Seduced (23 page)

Raik held up his hands for silence and waited
until there were no more cries of distress before he continued.

"Do not think yerself helpless! All have the
means to earn their keep." He paused and looked over all the faces
staring up at him. "'Tis by yer willingness to work. And yer
loyalty to
me
."

Raik was in the prime of his life, and he
meant to have complete control of the castle. But first, he must
wrest command from the one person who should never have had it.

Letia de Burgh.

"When I approached the castle early this
morn, I was met with resistance from men who should have known
better. I did not come unannounced. The king's men rode with me.
Since the castle commanders were so easily swayed by orders from a
person
who should have had no control over them, I have
called ye here to bear witness to an event."

Beside him, Letia gasped and tried to jerk
away. No doubt, she feared a whipping. Huh! Which she rightly
deserved for trying to skewer him there afore the Black Raptor's
men. He held tight to her.

"The Lady Letia will no longer be a warrior
atop the parapets. She will assume the duties of a lady within the
keep...and within my bedchamber."

His gaze searched for Leofwan, who nodded
back and motioned toward Father Paul waiting on the first step.
Raik had some small satisfaction of revenge when Letia's face
paled.

Humpf! Mayhap 'twas cruel of him to imply she
was to service him as his mistress. He shuddered on thinking of
bedding a woman who thought like a man and no doubt wanted to be a
man. He steeled his resolve to get it done as swiftly as
possible.

"Come."

She balked. Wouldn't move a step.

Raik glared down at her.

"Nay." She wrenched free and grasped the babe
tightly to her chest, her eyes darting, searching for a way through
the crowd.

"Aye. Ye will."

Letia's chin jutted stubbornly. He shoved
both sides of the red cape over his shoulders, swooped down and
scooped her up in his arms. She gasped, and had she not held the
babe, he didn't doubt she would have fought him. He jostled her a
bit in his arms to make sure he did not press the babe between
them.

Afore she could protest further, he followed
Father Paul down the stairway, the crowd opening for them to make
their way to the small church.

"Put me down."

Letia's words forced through her teeth
sounded like an angry cat growling. He ignored her. His long
strides carried them toward the church set amongst the orchard
trees. With each step, his boots snapped twigs coaxed from the
trees during the heavy rains two days before. He heard the crowd
following them, heard the whispers and even giggles from the women.
The priest had to near run to keep Raik's boots from striking at
his heels. But that was all right.

He would have favored waiting to wed until
his mother Lady Joneta, arrived with Ranald. It didn't feel right
marrying with naught but his friends Cormac and Domnall amongst the
people there. But he had to carry out the king's order that he wed
by nightfall. He had no misconceptions about the men his father and
the regent had given him. No doubt, their prime purpose was to
report to the king that he had obeyed the royal orders.

A sinking feeling settled in his chest. He
stared at the priest waiting in the open doorway of the church, his
look expectant. No longer could he ignore Letia's whispered demands
to "put me down, you foul-mannered, barbaric oaf!"

"Maud!" He listened to the footsteps
hastening toward them. When she appeared, he ordered, "Take the
babe."

"Aye, my lord."

Surprisingly, Letia allowed her to take
Aubrey from her arms. Once Maud had him, Raik stared down at Letia,
his gaze boring into hers. Her eyes shied away from meeting his.
His right arm dropped from beneath her knees, but his left held her
tight to his chest. Her legs grasped for him as they fell, then
stopped.

Her blushing discomfort gave him spiteful
pleasure. He curled her toward him, crushing her breasts against
his chest while continuing to stare at her face. Her gaze darted
everywhere, even skyward, as he inched her down his body until her
feet reached the leaf-carpeted path.

A boy she might want to be, but he couldn't
deny her lush, woman's body. And it certainly appealed to his cock,
swelling and demanding with a voice of its own.

I'm here. Render me my due
!

Letia near shriveled with shame when her legs
tried to grip Raik's thighs. It was naught but the fear of falling
from his great height. She was sure of it. The moment her face was
close to Raik's cheek and neck, the intoxicating scent of pine and
clean male flesh quickened her pulse as if she had raced up the
steep stairwell at the corner turret.

