Ruby - Book 1 (Daughters of the Dagger Series) (2 page)

“Who’s jesting?” he asked, his eyes still
focused on Ruby. “My third wife died only a sennight ago. Word is I
poisoned her.” Sheffield’s eyes bore into her, obviously wanting a
reaction. She refused to give it to him, but now that she was
realizing how dangerous a man he really was, she suddenly regretted
being so forward after all.

“A sennight ago?” She tried to sound calm
and nonchalant as if they were discussing the weather, but inside
she felt her body shaking to be so close to a murderer. She only
hoped he couldn’t see through her bravo.

“Aye,” he answered with a stone-like face.
“And that is the reason I am searching for a new bride.”

“What?” she blurted out before she could
stop herself. This man was amazing and not in the kindest form of
the word. She wondered how he could be so cold-hearted that his
dead wife’s body was barely cold and already he shopped for another
as if it were naught more than going to market to bring home
another choice of livestock.

She backed away quickly, breaking the gaze,
and the man once again chuckled lowly, doing naught to calm her
nerves. She found herself wanting – needing – to know more, and
before she could stop herself, she once again met with his sparring
challenge of conversation.

“And the other two?” Ruby asked anxiously.
“How did they die? Did you poison them as well?”

Instead of answering, Lord Sheffield cleared
his throat and looked over to the steward. “I’m sure Severin there
could inform you as to the details.”

“I . . . I . . . excuse me my lords, but I
do think I hear the falconer calling from the mews.” Severin left
swiftly from the scene. Ruby watched his red head look back only
once before he disappeared into a crowd of serfs from the village
mingling with the merchants setting up their wares in the
courtyard.

“Enough of this nonsense,” the earl broke
in. “Now, you’ve met all my daughters, Sheffield. Shall we go back
to the solar so you can make your choice?”

“Choice? He means to marry one of us?” she
asked, hearing the slight squeak of her own voice. She knew he had
said he was looking for a wife, but never had she thought he meant
to find one at Blackpool Castle. There was no doubt now why he’d
traveled all the way here from Sheffield. How could her father
allow this, knowing what a dangerous man Lord Sheffield really was?
Besides, her father had promised her dying mother that the girls
could find husbands of their own choosing. Certainly, not a one of
them would choose this man of free will. Whatever poor girl he
chose would no doubt end up dead in a few months time at most.
“Papa, you can’t allow this!”

“Of course I can,” said her father, and she
was shocked by his decision.

“But you made a promise to Mother. Are you
saying you really mean to give one of your daughters to the Lord of
Death?”

“Lord of Death?” Sheffield grinned, and when
he did she thought she saw a twinkle in his eye. “I haven’t heard
that one before, but I suppose it precedes my reputation.”

“I am sure the deaths of his wives are only
coincidental,” said the earl. “The king himself has a close
alliance with Lord Sheffield. This man is favored by King Edward
and has spent time at his side in Windsor, Ruby. He has saved the
king’s life at battle and also been made a member of the most
prestigious order of chivalry there is – the Order of the Garter.
The girl Sheffield chooses should be honored to marry him and bear
his heir.

Her father looked to her with sincerity in
his eyes and she couldn’t help but hear the tone of admiration in
his voice. He was not at all concerned with turning over one of his
daughters to this wretched brute.

“I am sorry I can no longer uphold my word
to your dying mother,” he continued, “but I have sworn allegiance
to the king and cannot deny a man he holds in such high regards.
I’d gladly give Lord Sheffield the hand of any one of my daughters
and be proud of it.”

Ruby felt as if her father had betrayed
them. However, she also knew he could not pass up an opportunity to
have one of his daughters married to a close friend of the king. It
would suit him well, and possibly bring him favors of the king
also.

