Connie Mason (33 page)

He paused and took a large swallow of ale, knowing the
king would not think well of him after he heard the rest of the tale.

“The wedding took place after the tourney,” he continued. “I attended the wedding feast with the other guests and drank too much. My mood turned dark and morbid. I wanted to punish Waldo for all the injustices my mother and I had suffered over the years.”

He took another large swallow of ale and refilled his cup. “After Lady Raven retired to the wedding chamber, I waited for Waldo to join her. Instead he continued to drink and exchange crude remarks about Raven with his knights until finally he passed out. And this on his wedding night! ’Twas then I decided to take something from Waldo that he valued: his wife’s virginity. My befuddled mind found logic in the dishonorable act I contemplated.”

The king appeared bemused. “The devil you say! Your audacity stuns me.”

Drake’s honor demanded that he absolve Raven of all guilt. “I took Lady Raven by force, sire.”

“You violated her?” Edward thundered.

“Nay, sire, Drake did not violate me. I was willing.”

Drake jumped to his feet, dribbling ale on his tunic. “Raven! What are you doing here? This is a private conversation.”

“Not when the subject concerns me. I returned to the hall to speak with the king.”

“Pull up a bench and sit down, my lady,” Edward invited. “I will hear you out. Did Lord Drake violate you or did he not?”

“ ’Twas not rape, Your Majesty. I fought Drake at first, but his seduction won me over and I submitted willingly. He took my virginity, aye, but ’twas not a brutal act. Waldo would have torn away my innocence with callous disregard for my pain or feelings; Drake was a caring, tender lover.”

She studied her fingers. “Though Drake and I had not met since our parting many years ago, I have always loved him.”

Drake started violently. Raven had never spoken of love before, and he could scarcely credit it.

“Did Drake tell you I fled to his camp that night and demanded that he take me with him?”

“I deeply regretted what I had done to Raven, sire,” Drake interjected. “When Raven appeared in my camp that night, demanding escort to Scotland, honor demanded that I offer my protection for as long as she needed it. But I did not take her to Scotland. I knew that Waldo would follow her, demand her return, and punish her. Her aunt could not protect her as well as I could, so I brought her with me to Windhurst.”

“And you made her your leman,” Edward charged.

“Aye, sire.”

“ ’Twas a mutual decision,” Raven insisted. “Did Drake tell you Waldo imprisoned him in Chirk’s dungeon? That he was tortured and starved? When Waldo brought his army to Windhurst, Drake knew the castle could not withstand a siege, so he took me to Wales for safekeeping. Drake was captured when he rode to meet Waldo in battle. Unfortunately his army lacked the numbers necessary to defeat Waldo.”

“I knew this tale would keep me entertained well past prime,” Edward said, motioning for Raven to continue.

“After Waldo took Drake prisoner, he sent Sir John to tell me that Drake would die if I did not present myself at Castle Chirk within a fortnight. I could not bear the thought of Drake dying on my account, so I obeyed Waldo’s command. When I arrived at Chirk, I was immediately locked in my chamber to await Waldo’s pleasure. His anger was fearsome.”

“This is getting more complicated by the minute,” Edward said, sitting forward in his chair so he would not miss a word. “How did you escape?”

Drake took up the story, explaining about the tunnel and their subsequent flight to Windhurst.

“So now you are waiting for Waldo to come with his army to claim his wife,” Edward mused.

“Aye, sire.”

“And you, Lady Raven. Are you prepared to return to your husband?”

“I beg your pardon, sire, but I do not consider Waldo my husband. Though a ceremony was held, the marriage was never consummated. I throw myself on your mercy, sire. Pray, do not send me back to Waldo.”

“What kind of game are you playing, my lady?” Drake asked coolly. “I thought you wished to leave me?”

“ ’Twas only a ruse. I knew Waldo would come to Windhurst, and I wanted no more bloodshed on my account. You have suffered enough, Drake, and I wanted you safe. I feared I was becoming a burden and wished to make your life easier.”

“I wronged you,” Drake returned shortly, “and vowed to protect you with my life.”

“I wanted your love,” Raven whispered. As if realizing what she had just admitted, she lowered her eyes. “Forgive me, sire. My tongue grows overbold.”

