Immortal Love (20 page)

She looked out over the horizon. The sun
sparkled along the waves. The gentle breeze was a balm to her soul.
.
This must be what heaven looks like
, she thought.

Dominick pulled up beside her. “You ride very
well.”

“She’s a very good horse.” Eleanor was still
caught up in the beauty that surrounded her. “I haven’t been here
since I was a little girl. I had forgotten how beautiful this place
is.”

“Why has it been so long?”

“When my father was alive, he didn’t care
that the castle was falling down around us. Then McPhearson’s siege
locked the entire village inside the gates.”

“We must make a point of coming here
frequently.” He dismounted.

“I would love that.”

He reached up and helped her down then handed
her a blanket while he grabbed the basket of food. She laid the
blanket on the soft sand, laughing as she awkwardly plopped herself
down onto it. She handed Dominick some bread and cold meat while he
opened the skin of wine and poured it into cups. Seagulls screeched
and hovered above them, begging for crumbs. Waves crawled up the
sandy shore, frothing when they could reach no further.

Eleanor sipped her wine thoughtfully.
Hardships were the only thing she had expected at Godwin, but the
burden of her home was lifting off her shoulders.

“How did you get word to the king when
McPhearson had Godwin under siege?”

Startled out of her reverie. His question
brought her back to memories of McPhearson’s siege. Sadness swept
in. “We were able to get a man out.”

“By the look on your face, I sense there is
more to this.”

“He was murdered before we could get him back
inside the gate.”

“A brave man,” Dominick said, looking out at
the ocean.

“He was Ruth’s husband.”

“Such bravery should be rewarded. I will see
that his family is cared for.”

“I’m sure it will be appreciated. Just having
a man to guide her sons would put her mind at ease.”

“It will be done.”

Eleanor reached out and touched his hand.
“Thank you.”

She took a deep breath of the salty air,
bringing her back to the beauty that surrounded them. Leaning back
on her elbows, she watched a seagull glide on the wind currents and
marveled at its freedom. Her heart filled near to bursting with the
joy of it.

Dominick stretched out beside her. His legs
went well past the edge of the blanket. He took in his surrounding,
basking in the warm sun. Eleanor felt enough at ease to lie down on
the blanket next to him. The two of them stared up at the blue
ceiling, watching white billowy clouds go by. Eleanor couldn’t
remember a time when she felt so good.

“Tell me about yourself, Dominick,” she said
breaking the companionable silence.

“There is little to tell.”

She rolled over on her side propping her head
on her hand. “That can’t be true. You’re a friend of the King, his
closest vassal. Please don’t be offended when I ask this, but how
does the bastard son of a noble accomplish such a thing?”

“I’m not offended.” He took a deep breath.
“Many are jealous of my relationship with the King, so they often
make a point of reminding me of my
unworthy status
. I am
beyond being offended.” He turned to faced her fully. “Does the
circumstance of my birth bother you?”

“No, not all. I have seen earls and dukes
behave abominably. Nobility should not be a right of birth, but a
right of character.”

“I’m afraid you’re among a very few who think
that way.” He picked at a crumb on the blanket. “As you know, when
Randolf and I were old enough we set out to make our fortune. We’d
trained all our lives in the art of war. There were no lands to
inherit and no gold in our pockets, so we sold our swords to the
highest bidder. Our fighting skills soon became sought after.

“King William had visited a tournament we
were competing in. When it was over, he recruited us to fight in
the Crusades. We didn’t give it much thought. To us it was another
adventure. We didn’t realize it would be such a bloodbath.

“One time William was surrounded by the enemy
and would have lost his life had I not been close enough to
intervene. He remembers those loyal to him. After that we fought
together side by side in many other battles. In situations of life
and death, a bond builds between people, something that can never
be broken or shared with others.”

Eleanor remembered the scars that webbed
across his back and didn’t want to bring up of that painful time.
She needed to turn the tide of their conversation.

A memory from her childhood made her smile.
“Would you like to see something wonderful?” she asked.

