Dragonblade Trilogy - 02 - Island of Glass (9 page)

“You are highly educated, of that
there is no doubt,” he said quietly. “But you still have much to learn.”

She cast him a long glance. “What
do you mean?”

“You have much to learn about patience
and of self-sacrifice, and of general manners. Did the monks teach you any of
that, or did they simply give in to your spoiled character and petty whims?”

Aubrielle flared. “You saw the
marks on my back. The monks indulged me nothing.”

“Perhaps not. But you did not
learn anything from their beatings. You continue to be headstrong and selfish.”

“How dare you speak to me that
way.”

“Have I said anything that is
untrue?”

She leapt out of the chair, her
cheeks flushing pink. “How would you know if what you say is true? You do not
know me at all. How do you know that am impatient and selfish?”

“You forgot spoiled and petty.”

The poker was closer to her than
it was to him. She picked it up and hurled it at his head. Kenneth ducked
easily, turning to watch the poker clatter against the wall.

“And you forgot violent,” she
hissed. “Simply because I am giving you an earldom, do not think for a moment
that it gives you license to insult me.”

Kenneth knew she could be
demonstrative with her anger. That was a kind way of putting it. He also knew
that, one day, she might put out his eye were he not careful. If he was going
to subdue this type of behavior, it would have to start now.

“I have said nothing untrue,” he
growled. “But I can guarantee you that if you ever again so much as entertain
the thought of physically assaulting me, my retribution shall be swift.”

The sea-colored eyes were stormy.
“You’ll not threaten me.”

“Be assured, it is not a threat.”

He knew she was going to test
him. He could tell by the expression on her face. She was angry enough to spit
nails. Grasping a pewter candlestick on the carved stone mantle, she hurled it
at him. Kenneth reached out, grabbed it before it could hit him, and set it
carefully on the table near him.  With a heavy sigh, he moved towards her.

“You will regret your actions.”

Aubrielle was so furious that she
was barely rational. She was so used to having her way that to run into an
obstacle only inflamed her. She was, however, aware that Kenneth was coming
towards her. It was a temptation to run, but she refused. It was a mistake. 
Kenneth grasped her gently but firmly by the arm, took the chair she had been
sitting in, and promptly threw her across his lap.

Aubrielle gasped with shock as
his open palm came down on her bottom. Though padded from the blow by her heavy
skirts, it was nonetheless a sting. With the second strike, she shrieked like a
banshee.

“St. Héver!” she hollered. “Let
me up!”

He didn’t react other than to
spank her again. Two more blows followed as Aubrielle twisted and yelped.  When
he was finished, he pulled her up the arms and planted her feet on the floor. Aubrielle
was so overwhelmed by the entire experience that she was, for the moment,
speechless.  She rubbed her bum, casting Kenneth the most hateful expression he
had ever seen.

“Do we understand one another?”
he asked in a low voice.

Her reply was to take a swing at
him. He dodged the flying fist, tossed her over his lap again, and proceeded to
spank her four more times as she writhed and growled.  When he was finished, he
pulled her up the arms again to stand. Aubrielle’s face was positively red with
shame and anger.

“I can do this all day if it
pleases you, my lady,” he said calmly. “The sooner you learn to control
yourself, the sooner we can move forward with plans for Glastonbury.”

She backed away from him, rubbing
her backside. “You are a contemptible brute, St. Héver,” she muttered. “God
help me forever thinking to marry you.”

She was closed to tears; he could
see it. He was coming to think that perhaps he had spanked her too hard and it
was a struggle not to regret his actions. He’d only meant to teach her a
lesson, to prove that he would not fall victim to her tantrums.  In a
completely uncharacteristic turn, he felt himself folding like an idiot.

“Come here,” he said to her
softly.

She eyed him as if he was the
Devil. “No.”

Kenneth patiently held up a hand
to her, motioning with his fingers. “Please. I promise I have no ill
intentions.”

Aubrielle continued to stand
there, studying him. She didn’t know what to think. She was angry, true, but
she was also hurt.  Not only had he seemingly forgotten their bargain, but he
had chided her for neglecting the earl’s funeral. Perhaps just the smallest
part of her knew that he was right, and it was difficult to maintain her anger.

It seemed like an eternity before
she took a step towards him. It was very slowly, so he would know that she
wasn’t easily ordered about. But when she came within range, he gently grasped
her wrist and pulled her to him.  He seated her upon his lap and his thick arms
wrapped around her waist. For a moment, they simply sat and stared at each
other. Kenneth was becoming so swept up with her splendor that he almost forgot
what he had intended to say.

“I am sorry if I hurt you,” he
said quietly. “But if you are to behave like a child, then I will treat you
like one.”

Her anger abated, leaving ripples
of sorrow in its wake.  She gazed into his ice blue eyes, thinking somewhere in
the back her mind that the man was growing increasingly handsome.  He had a
very square jaw and a rugged beauty, but somewhere in his face lay a gentleness
just below the surface. She had seen it before and was seeing it now. It was a
gentleness that could instantly become terrifyingly hard.

“I was not aware that I was
behaving like a child,” she replied. “It is my opinion that you were being
unfair. Naturally, I reacted.”

His arms tightened around her.
“Unfair? How?”

“By forgetting our bargain. You
promised to take me to Glastonbury.”

“Did I say when?”

“Logically, I believed it would
be immediate. You know that I am anxious to go. Why in the world would I expect
any delay?”

“You went on a weak assumption.
All you had to do is ask when we would make the trip, not force my hand by
appearing in the bailey and demanding that it be this day. You knew that we
have to bury the earl, yet you conveniently overlooked that in lieu of your own
wants. Polite requests are honored much more willingly than imperious commands,
my lady. Have you not heard the old saying that it is much easier to catch
flies with honey than with vinegar?”