“Well, any girl addle-pated enough to let
herself be trapped with the Lord of Death deserves what she gets!”
She spat out the words, ignoring the reprimanding look from her
father. But she worried not, because while Sheffield may be favored
by the king, she knew she was her father’s favorite. He wouldn’t
stop her from speaking her mind, as he held her in high regards,
just like he did Lord Sheffield. Her heart already ached for
whichever of her sisters the man chose. But ’twould not be her
leaving Blackpool as this man’s betrothed. At least she could count
on that. After all, her father knew the promise she’d made to her
dying mother to watch over him and stay with him always. Ruby would
be going nowhere, as she would be staying at Blackpool with him for
the rest of her life.

She wondered which of her three sisters the
murderer would choose as his bride. They were all proficient at the
things a man considered admirable in a woman such as knowing
needlework, weaving, and how to run a household. Yes, any of them
would do well in tending to a man’s every needs - the ideal wife
for any lord.

She, herself never even attempted stitching
or weaving a tapestry nor did she plan on trying. But put a sword
in her hand instead of a needle, and she’d give any man a
challenge. Thank goodness for the old knight Oakley who’d taken a
liking to her and trained her with a sword in secret. And she had
her father to thank for the sword she’d found one day near her
favorite sitting rock, though the man would never admit to giving
it to her and therefore promoting her wild ways.

Right now she only wished for her jeweled
dagger her mother had given her as a child instead of the plain one
at her waist. That dagger would have been better protection should
she need to use it. She missed the dagger with the ruby in the
hilt, from which she was named. Her sisters, Sapphire, Amethyst and
Amber had been named after the gems in the hilts of their daggers
as well. But her father had seen to disposing of the weapons the
day her mother died, saying they were what caused her death. It
seems her mother had bought them from a blind hag as she’d heard a
superstition that it would help her to conceive. And that it did.
Unfortunately, her mother’s greediness of trying to steal a fifth
dagger had brought about the consequences of both losing her baby
boy at birth and also losing her own life in the process.

She remembered the story her mother used to
tell her that by naming her children after the gems, it would
ensure each of them to be married to their true love. She just
shook her head, knowing the Lord of Death would never be anyone’s
true love. Now if only they’d all had their daggers, this
ill-conceived turn of events would not be happening right now.

Ruby knew she acted nothing like a lady, and
no lord would ever want her for his wife. Actually, she’d counted
on it. And this is what would keep her safe from suitors, and allow
her to keep her promise to her mother – and therefore stay with her
father forever.

Not wanting to hear more, nor caring if her
actions were rude, she turned to leave. She picked up her skirt and
trudged through the field toward her horse, hearing their voices
behind her discussing this absurd notion. Sheffield would probably
pick her younger sister Sapphire, or mayhap even one of her
youngest sisters, Amber or Amethyst - the twins.

Sapphire had the beauty in the family with
her bright blue eyes and long rich mahogany hair that trailed all
the way down to her waist. Not to mention she had prosperous
amounts of womanly curves in all the right places. No man could
keep from lusting for what Sapphire could give him, and Ruby was
sure it would make Sheffield very happy.

Amethyst, on the other hand, was pretty in a
different sort of way. With indigo eyes and ebony hair, she too was
alluring, and her mind was as lively as her high-spirited ways. She
could match any man’s knowledge when it came to being learned, and
she always held a positive attitude even in the hardest of
times.

While Amethyst was lively, her twin, Amber,
was the quiet and obedient one with the virtues of a nun. She was
the one, Ruby was sure, who God favored the most. Amber was
meticulous and loved schedules and rules. And she showed more
devotion and commitment for everything she did than any of her
sisters.

Yes, all three had the qualifications a man
looked for in a bride. Not to mention, their father was an earl and
could provide a sizeable dowry as well. Or at least for the first
and mayhap second of the girls to be married, anyway.

So, she decided, the Lord of Death would
choose her sister Sapphire. Of course, the twins were virtually
inseparable, so he may choose them both - saving him time to have
to find another wife after he killed off the first in another
sennight or so. Ruby felt a sadness enveloping her as she was
already remorseful at the loss of whichever sister he chose.

“I don’t need to go back to the solar, Earl
Blackpool as I’ve already made my decision.”

