SOLDIER
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Dark Redeemer Historical Romance
Two Medieval Romance Christmas Stories
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CATHERINE LLOYD
Copyright 2015 Catherine Lloyd
Electronic Edition 2015
Writewood Creations
261 Lac Bernard Road
Alcove, Quebec
Canada J0X 1A0
[email protected] https://www.writewoodcreations.blogspot.com
ISBN 978-1-988003-17-7
All rights reserved.
This publication remains the copyrighted property
of the author and may not be redistributed for commercial
or non-commercial purposes.
Cover Image by Filin28
Cover Design by Writewood Creations
Table of Contents
Title Page
From the Publisher
Also by Catherine Lloyd
SOLDIER
Mercenary
Jester
About the Author
Dark Redeemer Medieval Romance
Mandrake Falls Comedy Romance
Victorian Villains Saga
From the Publisher
Love. In a dangerous time. Two linked tales of two amoral men transformed by the women who love them. Set in 13th Century England at Christmas.
♠
In Mercenary, Lord Broderick, has been made a new father but his wife dies in childbirth and his infant son is failing to thrive. Then Tess is brought before him, the daughter of the lord whose lands Broderick has usurped. Unaware of her identity, the new master of Castlemuir confines the young woman to his inner sanctum to nurse his son, unaware that Tess poses the greatest danger to him of all.
♠
In Jester, Dumas is a hideously deformed clown who travels the countryside in a caravan with his young assistant, Fallon, a young woman disguised as a boy. In return for keeping her identity a secret, Fallon must perform for the misshapen man each night. But Dumas has a secret of his own as Fallon soon learns after a performance at Castlemuir Hall.
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Dark Redeemer Historical Romance is a series of stand-alone adventure-romance tales set in 13th Century England during the reign of King John, known as the High Middle Ages. The novella is full of action and romance. However, Mercenary and Jester contain certain love scenes that are not suitable for younger readers.
Also by Catherine Lloyd
Dark Redeemer Historical Romance
Traitor
Wanton
Wastrel
Mandrake Falls Series Romance
The Jilting – Summer
Lie for Me – Autumn
The Way Home – Winter
Love Rising – Spring
Victorian Villains Saga (2017 Releases)
Windemere Hall
Mark of Caine
The Master of Cliff House
Wracker’s Cove
SOLDIER
†
Mercenary
Chapter I
Outside the walls of Castlemuir ~ March 1202
TESS STUMBLED running through the wood. Blinded by terror, mute with panic, the sound of fire crackled behind her—the village was burning to the ground. She heard the screams of women and men being murdered or captured. Tree branches caught and pulled at her long black hair, tearing it out at the roots but she dared not slow down. One of the raiders had marked her escape and was hard on her heels.
Horse’s hooves pounded the forest floor, shaking the birds out of their nests and sending the night creatures scattering to their burrows. Fear clawed her throat. The animal must be huge—what manner of man required a horse of such fantastic size?
He was upon her in an instant despite the panic that sped her feet. The horse reared and its rider shouted an oath, ordering her to stop.
Tess ducked into the underbrush where he could not follow. She heard the rider swear an oath and then the sound of crashing and the clang of metal. The raider was giving chase on foot! What did he want from her that made him so determined? She had concealed her identity. He could not know who she was—could he?
Mud from the spring run-off marked her trail. Branches stung her eyes and cut her cheek. Her gown twisted around her ankles. Tess was unused to the forest, and most especially at night. Terror made her push deeper into the dark wood.
The man was close behind her. “Stop and you’ll not be harmed but if you keep running, I swear on my life I will make you pay!”
She dove under a thicket not yet in bud just as he closed the gap. Tess was certain he didn’t see her, but the raider stopped abruptly on the path and turned back as though sniffing her out like a rat in a trap.
The soldier was a mercenary. The poor quality of his armor indicated that he served no lord; his breastplate was not emblazoned with a crest. Tess’s mouth dried. Mercenary soldiers were notoriously vicious and without scruple. The stories of their brutal attacks were known all over England. The man who hunted her was a common foot soldier, fighting for profit rather than faith or fealty. He was more of a threat to her than a knight in full armor.
♠
BRODERICK SWORE under his breath. He had better things to do than to chase a slip of a girl through the wood. The March air chilled him through his brigandine. He was not paid for prisoners unless they were men or youths who could be conscripted into King John’s army. Furthermore, Kylie was waiting for him at home. His wife worried the nights he was out on a raiding party. Broderick had to earn a living and as long as the king paid in gold sovereigns, he would offer his sword.
He stretched his arm into the thicket where the girl had hidden and hauled her out by the scruff of her neck. Broderick landed her in front of him to get a better look. The light was not strong in the forest. He could not make out her features.
“What have we here? Be you a noblewoman or commoner? Speak up girl!” He clamped his massive gauntlet-gloved hands on her small shoulders and shook her roughly. “What is your name? I’m not going to hurt you. Are you the daughter of Lord Harald whose castle we have seized? He is a traitor to the king and he and his household are subject to imprisonment.”
A thin shaft of moonlight penetrated the canopy and fell across her face.
