Seduced (40 page)

Hearing her voice crooning to his son and the
bairn's sounds in reply, Raik grinned. When she came through the
doorway, she smiled down at the child and, holding him securely
against her breasts, pointed to Raik.

"Look, Aubrey. Here is your Da."

Raik's mouth dropped when the baby turned his
head to follow her finger. His face lit when he spotted Raik, his
arms swatted the air. Raik burst out laughing. Why, the wee mite
recognized his father!

He took Aubrey to wiggle him in the air over
his head, not caring when the baby's chuckles showered his face
with spit.

The three enjoyed the peace of the solar. Now
and again, his eyes strayed to the dark stains on the floor where
Goda had tried to remove all traces of blood.

"Son, Letia is a fighter. I would bet my life
that it is her assailant's blood, not her own."

"Aye. I know. 'Tis too much for a woman to
lose. Had it been hers, the bastard would have left her body hidden
in the bushes. He wouldn't burden himself carrying off a dying
woman."

"Cormac felt the same," she nodded. "He
called for everyone to take a weapon, no matter how crude, to
search the grounds for any signs of...," she hesitated before
adding, "a body. Julian dares not kill Letia, else King Stephen
will see him hung." Lady Joneta nodded, her mouth firm. "Sir
William reassured me the moment we found her missing."

Raik wished he felt that certain. To him,
Julian's temper led him to do the worst things possible against
himself. He would kill and not think about the consequences until
they were upon him. But Raik intended to get to him before the man
lost himself to all reason.

o0o

Torches lit the keep, the front bailey, the
knights and warriors' barracks and stables. 'Twas as bright as any
sunny day. Though it was time for the bells of Matins, no one was
abed. Squires and knights finished their final preparations as they
strapped swords around chain mail, adjusted helmets and capes then
settled broadswords in slings across their backs. Squires carried
their master's shields and extra weapons, along with their own bows
and arrows.

For the first time Letia's slingers, who
worked in tandem with the archers, rode behind them on horseback.
All were ready in line, waiting for Raik's command to start. He
raised his sword while Storm pranced, eager as if he had not run in
days. He hesitated when Goda's deep voice called to him. Lowering
his sword, he turned to watch her running to him, arms waving in
the air.

"My lord," she panted when he rode to meet
her, "Giles awoke. He said he had given Lady Letia her dagger.
'Twas Julian who was injured. He carried her over his right
shoulder and blood dripped from his left side. Two of the bastards,
uh, excuse me my lord, were inside the postern gate. Giles said
'twas them that downed him and the dog."

Raik gave him a brisk nod. "Tell Giles he
will have a hefty reward for following his instincts and not my
orders," Raik grinned. "Though he must get well before he can claim
it."

Hope surged through Raik knowing Letia was
not injured. Thanks to the good Lord, she was tough. Never had he
been so grateful that his 'lady who would be a squire' was also
finely trained and fit.

He wheeled Storm and trotted to the head of
the line. Four warriors carrying torches went ahead to light the
way. Afore they galloped through the barbican, he slashed his sword
toward the sky.

His fierce war cry split the air, echoed by
every man in the ranks behind him.

Freki, tied to a post in the stable, pulled
and tugged until he broke free. Before the last horse rode through
the barbican, the beast streaked alongside.

By the time Raik gained the southern fork in
the road, Freki was in step with Storm.

"My lady. Your bath awaits," a mocking voice
called.

Letia, shivering and curled in a tight ball,
awoke to a still-dark sky. Torchlight from above bathed Julian in
flickering amber lights as he performed a courtly bow with a
graceful sweep of his arm. A heartbeat later, buckets of cold water
rained down. Not remembering when she last had anything to drink,
she threw back her head and opened her mouth wide. She swallowed
greedily—until she realized it wasn't the only thing within the
bucket.

Slops from the kitchen tangled in her hair
and collected on the white shirt. Snow would not have felt colder
than the wet cloth chilled even more by the brisk October
morning.

