Raven's Bride (9 page)

But he would dress her as befitted his ward, introduce her into society, and arrange a suitable match for her with a local landowner who would protect and cherish her as she deserved. Charlotte would have that ball she had been pestering him about. It would serve as a fitting introduction for his young cousin to all the families in the district.

He had vowed he would not touch Anna without her consent. He would keep his promise, whatever the effort cost him to exert his self-control.

Melcott tied a worm to his line with a vicious twist, and lowered the still-wriggling creature into the water with a grunt of satisfaction, delighting in the sight of a dumb beast, even such an insignificant and lowly beast as a worm, thrashing about in its death throes.

The worm was a pathetic creature, but even the life and death of a worm was a piece of God’s plan. The death of this worm would ensure Melcott hooked a tasty, fat fish, and hauled it gasping out on to the riverbank. The death of the fish would ensure he had a fine present to make to the village washerwoman when he visited her cottage late this same night. The fine present he would make to her of the gutted fish would ensure he was able to slake his bodily needs on her with the minimum of fuss and bother. And all without costing him a penny, or wasting his hard-won earnings in riotous living or needless expense. All this would happen because of the lowly worm, dying a slow death on the end of his hook.

Would that other creatures were as easy for him to mould into the will of God as was the worm. As a devout Puritan, a true believer and one of the Company of Saints, he was familiar with God’s will in every aspect and detail of His vast plan. God wanted his true followers to proclaim His power and His glory by triumphing over every obstacle that lay in their paths.

It was
not
God’s will that his nephew, Thomas, Lord Ravensbourne, be master of a large and prosperous estate, while he, God’s true and humble servant, had had to labor long and hard in the wool trade to make an adequate living. How much more fitting would it be to have him, one of God’s own children, showered with worldly honors and wealth.

It was
not
God’s will that his niece, the motherless and fatherless Charlotte, be allowed to run wild and waste her brother’s estate with her foolish extravagances—new gowns, foolish bonnets and other such fripperies, visitors and parties. How much more fitting would it be to see her tamed into the proper dutiful, wifely submission by a marriage contracted between her and one of the Brethren—preferably by one who would pay well for the chance to mould such a tender morsel to his will.

It was
not
God’s will that his nephew debauch the beautiful and innocent Anna and introduce her to the evil in the world. How much more fitting it would be were Melcott to initiate her into the pleasures of the flesh himself.

As God’s servant, it was his duty to work towards the betterment of the world. And as the Elect would rule in Heaven, so should they also rule on Earth.

He had intended to deal with Lord Ravensbourne and his sister in his own time, but the arrival of Anna Woodleigh introduced a new urgency into the situation. He sat silent for a moment, his eyes idly following the last, limp twitches of the worm, as it fulfilled its destiny and was gulped down by a fine trout.

With a quick flick of his wrist, he hauled the fish in, leaving it to suffocate in the air rather than risk disfiguring its beauty by ending its torment with a swift blow. The washerwoman, Devil’s spawn that she was, would be suitably grateful for such a fine-looking specimen.

At the thought of the washerwoman, an evil taste filled his mouth, and he spat on the bank. He despised the washerwoman—she had never been beautiful and was no longer even young. Her greatest virtue was her silence—he had threatened to have her burned as a witch if she betrayed his nightly visits to her. He would not have his reputation maligned because he had a man’s needs, which God had shown him an easy way to satisfy. The washerwoman understood him well, and the potions she brewed to help nursing women keep up their strength, or to ease the pains of those suffering from gout or dropsy, made her insecure enough for his threat to ensure her compliance.

But Anna was different. She was no easy slut like the washerwoman, but a treasure to be hoarded unto oneself in delicious secret.

He could see clearly now. She was not the Jezebel he had at first feared her to be. She did not leave a nasty taste in his mouth, but filled his soul with ravishment and rejoicing. She must be a good woman—one of those rare creatures whose price is above rubies.

