Mystique (7 page)

She searched his face. “I do not doubt your intention, my lord. What, exactly, are the stipulations of this legend?”

“‘Tis said that the true lord of Scarcliffe must accomplish two things. First, he must guard the last remaining stone of an ancient treasure. Second, he must discover the location of the rest of the Stones of Scarcliffe.”

Alice blinked. “The green crystal is truly valuable then?”

Hugh shrugged, “It is in the eyes of my people. They believe that it is part of what was once a large collection of priceless gems. All but the green stone disappeared a long time ago. The local convent has had the care of the crystal in recent years. But it disappeared a fortnight ago.”

“Stolen, you say?”

“Aye. And at a most inauspicious moment.”

She eyed him with sharp perception. “Shortly after you arrived to take control of Scarcliffe?”

“Aye.” The lady was quick-witted, Hugh thought. “I
want it back. ‘Twill go far toward quelling the fears and uncertainties of my people.”

“I see.”

“If I return with the stone and a suitable bride, my people will understand that I mean to be their true lord.”

Alice looked distinctly uneasy. “You wish to wed me?”

“I wish to become
betrothed
to you.”
One step at a time
, he reminded himself. He did not want to frighten her off at this stage. Now that he had hit upon this scheme, he was convinced it would work. But he needed Alice’s cooperation. There was no time to search for another bride. “For a very short period of time.”

“But a vow of betrothal is very nearly as binding as a wedding vow,” Alice protested. “Indeed, some church scholars claim that it is equally binding and that there is no real difference between the two.”

“You know as well as I do that such scholars are in the minority. In truth, betrothals are broken readily enough, especially if both parties are agreed on the matter. I see no problem.”

“Hmm.”

Alice was silent for a long moment, her brows knitted together in an expression of grave consideration. Hugh could see that she was turning his proposal over and over in her mind, checking for pitfalls and traps. He watched her, fascinated.

With a strange jolt of awareness, he realized that she reminded him of himself when he was plotting stratagems. He knew exactly what she was thinking. It was an odd experience to study her like this. It was as though he had a fleeting glimpse into her mind. A sensation of eerie familiarity gripped him for a moment. He had the strange feeling that he knew Alice far better than their short acquaintance warranted.

The knowledge that her wits were as sharp as his own and might very well work in much the same manner left Hugh feeling disoriented. He was not accustomed to the notion that he might have something so fundamental in common with another person, let alone with a woman.

It struck him that he bad always considered himself as
being set apart from others, removed from their lives, detached and distanced from them even as he intermingled with them. He had spent his life feeling as though he lived on an island while everyone else in the world existed on the opposite shore.

But for a brief moment in time it seemed as though Alice shared the island with him.

Alice watched him with a shrewd gaze. “I had intended to enter a convent as soon as my brother was safely launched in the world.”

Hugh shook off the odd sensation and forced himself back to the matter at hand. “‘Tis not uncommon for a lady whose betrothal has been broken to enter a convent.”

“Aye.” Alice offered nothing further. She was clearly engrossed in consideration of the matter.

Hugh abruptly wondered if she would wear such a radiantly fierce expression when she lay beneath a man in bed.

That thought made him reflect upon the matter of whether or not she had ever lain with a man. Alice was three and twenty, after all, and Dunstan was correct. She was not what one would term a shy, unopened rosebud.

On the other hand, she was no flirt, Hugh thought. Judging by the collection of stones, dried beetles, and assorted equipment cluttering her study chamber, it appeared that her passions were more easily inflamed by matters of natural philosophy than thoughts of passion and lust.

Alice folded her arms beneath her breasts and drummed her fingers against her arms. “Precisely how long would this betrothal need to last to suit your purposes, my lord?”

“As to that, I cannot be precise, but I should think a few months would do it.”

“A
few months”

“‘Tis not such a great length of time,” he said smoothly. “By spring I shall have everything under control at Scarcliffe.”
By spring I shall have you safely wedded and bedded
. “You have nowhere else to go, do you?”