"Enjoy breaking your fast." He chuckled as if
he loved the irony of it. "I would not want you so weakened you
failed to relish the sight when I hang your thieving husband beside
your lovely bedchamber."

Letia ignored his taunts. She pushed herself
to sit upright and braced her back against the wooden bars.

Thankfully, her breasts no longer ached from
unused milk. Whenever she knew no one peered down at her, she had
pressed her nipples with her fingers, extracting it. She had no way
to collect it for herself, other than to lick it off the palm of
her hand. Now, without food and the stimulation of hearing Aubrey's
hungry cries, her milk quickly dried up.

Each morn, she whispered a litany over and
again,
Please, God. Raik will come today. I'll see him afore
the sun is overhead.
She had to be strong and not be a burden
when he found a way to release her.

Her stomach growled. She looked with distaste
at the wilted carrot tops, apple cores, bits of turnip, the roots
of beets and things she could not identify. Her need to see Raik
and Aubrey overcame her reluctance. She ignored their unsightly
appearance and nibbled the bits of food. Several times, she near
retched but forced herself to keep it down.

Surely, people survived on less when lost in
the forest. She pictured the edible berries and plants that would
sustain them and pretended that was what she ate. She chewed apple
and pear cores, and crunched their seeds then cleaned off the
various roots where bits of mud clung to them.

When she had eaten all she could salvage, she
was surprised to find she was no longer hungry. Feeling Julian's
malicious gaze on her head, she took a deep breath and turned
enough to look up at him.

"Thank you, my lord, for the lovely banquet."
She kept her voice firm and without a waver.

He laughed. "Your mettle pleases me. After I
rid you of your husband, mayhap I'll keep you awhile."

"Do, my lord." She looked up at him and
flashed a sunny smile. "The next time, my blade will find your
throat."

He must have blamed his injury on a Seton
warrior, for guards close-by snickered. Not for long. The sounds of
fists meeting flesh and grunts of pain quickly followed. She
doubted his ranks overflowed with warriors who liked or even
respected him. Though Raik had not been at Seton a year yet, she
knew all there would fight to the death to protect him.

Julian's eyes blazed murderously down at her.
His voice degenerated to a guttural rasp.

"Douse her. Her stench is offensive."

When another bucket emptied over her, she
cupped her hands and sipped what she could stomach. She sat taller,
brushed the debris from her lap and pretended to be refreshed.

A beautiful sunrise crept over the mountains
to her right. Slowly, the sky lightened to a soft gray. Would it
rain? She near hoped it would so she could cleanse herself. Looking
at the filth in the cage, she planned how to rid herself of it. As
the rain fell, she would sweep her hands over the floor toward the
edges until the refuse fell into the moat. Then she'd hold her arms
out to cleanse them in the glorious rain.

She was engrossed in watching the clouds and
following the sun's progress on the ground when something caught
her eye. She did not allow any tightening or change in her posture
as she pretended to scan the sky. Out of the corner of her eye, she
returned her gaze to the forest's edge.

Nothing moved there now. She waited and
looked a little to the left. It was there, dark and low to the
ground. 'Twas like once before. Several bushes further, it appeared
again. A black snout inched out then quickly retreated.

Freki! Letia's heart hammered. She lowered
her head, pretended to brush something from her lap and gazed
through her lashes to study the trees. She felt Raik there.
Watching and planning. She even knew which line of trees he was in,
feeling his presence in the canopy of a huge oak. The warmth of his
blue eyes covered her, its heat increased as he studied the top of
her prison to her folded legs beneath the shirt. It was a physical
feeling. Not icy, as when he was angered. For truth, she felt his
fury warm her like the sun, for he did not direct it at her.

He came for her.

Julian would be dead before the night
fell.

o0o

Raik's eyes were keener than most. So
far-seeing that Ranald used to say he was kin to an eagle. He was
at least three hundred paces within the forest in the tallest oak.
He hugged the trunk, putting it between himself and the castle. Mud
streaked his face. His brown clothing blended in with the tree.

He stared at Letia within the cage. Her face
was so badly battered, were it not for her hair and the courageous
way she held herself, he would not have known her. A snarl rumbled
up from deep within his chest, the sound dark and vicious.

