though at the moment I can't be
sure,” Royce said. “These documents are written in code. One sealed
note is addressed to Sir Norbard, who, as you know, is my contact
at Manoir Sainte Inge.”

“We are almost certain that Norbard is a
double agent,” Braedon said.

“I’ve suspected as much for some time,” Royce
told him with a quick glance of approval, “so I’ve been using
Norbard to feed false information to the French.”

“You could have told us of your suspicions,”
Magnus noted.

“You didn't need to know,” Royce said, his
gaze still on the documents. “I wonder what Erland wrote to
Norbard?”

“Can you break his code?” William asked.

“Given enough time and thought, any code can
be broken,” Royce said. He refolded the sheets of parchment and
tucked them under his own tunic. “Was Erland unconscious when you
took these?”

“Yes. He doesn't know we have them,” Magnus
answered, adding, “Lilianne saw me remove them from her uncle's
desk, but she hasn't mentioned them since. As for Alice, I'd be
surprised if she ever set a foot in that room.”

“Good. Say nothing about the documents to
anyone. If Lilianne speaks of them, refer her to me. She’s so
worried about her brother that she may have forgotten them.”

“What do you want us to do next?” William
asked.

“If you wish, I can send you back to Wortham
Castle.”

“No,” William said promptly. “I want to
remain here until the mission is ended and Sir Desmond is safely
returned to England. You may need me again.”

“Then stay at Richton. I'll be glad to have
you here.”

To Magnus's sharp eyes, Royce seemed to be
trying not to smile at William's excuses for remaining at the
castle. He didn't doubt that Royce had noticed the young man's
interest in Alice.

“I’d like to stay, too,” Braedon said,
flashing his broadest grin. “After the excitement of the last few
days, I find the idea of returning to the royal court too boring to
contemplate.”

“Somehow, I thought you'd feel that way.”
Royce returned Braedon's smile. “Just remember to guard your every
word. The men-at-arms here are carefully chosen and generally
trustworthy, but a man who’s in his cups may reveal facts that are
better left unspoken. I will tolerate no loose tongues among my
agents.” Royce's assessing glance encompassed William as well as
Braedon.

“Understood.” Braedon spoke with a crispness
at odds with his usually relaxed demeanor. “You may depend upon our
discretion, my lord.”

“I intend to take the evening meal here in
the solar, with the ladies,” Royce said. “All three of you are
welcome to join us. You may go now, except for Magnus.”

When the others were gone Royce patted his
tunic until the parchment crackled.

“I must confess,” Magnus said, wondering
about the meaning of the amusement he saw in Royce’s eyes, “that I
am curious about the contents of those documents.”

“Have you ever tried to break a code?” Royce
asked.

“Not a written code. When Desmond and I were
children, we invented a secret language to keep the grownups from
knowing what we were saying.” Magnus paused, recalling the long-ago
time when he and his twin were inseparable.

“Would you like to help me work on this?”
Royce asked, his hand still over the parchments.

“Will I be a help, or a hindrance?”

“Let's find out,” Royce said. “Tonight, after
the ladies have retired, we will begin.”

* * * * *

Lilianne was feeling untidy, disgruntled, and
very hungry. Alice had fallen asleep, and Lilianne tried to be
quiet so as not to disturb her. Still, she was so unsettled that
she began to pace restlessly back and forth across the small
room.

Thoughts of Gilbert, absent from his home for
weeks, alone, frightened, and perhaps ill, competed in her mind
with more recent impressions of the size and strength, and the
obvious good health and vitality of Magnus. She relived again the
moments when he had picked her up as if she weighed nothing at all
and held her close to his chest. She knew an honest knight when she
met one and she believed she could depend on him to help her learn
Gilbert’s fate. He’d help her rescue Gilbert, too, if it came to
that.

Eventually, worn out by intense and
conflicting emotions, she stretched out on the unoccupied side of
the bed. She slept until her growling stomach wakened her late in
the day. Apparently, the loud sounds emanating from the region of
her stomach had also wakened Alice, who rose and went to the table
to inspect the basin and the water pitcher.

“It's obvious this castle has no chatelaine,”
Alice said, shaking her head in disgust. “In my father's house,
guests were always provided with plenty of hot water for bathing
and with clean clothes if needed. The single pitcher of water the
maidservant brought us is cold now, there is no soap, and my gown
is so dirty and wrinkled that it ought to be given away to the
poor.”

“Such vanity for a near-nun,” Lilianne said,
chuckling at Alice's vehemence.

“I have no intention of ever becoming a nun.”
Alice's retort was sharp. “Nor do I think I am particularly vain. I
know I’m no beauty, though I would like to appear to be a
respectable maiden.”

“William won’t question your virtue, however
wrinkled your gown.” Lilianne got out of bed to join Alice at the
table. “We will just have to make do with what we have. There’s a
little water left in this pitcher, enough to wash our faces and
hands, if we share it carefully. I'll braid your hair if you will
braid mine, and we can smooth out each other's gowns with our
hands.”

