Velvet Song

  Raine grabbed her hips and as if she had no weight at all, picked her up and set her down on his manhood with such an accurate thrust that Alyx let out a raspy squeal.

  “Swordplay,” Raine laughed. “I’m very accurate with a sword.”

  Alyx leaned forward and with her strong thighs began a rhythm that left Raine too busy to speak again. He lay still, his face a mask of almost pain as he held back, all his senses given over to the enjoyment of what Alyx was doing.

  When he could stand no more, he grabbed her to him, rolled her over and with two hard, almost violent thrusts, they ended together, shaking, quivering, clutching as if they might get even closer.

  After several moments, Raine raised his head and gave Alyx a smile that said more than all the words in the world. With a grunt of satisfaction, he rolled off her, pulling her close to him, their sweaty skin glued together. And together they slept.

  * * *

  It was early evening when they woke and Raine made an awful sound as he pulled a sharp, hard knee up from under the small of his back. “How can anything so small be so dangerous?” he asked a sleepy Alyx.

  With one sharp smack on her buttocks, he moved away from her to stand and stretch. “Up!” he commanded. “We’ve stayed here too long already. It’ll take us two days to get home as it is.”

  Alyx didn’t relish moving to ride on a horse and her expression said so. She’d much rather stay here—in bed—with Raine for a few more days.

  “Alyx, don’t tempt me. Get out of there this minute or I shall return to the forest and send some of Gavin’s men to escort you to the Montgomery estates.”

  That made her jump. Within seconds she was out of bed and had pulled the torn white sheath over her head.

  “Filthy thing,” Raine said, fingering it. “Judith will find you dresses fit for a Montgomery. It will be nice to see you dressed as you should be, although I must say I like your hair like this.” He rubbed her curls as if he still thought of her as his squire.

  There was no time for anything else as he pushed her out the door and tossed her into the saddle of a horse. Except for messengers, Alyx had never seen knights as they were with their lord master. Raine had only to hint at a command and Gavin’s men jumped to obey. Quickly, efficiently, they cleared the armor Raine had taken from Pagnell’s man from the room while Raine dressed in the dark green wools he’d worn in the forest. One of the knights gave such a look of astonishment that Raine laughed.

  “They itch, too,” he said. “Ready, Alyx?”

  Before she could answer, they were off, galloping at a pace that she should have been used to. It was no surprise to her when Raine rode through half the night. But what did surprise her was the way Gavin’s men treated her. They asked after her health, if she were tired. When they stopped to eat and rest the horses, some of the men presented her with flowers. One man spread his cloak for her to sit on. No one seemed to notice that the fur-lined cloak was of far better quality than the sack she wore.

  With surprise and disbelief in her eyes, she looked up at Raine but saw that he thought nothing of the way the men treated her. A knight asked permission to play the lute for her, and as three men sang together, Raine raised one eyebrow at her, for the men were not very good. Alyx looked away, because to her, the knights, so kind, so polite, were perfect.

  When Raine lifted her back on her horse, he said, “They are practicing their chivalry on you. I hope you can bear with them.”

  Bear with them! she thought as they started riding again. She felt as if she’d just seen a glimpse of heaven and, indeed, she could withstand it.

  At night they stayed at an inn and Alyx was embarrassed by the way she was dressed. There was no need to be. The innkeeper took one look at Raine and the twenty men in their rich green and gold and he practically lay down to be their carpet. Food such as Alyx had never seen before was set before them in a quantity that made her gasp.

  “May they sit with you?” Raine asked.

  It took her a moment to realize he was asking permission for these lovely men to sit at the same long oak table with her. With a large smile, she gestured to them and the chairs.

  The men’s table manners were so good that Alyx was overly cautious about her own. All through the meal they offered her prize tidbits of meat and fruit. One man peeled an apple, placed a sliver on a plate and asked if she’d accept it.

  They expressed sympathy about her lost voice, which made Raine laugh and say they were missing more than they knew. Formally, they asked Lord Raine to explain this. He said they’d not believe what he said, which made Alyx blush.

