Touch of Gold: (Rumpelstiltskin) (Tangled Tales Series Book 4) (14 page)

Chapter 18

Slipping back into the solar, Olivia realized Kin had already finished spinning the wool. And now, he was walking around the room touching one thing after another, turning everything to gold. He examined his sword, now gold, and laid it on the table.

This wasn’t good. Once the baron saw this, he would want her to start turning other objects besides wool into gold. Kin wouldn’t be here to do it, and she would be discovered as a fraud.

“Kin?” she said, removing her cloak and hanging it on a hook. “What are you doing?”

“It’s amazing,” he said, turning and walking toward her. “I can make my whole world gold! I’ll be mighty and rich even when I’m old.”

“Please, stop talking that way. You’re scaring me.”

She saw his gauntlets draped over the back of a gold chair and headed toward them. But Kin stepped in front of her and blocked her path.

“If only you knew my real name. You’d be my wife, we’d make a baby, and we’d be one of the same.”

He no longer sounded like himself. He sounded frightening, and his voice was much too deep. And he kept rhyming his words.

“Mayhap I know your name but don’t want to marry you anymore.” She stepped around him and tried to get to the gauntlets.

“Kiss me, Olivia,” he said, leaning forward. “I want to taste your lips again.” Before she could stop him, he leaned forward and placed a kiss on her mouth. It felt good to be kissed by him, but she had to stay aware. If he so much as reached out to caress her cheek, she would become a statue of gold.

“The curse is possessing you. I don’t like it.” She walked a half circle around him and managed to pick up his gauntlets. “Please, put these on.”

“I don’t want gloves; I want love.” He chased her back and forth around the chair and finally tossed the chair across the room. It was solid gold and hit hard against the wall. Olivia knew she had to do something quickly, and would do whatever it took just to get him to put the gloves back on. For some reason, he didn’t seem as obsessed with things when he was wearing the mail gauntlets.

“I’ll kiss you again – but you must put the gloves on first.” She dangled them in front of his face like a lure.

“I don’t need anyone telling me what to do. And if I want I kiss, I’ll just take one or two.”

“Unless you want to kiss a golden statue instead warm, human flesh, I suggest you put these on.” She held out the gauntlets to him once again.

“Oh, all right. I don’t want to fight.” He snatched them from her hands and donned them. Olivia let out a deep sigh of relief knowing she was now protected. Mayhap not from his lust, but at least she wasn’t in danger of turning to gold.

“Now I can touch, and I want to so much,” he said, reaching out and tilting her chin upwards and kissing her again. This time, she felt more relaxed and even started to get lost in the moment. “I’m sorry, Olivia, he said after a minute, shaking his head as if to clear it. His voice sounded like his own again. “I’m not sure what happened to me, but I think mayhap I’ve been letting my gift get out of control.”

“Do you think so?” she asked sarcastically, looking around the room at everything he’d touched. The sunrise through the window reflected off the objects and lit up the room in a bright golden hue.

“I don’t want you to marry the baron. He won’t be kind to you.” Kin put his arms around her and kissed her so passionately that she had to come up for air.

“When you talk that way, it makes me think you still want to make a baby with me,” she said.

“The thought still intrigues me,” he admitted, backing her against the wall and putting both hands on either side of her. “I don’t need to use my hands to make love.”

“I don’t see how – ”

Her words stopped short as Kin nibbled at her collarbone and nuzzled his face down into the bodice of her dress. She felt herself coming to life by his actions, and wickedly wanted more.

“That . . . feels . . . good,” she admitted, as he ran his tongue down into the V of her cleavage, leaving a wet trail along the way.

“You taste like ambrosia of the Greek gods,” he said, managing to excite her even more.

Before she knew it, he had one leg wedged between hers, and she could feel his erection pushed up against her as he mouthed her breasts right through her clothes.

She moaned in elation, never having had anyone do this to her before. When he kissed her again, his tongue entered her mouth, and she felt as if they were going to make love. The thought excited her and confused her at the same time. Something within her didn’t want to stop him although she knew what they were doing was wrong.

He pulled back and nuzzled her ear, and a shiver of delight coursed through her. Without thinking it through, his name sprang from her lips.

“Oh, Rumpelstiltskin!” she cried out. But saying his name aloud stopped everything. He pushed away from her and stood up straight.

“What did you call me?” he asked, his voice sounding gravelly.

“Rumpelstiltskin,” she said. “That is your name, isn’t it?”

“Who told you?” His voice turned venomous now, and she wished she’d never said his name aloud. If only she could take it back.

“It was the witch who told me,” she admitted. “Since your brothers weren’t here, I couldn’t ask them, but Hecuba showed up in the stable and told it to me while I was talking to your squire.”

