A Stormy Knight (7 page)

A loud sig
h
escaped Gemma
'
s lips before she stood, wiped her eyes, and smoothed out the skirt of her kirtle.
Someone
must tell Phillip to go away. She could not imagine why he had come, other than to ask yet again for her hand. He made her skin crawl.
Any woman would
come to a nasty end as his wife, of that she was sure.
Even now, she
would rather face Nicholas and his wrath than to be chained
to
an oafish lout like Phillip Bigod.

She briskly entered the darkened hall and saw Phillip standing near the fire. There was nothing about the man she liked. He was shorter than most men
, and he
had a rash of red hair atop an abnormally round head.
The man
was built like
the other Bigod men
, with a wide
,
barrel
-
shaped midsection
that
seem
ed
too
large for his thin, scrawny legs.
Like his father, he
always dressed well, but that was the only redeeming quality in his appearance she could find.

More significantly, he was a miserable person with delusions of being important. His smile never reached his eyes
,
and he always seemed to be looking over his shoulder.
There were
stories of him beating servants in his home. She imagined what a man like Phillip would do to his wife and children over time. His family home, Renoir Castle, was less than an hour on horseback from Blackstone, which was too close as far as she was concerned.

In an attempt to appear as if nothing was wrong, she smiled as brightly as she could and walked
toward
Phillip. She tugged Leda
'
s hand so she knew to stay nearby.

"
But milady,
"
Leda said in a loud whisper,
"
I must prepare food for the late arrivals and those
who
missed the meal this eve.
"

"
This will just take a moment.
"

"
May I talk to you alone, milady?
"
Phillip said to her as she neared with Leda
right on her heels.

"
Phillip, you know that would not be proper. There is nothing you can say to me you cannot say in front of Leda.
"

"
I came to see about your father and to offer help finding your brother,
"
he said. The tone of his voice made Gemma uneasy. It was the same feeling she always had when he was near.

"
Thank you,
"
she said
,
remaining composed. She marveled at how fast news, especially bad news, seemed to travel.
"
Father is not well
.
T
hough he seems healthy, he does not rise from his sleep.
"

His voice lowered and his eyes closed into a squint. She watched as he licked his lips and took a small step
toward
her. A shudder went up her spine
.
"
I could help. I can offer protection. All you have to do is to take me up on my offer. We could be wed as soon as the morrow. You will never have to worry again. My family will protect you and your father.
"

"
That is quite enough,
"
a deep voice boomed through the hall. All three jumped. Nicholas walked
toward
them with long, swift strides. He had removed his mail and helmet yet still
resembled
a lord on the warpath. Gemma was awestruck. He was truly no longer the boy she remembered.

Startled, Phillip backed away from Gemma a few steps but tried to puff himself up. He thrust his chin upward
and pushed his chest forward. His breathing quickened, and h
e looked like a stuffed pig.

"
Cook, you are dismissed.
'
Twould seem you have work to do,
"
Nicholas said in a dismissive tone
that
angered Gemma all over again.
"
Phillip, I allowed you to come to offer your condolences, as it seems we are to be neighbors, but I will not have you undermining me. Gemma and I are to be wed. I will offer all of the protection she and her father could possibly need. Henry has men out searching for Gavin.
'
Twould seem everything is taken care of here.
"

His tone was so dismissive Leda all but scampered away
toward
the kitchen
,
and Phillip was struck speechless for a moment. He finally spoke after what seem
ed
like the longest and most awkward silence Gemma had ever endured.
"
Her father wanted us to marry.
"

"
Things have changed. If he
truly
wished it,
'
twould be done by now. Be gone, Bigod, and I will not see you near my wife again.
"

"
She is n-n-not your wife,
"
he said.

"
She will be soon enou
gh,
"
Nicholas said and focused his attention on
Gemma.
"
Go to your quarters. I will join you shortly so we can speak in private.
"

Gemma felt like smacking him across the face, but she was glad to see th
at
Phillip had been reduced to a shivering weakling in his presence. At least something good had come of this. Perhaps he would leave and never return, saving her from enduring his presence ever again.

"
I will be in my chamber,
"
she whispered,
"
but you are not welcome.
"
She
spun
and walked
toward
the steps once again.

"
We shall see,
"
he said as Bigod slipped from the hall and retreated
toward
the stables to retrieve his horse to depart. He left as he was asked, but Gemma feared he would not be gone for good no matter how many times someone scared him off.