  In their room was a large, soft bed, sparkling clean, and Alyx immediately snuggled under the light blanket. In seconds, Raine joined her there, pulling her close to him, his hands caressing her stomach, smiling when the baby jumped.

  “Strong,” he murmured, falling asleep. “A good, strong child.”

  In the morning the landlord tapped on their door and delivered fresh baked bread and hot wine, along with twenty red roses from Gavin’s knights.

  “That’s Judith’s doing,” Raine said, dressing. “They’re all half in love with her, and it looks like you’ve won their hearts, too.”

  Alyx shook her head at this and indicated that they only cared for her because of her relationship to him.

  He kissed her nose. “Perhaps all men fall in love with women who can’t speak.”

  Alyx grabbed a pillow and threw it at him, catching him in the back of the head.

  “Is that any way for a lady to act?” he teased.

  In spite of his light manner, Alyx worried about his words all day. She wasn’t a lady and she didn’t know how one should behave. How could she possibly meet this paragon, Judith Montgomery, dressed in a sooty, scorched, shapeless sack?

  “Alyx, what’s wrong with you? Are those tears I see?” Raine asked from beside her.

  She tried to smile and indicate that there was something in her eye and she would be fine in a moment. After that, she tried to control herself better, but by the time they rode into sight of the Montgomery castle, she was ready to turn tail and run.

  The massive stone fortress, centuries old, was even more formidable than she had imagined. As they rode closer to it, the old stone walls seemed to be crushing down on her.

  Raine led them to the back entrance, to announce their arrival to as few people as possible. The path to the gate was lined with high stone walls and as they rode, men called down in joyful greeting to Raine. He seemed so at home here that the man she knew began to seem far away. The men who obeyed him without question, the whole vast scope of this place, was closer to the real man than the artificial outlaw camp.

  They rode into a courtyard and, to Alyx’s astonishment, houses, looking comfortable, with many windows, were inside the walls. In the few castles where she and Jocelin had sung, the people still lived in the towers, which were so uncomfortable most castles had been abandoned.

  They had barely stopped when out of a little walled garden came running a breathtakingly beautiful woman wearing a gown of flashing red satin.

  “Raine,” she called, running, arms open.

  She can’t sing, Alyx thought defensively, watching her husband leap from his horse and run toward the woman.

  “Judith,” he said, grabbing her, twirling her about, feet off the ground, kissing her mouth, in Alyx’s opinion, much too exuberantly.

  “My lady,” came a voice to Alyx’s left. “May I help you down?”

  Her eyes never leaving Raine and the exquisite Judith, she let herself be lifted down.

  “Where is she, Raine?” Judith was saying. “Your message was so garbled we could hardly understand it. We must have misheard because it seemed the messenger was saying your wife was about to be burned the stake.”

  “True I rescued her at the very last moment.” His voice held a great deal of pride. With one arm around Judith, he led her to Alyx, whom he casually embraced. This is Alyx and this vision is my unworthy br
other’s wife.”

  Alyx nodded once, openly staring at her sister-in-law. She’d never seen anyone who looked like this before: gold eyes, auburn hair barely visible under a pearl embroidered hood, a small voluptuous figure.

  Judith pulled away from Raine. “You must be tired. Come with me and I’ll have a bath brought for her.” She took Alyx’s hand in hers and started toward the house.

  “Oh, Judith,” Raine called from behind them. “Alyx lost her voice because of the smoke.”

  Beside her, Alyx felt Judith stiffen and knew it was because Raine dared to marry someone like her. Rapidly, she tried to blink back tears.

  “You are tired,” Judith said sympathetically, but there was an edge to her voice.

  Alyx had no time to look at the house as Judith led her up the stairs and into a large paneled room. Alyx’s house in Moreton could have been set in the room at least four times.

  Heavy footsteps on the stairs made Judith turn. Raine stood just inside the doorway, grinning. “She’s pretty, isn’t she?” he said fondly, looking at Alyx. “Too bad her voice is gone, but I’m sure it’s only temporary.”