She watched his brows furrowed in the quick
change of subject. Then a grin spread across his face. “I would
love to see something wonderful,” he said wiggling his
eyebrows.

Pushing at his chest, she knocked him back.
“Is that all you think of?”

“When you’re around me Eleanor, yes I
do.”

“Ugh,” she groaned, shaking her head in mock
despair as she stood. “Let’s go before I become ill with your
banter.”

Eleanor removed her slippers and stockings
and walked barefoot at the edge of the surf. The cool water made
her feet tingle, but the sensation was invigorating.

She stopped in front of a rock wall that had
roots and vines growing down its side. Pulling back the vines, she
stepped in, holding them open for Dominick. As soon as her eyes
adjusted to the dim light, she looked around the gargantuan cavern
that had been her childhood playground.

“How ever did you find this place?” he asked
in awe.

“When I was a child, my mother brought me
here. She said it was where she played when she a little girl. We
brought torches and stuck them in the crevices of the wall. We
danced and she told me stories, and we would pretend that this was
our own special castle.

Dominick looked around. “I can see where this
would be a special place for a child”

“It’s the one time I remember being happy
with my mother. It was the only place she smiled.” Remembering her
mother this way filled Eleanor with a longing for the past. She
didn’t realize tears had sprung into her eyes until they fell onto
her cheeks. She wasn’t sure which emotion to feel, happiness, or
sadness. At that moment it was both.

Dominick’s hand caressed her face while his
thumb brushed away the tears. He bent down to lightly caress her
lips with his. The sweetness of the act touched her heart.

“I have no idea why I’m crying, this is the
happiest place of my childhood.

“Perhaps you grieve for happiness lost.”

“Or the lost possibilities of future
happiness.” She shook her head. “Whatever the case may be, my tears
are wasted on such thoughts.”

Dominick moved closer. “Maybe it’s time to
develop new memories in Here” His hand moved to the back of her
neck, pulling her toward him slowly.

Eleanor understood his meaning. She had no
desire to resist him. His mouth came down on hers, softly at first,
but as her arms came around his neck the kiss deepened, igniting a
fire in her chest. Something close to hunger spurred her on, and
she pulled Dominick’s head down further. Her greedy lips opened,
wanting more of the taste of him. Their tongues dueled, thrusting
back and forth.

With lips still joined, Dominick unclasped
the broach of her mantle and pushed it off her shoulders, then
pulled her in tighter. Eleanor reveled in the warmth of his body.
He was filling her with a need she didn’t understand. In the circle
of his arms, engulfed her with passion her body moved in
closer.

Her fingers pressed against his chest,
feeling his rapid heartbeat. Each thump against her palms fanned
the embers of her own desire. The kiss turned frantic. Dominick’s
hands moved to the base of her spine, spanning its width. She could
feel his rock hard manhood pressed against her stomach as he pulled
her tighter in his embrace. A memory stirred inside her mind, and
she pushed away to keep it from surfacing.

Holding her tightly with one arm, Dominick
let his free hand roam her body. Starting at her hip, he stroked
her rib cage. His mouth broke away from hers to plant soft,
succulent kisses on her neck and shoulder.

Eleanor was drunk with heady passion. Bending
her head she begged for more. Her arms circled his waist, pulling
him firmly to her.

Dominick’s hand roamed over Eleanor’s body.
Cupping her breast he kneaded its soft curves. The memory she had
kept at bay now exploded forward and cold fear washed over her.

She tried to pull away, but Dominick was
still in the grip of passion.

“I can’t do this,” she said softly. Then with
a hard push against his chest, she cried, “I can’t do this!”

Dominick finally let her go. His breathing
was rapid and harsh, but he made no move toward her. His fists
clenched at his sides.

When it seemed he had composed himself, he
spoke softly. “It’s McPhearson that you see.”

A sharp dagger of pain stabbed at her chest.
No longer could she look into his eyes, and covered her face with
her hands.

Angrily he pulled them away. “Look at me,
Eleanor. Is it a rapist you see before you, or your husband?”