“Really?” asked the earl. “Will it be
Sapphire, or perhaps one of the twins? Any of the three would make
a wonderful wife for you. I am sure you will be very pleased.”

Ruby noticed how her father never mentioned
her name, and a smile crossed her face. This was going exactly how
she’d planned. No man wanted a woman who acted the way she did and
they both knew it. And no man would take her away from her father
and make her act like the stuffed, flirtatious lady she was
expected to be. She put her foot in the stirrup meaning to mount
her horse, but stopped abruptly at the sound of the Lord of Death’s
next words.

“I’ll take . . . her.”

She figured one of her sisters must have
joined them, so turned curiously to see who it was who would be the
next victim of the Lord of Death. Her body froze and she felt a
shiver run up her spine when she realized he was pointing at
her!

His tall, dark form was silhouetted against
a suddenly cloudy sky. His cloak whipped in the wind that had
seemed to pick up just since his arrival. His arm was outstretched
and his long finger was pointing directly at her. Dark clouds
passed in front of the sun and the temperature suddenly dropped as
the threatening sky rumbled in the distance as if it were warning
here of her doomed fate.

“Her?” Her father’s jaw dropped open. “You
want Ruby? Surely you are jesting, Sheffield. She knows naught of
the ways of a lady, nor would she make you a good wife. Now let’s
head inside so you can choose a proper lady to marry instead, as I
have three other very eligible daughters.”

“I don’t want a proper lady,” Sheffield
answered with conviction. “I want a strong woman who’ll bear me
many warriors. Someone who is brave and sturdy, just like I’ve seen
by watching her trying to joust like a man, or by challenging me
with her words. I’ve already had three proper wives and they were
so frail that they died easily. No, Earl Blackpool, do not even try
to change my mind. I have already decided that my next bride will
be your daughter, Ruby.”

Ruby couldn’t have heard the man correctly.
Had he really just claimed that he wanted her hand in marriage?
This had to be some kind of a mistake. No man was supposed to want
her with the way she acted. She’d seen to that by her unruly ways.
Her behavior was supposed to frighten men away, not attract
them.

“My many pardons, Lord Sheffield,” she said,
putting on her most polite act, “but the wind is picking up and it
almost sounded as tho you mentioned my name and bride in the same
sentence.”

“The wind has nothing to do with it. You
heard me correctly.”

Ruby’s eyes darted to her father, and when
she saw the despair on his face and the downward turn of his mouth,
she knew this wasn’t a lie. She was to become the Lord of Death’s
wife! And if her father agreed, she could do nothing to stop
it.

“Papa - tell him he can’t have me.”

“Sheffield, certainly you don’t really want
her.” He tried to sound jovial but Ruby could hear the desperation
in his tone. “I have three others from which you can choose that
would suit you better.”

“A nobleman never goes back on his word. You
have already told me I can choose any of your daughters I wish.
Would you really want this getting back to the king,
Blackpool?”

“I . . . well . . . of course not. I would
never want the king to think I went back on my word. I am
honorable, same as you.”

The earl looked over to Ruby and she
couldn’t help but see the unspoken pain in his eyes. She knew he
didn’t want her to leave his side any more than she wanted to go.
But he had no choice in the matter, as he would never want his name
sullied in the eyes of the king, and neither would she.

Besides, she knew he couldn’t ignore the
fact that a marriage of convenience to such a powerful man as
Sheffield would make him an ally and guarantee that no battle
between their lands would ever transpire. Her only saving grace
would have been if Sheffield had chosen one of her sisters
instead.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” her father said to
her, shaking his head regretfully. A sincere sadness reflected in
his eyes. “But Lord Sheffield has made his choice.” Then, before
she could object, they turned their backs on her and headed for the
castle.

She could do naught but just stand there and
stare, as any spark of hope diminished like a quick snuff of a
candle on a windy day. She knew her fate now lie in that vile man’s
hands. She’d be taken away from Blackpool, her father, and her
sisters forever. Not to mention, she would probably never live to
see the rising sun of a new day.