Heart's Ransom (Heart and Soul) (19 page)

Her lips nibbled on his ear.  “Talon....” she whispered.

He lifted his head, gazing down at her.  “Aye?”

But she said nothing, her rich emerald eyes locked on his, as if she desperately wanted to tell him something but could not find the words to speak. 

“What is it my sweet?”

She inhaled deeply, causing her to tighten around him and he groaned, shivering.  Then she cupped his face in her hands and kissed him, her mouth fevered, desperate, as if she tried to tell him with her body what she could not say.  Talon returned her kiss equally, but a part of him remained confused at her actions.

To his shock, she moved suddenly and wriggled out from under him.  He rolled on his back and she scrambled on top of him, her hands on his chest. 

A soft laugh of surprise escaped him.

“My lord, you had better recover quickly because I have a long evening planned.”

He blinked at her in shock.  Was he actually hearing this or was he dreaming the whole thing?  “Saints have mercy,” he whispered.

Her lips lifted in a deliciously wicked smile.  “Aye, they are the only ones who will.”  She reached down and began to stroke him.

He groaned with sudden pleasure, his desire already sparking.  Dear Lord, it was going to be a long...but undoubtedly magnificent night.

****

The next morning, Talon sat at his desk, a quill held in one hand and the other rubbing his aching forehead.  He had begun and abandoned several false starts at two letters, one which he would send to Montfort, and the other he would send to the abductors by way of the crofter, admonishing them to heed his wisdom.  A copy of the letter to Montfort would accompany the one to the abductors to prove his efforts.

Crumpled parchment littered the desk and floor.  At least, Talon noted ruefully, the earldom of Montgomery could afford a bit of waste of vellum, especially considering the weight of responsibility these missives bore.  One wrong word would turn Montfort against him.  Also, he had to take into account this message would follow on the heels of Talon’s refusal to send men to rebuff the invasion.  But if he did not encourage Edward’s release strongly enough, the abductors might slay Rose.

He sighed heavily, rubbing his eyes again.

The door closed quietly behind him and he knew Gwen had returned from breaking her fast.  A moment later, two gentle hands gripped his shoulders and began to knead the taut muscles.  Talon groaned and closed his eyes.  She pressed her lips to the top of his head.

“’Tis difficult, I know.”

“Difficult?  ‘Tis impossible.”

She sighed softly.  “Not impossible, Talon.”

He suddenly wanted to crawl under a rock and hide.  “What gives you such hope, my solace?  How can you believe in anything anymore?”

“I believe in you,” she said firmly.  Talon’s jaw went slack but before he had a chance to question her, she continued.  “What, exactly, have the abductors demanded you to do?”

He pointed the feathered end of the quill at the tattered parchment on the corner of his desk. 
“Montfort heeds your counsel,”
Talon read aloud.
“Because of you, his forces won the day at Lewes.  Now you must use this advantage.  Demand the release of Prince Edward.  If you do not send a message within a sennight, your daughter will cease to breathe.”

Gwen sighed heavily, continuing to rub his neck and shoulders.  She remained silent for a long time.  Talon knew she was picking apart the problem.  Had it been anyone else, he would have doubted she would reach a solution, but he knew of Gwen’s atypical education and her sharp intelligence.  Those factors gave him hope she could see an answer that his emotions clouded.

“Is it true?” she asked softly.  “Because of you, Montfort was victorious at Lewes?”

“Aye,” he said, honestly.  “’Twas me who encouraged him to march at night, so we could take the high ground.  And ‘twas my strategies the next day that gave us the victory over larger forces.”

“Then use that fact to convince the abductors you are right in not demanding anything of Montfort.  Your strategies worked once, they will work again.  Warn them of the risks of angering Montfort and turning him against you.  Obviously, if they have gone to such extremes, they have just as much to lose as you do.  Bring them to book on that fact.”