"Shite, Raik," Cormac's voice whispered, "I
thought 'twas a rabid wolf beneath us. What do you see? I make out
only a cage. Surely 'tis not Letia within."

"It is. He has beaten her."

Now the sun had raised enough, he made out
what was happening. Julian had caused buckets of refuse dumped
through the slats. Though Letia appeared calm and serene, he sensed
she kept her jailer from knowing how she shivered. He prayed the
sun would hold and warm her. He noted how she propped herself
upright against the bars. She fought to hide her weakness. Had they
given her naught but the foul garbage heaped on her? Had the
bastard been human enough to allow her water?

He signaled Cormac then eased down the trunk
until he was below the treetops. When his feet touched the ground,
he was already talking to the men. They gathered around him and
Cormac as they described the castle and Letia within the cage.

"We canna attack. Should we misfire anything
we aim at them, it will kill my wife. We cannot rescue her until
darkness falls." His voice was bitter and impatient.

They sat on the ground while Raik used a
stick to outline his plans of the only way they could save her.
Though it grated against their pride that they had so little they
could do to aid their mistress, the men knew his was the only
possible way it could work.

When Raik finished, Everard kept the horses
quiet with his gentle whispers. Teams of men faded deep into the
forest and began cutting small branches from trees and bushes then
returned to camp with them.

Raik crept along the forest floor until close
enough to whisper Freki's name. The dog stayed crouched to the
ground and backed up, instinct telling it to keep the hated humans
from spying him. He washed his master's face when they drew even.
Raik felt along the dog's body and put salves on its open wounds.
He fed him food from his pockets as he coaxed Freki back into the
woods while he whispered and soothed the beast.

As he crawled on the ground to return to
camp, his gut twisted knowing Letia must suffer through another
day. She would believe he had abandoned her. When he reached the
tree again, he forced himself to return to his perch and watch her
torment.

o0o

Where was Freki? His black snout had
disappeared, yet she knew he was there. Really, 'twas for the best.
If she could not see him, the guards atop the wall walks couldn't
either.

The sun rose high. Still, she saw no signs of
Seton's army. She didn't feel Raik's watchful presence any more.
Worry gnawed at her. What if he didn't feel her worth saving?
Mayhap he was still too angry with her to care.

If she died, he would be free to marry where
he chose. She swallowed and prayed he would wed Muriele. She would
be a good mother for Aubrey, for she was a strong woman, too. She'd
had to be to survive.

Letia's eyes flooded. Hearing movements
above, she blinked the moisture away. Always they watched her for
any signs of weakness. She straightened her slumping shoulders and
tried to distract her thoughts. Mayhap she could fool her jailers
into believing she didn't care that she hung above a moat filled
with water.

And she couldn't swim.

She bit her lips. Had she said the thought
aloud? If Julian knew her terror of drowning, he would glory in
it.

She would sing! She cleared her throat and
brought the songs of happier days to her mind. She cupped her arms
beneath her breast and pretended she held Aubrey in her arms.
Lifting her face to the sun, she began singing. How long she sang,
she didn't know. Her mouth became so dry she could barely get the
words out.

"Ah. Our singing bird is losing her voice? I
will think of you while I drink cold ale. Mayhap I'll allow you
what's left of the meal after the dogs have their fill." Julian's
footsteps and laughter faded as he left the wall walk.

A short time later, the guards above were
quietly talking, sometimes arguing. What caused it? Suddenly, two
men leaned over an opening above.

"Lady, drink quickly," one whispered.

Surprised, she watched as one man inched a
water flask tied to a small rope down beside her. She eased over to
the cage's side and carefully grasped it, fearing its loss. She
lifted the stopper and swallowed as fast as she could then resealed
it and eased the flask back into the open.

"Thank you for your kindness," she whispered.
She smiled up at them.

Looking shamefaced, they nodded. She rested
back against the bars and closed her eyes. Exhausted from being
frequently awakened during the night, her eyelids drifted shut.