In her bemused state, she walked with his
urging up the stairs and into the church to stop at the altar where
Father Paul waited. Sybilla and Agnes stood beside her, soothing
her daughter and telling her there was to be a wedding. It focused
Letia's attention.

Humpf! She had no wish to marry an
overbearing man. She was to serve him within his chamber? Not
likely. He'd have a long time waiting. She would be sleeping where
she had slept since she was sixteen winters old, and certainly not
within
his
bedchamber. His would be a cold, lonely bed for
all she cared.

How had Father Paul progressed so far into
the ceremony? What had he asked? She raised her brow. He cleared
his voice and repeated it.

"Ahem. Lady Letia, do you take this man, Lord
Raik of Raptor Castle, to be your lawful wedded husband?"

She clamped her teeth together and folded her
arms across her chest.

"Ye are supposed to say aye, lady," Cormac
whispered in her ear.

She shook her head.

Father Paul flushed and again repeated the
question.

Letia set her feet firmly apart. She was
ready to do battle. She didn't reckon with how determined Raik
could be. He glanced over his shoulder and gave a quick nod.

Several of his knights moved to form a
semi-circle behind them, screening them from everyone else's eyes.
Now she realized why they had not wed at the church's entryway, as
was the custom. He did not want witnesses that she refused to say
her vows.

Raik's left arm shot out and around her
waist. He pulled her to the front of him, against his massive body
and anchored her there with his right arm. Using his left hand, he
gripped the back of her neck. Before she could stiffen and resist
him, he forced her head to bob quickly several times, near making
her dizzy.

"She said 'aye', Father. Get on with it!" The
cold words were as sharp as the keen edge of his sword.

His warm breath so close to her ear sent
shivers down her spine. She had no chance to deny him, for never
had she heard the priest talk as fast as he did in the next few
heartbeats.

"I do," Raik replied, his voice cold,
hard.

The priest's words ran together.
"I-pronounce-you-man-and-wife."

Raik's arms fell from her as if she burned
him. He turned and likely would have left her standing there, but
for Cormac's laugh.

"Ye're supposed to kiss yer bride, man, not
trample her on yer way out."

Raik stopped in mid-stride. He scowled down
at her. She didn't have chance to draw a breath before he claimed
her. Not with the warm, gentle lips she had secretly known before,
but by cold, hard lips that performed a duty.

Without any feeling for her, his required
kiss ground her lips against her teeth. She shuddered and was
thankful it was swiftly over. Would that she could have held her
breath. The scent of his cheek had stirred her blood, tripping her
heart for what could have been under other circumstances.

Now, it would never be.

The little church was near soundless. No
doubt, because no one knew how to react to such a strange wedding.
Cormac broke the frozen mood. He grasped Letia by the shoulders and
placed a noisy kiss on her forehead.

"I wish ye much happiness, Lady." He turned
and cuffed Raik's shoulder. "Since ye are now Seton's baron, I
guess ye'll be wanting the cows at Raptor returned from last year's
raiding, eh?"

Raik snorted for answer.

"All is as it should be, Letia." Leofwan
clumsily embraced her shoulders with his left arm.

His gesture broke the silence from the
crowded room, and soon so many friends wished her well that Letia
lost track.

They made their way from the church back
toward the keep. Seeing everybody smiling, it seemed she was the
only one against this forced wedding. She could not blame them for
their giddy relief, for when the sun arose this morn, they believed
they would be homeless by nightfall.

Sybilla edged close, her eyes skittering
between Raik and Cormac as if waiting for them to shove her out of
the way. Raik halted the procession and stepped back, giving her
room to greet her sister. Cormac swept his arm, motioning toward
her as he spoke to Letia.

"Lady, there was too little time today for
proper festivities. I have learned yer sister has seen to preparing
a feast on the morrow that is worthy of a king," Cormac praised as
he bowed to Sybilla.