“Look at me, Raven,” Drake said, forgetting the king, forgetting all but the thumping of his heart. When she raised her tear-swollen face, he took her hand and knelt before her. “Tell me what you want from me.”

“Must I repeat what you already know?” she cried.

“I know naught. We have never spoken of our feelings.”

“How could we speak of feelings when I was not free? And now you are not free. You will wed Lady Willa, and if I am fortunate, I will be allowed to go to Scotland to live out my days in peace.”

Edward sat back, listening and watching with rapt attention.

“Tell me one thing, Raven,” Drake said, pinning her with his intent gaze.

“If I can.”

“Are you carrying my child?”

“God’s blood! Even I want to know the answer to that question, Lady Raven,” Edward said, leaning closer so as not to miss her reply.

Raven’s face drained of all color. “How did you know?”

Drake gave a satisfied smile. “You have not been yourself of late. You never faint. If you recall, I inquired about your health several times during the past weeks. I was willing to let you return to Waldo if that was your wish, until . . .” He sent Edward a sheepish grin and stumbled on. “Until we made love today. Afterward, little things I noticed about you began to make sense. Your waist is larger and your breasts are more tender. I can recall many times in the past weeks when the sight of food turned you green, especially in the mornings. I was a fool not to realize it sooner.”

“I agree,” Edward said. “As the father of eleven children, I would have noticed the signs immediately. One problem remains, however. Raven is another man’s wife. Should she return to her husband, the child will legally belong to him.”

Drake leaped to his feet. “Over my dead body!”

“Mayhap I will sleep on this and find a solution to your liking,” Edward said, yawning. “I bid you both good night.”

He rose and swept from the room, leaving Raven and Drake to hash out their differences.

“Come,” Drake said, extending his hand. “ ’Tis late; we should seek our bed.”

Raven placed her hand in his and followed him up the stairs. She expected him to leave her at her door, but he did no such thing. He opened the door and followed her inside. Lora had left a squat candle burning, and a muted glow suffused the chamber.

Raven wrung her hands, suddenly at a loss for words. What
could she say? Drake knew her note had been a sham, and now he knew she had deliberately kept the knowledge of his child from him.

“I prefer to sleep alone,” she said as Drake lowered himself to the bench before the hearth and removed his boots.

“And I prefer to sleep with you,” Drake replied. “Go to bed, Raven; you look exhausted. We will merely talk tonight, and try to clear the air between us.”

Too tired to argue, Raven removed her dress and undertunic, poured water into a bowl, and washed her hands and face. While Drake pulled his tunic over his head and removed his hose, she slipped into bed. When Drake climbed in beside her, the only thing between their bodies was her thin chemise.

She stiffened when he pulled her roughly against him. “Tell me about our child. How long have you known?”

“I knew at Chirk, when my courses failed to arrive. I cut myself and bloodied the bedding and my clothing to convince Waldo’s leman that my courses had begun. Waldo refused to touch me until he knew for sure I was not increasing. If Waldo knew I was expecting your child, he would have slain me. As much as I hated the thought of Waldo touching me intimately, I could not sacrifice your child.”

“You would have taken Waldo into your bed and foisted my child off on my brother,” Drake charged.

“I had no choice. I prayed for a miracle but was prepared to do whatever was necessary to spare our child. Fortunately God did not demand so great a sacrifice. He answered my prayers and sent you to me.”

“Why did you not tell me? Why did you want to leave Windhurst when you knew I would protect you and our child with my life? Your note left me teetering on the edge of sanity. I was prepared to hand you over to Waldo the moment he showed up at the gate.”

“ ’Twas as I told the king. I did not want you to sacrifice
your life for me. I was going to flee to Scotland and place myself in my aunt’s care. Never,” she stressed, “would I have returned to Waldo.”

“I doubt even the Scottish king could keep Waldo from claiming you. No law protects wayward wives from their husband’s wrath. Now Waldo’s vendetta is against both of us.”

“You are to wed Lady Willa,” Raven accused. “Your bride-to-be made it abundantly clear that I was not welcome in her home. That still holds true. The king said naught to indicate he would change his mind about the betrothal. I have no place in your life, Drake.”

“Did you mean what you said, Raven?”