“You left the room?” His eyes narrowed. “Why didn’t I see you go?”

“Because you were so mesmerized by turning things to gold that all you could see was your greed.”

He ran a hand over his head and winced when the chain mail caught in his long hair. “What’s becoming of me?” he ground out. She would have liked to discuss it more with him, but the door slammed open, and the baron rushed in, followed by two guards who were holding onto her father.

“Father,” she said and rushed forward, but the baron held up a halting hand.

“Stop where you are,” warned the man.

“What’s this all about?” asked Kin.

“I could ask you the same thing, de Bar.” The baron noticed everything made of gold in the room, and slowly reached down and picked up a golden goblet. “This was you, de Bar, wasn’t it?”

“I did it,” Olivia interrupted. “I’m the one with the ability to turn things into gold.”

“Liar!” spat the baron, throwing the goblet to the floor. “Still in a drunken state this morning, your father spilled your secret.”

“What do you mean?” asked Kin, his eyes flashing over to Olivia and then over to the miller.

“He told me that you, de Bar, sent him along with your squire to bury your horse that you’d accidentally turned to gold.”

Kin forced a laugh. “That is preposterous. No one can do something like that.”

“I had him take my men to the river this morning where they uncovered the golden horse as well as a tunic made of gold.”

“He did, did he?” Kin’s voice dripped with malice as he eyed the miller who stood there with his head down in shame.

“I’m sorry, Olivia,” said the man. “I didn’t mean to tell him. And even when I did, I figured he’d think it was only a lie.”

“Yes, that’s right,” said the baron, walking toward Olivia. “He told me that you have no special skills at all and that all this wool has been spun into gold by de Bar.”

“He lies,” shouted Kin.

“Really?” The baron looked at him with a raised brow. “Take off those gauntlets, de Bar. You’re inside the castle and don’t need them.”

“I prefer to keep them on.” Kin looked the other way, clenching his jaw as he spoke.

Baron Pettigrew nodded to one of his guards, and the man pulled Olivia against him and held a knife to her throat. She screamed out in fear.

“Nay, don’t hurt her!” shouted Kin, reaching for his blade, forgetting it wasn’t at his side but instead across the room. The tip of the baron’s sword to his chest stilled his action.

“Take off the gloves, or my guard will slit the girl’s throat,” the baron warned him.

Kin didn’t want to do it but had no other choice. Olivia’s life was in danger, and he was in no position to fight off three men and keep her throat from being slit while the baron held a blade to his heart.

“All right, I’ll do it,” he told him, taking a step backward. “Just please, don’t hurt Olivia.”

He slowly took off the gauntlets, and the baron reached out and snatched them away from him. “Touch something,” the man commanded.

“Like what?” asked Kin.

The baron looked around the room, but almost everything had already been turned to gold. Kin barely remembered doing it but knew he was responsible.

“Touch that spinning wheel,” said the baron, nodding his head in that direction.

With no other choice, Kin walked over and laid a hand on the spinning wheel. The brown of the wood slowly started to change color, and in the matter of a minute, the thing turned to solid gold.

“That is phenomenal,” said the baron. “De Bar, you are the valuable one to me, not the girl or the miller. You will stay here with me and make me rich.”

“What about Olivia?” he asked.

“She’s of no use to me anymore. Neither is her father. Guards, take them out to the courtyard and behead them. Put their heads on pikes to show others what I do to liars who try to make a fool out of me.”

“Nay,” shouted Olivia, pulling against the guard’s grip.

“Don’t kill my daughter, it’s not her fault,” cried the miller, struggling against the other guard.

“Leave them alone,” Kin ground out.

“Nay, they will die for what they’ve done,” sneered the baron. “And you and I, de Bar, will be rich from now on.”

“What makes you think I’ll help you?” asked Kin. “My gift is not to be shared.”

“What do you want?” asked the baron frantically. “I’ll give you land and even an army twice the size of your own.”

Kin stayed quiet for a minute, his eyes meeting those of Olivia’s. He could see the terror on her face.

“You know as well as I that I could kill you and both your guards right now with very little effort.”

“Your sword is across the room,” the baron pointed out. “You know as well that both the girl and her father will be dead before you’ve retrieved it.”

“I’ll make a deal with you,” said Kin. “Let the girl and her father go free, and I’ll give you as much gold as you want before I return to my castle.”

“I can’t let you leave, de Bar. You see, now that I know the truth, I can understand why you’ve kept it a secret. Put them all in the dungeon for now,” ordered the baron. “The girl and her father die in the morning, and if I have to keep you in shackles, de Bar, then that’s what I’ll do.”