Why, never had Letia seen Sybilla blush as
rosy as any young woman would on hearing praise from a handsome
man! Her face felt hot against Letia's cheek. Her niece stepped
from behind Sybilla and tugged at Letia's sleeve, a slight frown on
her face.

"Must I call you by a different name
now?"

"Nay, I am still Lady..."

"Your aunt will rightfully be addressed as
Lady Letia of Seton, but to you, she is always your Aunt Letia."
Raik interrupted. He made an effort to smile at the child, but his
face was stiff.

Letia felt herself flush. Never had she meant
to draw notice of his bastardy by continuing to call herself Lady
de Burgh. When they entered the great hall, she took refuge in not
being able to talk over the din of so many voices. She should be
happy her people were safe, that he had not thwarted Warin's plans.
So many things could have gone wrong.

What if she had never conceived? But she had.
Only Maud, Sybilla and Leofwan knew when the babe's seed was
planted. Raik must never learn Aubrey had come ahead of his time.
If the Scot became suspicious, they would throw him off the scent
claiming she was already increasing when he came to Seton.

How had they reached the keep so quickly?
Raik seated her then took the baron's chair. No one had ever had
the right to sit in that chair but Warin. Her new husband must have
sensed her thoughts, because his eyes narrowed at her.

Fortunately, they had no need to talk as
servants brought their evening meal. They ate in silence, both
preferring to listen to the other diners. As usual, Giles was
teasing Alfred the slinger about the quantity of food he consumed,
and red-haired Piers was trying to coax Everard's secrets on
handling horses from him.

As the warriors celebrated with ale and wine,
they soon began calling ribald instructions for Ranald, who
answered by jibes of his own. When she had married Warin, she was a
young innocent who did not understand what all the laughter was
about.

Now she knew. And blushed.

"Lord Ranald, the Lady Joneta and his sister
Elyne of Raptor will no doubt be here when the sun again rises
above the keep."

So, her reluctant husband did not mean to
remain silent.

"Mayhap Catalin will come with the twins?"
Letia hoped it was so.

"Nay. She sent word that they suffer from a
summer cold. I didna think it wise to subject Aubrey to an
illness."

"Aubrey is
my
son. You have no right
to make decisions about him." She shifted in her seat to glare at
him. Where he had appeared relaxed before, his muscled body coiled
tightly. He looked about to spring into action.

"Aubrey is
my
heir. As such, I will
deem what is best for him."

Each word came out slowly. Clearly.
Coldly.

"'Tis time for ye to retire. He must be
hungry." He surged to his feet and extended a hand to assist
her.

Letia turned her head in a haughty gesture
and ignored it. If possible, he stiffened even more. She spun
around and left through the doorway behind the baron's table.

Raik held hard to his temper when she slammed
the door behind her. His muscles flexed in his instinct to follow
and demand... Demand what? Were she a man, he would have hauled her
back by the shoulder and thrown her against the wall for defying
him. But how did one discipline a noble woman? A wife?

"Come, Raik. 'Tis far too early for ye to
charge beneath the sheets." Cormac shoved a full chalice against
Raik's clenched fist, sloshing wine over it.

"Huh! It will still be too early when the
night is so near end that the sky lightens to gold."

"Ye are loath to bed her?" Cormac's eyes
widened in surprise.

"Would ye not be?"

"Nay. The lady is more comely than any other
I have seen but Ranald's Catalin and the Lady Muriele."

"There you have it. Both are women who cause
a man's cock to rise, though Muriele killed a man and Catalin has
tamed Ranald." Raik shook his head, trying to put words to his
feelings.

"Aye. And Letia is pleasing to the eye, yet
she can defend a castle as well as a man," Cormac supplied.

"
That
is the problem. Swiving her
will be like taking a squire to my bed." His stones near cringed at
the thought.

"Humpf! I dinna think a squire has neither
skin as soft as breasts, nor a body so pleasing to the.... Why are
ye fixing me with that squinty stare?"

Raik's eyes narrowed even more. "How do ye
know the lady's skin is soft as breasts?"