Immortal Love (9 page)

Hesitantly, she did as he instructed. Jocelyn
stretched her neck as her nose touched Eleanor’s fingertips. Then
the hound’s large tongue licked her hand. Braver, Eleanor patted
the top of Jocelyn’s head. Not to be denied, Mya nudged Eleanor’s
elbow, demanding her share of the ear scratching.

Eleanor let out a small chuckle. “They really
are two characters, aren’t they?” She gave them both equal
attention.

It was then that she’d looked up at him and
smiled. Women had smiled at him before, but somehow this was
different. When Eleanor smiled, her face lit up the room . . .

The cold stone of the battlement wall brought
him out of his reverie. He was acting like an adolescent dolt.

Clearing his head, he looked out into the
starry night. No doubt McPhearson’s men were still out there. The
man would be relentless in his pursuit of Godwin, its land, and its
lady.

His fists clenched on the stone. Eleanor’s
poor mother had been one of McPhearson’s many victims. If it took
his last breath, that demon would pay for his evil.

Randolf walked up beside him.

Dominick looked over his shoulder at his
brother. “What are you doing out here at this time of night?”

“Just making sure everything is tied down for
the night.” Randolf’s eyes narrowed. “Is all well with you?”

Dominick turned back toward the empty night.
His brother had an uncanny ability to know when he was troubled.
“I’m fine, just restless. I was thinking about McPhearson.”

Randolf leaned against the battlement. “What
worries you?”

“What he is up to.” Dominick continued
staring at the darkness.

“My men have cleared the forest, and our
spies tell us McPhearson is tightly entrenched in his own
fortress.”

Dominick sighed deeply. “It’s not because he
fears a siege from me. He knows Godwin needs mending. He is
counting on it.”

“When do you think he will attack?”

“When would you attack?” Dominick asked
intently.

Randolf nodded his head. “When they had the
most to lose.”

“Exactly. He will wait, but in the meantime
he must have decided when that time is.”

Like his brother, Randolf looked out into the
darkness. “With all the activity around us, there may be a
possibility we could have missed something.”

“I will have my men scan the village for any
problems,” Randolf said.

“Good.” Dominick clapped his brother’s
shoulder. “I will trust this to your judgment.”

A comfortable silence fell between the two
men.

Then Randolf shifted his elbows onto the
battlement walls. “So why are you out here this time of night and
not with your bride?”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“Have you had any more visions?”

“No.” Dominick turned back to the darkness.
“Eleanor had a dream about her mother the other night.” He took a
deep breath. Closing his eyes, he shook his head at the image.
“Randolf, in all my life I have never seen such ravages of
grief.”

“That is not entirely true, Dominick. You saw
grief and desolation in the Crusades.”

“This is different. Then, I was able to
distance myself and not let those tragedies become a part of me,
but this is personal.”

Randolf stood quietly a moment, then his
voice cracked as he stated, “I have felt such sorrow. When I
thought I had lost you in the battle of Istanbul. When you were
taken.”

Dominick remembered it was Randolf’s face he
saw when he regained consciousness. Randolf hovered over him, with
his intense blue eyes filled with tears, willing him to live. And
miraculously he had. The two stood in silence, remembering those
dark days.

“Do you think it’s more than protection
Eleanor’s mother is looking for?” It was an obvious change of
subject by Randolf.

“What do you mean?”

“It may be revenge. She is looking for
revenge against McPhearson. You are the catalyst to bring him
down.”

“It doesn’t matter. McPhearson will die. And
it will be by my hand only.”

“He will not make it easy for you.”

“I’ll be ready when the time comes, I promise
you that.” Dominick cleared the anger from his throat.

“Well I hope this apparition has no further
reason to return.”

“If luck will smile on us, we will reveal
McPhearson’s spies and thwart his plans for taking Godwin. That
should put her mother’s spirit to rest.” Dominick let out a great
yawn. Finally his body was giving itself in to weariness. “I think
I will retire for the evening. Tomorrow will be another long day.
We should start preparing the fields for planting.”