Raven frowned, trying to recall what she had said. “About what?”

“You said you loved me.”

“How can you doubt my love?” Raven cried. “I have loved you since I was a child. You were my hero, my knight in shining armor. I was jealous of your attention to Daria.”

“You were a child, hardly capable of strong feelings. I am speaking of now, Raven.”

“Heed me well, Drake of Windhurst! I am a woman now, with a woman’s feelings and a woman’s needs. You are the man I love, the man I have always loved.”

“I dishonored you,” Drake reminded her.

“Nay, you did not. You made love to me. You gave me pleasure, and a wedding night I will never forget. You have been sufficiently punished for that night, and suffered a great deal. Though we can never be together as man and wife, remember me with kindness and know that I will protect your child with my life.”

“Whether or not we marry, you are now and will always be mine. I will not abandon you, Raven. Not even the king can demand that of me. If all else fails, we will flee to France, or Italy. It matters not, as long as we are together.”

“You would give up Windhurst and Eyre for me?”

“I would give up my life for you. Have I not proven my willingness to die for you?”

“You did what your honor demanded,” Raven returned, convinced that he did not love her.

“The devil take my honor!” Drake said in a hiss. “I did not ask to fall in love. I had plans to make Windhurst the finest castle in Wessex. In time I would have had to marry, of course, but only to sire heirs. I even knew the type of wife I would choose. She would be young, virtuous, and submissive. She would never question my authority, or rail at me should I stray. I wanted not a wife who would challenge me with her intelligence. I wanted a woman I would not have to care about.”

“You just described Lady Willa,” Raven whispered.

“Then I found you,” Drake continued as if Raven hadn’t spoken. “A woman with all the attributes I considered unattractive in a wife.”

“You liked me not.”

“Not true. I liked you too well.”

“You refused to help me flee, however much I begged.”

“ ’Tis silly to enumerate our many mistakes when we both want the same thing.”

Raven’s breath caught in her throat. “What is that, Drake?”

“We want to be together.”

“ ’Tis all I ever wanted. Unfortunately God and the king have conspired against us.”

“You love me, Raven, and . . .”

“And?” Raven asked hopefully.

“And I love you. I have thought of naught else since we made love earlier today. I could not have gone through with the betrothal tonight had there been one. I was willing to defy my king for you. Sir John arrived with Father Ambrose before I could make my intentions known.”

Raven stopped listening after Drake said he loved her. “You love me?”

“I was willing to die for you. Why would you doubt my love?”

She snuggled closer, drawing upon his strength, fearing she would need it before this was all settled. She fell asleep in his arms, contented for now that he loved her.

Raven stirred and pulled the pillow over her head. How could she sleep when someone on the ramparts was blowing a horn? The racket was most distracting. She realized something was amiss when Drake leaped from bed and reached for his hose.

“What is it?”

“Do you not hear it? The horn is a warning that visitors are approaching the gate. By now the garrison is stirring and every man is racing to his post. I must go.”

“Be careful,” Raven called. “It could be Waldo.”

Drake hurried to the battlements to await the intruders. Sir Richard and Sir John were already there.

“Can you see the pennant?” Drake asked.

“Not yet,” Sir John replied. “Wait! I see it now. ’Tis the rampant falcon of Eyre.”

Suddenly the king appeared beside him, peering out over the rampart at the approaching army. “Who comes, Lord Drake?”

“Waldo of Eyre, sire.”

“Think you he plans to attack Windhurst?”

“Aye, sire. I have been expecting him.”

“When they see my pennant hanging from the parapet, they will not attack,” Edward said with conviction. “Invite Waldo inside when he arrives. ’Tis time he learns he is no longer the Earl of Eyre. I suspect this will be a challenging day for all of us.”

He turned to leave.

“Sire,” Drake said. “A word with you, please.”

“What is it, Lord Drake? I have not yet broken my fast.”

“I know not what you have decided about Raven and me, but I will not abandon her. I . . . I love her and she loves me. She carries my child, sire. I beg you, give Lady Willa to a man who will appreciate her good qualities. I need not her wealth.”

“We will speak of this later,” Edward said curtly. Drake feared the king’s surliness did not bode well for him and wisely did not press the issue.