Chapter 19

Feeling like a caged wildcat, Kin paced the floor of his cell, stopping every so often to grab the bars of the door and shake them. They were already gold, not to mention the bench in his cell as well as a plate of food the guard had brought him earlier.

Olivia and her father were in the cell next to him, and Olivia was crying. He felt so helpless to do anything to stop their execution.

“I’m sorry,” said the miller for the tenth time in a row. “I didn’t realize what I was doing when I spilled the secret to the baron.”

“It doesn’t matter,” said Olivia, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “He would have found out eventually that I am worthless to him. It’s better if we just get this over with already.”

“Don’t say that, Olivia,” said Kin. “You are far from worthless, and any man worth his salt would feel lucky to have you as his wife.”

“Including you?” she asked.

He found it hard to think straight, and shook the confusion from his head. Without his gauntlets, all he was able to think about was gold, and it was driving him mad.

“Yes, I still want you for my wife, Olivia.” She smiled until she heard his next words that he couldn’t stop himself from saying. “I’ll make you elegant gowns all spun of gold, and you’ll wear gold jewelry, sleep in a gold bed and eat from platters and drink from goblets, all made of gold. You’ll be the only Lady in all of England who can boast of having everything made of gold. We’ll be richer than the king, and twice as powerful.”

“I don’t want gold, Kin. I want you – as my husband. But the way you used to be, not the man you’ve become lately.”

“Do you mean you want him to be a drunkard again like when we first met him?” asked her father.

“Still your tongue old man before I touch it and still it for you,” snapped Kin. “You are the only drunkard here.”

“Stop it, both of you!” Olivia stood up and came over to the bars to talk to Kin. “You need to think of a way to get us out of here. And fast! I wouldn’t put it past the baron to move the execution up to today.”

“That’s right,” said a guard from outside the door to the cell. “The baron has sent me down here to tell you that the execution will be in one hour.”

“Nay!” whimpered Olivia from the cell next to him.

“Think,” Kin mumbled to himself, unable to think of anything but gold and how rich he would be. “Think,” he mumbled again and saw the guard look up.

“What did you say, Lord de Bar?” asked the guard.

Kin spied the flask hanging from the guard’s waistbelt right next to the key for the cell.

“I said drink,” he answered in a hoarse whisper, holding his hand to his throat. “Can I have a drink of your whiskey?” He pointed to the man’s flask.

“Nay. You can die of thirst for all I care. You’ll get nothing of the sort.”

“I’ll give you a kiss through the bars if you give him the flask,” said Olivia.

“Nay, you won’t!” spat Kin. He noticed Olivia’s eyes flashing over to the guard’s waist.

“I want to kiss him. He’s so handsome,” she said in a seductive voice. Thankfully, the guard fell for it.

The man looked down the corridor first, and then back to Olivia’s cell. “We’ll have to do it fast before the baron comes down here.” He untied the flask from his waist and held it up in the air. “Catch, de Bar.” The guard got ready to fling it through the bars.

“Nay, don’t spill it. Just hand it through the bars,” said Kin, hoping to draw him closer. He noticed Olivia taking the guard’s interest.

“Hurry up, I can’t wait to kiss you,” she said. The guard looked in her direction while he handed the flask of ale through the bars. Kin took the opportunity to grab the man’s arm.

“Hey, what are you doing?” growled the guard. Looking at his arm, he realized in horror what was happening.

“Sorry about that,” said Kin. “But I couldn’t think of anything else at the moment, so this will have to do.”

“You – turned – me . . .”

The guard’s body turned to gold, as well as the weapons and items around his waist. Kin’s curse was getting stronger. He grabbed the keys to the cell and let himself out the door. Then he went and opened Olivia’s cell door as well. “Be quiet and move quickly,” he warned Olivia and her father.

“What about him?” asked the miller pointing to the guard made of gold standing with his arm through the bars of the cell door.

“I guess he won’t be needing his weapons any longer.” Kin removed the man’s sword and put it at his side and then tossed the guard’s dagger to the miller. “Make yourself useful and protect your daughter.”

“Are we going to escape?” the man asked, putting the gold dagger into his waistband.

“Aye.” Kin scoped the surroundings. “We’ll sneak out to the stables and steal some horses. After that, I’m not sure where we’ll go.”

“I saw a foreign ship docked at the river when I went with your squire to bury your horse,” said the miller. “I heard the captain say they were leaving today.”

“Good idea,” Kin told him. “If we can sneak aboard, that ship will be our protection until I can send word to my army in Gillingham to come to our aid.”

Kin led the way out of the dungeon and helped Olivia and her father sneak to the stables without being seen.