Randolf laughed and lightly slapped
Dominick’s back. “This I thought I would never see—my brother the
great warrior turned into a farmer.”

“Strangely enough, I’m content doing such.
Building, I have found, has been much more satisfying than
burning.”

“To be honest, Brother, I find no
satisfaction in this.”

Dominick wrapped his arm around Randolf’s
shoulder. “That is because you have a wanderer’s soul. One day you
will find where you belong.”

“I know where I belong. On a horse heading
off to another adventure.”

Dominick just shook his head. “Sleep well
Randolf. I will see you in the morning.”

“Sleep well. I’ll make one more check on the
gatehouses then retire myself.”

“Good.” Dominick headed
back toward his chambers, hoping that he had finally rid himself of
his desire, but certain that sleep would be denied him.

E
leanor awoke when
she felt Dominick’s side of the bed shift. Instantly alert, she
stiffened. Opening her eyes to slits so as not to give herself
away, she watched him walk around the room naked.

He was a man comfortable in his own skin and
moved about the room with the grace of a lion in his lair. When he
turned his back to her, she took the opportunity to study his form,
marveling at the muscles that bunched and stretched across his
back. They had been sleeping in the same bed for many nights, and
she was growing accustomed to his nakedness.

Turning toward the bed, he began to dress.
She quickly closed her eyes so as not to be discovered watching,
keeping them shut until she heard their chamber door gently
close.

She bolted upright in bed. Where was he
going? Remembering her father, her mind made the leap to Dominick’s
having a mistress, and sudden fury ran through her.

Her body burst with energy and she left the
bed to pace the chamber floor, looking for something to do. She
threw new logs on the fire and watched the embers fan into flames.
Like the growing fire, her anger expanded in her chest.

Unable to relax, she planted herself in a
chair near the hearth and watched the flames dance in front of her.
Their red and gold took her back to a time when her father had
flaunted his mistresses in front of her mother. She pounded her
fist on the arm of the chair. “I will not be made a fool of in my
own home.”

Eleanor wasn’t aware of how much time had
passed until she heard the chamber door open. Dominick stepped
inside and she glared at him.

His eyes reflected surprise when he saw her
sitting by the fire. “You’re awake,” he said as he removed his
mantle.

Bitter venom rose in her throat. “Where have
you been?”

His eyes narrowed slightly. “Why would it
concern you where I’ve been?”

“As mistress of this household, I believe
it’s important that my husband conduct himself in an appropriate
manner.”

His arms came across his chest as his spine
straightened. “In what way have I acted inappropriately?” he asked
flatly.

Indignation made her heart hammer in her
chest, and she shot out of her chair to stand directly in front of
him. “You know perfectly well what I’m talking about, and don’t try
to deny it.”

Dominick placed his hands on his hips.
“Eleanor, I will not play this game with you. What crime have I
committed that has you so upset?”

“I won’t tolerate a dalliance with your
mistress. Do you think to shame me?”

She saw that his own anger was rising by the
way his muscles worked at his jaw.

He hesitated before he spoke. “What leads you
to believe I have a mistress?”

“What leads me to believe . . . ” she
stopped, unable to believe he thought her so addle—brained. “For
the past three nights you have left our chamber. If not for a
mistress, then what other reason?”

He stood in silence, but Eleanor sensed he
was about to confess his indiscretion, and her heart began to
sink.

Dominick looked at the floor and shook his
head. “Eleanor, I’m a man of honor. For most of my life it was the
only thing I had. Honor is what I hold most precious above all
things, for without it a person is of no worth.” He paused, and the
only sound between them was the crackling of the fire. “There is no
honor in taking a mistress when a man is bound by God to his wife.
This you will never have to fear from me.”

“You have yet to tell me where you go in the
middle of the night.”

Dominick put his hands on his hips. “I walk
the battlements.”

She gaped in disbelief. “The battlements?
Why?”

He moved closer, but she refused to step
back. Before she knew what he was about, he had wrapped his arms
around her and lowered his lips onto hers.