The words blossomed in his mind.  Gwen stopped rubbing his shoulders as he began to write rapidly, before he forgot.  The letter took several drafts but he finally finished it and handed it to Gwen to read.  She scanned the parchment and nodded.  “Excellent, Talon.  You really do have a gift when it comes to words.”

He shook his head.  “It is atrocious.”

“Nay, Talon.  It is an excellent letter and gets your point across very well without offending.  Very diplomatic.”

He couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips.  “Now you curry my favor.”

“I do not,” she said indignantly, but he saw the spark in her eyes.  “You just need to keep this diplomacy going for Montfort’s letter.”

“An entirely different horse.  Montfort is one whose favor must genuinely be curried.  He is infamous for a vile temper which is easily provoked.”

“He keeps Edward hostage to ensure the king endorses the Provisions?”

“’Tis my understanding he does so.  With Edward and Henry, this is sound strategy.  They have slithered out of their promises too many times.  Right now, Montfort’s entourage travels the land, in order to put the Provisions in place.  But my gut tells me Montfort’s constant movement is for a more practical reason - so Henry’s allies cannot organize a counter against Montfort and free their king and prince.”

Gwen arched an eyebrow.  “Interesting.  And this invasion threat changes everything.”  Again she paused, her brow furrowed.  “And you told Montfort you could not send men because...?”

“I could not come because of an injury, which is true but much more exaggerated.  I could not send men because of the sudden threat of Welsh raiders.  A lie, to be sure, but one he will believe.  With things in such a state of flux in England, I’m actually surprised there have been no raids.”

“True,” Gwen agreed, nodding.  “Play up this threat of Welsh raids to Montfort, give him the worry of a two front war.  With a significant number of marcher earls being royalists, he must be concerned as to how hard they will fight to stop these raids.  Suggest that something like the release of Edward as his hostage will show good faith to these marcher earls and they will be
more inclined to rebuff the raids, keeping the threat of a two front war to a minimum.”

Talon gaped at her.  Suddenly a smile escaped him and he grabbed her hand, kissing it softly.  “My solace, you are brilliant and too devious by a half.”

She grinned and leaned forward, kissing his cheek then nuzzling his ear.  A sudden heat bloomed within him and with it an unexpected and intense arousal.  “Thank you,” she whispered.  “Hurry and finish your letter, then you can show me how brilliant I am.”

“Sweet Jesu, Gwen,” he muttered.  “How can I write anything coherent now?”

She jabbed a finger at the parchment.  “Quill.  In hand.  Now.”

He chuckled as she stepped away, dragging her hand over his chest.  “As you wish, my solace.”

****

Talon sent his letters within the required amount of time.  But the months of August, September, and October passed with nary a word from anyone.  Rumor from those who traveled through Montgomery’s gates said that the invasion threat from France came to nothing.  But the herald Talon sent to Montfort had not returned.

He was at wits end and Gwen struggled to keep him on the edge of sanity.  The good news, as she told him, was that they had heard nothing from Rose’s abductors.  Surely, if they were displeased, he would be the first to know.

The only bright point in his bleak world was his growing relationship with Gwen.  He shared his bed with her, and Gwen opened the door to new delights.  She never rejected
him; instead she welcomed him whenever he needed to find solace from the pain.  It was as if she actually understood how deeply he hurt.  In the past, all he had known was Eleanor’s hatred of him, but now Gwen’s compassion seemed to encompass all.

In the month of November, he received word from Montfort.  His advice was well heeded.  Edward was no longer a hostage, but Montfort thought it prudent to keep him in custody.

“What?” Talon gasped as he re-read the letter.  “He grants Edward his freedom, but keeps him in custody?  This makes no sense.”

“It makes perfect sense,” Gwen said, as she read over his shoulder.  “Montfort follows your demand but keeps the true power of the kingdom within
arm’s reach.”

Talon crumpled the note in his hand, roaring his rage.  “Rose is dead because of this foolishness!”

“Nay!” Gwen barked, clutching his arm.  “You did exactly what the abductors demanded.  Montfort heeded your advice, there is no way anyone could predict this.  Rose will not pay the price, trust me on this.”