Broderick frowned. The girl was a great beauty. The most beautiful and delicate creature he had ever seen. Lord Harald had fallen out of favour since King John’s ascension to the throne. He suspected this girl was his daughter but he could not say for sure. She was expensively gowned for a lady’s maid but perhaps she was a decoy to lure him away from his real quarry—the elusive Lady Tess.
“Do you not speak?”
The girl shook her dark head.
“A mute?” Broderick grinned and swung her around back to front. “You’d better find your voice, girl. For if you are not Lady Tess of Castlemuir, all manner of evil could befall you here. Her ladyship is valuable for ransom. A lady’s maid is of no value to a mercenary soldier except for what is between her legs. Which do you prefer—ransom or ravishment?”
Tess did not answer while her mind worked. Her maid, Gretchen, had been afflicted with an illness in childhood that had robbed her of speech. Swapping places with her lady’s maid was a clever notion. She would pretend to be Gretchen, posing as Lady Tess. As for Gretchen, she was far away, having been sent out of the county after the last raid.
The raider was a large man, made larger still by his shoulder armor and leather brigandine. He wore linen braies and leather boots. Tess could not make out his features under his iron helmet and nose guard. Escape would not be an easy matter.
She darted away from him. He pulled her back and lifted her off the ground. With one thick arm clamped about her waist, he carried her in the direction of the forest
.
“Ravishment it is then.”
In truth, Broderick did not know what he meant to do with her now that he had her. He had given chase, thinking the girl could increase his purse if she was a noblewoman. He had gone to a great deal of trouble to capture a mute lady’s maid. King John would not pay for this one; killing her was cheaper. She was not worth anything at all, dead or alive.
The night had turned chilly though spring solstice had been celebrated and Easter was close behind. The girl was small and light. Her wide eyes were fixed on him and her black hair swung down to her back. It crossed his mind that she could have a fetching figure under her finery. Like the men he rode with, Broderick was frequently disloyal to his wife. Women and maids were the spoils of war and fighting men had to take their pleasure where they found it, lest they get lonely and give up warfare. This was understood by nobility and commoner alike.
Kylie was none the wiser. Married to him for ten years, with no children to occupy her, he was more considerate of his wife than most husbands. But then Broderick loved Kylie with his whole being and all the lasses in the world would not change that.
But this little wench was proving hard to resist. Her silence was alluring. A beautiful mute girl unable to scream was very attractive indeed. If she was Lady Tess, however, he could not touch her without risking his own neck on a charge of treason. The Lady Tess was King John’s prize in this campaign.
“I have a bargain for you,” he said meditatively, setting her on her feet. “If you are a very good girl and do not cause trouble, I shall restore you to your family. Give me their names and I’ll send word that you are safe and unharmed and they may have you back.”
She shook her head vigorously and fought to escape.
Broderick clenched his jaw and gripped her thin arm tighter. “You are certainly stupid enough to be a lady’s maid. If you are not Lady Tess, you will be used by my men and when they are finished with you, you’ll be left to starve. Food stores are reserved for soldiers. Did her ladyship ask you to wear this finery to fool us? I am a hired soldier—I have no master. I can release you, but you must give me something in return. If Lord Harald is not dead, he soon will be and your lady cannot save you then. Hold!” She struggled against him as though she believed she could escape. “I am not going to harm you but if you push me past my patience, I shall smack that insolent look off your face!”
Tess fought to get free of him, although it was useless. Her heart trembled, fearing what this raider would do if she could not escape. She was resolved not to give away her identity and be held for ransom. Her father would pay any sum to get her back and Tess would not allow him to bankrupt his estate and bring their people to starvation for her sake.
The raider lost patience. He pushed her to the ground. Tess fell on the path, landing on her back. She stared up at the giant, her mouth in her throat. Her skirts had pushed up above her thighs. Her hands scrambled over her dress to cover her bare legs.
“Do not trouble yourself on my account, wench. It is not me you need to fear. I have more pressing concerns at the moment than my cock. I want Lady Tess and you shall give her up to me or find yourself delivered up to my men. Your silence just might save you. With luck, you’ll find a man among my soldiers willing to take a discreet girl under his arm. What say you?”
Tess touched her throat and the mercenary soldier made a noise of impatience.
“You cannot speak but you can sign can you not? Point the way and I’ll give chase. There now. That’s a fair offer.”
He reached down to help her up. Tess turned and lifted her arm, indicating the path that wound deeper through the wood. It was a horse path frequented by market carts and villagers travelling from Castlemuir to the town of Edwinstowe.
“Her ladyship escaped in that direction?”
Tess nodded and pointed again with greater confidence.
“Was she on horseback or on foot?”
Tess hesitated, wondering which would be most likely to encourage him to give chase. She indicated her foot.
“On foot. That is well. I’ll have her before daybreak. Come, show me the way.”
She shook her head vigorously and gave him a light push in the direction of his quarry. She indicated her intention to return to Castlemuir.