She understood his meaning, and
she further understood that he was completely correct. It was difficult to
swallow her pride, but something in his manner made it a far easier to let it
go.

“I have.”

“Then know that I will move
heaven and earth to fulfill your polite requests. A sweet word will bend me to
your will far more easily than an overbearing command. And I can promise you
that the same will be said for every man, woman and child at Kirk.” His blue eyes
glistened. “We all want to love and respect our new lady. Give us a reason to.”

So much of what he said was
prudent and true.  Aubrielle couldn’t help it; she smiled at him, thinking
there was far more to this man than the hard façade and brute-force manner. 
Although she considered herself the more conventionally educated one, she knew
that she could learn much from him.

“Well said, sir knight,” she
murmured. “I shall do my best to remember that.”

“Good.” Even though their
conversation was coming to a close, he did not let her go. He liked the feel of
her upon his thighs. “The priests have announced funeral mass for the earl at
vespers. My day will be dedicated to the preparation of that. But when it is
complete, I will organize a party to escort you to Glastonbury that will leave
the following day. Will that be acceptable?”

“Completely,” she said.

His response was to smile
faintly, glad she was being agreeable, glad she was sitting on his lap, and
generally glad that they weren’t locking horns anymore. She could be quite
captivating when she wasn’t throwing temper tantrums. They continued gazing at
each other until Aubrielle’s cheeks began to turn a charming shade of pink and
she discreetly stood up. Kenneth stood as well, wishing he could spend more time
talking to her, but he had duties awaiting him.

“Can you keep yourself occupied
today?” he asked her. “Most everyone will be busy with preparations for the
funeral and unable to attend you.”

“Posh. I do not need to be
entertained. I have much preparation for our journey that will keep me busy.”
She cocked her head as a thought occurred to her. “Did anyone think to send
word to my mother about his passing? She is his sister, after all.”

“I sent a messenger last night.”

“But we will not wait for her to
attend?”

“It is June, my lady. It is
imperative we lay your uncle to rest so that his body will not putrefy in this
moist air.”

It was a blunt way of putting it,
but she nodded her agreement.  As they moved for the door, Kenneth bent down
and picked up the infamous poker. Aubrielle looked sheepish as he put it back
against the hearth.

“You certainly have a liking for
fire pokers as your weapon of choice,” he commented. “But at least I did not
suffer Everett’s fate.”

She attempted not to appear too
ashamed. “His reflexes are not as quick as yours. I hadn’t meant to hit him,
only frighten him.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “I am sure
I do not need to worry over the speed of my reactions any longer because we
will never again have such a display.”

She wished he would get off of
the subject. “As you say, my lord.”

He was amused at her chagrin. Aubrielle
paused by the doorway as he continued through, into the foyer. When he realized
she hadn’t followed him, he turned to look at her, thinking perhaps there was
something more on her mind. She stood there, looking at him impatiently.

“Already, you have forgotten,”
she sighed. “Men are so forgetful.”

He retraced his steps. “What have
I forgotten, my lady?”

She put her hands on her hips.
“That as your intended, I am due a word of farewell before you go about your
day. ‘Tis the polite thing to do, you know. Were you not, just a moment ago,
instructing me in convention of proper manners?”

He grinned; he couldn’t help it.
“Of course,” he said quietly. “How could I be so foolish?”

She smiled in return; in fact,
St. Héver seemed capable of drawing more smiles out of her than anyone ever
had. His great hands came up and gently cupped her face. It was an amazingly
tender gesture and her heart began to beat wildly against her ribs. He leaned
down and softly kissed her forehead, each cheek, and finally took both of her
hands again and laid delicate kisses upon her fingers. Aubrielle was so
overwhelmed that she was having difficulty breathing. He’d never touched her
lips, but he didn’t have to. The pure tenderness of his farewell said far more
than any single kiss to the lips could have ever conveyed.

 At least, that was what she
thought. Kenneth was apparently unsatisfied with his chivalrous farewell and
clamped down over her mouth in a deeply passionate kiss. It took her breath
away. But just as quickly, he released her and quit the foyer, leaving her
seeking the wall behind her for support. It was several moments yet before she
could stand unaided, much less walk.

She may have started the battle,
but St. Héver had definitely won the war.

CHAPTER
FIVE

The past two days had been
muddling. That was the best way to describe the state of Aubrielle’s mind. Her
entire life had followed a distinct path, one she never thought to vary from.
But the past several hours had seen that path take a sharp detour, as if she
was riding on the back of a runaway horse. She seemed to have no control at
all.

After her skirmish and subsequent
reconciliation with Kenneth, she had retreated to her chamber and spent the
morning making sure she was prepared for their journey. She was, in truth,
wildly excited. But other emotions had her within their grip, strange and
unsettling though they might be. Over and over, she relived the events of the
last two days; she had come to Kirk with her mother. Her mother had abandoned
her. Her uncle, in turn, had also abandoned her, though he’d had the audacity
to leave her to one of his knights. Just as the situation turned from bad to
worse, her uncle died and, lo and behold, she inherits an earldom. In a panic,
she coerced a knight into marrying her so that the responsibility of the rule
will fall to someone who has a notion of how to justly administer said rule.

 
Yes, yes
, that was how
she remembered it. They were dizzying events. But the most recent strains to
the Disorientation Symphony were those of emotion. They were both wonderful and
terrifying, and not coincidentally, they seemed to rise and fall with Kenneth
St. Hèver’s presence. Standing by the lancet window, where sounds from the
bailey trickled freely, Aubrielle gently banged her forehead against the wall
when all thoughts seemed to converge on Kenneth.  Maybe if she banged long
enough, she could jolt them right out of her head.