“Nay, but—”

“You may as well spend the winter at Scarcliffe. Your brother will be welcome there, too, naturally.”

“What if you wish to become betrothed to a woman you genuinely desire to wed while I am living under your roof, sir?”

“I shall face that problem if and when it arises.”

“I am not certain. This is all so different than what I had planned.”

Sensing that he was winning, Hugh pressed his point. “Spring will be here before you know it. If you are not content at Scarcliffe we can consider other solutions to your situation.”

Alice swung around. She clasped her hands behind her back and began to pace the chamber. “You would need my uncle’s permission to become betrothed to me.”

“I doubt that I will have any difficulty in obtaining it.”

“Aye.” Alice made a face. “He is eager enough to be rid of me.”

“I shall ensure his eagerness with a suitable offer of spices.”

Alice gave him another keen glance as she turned to start back across the chamber. “You have a store of spices?”

“Aye.”

“Are we speaking of valuable spices, my lord, or merely poor quality salt?”

He hid a smile. “Only the best.”

“Cinnamon? Saffron? Pepper? Fine white salt?”

“Those and more.” Hugh hesitated, debating how much to tell her about his personal finances.

Most successful knights who had not inherited their father’s patrimony made their fortunes through ransoms and booty. They gained wealth either by competing in tournaments or by selling their swords to generous lords who rewarded them for their services. Few lowered themselves so far as to engage in trade.

Hugh had taken his share of ransoms, valuable armor, and fine war-horses in various tournaments and he had, indeed, been fortunate in his choice of lords. But the true source of his rapidly growing personal wealth was the spice trade.

Until this moment Hugh had not cared for the opinion of the world in such matters. But he suddenly realized that he did not want Alice to scorn him for the fact that he engaged in trade.

On the other hand, she was a practical-minded woman. Mayhap she would not care. The knowledge that he had a solid, secure source of income might even serve to reassure her of his intentions.

Hugh swiftly calculated the possibilities and decided to risk the truth.

“I do not generally make it widely known,” he said quietly, “but I do not rely solely upon my sword for an income.”

She looked at him with surprise. “You deal in spices, sir?”

“Aye. During recent years I have become involved in an extensive trade with several merchants from the East. If and when you choose to enter a convent, I shall be able to provide a dozen respectable dowries for you, lady.”

“I see.” She looked overwhelmed. “I shall need a plump dowry if I wish to enter a fine convent.”

“Naturally. Convents are as choosy as husbands from landed families, are they not?”

“Especially if they are expected to overlook a somewhat sullied reputation,” Alice muttered. “And if I go to live with you as your betrothed and we are not eventually wed, my reputation will be in tatters.”

Hugh nodded. “It will be assumed that we have lived together as man and wife. But, as you say, a suitable dowry will persuade any fine convent to ignore such petty details.”

Alice continued to tap her fingers against her arms. “I’d advise you not to let Sir Ralf know that you are willing to pay a large dowry for me, sir, else he will likely try to cheat you.”

A grin tugged at the corners of Hugh’s mouth. He controlled it with an effort. “I have no desire to be fleeced, lady. Never fear, I have had a fair amount of experience in the art of bargaining. You have my oath that I shall make it a point not to pay overmuch for you.”

She frowned, unconvinced. “Sir Ralf has no scruples in matters of business. He stole my brother’s inheritance.”

“Mayhap I shall even the score by stealing you from him for a pittance.”

Alice fell silent again as she continued to pace. “You would do all this in exchange for my help in recovering the green stone and for our temporary betrothal?”

“Aye. ‘Tis the shortest, most convenient route to my goal.”

“And therefore, ‘tis naturally the path you elect to take,” she murmured half under her breath.

“I do not believe in wasting time.”

“You are a bold man, sir.”

“I sense that we are well matched,” Hugh said softly.

Alice came to a halt. Her expressive face was bright with renewed enthusiasm. “Very well, my lord, I shall agree to your terms. I shall spend the winter with you at Scarcliffe as your betrothed. In the spring we shall reassess the situation.”