Indeed, she was too beautiful to be the work of the Devil, he mused, as he slit open the fish’s belly, spilling its guts out onto the shingle of the riverbed, and kicking them into the fast-flowing water with the toe of his boot. It could not be God’s will that she be made to suffer alongside her cousins. He must remember there was more rejoicing in Heaven over the lamb who was returned to the flock than over those who stayed obediently with their shepherd all their lives.

Anna was one of those lost lambs. It was his duty to return her to the bosom of her Lord, and all the angels in Heaven would exult over his success. She would be one of the chosen.

He heaved a sigh of disappointment at the thought she would take time to win to his will. He liked his pleasure swift and brutal. She would not be so easily dealt with as he would have liked. He would not be able to force her, then to buy her silence with threats and her capitulation to further assaults with presents such as fine, fat fish.

Besides, such a crude move would not be politic. He would not run the risk of endangering his position in the world by carelessness and lack of caution. He did not want to be regarded in the neighbourhood as a base lecher when his motives, he knew in his soul, were pure, and his actions intended only to prove the glory of the Lord.

He would have to tread with great care, but also with speed. He did not have much time to spare.

She must not be allowed to squander her time and her beauty on the non-Elect, her cousins. His mission was to save her from herself and from Satan’s minions who would corrupt her.

No, he needed to move fast so he could tie her to him in the most elemental way possible. He didn’t know why the idea had not occurred to him before. It was so perfect. So easy. So complete.

He would marry her.

Once she was married to him, he would have utter control over her—over her body, over her thoughts, over her very soul. She would fulfil her true purpose on Earth—to be his helpmate and his bedmate for as long as he lived. She would never be able to escape him.

There was some mystery about her arrival on Lord Ravensbourne’s estate, something or someone she had been running from—he would lay his guineas on a jilted suitor threatening violence to her in his disappointment, or some such matter. He would make it his business to find out what it was. And once in possession of this knowledge, he was a poor fool if he did not find a way to turn it to his advantage.

I am
,
he thought to himself with glee,
like a cunning spider sitting in the middle of a web, throwing out sticky lines to catch flies with.

Sooner or later, one of his carefully placed sticky lines would reach out to Anna Woodleigh and wrap her into a cocoon of immobility. Then, and only then, when he was quite sure she was helpless to fight against him any longer, would he haul her into his web to feast on her in any way that pleased him.

Anna shook her head at her cousin’s entreaty and planted herself firmly in the doorway of the dower house. “I do not need any new clothes,” she lied. Truth to tell, she was in dire need of more, but she had no money to pay for them. She would not ask her mother to spend their precious coins on frippery and frivolity when they had so many other needs.

Charlotte gestured at the large, stately carriage waiting for them on the lane. “But you must come with me to Norwich,” she insisted. “I ordered the carriage especially early this morning so we could have all day to choose ourselves a fine dress for the ball. Tom has even given me a stack of guineas to spend. And he is usually such a miserly old skinflint when it comes to new fashions. I would not miss such an opportunity to spend his money for the world.”

Anna braced herself on the doorframe. “You do not need me to spend your brother’s guineas.” She only wished she had a brother to be as generous to her as Lord Ravensbourne was to Charlotte, but she tried to bury the temptation that Charlotte offered deep in her heart. Covetousness and envy were deadly sins.

“But I do need you,” Charlotte cried, tugging Anna harder. “Tom only gave me leave to spend the money after I promised that, for every guinea I spent on myself, we would spend at least two on you.”

Anna slowly shook her head. “Lord Ravensbourne has been too kind to me already. I do not want to accept more of his charity.”

“Charity? Stuff and nonsense. You are our cousin.” She turned pleading eyes on Anna. “Georgina Perkins went to Norwich last market day and bought the most beautiful pair of slippers you have ever seen. She says they are an exact copy of the slippers the king’s new mistress wears at court. Of course, I do not believe Georgina ever saw the king’s mistress’s slippers when she was in London, unless it was because her uncle, the shoemaker, was mending them, but I would die to have a pair of slippers just like them.