It happened so quickly she didn’t think to
resist. The kiss was not demanding or threatening. His lips were
warm and soft, drawing Eleanor in.

Excitement grew in the pit of her stomach as
he pressed more firmly, forcing her lips apart, and his tongue
gently touched hers. She jolted. Liquid desire raced through her
veins, and her body melted against his.

Then it seemed that as soon as the kiss had
started it ended. He pulled away. Eyes dark with passion, he looked
to be having the same difficulty breathing as she.

“This is the reason I walk the battlements at
night, Eleanor, so as not to break my vow to you.” Donning his
mantle, he went to pull open the chamber door. “Despite my
reputation, I’m mortal, with the same desires as any man. Sleep
well.”

In the next moment he was gone.

Her fingers brushed her lips. She could still
feel the warmth of his kiss. Her knees no longer held her weight,
and she stumbled to a nearby chair.

Disbelief washed over her as a strange
tightening pulled in the pit of her stomach. He had kissed her! And
even more unbelievable—she had not wanted him to stop. Fear rose in
her heart. What if he came back and kissed her again and her body
betrayed her? Would she be able to stop him? This was a different
kind of assault, one she had no barriers against.

As the memory of the kiss played over and
over in her mind, she pulled her wrap tighter around her. She was
frightened, so very frightened.

T
he bright morning
sun shining through the window woke Eleanor early the next morning.
She dragged herself out of bed, feeling as though she hadn’t slept
at all. Every creak, bump and cough outside her chamber brought her
fully awake. She expected Dominick to walk through the chamber
door. But he didn’t. Surprisingly, she was disappointed when she
turned to find her husband’s side of the bed empty.

Like lightning her mind flashed back to his
kiss. His smoldering dark eyes had left her aware of every inch of
her body.

Splashing water on her face, she tried to
clear the thoughts from her head, but they were hard to pull away
from. She concentrated on the work that still needed to be done
inside the castle. Floors needed scrubbing, and the tapestries
needed tending to from years of neglect. Dressing in her plain
brown dress, she went down to the great hall to break her fast. The
castle was already bustling with workers restoring the
interior.

“Good morning, my lady.” Martha’s greeting
was bright and cheery.

“Good morning,” Eleanor replied, less than
enthusiastically.

Martha tilted Eleanor’s chin toward her. “You
didn’t get much sleep?”

“No, I’m afraid not.”

Her maid sat down next to her. “Would you
like to talk about it, child?”

Eleanor toyed with her goblet. She debated
whether to share what had happened. Eleanor needed to make sense of
her feelings. “It’s a long story.”

“I’m not doing anything that can't wait.”

Martha’s eyes widened as Eleanor explained.
“Did he attack you?” she asked, twisting her apron.

“No, Martha, he didn’t. Surprisingly, in no
way did I feel in any danger.” Eleanor pushed the cup away. “He
left shortly after the kiss and didn’t return all night.”

Martha turned away and blew out a great
breath. “He has not taken you as his wife, has he?”

Eleanor shook her head. “He placed his sword
between us and has sworn not to touch me until it’s removed by my
own hand.”

“It’s a rare one you have there, my lady. Any
other bride would have been taken on her wedding night.”

“I know.”

“Then why do you seem so troubled?”

“Last night’s kiss frightened me more than
being forced to marry.” Martha sat quietly as Eleanor continued, “I
felt something, something I hadn’t expected, and it overwhelmed me.
I didn’t think I was capable of such feelings.” She covered her
face with her hands. “Oh Martha, is this the same situation my
mother fell into? He in no way acts like my father or McPhearson,
but what if it’s a trap? I could wrap my whole life around him only
to have him break my heart.”

Emotionally exhausted, Eleanor dropped her
head into her folded arms on the table.

Her maid stroked her hair as she spoke. “Lord
Dominick is not your father, Eleanor.”

Eleanor bolted up out of her chair, surprised
and angry that Martha should side with Dominick. “No, he is worse.
He tries to seduce me with words of honor and loyalty, when men
like him are capable of neither.”