He bellowed for wine, wanting only to drink himself into oblivion but that too failed.  That eve his ironclad will broke, Talon could take no more.   

He fell into a rage, the pain in his heart too agonizing to ignore.  He only wanted to bring an end to this, to know if Rose was alive or dead, to stop hurting.  The limbo of it all threatened to rip him apart.  He grabbed his sword, ready to slay anyone who came near him, ready to tear his entire earldom apart brick by brick in order to find Rose, but Gwen’s gentle hand on his stopped him.

Her luminous green eyes gazed up at him, filled with tears.  “I know, Talon,” she whispered.  “I know the pain within you.  I know you are weary, but please, be strong just for a time more.  Please.  Can you do this for me?”

His body shook with the power of the heartache within him.  “I cannot, Gwen.  God help me, I can no longer suffer this.”

“Rose is not dead!” she snapped.  “Would you abandon her to face this alone?”

Her words drove a dagger through his heart.  Nay, he could not abandon Rose if there was the smallest chance she was alive.  His hand opened and he dropped the sword.  Gwen’s arms wrapped around him as he buried his face in her hair and sobbed like a child.

Because of Gwen, he faced another dawn without his daughter.

December arrived and with it came the crofter with another demand along with a lock of hair.

After the crofter left, Gwen met Talon at the garden gate, wringing her hands worriedly.  “What is it?”

“You were right, Gwen.  No one could have predicted Montfort’s actions.  The abductors got what they wanted, just not how they expected it.  Rose is still alive but now I am to take matters into my own hands.”

“What do you mean?”

He lifted the parchment.  “A devil’s choice.  I am to leave Montgomery and join Montfort’s entourage.  I am ordered to convince Montfort to release Edward, using any means at my disposal, even if I have to slay Montfort.  If Edward is not released, Rose will die.”

Gwen’s face drained of color.  She snatched the parchment from his hand and read it, the vellum quivering as her hands shook.  She read it twice before looking up at him in horror.

At that moment, Talon knew the situation was as dire as he had feared.  Somehow, he had held out a tiny hope that Gwen’s sharp intellect would find a way around this terrible quandary, that she would see an answer his emotions clouded.

“I have a choice,” he said quietly, his voice surprisingly dispassionate.  “I can betray my word and alliance, strip myself of honor and my sense of justice.  Or, I can watch my daughter die.”

Gwen’s throat muscles worked as she swallowed convulsively.  “Talon....”

He lowered his head, staring at the ground, his hands clenched into fists.  “I am certain that my honor, my self-respect will be a great comfort to me as I stand over Rose’s grave.”

“Talon, please.”

“What am I to do, Gwen?  If Rose dies, how can I ever live with myself?  But if I betray all that I am, all I believe in, how can I ever respect myself again?  How could anyone, for that matter?”

“I respect you, Talon.  You are caught in an impossible situation.  No one can blame you.”

“But they will blame me, Gwen.  Can’t you see?  They will blame me for being weak, for allowing my feelings for my child, a daughter no less, to control my actions.”  Abruptly he snapped his jaw shut, realizing his words.

Gwen’s eyes filled with tears.

“Damnation,” he muttered, dragging his hand through his hair.  “Forgive me, Gwen.”

Fury sparked in her liquid eyes.  “Forgive you for what?  For stating the truth?  Aye, Talon, how could you allow your
daughter
mean anything to you?  How dare you actually love a girl child?  Now, if Rose was a boy, this situation would be entirely different - anyone would understand your actions.  But these feelings for a girl - what shame!”  Her voice shook with anger, a tear leaked down her cheek.  “Talon, contrary to popular belief, girls can love their fathers too, even if that father doesn’t deserve it.  And they want to be loved by their fathers.  What is so terrible about loving your child, one of God’s greatest gifts, boy or girl?  I thought you were different, Talon.  I thought you of all people deserved the love Rose has so freely given you.  But perhaps I was wrong.”  She spun on her heel and hurried away.