“They had heels this high,” she explained, spreading her thumb and forefinger apart as wide as they could go, “and were embroidered all over in pearls. No doubt she hoped they would win her Tom’s notice, but Tom is notoriously fickle in his attentions. He has already broken the hearts of all my friends and half my enemies, to boot. If he continues in this way, I shall not have a friend left—they will all have died of broken hearts. But, please, do come with me. I am sure we will find slippers much prettier than Georgina’s.”

Anna felt herself weakening. Charlotte
did
so want her to go. Ought she not oblige her cousin? Besides, it had been so long since she had had a new dress. Her two black dresses were looking so shabby. Neither of them were fit to wear to the ball. She would not want to disgrace her cousins by appearing dressed as a pauper in front of their guests.

“Please?”

The wistful tone in Charlotte’s voice undid her. Even though she had no money to spend, she would like to go to town and see the sights. With Charlotte’s two stout footmen to accompany them, they would be well-protected. “I will ask my mother if I may come, but only to keep you company. I will not allow your brother to spend a single penny on me.”

Her mother was sitting, sewing in her chamber. “Yes, you may go to town with your cousin if you wish,” she said with a gentle smile. She pulled a small bag from the folds of her gown and took out a small gold coin. “I know it must be hard for you when Charlotte has so much and you so little. Take this with you. You may chance to find a dress you would like.”

Anna hesitated, her longing tempered by a sense of duty and prudence. They had so little standing between them and want.

Her mother pressed it into her hand. “Come, take it, my love. I remember as if it were yesterday how it feels to be young and want pretty things to wear.”

With a glow of love in her heart for her mother, she accepted the coin with thanks, and kissed her mother on her pale brow.

When Anna returned downstairs with her mother’s permission to go, Charlotte grabbed her hand and pulled her to the carriage. “You are the best cousin in the world, and I love you dearly.”

Anna climbed into the carriage and gave a small yelp of surprise. “Lord Ravensbourne,” she exclaimed at the sight of him ensconced in the corner of the carriage, his back to the horses. “I did not know you were to come with us.”

“I could not resist the opportunity to escort two such fine ladies into town,” he said, as he settled her in the seat opposite his.

“Nonsense,” Charlotte exclaimed, as she followed her cousin into the carriage and sat beside her, spreading her full skirts wide so as not to crush them. “Tom is only worried I will spend his money unwisely. He has come to hold tight to the purse strings if he can.”

Anna could see Lord Ravensbourne’s white teeth gleam in the dark of the carriage as he gave a wide smile. “Guilty as charged.”

Charlotte gave a humph. “I am counting on you,” she said to Anna with a conspiratorial grin, “to help me open those purse strings as wide as the two of us ever could want.”

“Waste is a sin,” Anna said, thinking of her father’s frequent lectures on the subject. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Charlotte toss her head and make a face. “But miserliness is a worse one,” she added with a grin.

Charlotte looked slightly shamefaced and grinned at Anna again.

“So be assured, Lord Ravensbourne,” Anna continued, “that, even though Charlotte intends to open your purse very wide indeed, she only does it out of the very strictest necessity.”

Lord Ravensbourne laughed as he knocked on the panel to tell the coachman they were ready to start. “For Charlotte, the satisfaction of every whim is a veritable necessity.”

The road to Norwich was long and bumpy. Anna sat curled up in her corner, as still as she could be. Lord Ravensbourne seemed to fill every square inch of space. Each time she moved her legs by so much as a whisper, she came into contact with his outstretched legs, or his crossed knees, or some other part of him. Each time she brushed against him, her flesh tingled and burned as if she had been on fire. Each time, her eyes sought his in apology, and his gave hers a knowing look, as if he suspected she had deliberately touched him.