The Captive Maiden (33 page)

Gisela’s heart faltered, then started pounding
against her chest at Valten’s warm breath against her cheek.

“You think I’m … what?”

His nose touched hers. He was pressed against her shoulder. He radiated heat, as he’d no doubt been fighting and struggling against his attackers earlier. She leaned forward until she felt his stubbly beard prickling her face.

He seemed to be waiting.

“I think you’re wonderful,” she whispered.

His warm lips brushed her cheek and his voice was gruff. “Will you marry me, Gisela?”

Her heart seemed to leap into her throat. She had to swallow it down so she could say, “Yes.”

More deliberately this time, he rubbed his cheek against hers, melting her insides at the strangely wonderful prickling sensation. Slowly, he moved his lips over her face, kissing her cheek, closer and closer to her lips. Gisela moved her head slightly. Valten’s breath caressed her lips, then he covered the corner of her mouth, gradually slanting his lips over hers until he was kissing her, and she was kissing him back.

She couldn’t see him and couldn’t touch him with her hands, but she was keenly aware of his lips touching hers in her first true
kiss, her senses filled with Valten’s own smell of leather and the outdoors.

He’d come back for her, risked his life yet again for her, and from the way he was kissing her, she didn’t think he asked her to marry him out of obligation. Maybe he even loved her.

After several moments, his lips moved across her cheek, stopping at her blindfold, which slipped up and off her head.

She could see him. Oh! He was so beautiful! She leaned forward and kissed him again.

Valten pulled her blindfold off with his teeth. He had to stop kissing her so he could figure out a way to escape, and he needed to be able to see to —

Her lips were suddenly on his again, and he lost his balance and almost fell backward off the bench. Now that he’d
finally
been able to kiss her, she apparently liked it. He had thought she would take off his blindfold first, but he wasn’t about to complain.

When she pulled away, he couldn’t think about anything but her and her kiss. Then he felt his blindfold slip off his face.

She was so beautiful, with her lips all red from his kisses, her hair tumbling around her shoulders and forehead, and her cheeks blushing pink. She made him restless to kiss her again.

But he had to get them out of there before Ruexner came back.

“Turn around,” Valten said, slipping off the bench to kneel beside her.

“What?”

“Turn around so I can try to free your hands.”

Gisela turned so that her back was facing him. This was going to be awkward, given his broken hand, but he couldn’t think of any other way to get them free. The cloth that Ruexner
had tied around her wrists was knotted tightly. He set about pulling at the knot with his teeth, trying to loosen it.

Gisela was silent as he chewed on the knotted cloth, pulling and yanking at one side of the knot, then the other.

“I’m sorry you had to come after me again.”

Valten stopped long enough to say, “Stop saying that.” He tugged on the cloth some more, not seeing any progress yet. “I told you, it’s more my fault than yours. Ruexner is my enemy. I should be begging forgiveness from you for allowing him to get within a foot of you.”

She was quiet as he worked on the knot some more. He began to think the knot was loosening ever so slightly, so he got up and, with his back to her on the bench, he began using his fingers to try to pull the knot loose. His hand throbbed so painfully he caught his breath, but he kept working.

“But you were the one who was hurt. You were beaten and pummeled —” Her breath hitched, as if she was starting to cry again.

“Please, don’t cry. It’s nothing that won’t heal. Besides, you’re worth it.”

A sniffle. “That’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

“I’m sure I can do better than that, if you won’t cry anymore.”

She laughed, sniffed, then drew in a long, deep breath. “All right. I promise not to cry … if you want to say more pleasant things.”

He liked the smile in her voice. He pulled at the knot while he thought. “You have the most beautiful hair, eyes, nose, and especially lips, that I’ve ever seen.”

She sighed. “That’s very pleasant.”

“I like the way you don’t become hysterical in dangerous situations.”

“Thank you.”

“And you are very good with horses.”

“Yes?”

“And you kiss exceptionally.”

“Compared to whom?”

He continued to work hard on the knot, deciding how to phrase this. “Truthfully, you are the first girl I’ve ever kissed.”

“Oh.” She sounded pleased. “And you are the first boy — or man — I’ve ever kissed.”

If he’d been feeling warm and happy before, now he felt downright sunny, like the rays were filling his insides and radiating from every finger and toe.

What foolish things went through a man’s mind when he was contemplating marriage to the most beautiful girl in the world.

He worked harder at the knot, plucking at one side, then the other until, he felt it slipping free.
Yes!
The cloth fell from her wrists.

She turned and threw her arms around him, and he found himself kissing her lips again. She was so wonderfully eager, it made him groan.

“Sorry,” she said, pulling away, but keeping her soft little hands around his neck, apologizing as if she were to blame for the kiss. “I should untie you first.” She started to get up, then seemed to notice that her ankles were still tied together. She bent and pulled at the knot.

Valten got to his feet and watched her make quick work of her ankle bonds.

“There.” The cloth around her ankles came loose and she tossed it onto the floor.

She stood up and moved behind him. “Oh. Your poor hand.” The splint that Frau Lena had made for him had fallen off in the struggle with Ruexner earlier. Her fingers lightly caressed his throbbing left hand. “You need a healer. Your hand
is so swollen and bruised.” She started working at the bonds around his wrists, but her touch was too gentle.