  “No thanks to you,” Judith said, leading Alyx to a chair.

  “What does that mean?” Raine asked, bewildered. “I rescued her.”

  Judith whirled on him. “From what? From Pagnell’s trap? She was used as bait to lure you to him. Raine,” she calmed, “I think you should leave now. I don’t think your sweet little wife wants to hear what I plan to say to you.”

  “Sweet!” Raine snorted. “And what reason do you have to be angry with me?” He was offended.

  “You are trying my patience, Raine,” she warned. “Alyx, are you hungry?”

  “Look, Judith, if you have something to say, say it.”

  “All right, then we’ll leave this room. Your wife needs her rest.”

  Alyx was beginning to get an idea of what Judith had to say. She grabbed her sister-in-law’s hand and with her eyes urged her to continue. There were so many things she would like to say to Raine.

  Judith blinked in understanding and whirled back to face Raine. “All right, I shall tell you what I have to say. You men, all of you, all four of you brothers, think nothing of dragging a woman all over England with no thought to her safety or comfort.”

  Raine’s jaw jutted out. “We stayed in a very comfortable inn last night.”

  “You what! You took your lady wife into a public place dressed like that? How dare you, Raine? How dare you treat any woman like that?”

  “What was I supposed to do, shop for clothes? Perhaps I should have ridden to London and asked the King for a bit of silk.”

  “Don’t try to gain sympathy from me for being declared a traitor. It was your own Montgomery hotheadedness that caused all your problems.”

  At this Alyx began to clap her hands.

  Judith flashed an understanding half-smile at her while Raine glared.

  “I can see I’m not needed here,” Raine said.

  “You’re not running away from this,” Judith said. “I want you to run downstairs, pull Joan from whatever corner—or bed—she’s lounging in, then order a bath sent up here. Oh, Raine, how could you do this to this poor child? The mother of your baby? It’s been days since the fire and she’s still covered with soot, and how you must have ridden to get here so fast! Now go along and get yourself cleaned up and dressed properly.”

  With his jaw still out, refusing to speak, Raine left the room, the door slamming behind him.

  With a sigh, Judith looked back at Alyx. “You have to stand up for yourself or men will take advantage. Are you well? Raine didn’t harm you in his haste, did he?”

  Alyx only shook her head, looking at Judith with admiration and the beginnings of love.

  “It’s a good thing the three of us are all sturdy and strong or else we’d be dead by now.”

  Alyx held up three fingers, frowned in question.

  “Bronwyn, Stephen’s wife. You’ll have to meet her. She is lovely, absolutely lovely, but Stephen drags her everywhere, makes her sleep on the ground rolled up in a wool blanket. It’s really dreadful.”

  A knock on the door interrupted Judith, and seconds later servants arrived with a tub and pails of hot water. “I should send Raine more often,” Judith said. “He certainly gets things done quickly.”

  Alyx gave a little giggle and Judith smiled back.

  “They are good men. I wouldn’t trade Gavin for anyone, but sometimes you have to raise your voice a bit. Someday you’ll get over your awe of your husband and you’ll find yourself shouting right back at him. You may not think so now, but you will.”

  Alyx merely smiled and allowed herself to be led to the tub.

  Chapter Sixteen

  RAINE, UP TO his neck in a tub of hot water, his eyes still blazing with anger, looked up hostilely as the door to his room opened. Gavin burst in.

  “Miles has taken the Chatworth girl to Scotland, and from what I can gather he had to drag her there while she screamed curses at him. Damn him!” he said passionately. “Why do I have so much trouble with my younger brothers? Only Stephen—”

  “You’d better stop,” Raine warned. “I’m in a mood to drive a sword through someone’s belly.”

  “And what has happened now?” Gavin asked tiredly, sitting down across from Raine. “I have more problems than I need. Has your wife said an unkind word to you?”

  “Not my wife.” He stopped. “What do you plan to do about Miles? Do you think he’s taking her to Stephen?”