Hugh was startled by the degree of exultation that swept through him. It was a simple business arrangement, he reminded himself. Nothing more than that. He tried to temper the surging satisfaction.

“Excellent,” he said simply. “The bargain is struck.”

“I foresee a large problem, however.”

“What is that?”

Alice paused beside the astrolabe. “It occurs to me that although my uncle will be much pleased at the prospect of ridding himself of my presence in his household, he is unlikely to believe his good fortune.”

“Do not concern yourself, Lady Alice.” Hugh was impatient to get on with the matter now that he had completed the bargain. “I told you, I shall deal with your uncle.”

“But he will be extremely suspicious of your sudden desire to wed me,” she insisted.

Hugh frowned. “Why is that?”

“In case it has escaped your notice,” she said tartly, “I am somewhat beyond the customary age for a bride.”

Hugh smiled slightly. “One of the reasons you are so
eminently suited to my needs, Lady Alice, is precisely because you are no longer a young, frivolous innocent.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Aye, there is that, isn’t there? I can well believe that you would not wish to strike this bargain with a female who is still part child or one who has had no experience of the world.”

“You are correct.” Hugh wondered again just how much experience of the world Alice had had. “I need a business associate, not a demanding bride who will pout and sulk when I do not have time to entertain her. I require a woman of mature years and practical ways.”

A wistful expression passed across Alice’s face. “A woman of mature years and practical ways. Aye, that is a very good description of me, my lord.”

“Then there is no reason why our arrangement should not go forward.”

Alice hesitated. “We come back to the problem of convincing my uncle that you truly wish to contract a marriage with me.”

“I told you, you may leave that problem safely in my hands.”

“I fear ‘twill not be so simple as you seem to believe,” she said. “Shortly after Sir Ralf removed my brother and me from our home and brought us here to Lingwood Manor, he made several attempts to marry me off.”

“The attempts failed, I see.”

“Aye. My uncle got so desperate that he actually offered a small dowry, but even with that none of his neighbors could be convinced to take me off his hands.”

“There was not so much as a single offer?” Hugh was surprised. After all, a dowry was a dowry and there were always a few poor men desperately in need of one.

“One or two knights with small fiefs nearby went so far as to pay us a visit to meet me in person. But upon becoming acquainted with me, they quickly lost interest.”

“Or were persuaded to lose interest?” Hugh asked dryly.

She turned a shade of pink. “Aye, well, I could not tolerate any of them for more than a few minutes. The thought of actually marrying one was enough to induce hysteria.”

“Hysteria? You do not appear the type of female who is prone to hysteria.”

Her eyes gleamed. “I assure you, I fell into the most severe fits in front of two of my suitors. There were no others after that.”

“You found the prospect of remaining in your uncle’s household preferable to marriage?”

Alice shrugged. “Until now it has been the lesser of two evils. So long as I am unwed, I have at least a chance of obtaining my own ends. Once married, I am lost.”

“Would marriage be so terrible?”

“Marriage to any of the louts my uncle chose would have been intolerable,” Alice said forcefully. “Not only because I would have been unhappy but because none of them would have had any patience with my brother. Men who are trained for war tend to be cruel and unkind to youths who cannot be trained in arms.”

“I take your point,” Hugh said gently. He realized that her concern for her brother underlaid most of her decisions.

Alice’s mouth tightened. “My father had no use for Benedict after my brother fell from his pony and injured his leg. He said Benedict could never be trained as a knight and was therefore quite useless. For the most part he ignored his son after that.”

“It is understandable that you do not want to expose Benedict to similar unkindnesses from another lord.”

“Aye. My brother suffered enough from being ignored by our father. I did what I could to make up for the poor treatment he received but it was not enough. How does one take the place of a father in a boy’s life?”

Hugh thought of Erasmus. “It is not easy, but it can be done.”

Alice gave herself a small shake, as though she were mentally casting aside unhappy memories. “Ah, well, ‘tis not your problem. I shall see to Benedict.”