The soldier caught her by the arm. “Ho no! Nay, my girl, I’ll not let you go until the Lady Tess is captured and is exchanged for you. If you have lied to me, I’ll want something for my pains. That’s how it works, girl. A mercenary must make a profit, even a poor one. Come along, the night is wasting and my men will be looking for me. Pray they don’t find you first. I won’t kill one of my own to save your hide.”
Tess stood her ground, unable to think of what to do next to stall the soldier. She could not fight him and she could not outrun him. If she was returned to his camp, she would be violated—he did not exaggerate the debauchery of his fellow soldiers. King John’s use of mercenaries to fight his battles had brought shame to the women in her father’s parish. There was not a virgin left among them. It was the reason she had discharged her maids and sent them out of the county.
The man’s sword rattled its sheath as he moved to fetch his horse. Her eyes went to it. Tess had a daring idea. If she could not fight him physically, she would have to manipulate him emotionally. One man was easier to master than a dozen.
She caught his hand. The soldier turned and though the iron mask of his helmet, she saw his eyes widen in surprise. She drew him toward her so that he could not mistake her meaning.
He stopped her. “Do not tempt me, wench. I’m not one of your milk fed boys—mind how you go.”
Tess smiled beguilingly and with a slight jerk of her head, she led him off the path and into the dark cool of the forest. There was a mound of damp moss that grew in a sort of clearing a short distance away. She led her soldier to it and then lay down upon the earth. Still and scarcely breathing, she reached her hand up to him. His posture was resistant but she could see he wanted to yield. Truly, she almost felt sorry for him but she would cut his throat nonetheless.
“Let there be no misunderstanding between us,” the soldier said as he removed his helmet and shook his golden head. “We shall take our mutual pleasure here and then we shall part company. I’ll go after your ladyship and you may go where you wilt. A fair bargain, I’d say and a better one than you’ll get with King John. I suppose you may kill me at some time in the future. But if you do, it will be murder as I have done you no harm.”
Tess forced what she imagined to be a wanton smile to her lips. His sword was sheathed at his waist. The mercenary unbuckled his belt and it fell to the ground with a clatter. She began feel a sliver of doubt about pulling off the deception. Her soldier was very tall and the worst of it was he was handsome and not as old as she had thought. Tess was nineteen. Her father had given up trying to marry her off after she declared she would take the veil before she’d consent to marry a man she detested. Sadly, every single nobleman her father had paraded before her, Tess found utterly detestable.
The soldier stood over her and for a moment she thought he would change his mind. She pressed her hand to her chest and then circled her palms outward as she had seen Gretchen do.
“You like me.” He laughed.
She nodded and the raider dropped to his knees at her side. “I like you too, girl. I like you too well. Your beauty has condemned us both.” He stroked her face. “I am married to a fine woman and until this moment, I have only broken our marriage vows with whores. I am glad you cannot speak for your eyes are doing sufficient damage to my soul. Your voice would be my undoing.”
Broderick tugged at the tie at his waist and his brais came loose. He liberated his cock from its protective cup and stroked it to fullness. The girl’s face expressed curiosity and astonishment but she was not frightened.
He eyed her curiously. “Ah, so you are not a virgin then. I thought as much. A young beauty such as you would know a thing or two about men. I should think
you were plucked years ago.”
The moon cleared a cloud. A soft blue glow washed over the forest, dousing them in moonlight. The girl was far more beautiful than Broderick thought. Her hair was long, thick raven black, glossy as silk. He pulled off his gauntlet gloves to gather it by the fistful to his nostrils and inhaled. Her eyes were fastened on his face, as puzzled and entranced as he was by the change between them.
“How old are you? You are above seventeen by my reckoning. I hope not as young as fifteen. I cannot abide a miss of fifteen—not a lick of sense at that age. Nod once if your age is above seventeen; twice if you are less.”
She nodded twice and he laughed. “Now, if you were fifteen, I doubt you would’ve had the wit to lie about your age. I daresay you’re as old as twenty and I am not your first.”
The girl turned her face away. “Hah! I have hit the mark! Ah now, there is no reason to be ashamed of enjoying sex. I am not your judge. And by my troth you are beautiful ... no man could resist one such as you in his household.”
For a moment Broderick forgot where he was and what he was about. She had captivated him with her eyes that were shaped like crescent moons and weighted with heavy black lashes. Her eyes shone silver and her lush red mouth trembled.
The girl’s black brows knitted together. She seemed to want to say something.
Broderick shook his head and kissed her deliberately on the mouth. “Nay, do not try to speak. It is better for us both that you cannot. You cannot testify against me and because of that, I will not expose you as a traitor when I capture Lady Tess. I am not a good man,” he murmured as he kissed her neck. “I am not a gallant knight or the chivalrous hero of maidenly dreams but I won’t betray you. If you are indeed Lady Tess’s maid, giving yourself to me is treason. Lord Harald’s supporters will kill you if they learn of this.”
Broderick slowly opened the stays at her bodice.
Tess’s eyes followed his hands and then went to the sword. It was out of reach. If she made a lunge for it now, she would give herself away and he would surely take her prisoner to be handed over to King John’s camp. Then it was only a matter of time before she was identified as Lady Tess of Castlmuir.