“Fast, find yourself a horse and let’s get going,” said Kin. “I’d saddle it for you, but if I do, we won’t be going anywhere if you know what I mean.” He held up his bare hands to prove his point.

“Lord Kin, is that you?” Kin’s squire stuck his head out from a stall.

“Quaid, so glad to see you,” said Kin in relief. “You need to help Olivia and her father get to the ship docked in the harbor.”

“Aye, my lord. I was planning on a way to help you escape, and I thought you might need these.” He proudly held up the pair of golden gauntlets.

“Thank you,” said Kin, putting his sword into his waistbelt and pulling the gauntlets onto his hands. As soon as Olivia and her father were mounted, Kin gave the command to his squire to escort them.

“No one is watching the gate now,” said Kin, spying out the stable door. “Go quickly, and don’t stop until you are safe aboard the ship.”

Olivia stopped her horse and turned to look back over her shoulder. “Aren’t you coming with us?” she asked Kin.

“Nay. I have other things to take care of first.”

“You’re going to confront the baron on your own, aren’t you?” asked Quaid.

“I’m not leaving him with three and a half dozen barrels of gold. That’s my gold, and he can’t have it.”

Olivia’s heart dropped to hear the reason Kin was staying behind. She had thought the affection between them, not to mention the fact she’d almost lost her life, was enough to make him want to protect her. But all he seemed to care about was his gold.

“Let’s go,” she told the others. “Some of us know what’s truly important in life, and I assure you it’s not gold.”

They made their way over the drawbridge easily and without being stopped. They didn’t slow down until they reached the docks where a tall ship flying foreign flags was harbored.

“Leave your horses here,” Quaid instructed. “I’ll see to distracting the dockmen so you can sneak aboard.”

“And then what?” asked Olivia. “We don’t even know where the ship is headed. We can’t be stowaways.”

“I’m sure Lord Kin will be back with help before the ship sets sail,” Quaid assured her. “Now go, before you’re spotted.”

They made their way through the crowd and nonchalantly boarded the ship when no one was looking. Olivia kept her head covered with the cloak, not liking any of this.

“Olivia, I didn’t want to say anything in front of the squire, but I’ve seen this ship before,” whispered her father as they hid under the sterncastle aboard the ship.

“You have?” she asked. “So you know where it’s going?”

“I know where it came from. You see, this is the same ship that brought somebody important to our land many years ago.”

“Father, what are you talking about? Is this the ship of a foreign king?”

“Not exactly. But it is the ship of a sheik. That sheik,” he said, pointing to a man who came aboard at that moment. The man had golden skin, ebony eyes, and black hair peppered with tones of gray. He wore long, flowing robes, and a cloth that hung down to his waist covered his head. He was tall and sturdy and seemed familiar to Olivia.

“I remember seeing this man when I was just a girl,” said Olivia.

“You should,” said the miller. “The man is your father.”

Olivia gasped, and when she did, the sheik looked up and saw them.

“Who goes there?” asked the man, pulling a curved sword from at his waist.

“Please, we mean no harm,” said Olivia, stepping out to show herself.

“Both of you, step into the sunlight so I can see you,” commanded the sheik.

When they did, the man cocked his head and looked curiously at the miller. “I remember you,” he said. “Aren’t you the man who introduced me to your sister years ago? I have never forgotten Irene all these years.”

“Aye, it is me,” said the miller.

“Who is this beauty with you?” asked the man speaking with a thick accent. “She looks exactly like Irene. Is this the young girl I saw years ago that is your daughter?”

Olivia’s eyes interlocked with the miller’s, and she felt anxiety course through her. This was her chance to claim the title of who she truly was. Royal. The daughter of a sheik. Just one word and she would be set for life. But if she did this, what would happen to her father? The sheik would probably kill him for his deception. And would she ever see Kin again? The sheik might want her to stay with him and decide to take her away across the ocean to a foreign land, and she’d never come back to England.

“I cannot lie,” her father said to the sheik. Olivia could see in his eyes that he wanted the best life possible for her. “I told you Irene was my sister, but she wasn’t.”

“Then who was she to you?” asked the sheik, putting his sword down and coming closer.

Irene wasn’t my sister,” the miller said once again, looking at Olivia with lifeless, glassy eyes. “She was my –”

“Cousin,” Olivia said, stepping forward. “Please forgive my father for not telling you the truth sooner, but he’s always considered Irene to be like a sister to him.”

“So this man is your father?” asked the sheik.

“My mother died when I was young, and I’ve been raised by this good man – my father.” Olivia felt emotion welling within her chest, and she meant the words she told the sheik.

And with those words, Olivia gave up any claim she had of being royal.