“Don’t worry about my hand. Just get me loose any way you can. Yank on it if you need to.”

“Very well, but I will try not to hurt you.”

“Ruexner will cause much more pain if we don’t escape.”

She pulled harder at the rope around his wrist, her fingers slipping and bumping against his broken bone. The pain was intense, but he’d been living with it for days now. He could endure it better if he was free and Gisela was safe.

Finally, he felt the rope loosen, then Gisela pulled it free.

“Got it!”

Valten turned to face her and she threw her arms around him again.
We have to get out of here
, his mind told him, but he decided he had enough time for another kiss. And Gisela obviously agreed.

Gisela could hardly believe she was kissing Valten. If it didn’t feel so much more exciting than she’d ever imagined, she might think she was dreaming. But this was too real to be a dream — his warm arms around her, the tenderness in his kiss, the eager way he pulled her in …

Valten pulled away, stared hard at her for a moment, then quickly strode to the only window in the entire room, which seemed to be some kind of storage space.

Could it be true that she was going to marry this man? “Heaven.”

“What?” Valten looked over his shoulder.

“Nothing.”

He opened the shutters and pulled the glass casement open. Gisela hurried to his side and looked out too. It was a long way
down. That side of the church faced the woods on the edge of town. No one was within sight.

There was no sign of the tenderness that came into his eyes when he had kissed her. Instead, his face was a picture of cold determination as he turned away from the window.

“Help me collect all the cloths and ropes they used to tie us.”

She and Valten picked up their discarded blindfolds and bonds, and Valten began tying them together. First he tied the two blindfolds together. Then he added the two cloths that had been around Gisela’s wrists and ankles, then the ropes from Valten’s ankles and wrists. He tied them carefully, testing each knot by having her hold one end while he yanked the other end.

Valten searched the room for any other bit of cloth or rope but found only one short piece of rope. After tying it on, he said, “Take this end.” They stretched it out between them.

“This will only reach halfway to the ground, if that.” Gisela frowned.

“It will be enough.” He went to the window and started tying it to the window casement.

“Do you really think so?”

“I’ll climb to the end of it and jump the rest of the way.”

“But what about your hand?”

“I’ll manage.”

Was he always so tough, so unflinching? How much abuse could his poor broken hand take? The bone would end up growing back wrong, or worse. Might his hand become septic? If so, he could die. Her stomach lurched.

He tightened the knot, then threw the other end of the makeshift rope out the window, watching it dangle high above the ground. He started to climb out the window.

“Wait.” Gisela held on to his arm, which felt as hard and solid as a tree trunk. But he wasn’t a tree. He was a man. And even trees could be cut down.

“Don’t worry,” he said, caressing her cheek with the back of his fingers. “Just climb to the end and I’ll catch you.”

“I want you to promise me something first.”

“What is it,
liebchen
?”

The term of endearment, and the tenderness that had returned to his eyes, made her knees weak. She wanted to throw her arms around him and kiss him once more, but she resisted. Just barely. “I want you to promise me we will seek out an experienced healer for your hand as soon as we escape, and promise you will follow all their instructions.”

“I promise.” He cupped her chin with his palm and kissed her so sweetly it stole her breath.

He pulled away, took a deep breath, then went out the window, holding on to the rope.

Gisela watched him go, flinching at how painful it must be for him to grip the rope with his broken hand. He looked powerful, in any case, as he maneuvered down. The sight of his massive shoulders made her sigh.

She didn’t know she could be so … shallow? Enamored? Just plain silly? But she didn’t care. She also didn’t know she could be so happy.

Valten made it to the end of the rope, then dropped the rest of the way to the ground. He looked up at her. “Just put one leg out the window and grab the rope.”

Gisela took the hem of her skirt and tucked it between her legs and into the belt around her waist, to preserve her modesty. She stuck one leg out the window, sitting on the edge, grabbed the makeshift rope with both hands, and pulled her other leg out.

She swayed a bit as she clutched the rope as tightly as possible. Her stomach flipped as she hung high above the ground.

“That’s good,” Valten said in a soothing voice. “You’re doing well. Now move one hand at a time down the rope.”

Carefully she shifted one hand down, then the other. Her
hands slipped a bit and she clung tighter, terrified of falling the entire way and landing on top of Valten. Slowly, she moved one hand, then the other, and inched her way down. Would Ruexner or his men see them and recapture them? She forced herself to concentrate on her task.

“You’re doing well,” Valten assured her. “Keep coming.”

He was probably clenching his teeth at how slowly she was moving, but to his credit, he kept his voice calm and encouraging.
He wants to marry me! Thank you, God!

Gisela’s hand slipped. She clung tighter, letting the rough cloth burn the skin on her palm as she clutched it as tightly as possible.
Concentrate. He can’t marry me if I fall on his head and break his neck.

“You can do it,” Valten’s deep voice crooned below her. “Careful.”

Gisela inched down. All at once the rope ran out. She was at the end of it before she knew it. Her hands slipped off the end and she was falling.

She forced herself not to make any noise. Squeezing her eyes shut, she braced herself to hit something solid.