As hard as she tried, she could not answer.
Her mouth gaped open with efforts to explain. It was too late when
he turned and left the cavern. She finally croaked out, “Dominick,
I’m sorry.”

Her pitiful apology fell on deaf ears, for he
never turned around. Feeling abandoned and alone, she picked up her
mantle and followed Dominick outside, where she found him gathering
the remains of their meal. Silently she folded the blanket and
strapped it on her saddle. He quickly helped her mount her horse,
touching her as briefly as possible, and then both of them rode
back in tense silence.

Upon entering Godwin, Dominick helped Eleanor
only enough to dismount her horse then handed the reins to the
stable hands. He bid her a slight farewell then walked off,
disappearing around the east wall of the castle.

“Dominick, I’m sorry,” she whispered to
herself.

Feeling abandoned and sick about what had
happened in the cave, she couldn’t explain her reaction to
Dominick’s touch. Licking her lips she remembered the warmth and
passion of Dominick’s kiss, how it ignited a fire in her she never
knew existed. She wanted more, but how would she ever get past the
horror of McPhearson’s attack? How could she put away the revulsion
that twisted in her gut every time she remembered it? Even after
all this time, shame burned her face with the memories of his hands
clawing at her flesh.

She closed her eyes, throwing her head back.
Dominick didn’t deserve to pay for what McPhearson had done
,
she thought, yet he was, and she didn’t know how to change
that.

Looking into the
horizon she realized that the once glorious day was now shadowing
with dusk. Her good mood had been shattered and there was little
chance of recapturing it. Resigned, she walked toward the kitchen
entrance to help with the preparations of the evening meal. She no
longer wanted to spend any time alone.

F
or the first time in
his life, Dominick felt defeated. He thought he had been winning
her trust, but after today’s fiasco, he wasn’t sure he ever would.
How could he fight what couldn’t be seen? Eleanor had more than
just the burden of her abusive father’s memory, she also carried
the memory of McPhearson’s attack. To reach intimacy with her, he
would have to scale the nearly insurmountable wall of fear that
surrounded her.

Staring at the fire in the hearth, he took a
long draw of his ale. For a brief moment he thought to take the
woman and be damned with the vow, but as soon as the thought
entered his mind he dismissed it. He was no rutting animal like
McPhearson. Besides he wanted more from Eleanor than just mating.
He could satisfy his lust with any maid in Godwin. It was important
to him that Eleanor wanted him in their marriage bed.

Someday he would like to see his own children
playing in the courtyard. As things stood between them at the
moment his dreams would never come to fruition.

“Would you care for more ale, my lord?”

So deep in thought he hadn’t heard Zenon walk
up behind him, Dominick jumped, instinctively grasping the hilt of
his dagger. Realizing it was his servant, he blew out his breath.
“No, I’m fine.”

“Would you care for anything else?”

“No thank you. You can retire for the
night.”

Zenon bowed slightly. “Good night then, sir.”
He stepped away.

“Zenon?”

The man stopped in his tracks. “Yes, my
lord?”

“How close did McPhearson get to violating
Lady Eleanor?”

He watched Zenon’s jaw clench and his eyes
close. With the man’s physical response, Dominick’s chest
tightened.

“All but entering her, my lord,” Zenon
croaked.

Dominick’s own jaw tightened, and he gripped
his mug tightly as he stared into the fire. “Thank you for saving
her, Zenon.”

“It’s not for you to thank me, my lord. She
may not be my child by blood, but I love her as my own, And like
any child of my own, I will protect her 'til my death.” Dominick
nodded thoughtfully. “Will that be all, sir?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Zenon stepped out of the hall, and Dominick
went back to staring into the fire. He envisioned the time when he
came face to face with McPhearson. Castrating the villain would be
the first order of business, if he could resist killing him on
sight.

E
leanor had tossed
and turned most of the night. Dominick didn’t come to the evening
meal, nor did he come to their chambers at the end of the
night.

Her mind couldn’t rest. She jumped at every
sound, thinking, even hoping it was Dominick, but to her
disappointment he never came.