  “I can only hope so. Sir Guy is with him, so perhaps he can talk some sense into Miles.”

  “Do you have a reason why Miles should keep the girl? Other than for his own pleasure, that is? I can’t imagine our little brother forcing a woman to do anything, nor can I imagine one refusing him. I’ve never seen him have any trouble with women.”

  “One of Miles’s men broke his arm right after Lady Elizabeth was delivered and so stayed behind when Miles went to Scotland. I caught him on the road.”

  “And what was his bad news? It couldn’t be as bad as the look on your face.”

  “There were four men in Miles’s tent at the time. Pagnell’s man was allowed to enter, all the men holding swords on him. He was carrying a long carpet in his arms. He paused just inside the entrance, tossed it to the floor, gave it a push with his foot and unrolled it.”

  “Well?” Raine demanded.

  “It unrolled at Miles’s feet, uncovering Elizabeth Chatworth wearing nothing but several feet of blonde hair.”

  “And what did our little brother do?” Raine asked, torn between laughing and groaning at the picture he’d conjured.

  “From what I found out, all the men stood and stared without moving until Lady Elizabeth jumped up, grabbed a cloth from a cot and an ax from a corner and took after Miles.”

  “Was he harmed?”

  “He managed to dodge her blows and sent the other men from the tent. When the lady started cursing worse than what anyone had heard before, Sir Guy took the men out of hearing distance of the tent.”

  “And no doubt she was purring the next morning,” Raine said, smiling. “Our little brother has a way with women.”

  “I don’t know what happened after that. An hour later the man I spoke to broke his arm and was sent back to Miles’s house.”

  “Then how did you know they went to Scotland?” Raine asked.

  “I went to Miles’s campsite and when no one was there, I asked some of the tradesmen in the area. Over a week ago Miles and his men left, and several people heard them say they were going to Scotland.”

  “No clue as to why?”

  “Who can say what goes on in Miles’s mind? I know for sure he wouldn’t harm the girl, but I’m afraid he’ll hold her to punish Chatworth.”

  “Miles would fight a man, many men, but he wouldn’t take his grudges out on a woman. That’s Chatworth’s game,” Raine said grimly. “I’m sure he had a reason to take her from England
. What do you plan to do now?”

  Gavin was quiet for a moment. “I’ll leave him to Stephen and see what he can do with Miles. And Bronwyn has a level head on her. Perhaps she can do something with Miles.”

  Raine stood in the tub. “I doubt if anyone can reason with him where women are concerned. If the woman took more than ten minutes to fall in love with him, it would be the first time such a thing has happened. Maybe Miles saw it as a challenge.”

  Gavin snorted. “Whatever his reasons, he’s tempting the King’s wrath. King Henry’s changed since his eldest son died.”

  Drying himself, Raine stepped from the tub, gave a kick to his clothes heaped at his feet. “It will be good to get out of these for a while.”

  “How long do you think you can stay?”

  “Three, four days at most. I need to get back to the camp.”

  “Are your outlaws so important?”

  Raine considered for a moment. “They aren’t all outlaws, and perhaps if you’d lived their life you would have different ideas about right and wrong.”

  “Stealing is wrong no matter what,” Gavin said firmly.

  “Would you sit by quietly and let Judith and your new son starve to death? If they were hungry and a man pushing a cart of bread walked by, would you sit on your high morals and let it go?”

  “I don’t want to argue with you. Does Alyx know you plan to return?”

  “No, not yet. I’m not sure I’ll tell her, but just slip away. If I don’t I’m sure she’ll try to go with me. I want her here with you and Judith. I want her to live the way she never has before.”

  With one sweep he picked up his old clothes, flung them into a corner and reached for the silver embroidered, black velvet gown on the bed.

  “What’s this?” Gavin asked, moving to lift something from Raine’s dirty clothes. He held up a gold belt.

  “It’s Alyx’s Lyon belt, as she calls it, but for the life of me I can’t make out anything like a lion on it. One of the guards at the trial took it from her, and I had a devil of a time getting it from him.”