She ran into her chambers and threw herself down on her bed.
Pushing
her fur coverlets aside
, she
buried her face in her hands. Something had to change soon
,
or she was going to lose her mind.

What happened next offered no relief. She heard him coming. It had to be Nicholas. He must have watched to be sure Phillip left and then came straight for her.
H
is presence invade
d
her private quarters before he said a word. The room was tidy and cozy wi
th a small fireplace. Now, he was
invading her personal
space. It
was leaving her breathless
, and she felt like a caged animal
.

"
I think we need to clear a few things up, milady.
"

She jumped up from the bed and whirled around, her green eyes locking with his. Her light brown tresse
s whipped around with her. Planting her hands on her hips, she
stared at him defiantly.
"
I have nothing to say to you, you traitor. Please leave. Go away. I will think of something else to protect my sister and my father. I do not need anything from you or that arrogant Henry!
"

"
Careful, little one,
"
he said with a chuckle,
"
that is our fair king you are talking about.
"

"
I care not,
"
she said
.
"
H
e sent the worst possible person to help us. You tried to turn my family over to his mother once, so I guess
'
tis fitting enough he would send you here.
"

"
I did nothing of the sort.
"
H
e
sat on the wooden stool situated near the arched doorway.
"'
Twas your family
who
destroyed mine. Who did you tell about us, Gemma? They came and they took my parents away. They dragged them from our home like common thieves. They have
,
until recently
,
toiled for a noble family as slaves. I was sent away, far away
,
to become a knight
,
so I
might
pay off my family debt for daring to believe I could have a future with you. We were not good enough for your father, so he destroyed us.
"

"
You jest!
"
Her eyes filled with tears as she lashed out at him.
"
You! You did it! My father was a loyal vassal to Stephen
,
and this castle was wanted by both sides. Your parents were offered wealth and position to find a way to get into this castle. They used you to get to me. All in the name of financial gain. I never meant anything to you.
"
She picked up a leather boot sitting near her bed and hurled it at his smug face as hard as she could.

With a simple motion, Nicholas moved out of the way. His arms crossed near his chest. The boot fell harmlessly to the floor.
"
You speak nonsense, milady, and I am tired of this conversation already. I will hear no more of it. I simply want to know who you told. I want to know who ruined my family.
"

"
I told no one,
"
she said, not quite believing what he was saying. How could he be so wrong? Did he not know what his parents had been up to back then? Had he
truly
felt something for her?

"
Quit behaving like a child. We will be wed in a matter of days. Due to the circumstances, that is all of the time I can offer you to prepare. There is no time for anything else. I will be taking over the security of this castle. I have already begun putting my men in position where I need them. You are going to have to get use
d
to this.
"

"
But Oliver
…
"
she began.

"
Oliver remains your father
'
s seneschal. He seems trustworthy enough, but he will now answer to my man, Willis Gromme. And before you say anything, I do not care what you think about that. Someone within these walls is a danger. No matter how I feel about you or your family, there is someone killing innocent people
,
and the king wants this castle secure. Therefore, I will do what I have to do to make things right once again. I will not hear any nonsense from you about what you think is best. Those
who
disagree with anything I say or do are free to leave.
"

"
I would leave if Father was well
;
I swear it!
"
she said with as much force in her voice as she could muster.
"
I would take Isabel and run far away. My uncle lives in Wales. He would take us in. You can have the castle
;
just leave me be!
"

With a snicker, he stood, shifted from one foot to the other, and then walked
toward
her. He put one hand on her upper arm so she could not move away.
"
While I have to admit there was a time when I never wanted to see your face again, I have changed my position. You are full of fire and life, Gemma, and our marriage bed will be anything but boring.
"

She gasped as she tried to free her arm from his iron grip, but he only held her tighter.
"
I will never share a bed with you, you brute!
"

Nicholas laughed as he took her other arm so she was forced to face him.
"
I once thought you were the work of Satan himself. Now, because of your bad luck, I have rich lands and a comely wife, as annoying as she is, and I strongly believe I can make a home here. You took my home once
,
so now I will take yours.
"

"
You, you
…
"
S
he had no words left.
T
he
urge to
fight spr
u
ng up anew, but words still failed her. She twisted to get away. As a result of her efforts, he pulled her body up against his.