The Captive Bride

“Are you well, Lady Katharine?”Ariette asked. “Oh, here, please—”She began to pull the hair covering from her head, in order to set it over Katharine’s shoulders.

“Nay, Ariette.”Katharine stopped her. “Senet Gaillard wishes to humiliate me openly. Let him do so and prove what manner of lord he intends to be.”She gave that man a defiant glare.

“Lady Katharine, you are overset,”Sir Kayne said gently, untying the elegant cape about his massive shoulders. “None of us would ever allow such a thing.”Keeping his eyes lowered, he quickly set the garment about her. No sooner had he done so than Senet grasped it and tossed it back to his friend.

“Lady Katharine chooses to humiliate herself, Kayne, and you’ll not save her from such rash foolishness. She will wear my cloak when we wed.”

“How many times must I speak the words?”Katharine demanded. “I will not—”

“Quiet, woman.”Senet cut her off impatiently. “I can scarce think with all your noise.”

Noise? Katharine thought with complete outrage. She’d acquaint him with noise. She opened her mouth, only to have him dismissively turn away.

“Aric.”He said to that man, who was standing by the door, watching the scene with clear amusement.

“Aye?”

“Which of these women do you prefer? Mistress Magan or Mistress Ariette?”

“Senet,”Sir Kayne said uncomfortably, moving nearer to the women as if to protect them.

“Which one?”Senet demanded.

Sir Aric’s lazy gaze fell on Magan, and she pressed more closely to her mistress. Katharine set an arm about her, feeling the younger woman’s violent trembling. She realized, with sudden clarity, what Senet Gaillard meant to do.

“You will not,” she said.

He looked at her, his blue eyes cold, his handsome countenance as inflexible as stone. “I will.”

Their gazes held for a long, silent moment, with only Magan’s soft whimpering filling the room.

“She is my ward,”Katharine said at last, striving to keep her tone even. “I have sworn to keep her beneath my protection until she marries.”

“Then perhaps Aric had best take her to wife, rather than as a whore.”

“You ask much of me,”Sir Aric said over Magan’s sudden wails. “I don’t want a wife.”

“There are compensations,”Senet told him. “She comes with property and monies, a small but prosperous estate in Somerset, and full rights to several acres of forested land. All of it yours for the bedding of her.”

Magan gripped Katharine with both arms, with fingers and nails, weeping violently, pleading for safety.

“You cannot do this!”Katharine shouted. “To violate one so innocent—and a lady born. She would be ruined forever, with no chance of gaining a respectable husband.”

Senet turned to look at her. “She is in your keeping, Katharine. Think of the way to make certain of her safety, for I assure you it is very simple.”

She couldn’t. God help her. She couldn’t say the words to put herself into his keeping forever. He wouldn’t do this horrible thing to Magan. It was impossible.

“Take her, Aric,”Senet said, his voice hard and unyielding. “You may use my chamber if you desire privacy for bedding your newly betrothed bride.”

“Very well.”Sir Aric pushed from the wall. “But I’ll have to tie a cloth about her mouth to keep her quiet.”

“Tie her any way you please,”Senet said above Magan’s loud cries. “Only make certain that you finish the task. You may wed her in the mom.”

A brief madness broke out as Sir Aric tried to wrest Magan out of Katharine’s grip. Katharine started it by shoving Magan toward Ariette and then striking Sir Aric full in the face with her fisted hand. It was a good blow, knocking the huge man back a pace and stunning him. She would have hit him again if Senet hadn’t picked her up off the floor.

“Leave him be, Kayne!”he shouted when his blond comrade began to pull his sword out of its scabbard. “You must stand with me in the matter. Give me your trust, my friend. I will not betray it.”

“Sir Kayne!”Katharine cried, struggling against Senet’s steely grip. “You are sworn to protect innocent maids!”

Scowling, Sir Kayne shoved his sword back into its place. “I never thought to see you torment a lady so, Senet. Any lady.”He moved toward Ariette, and held her as Aric scooped a now screaming Magan into his arms and tossed her over his shoulder.

Ariette shrugged free of Kayne’s gentle grip, covering her mouth with both hands, watching with wide—eyed horror as Aric carried Magan from the chamber. Her cries could be heard echoing throughout the great hall, becoming fainter with each passing moment.

“Oh, my lady,”Ariette murmured, tears coursing down her cheeks as she pleaded with Katharine. “Oh, my lady.”

Senet had put Katharine on her feet once Aric had carried Magan away, and now she shut her eyes and covered her ears, striving to drown out the sound of Magan’s distress. But it was impossible. The girl’s terrified visage swam before her, and her cries rang in her head.

“I give way,”she said faintly, dropping her hands to her sides. She repeated it more loudly, turning to Senet with all her fury, “I give way!”

He crossed his arms and faced her.

“Your word, Katharine, that you will stand beside me of your own accord, before all those assembled in the hall, and become my wife. You will readily take your vows, in full voice and agreement, for all to hear. There will be no question of your willingness.”

She nodded wearily. “Aye.”

“You will cover your nakedness with my cloak, accepting this mark of my possession without protest.”

Her eyes opened, but not to look at him. She stared at the floor beneath her bare feet. “Yes.”

“When you have become my wife, you will instruct your people to make their pledge of fealty to me, their new lord. I want no discord in Lomas, and no false loyalties.”

She swallowed, then released a long breath. He waited.

“It will be as you have said.”

He nodded. “Kayne, go and tell Aric that he is to bring no harm to Mistress Magan so long as Lady Katharine honors her word. He is to keep her out of the hall until I send for them, when all has been done. I shall want Mistress Magan to make her pledge of fealty.”

Kayne left the room without a word. Senet unclasped the cloak about his shoulders.

“I will take no blame for what you have forced me to, Katharine.”He set the cloak about her shoulders. She gave no resistance when he clasped it. Indeed, she would not even look at him. “I meant to make you my wife with every honor that is your due. I will yet do so, if you will but let me.”

She shook her head in stony silence.

“So be it,”he said. “Mistress Ariette, wipe your tears away. Go and tell Father Aelnoth that Lady Katharine and I will present ourselves in but a few moments. He is to make all ready. Now.”

“My lady.”Ariette murmured.

“Go, Ariette,”Katharine said dully. “Do as our master has told you.”