Despite their best efforts, when they reached
the solar again Lilianne knew she and Alice looked more like
bedraggled beggars than the gently born ladies they were. Nor was
her dissatisfaction with her unkempt appearance improved by the
frequent rumblings of her empty stomach. Even more annoying was the
sight of Magnus, bathed, combed, and looking splendid in clean,
unwrinkled garments.

“You're late,” he said in greeting.

“Late for what?” Lilianne asked irritably.
“You are the only one present.”

“The others will be here soon,” Magnus
promised.

“Dare I hope some of those others will come
bearing food?” she snapped. “I haven’t eaten since yesterday noon.
Neither has Alice.” Her claim was emphasized by a loud growl from
the area of her midriff.

“Why didn't you say something?” Magnus
exclaimed.

“You’ve been too busy ordering me about to
give me a chance to plead for a crumb of bread.”

“The serving woman whom Royce sent to bid you
to the midday meal reported that you and Alice were in bed and fast
asleep.” The thought of Lilianne lying relaxed in slumber tugged at
Magnus's heart and warmed a part of his body he'd rather not have
stirring at the moment. “We decided not to disturb you.”

“We were not asleep at all,” Lilianne
informed him. “Alice and I fainted from lack of nourishment.”

“You fainted into the bed? Both of you?”
Magnus couldn’t remember the last time he had laughed. Not only was
Lilianne delightfully feminine, she was entertaining, too. He
sobered quickly when faced with the baleful glare she cast upon
him, but he was compelled to repress fresh laughter when her
stomach grumbled again.

He wanted to seize her in his arms and taste
her luscious, hungry mouth. He longed to lay her down on a
silk-covered couch and feed her delicate morsels from his own
fingers, to offer her wine from a silver cup. He thought with
heated delight about letting the ruby wine trickle over Lilianne's
stubborn chin and down her throat to pool between her breasts. He'd
press his lips against her creamy skin and lap up the wine, and
then he'd move on, below her slim waist. He'd dribble wine on her
thighs and kiss it away until she begged him never to stop....

“At last,” Lilianne whispered, moaning in
pleasure. “The food is here.” She watched with avid interest as
half a dozen servants entered the solar.

“But the table isn't prepared,” Alice said.
“It's just a bare trestle. Oh, really, how does Lord Royce manage
without a chatelaine? No, no, you there – wait!”

While Lilianne eyed the trays and platters of
food with undisguised longing, Alice began to direct the servants,
insisting a clean cloth was needed for the table before the meal
was set out.

“We will wait until you bring a cloth,” Alice
said to one of the servants, speaking sweetly, but with the
firmness of a noble woman who expects to be obeyed.

“I'll die of starvation before she's
satisfied,” Lilianne muttered to Magnus.

“So will I,” he whispered back.

“You? I thought you said you ate at the
midday meal. How can you be starving? What have you been doing this
afternoon to raise so fierce an appetite?”

It's not food I crave. I've been longing
for you.
He didn't speak the words aloud, but his blazing
desire must have shown on his face, for Lilianne looked hard at him
and then began to blush. Rosy color washed over her face and
throat. The hand she was holding over her stomach to quiet its
insistent growling pressed harder. Above her hand, her bosom
swelled in glorious, female roundness.

Magnus had never seen anyone more beautiful.
In her soiled and wrinkled gown, in need of a bath, with her
uncombed hair springing wildly out of its single braid and her face
flaming, Lilianne was the most magnificent woman he had ever
met.

“That's much better,” Alice said briskly.
“There’s nothing like a well-set table.”

“Nothing like it,” Lilianne echoed, her
violet gaze fixed on Magnus.

“And here come Lord Royce and the other
gentlemen, just in time,” Alice said. “Good evening, my lord. Sir
Braedon. William, how are you? I see you've shaved.”

Alice's voice softened as she greeted
William. Lilianne smiled to hear the alteration. Magnus smiled back
at her.

“My lord Royce,” Alice said, brisk and
businesslike again, “I have discovered a way to repay you in part
for so generously housing two unexpected and, I'm sure,
inconvenient guests. Richton Castle requires a woman's hand. While
I am here, I shall make myself useful by assuming some of a
chatelaine's duties. Temporarily, of course. I do fully understand
my situation here. Lilianne will be glad to assist me. Won't you,
Lilianne?”

“I'll be happy to do whatever you want,”
Lilianne murmured, still looking into Magnus's eyes.

“Well, then,” Alice said, “let us sit down. I
must warn you, Lord Royce, Lilianne and I are very hungry. Aren't
we, Lilianne?”

“Desperately hungry,” Lilianne said. Her
stomach gurgled loudly. She seemed unaware of the noise.

Magnus knew he must break their lingering eye
contact. Royce had certainly noticed it and while he was too
well-bred to say anything that would embarrass Lilianne, in another
moment or two the ever-irrepressible Braedon would likely begin to
make comments.