The Marriage Prize (7 page)

dangerous secret to anyone."

Rodger de Leyburn could see how shaken she was, and it

dawned on him just how innocent Rosamond Marshal must

have been until tonight. She had intended to catch him alone

with Alyce, but the sexual act she overheard had shocked her

badly. "Come, I wil see you safely back to the Lady Tower."

He reached out to pul her hood forward, but she drew back

from him to avoid his touch. A muscle ticked in his jaw as he

opened the chamber door and led the way up onto the moonlit

ramparts.

When they passed a guard, Rosamond pul ed her hood close,

but Rod exchanged a quiet greeting with the man, as if it were

a natural occurrence for him to be on the castle roof with a

woman. When they reached the Lady Tower, Rod paused and

leaned a powerful, muscled arm across the door, effectively

blocking her escape.

She whirled to face him and found him towering above her,

their bodies almost touching.

"Wil you keep the secret, Rosamond?"

Silence stretched between them.

He reached out with firm fingers and raised her chin, forcing

her to meet his eyes. "Wil you keep silent?" he demanded.

"Wil you end our betrothal?"

He stared at her with disbelief. "You dare to bargain with me?"

"You want to prevent a horrendous scandal—"

"I want to prevent murder! You know Richard of Gloucester's

temper and towering pride. He would take it as a personal

insult from the crown. His quarrel with the prince could end in

death for one of them."

"If I swear I wil be silent... wil you release me from the

betrothal agreement?"

He took hold of her shoulders with powerful hands. "No,

Rosamond, I wil never let you go. I wil have you at any cost!"

The appal ed look on her face scorched his pride. His

knighthood

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and high royal office seemed to mean nothing to her. "Why do

you not wish to marry me?" he demanded.

"Why must I be forced to honor a promise I gave when I was

twelve?" she countered defiantly. Rosamond knew she did not

want to be uprooted from her serene life at Kenilworth. The

dark man who towered above her both frightened and

fascinated her, though she would not openly admit it. If she

placed her fortune and her future in this man's hands, she

would lose control over her own destiny.

"Spend time with me . . . al ow me to court you ... I wil soon

change your mind, chérie," he promised persuasively.

She felt the heavy oaken door against her back and was

forcibly reminded of the sexual encounter she had overheard.

For one blinding moment, she thought Rodger de Leyburn

would sweep her into his arms, take possession of her mouth,

and dare her to defy him then! Al her senses were heightened

as she became aware of his strength, his masculine scent,

and his ruthless determination. Her heartbeat accelerated and

she began to pant in anticipation of what was to come. When

he removed his hands from her shoulders, she swayed toward

him, then steadied herself with a hand against his chest. Her

thoughts and her emotions were in total disarray. What the

devil was the matter with her? She prayed it was the wine on

an empty stomach that made her thoughts so fanciful. When

he opened the tower door for her, Rosamond fled through it.

Hoping not to awaken Demi, she entered her bedchamber

quietly, although her heart was pounding. She undressed in

the dark, laying the cloak and her tunic across the bottom of

the bed, and slipped beneath the covers. As the events of the

evening replayed themselves in her mind, Rosamond

trembled with humiliation and anger, most of it directed at

herself. Why was she so headstrong, so impulsive? Why had

she gone to Rodger's chambers? Her tranquility was

shattered, her peace of mind destroyed. If only she could turn

back time and start the evening al over again, she would put

on her prettiest gown and gladly go down to the Great Hal for

dinner. Rosamond didn't want to know anyone's secrets, least

of al the prince's. Resolving to put Rodger, Alyce, and Edward

out of her mind, she escaped into blissful sleep.

Slowly she became aware of his masculine scent. "No!" she

breathed. He

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swept her into his arms and took possession of the mouth that

dared to deny him. When she struggled, he pressed her back,

imprisoning her against the hard oaken door. Then he slid a

hard, muscular thigh between her legs and deepened the kiss

until she stopped struggling and clung to him. It was forcibly

brought home to her that she had no defense against his

powerful strength. Only when he had mastered her resistance

did he lift his mouth from hers.

As she looked up into his intense green gaze, she realized

how pleasurable it was to feel the hard door pressing against

her bottom, and to feel his hard length pressing against her

bel y.

"Say it again," she whispered.

"I wil never let you go, Rosamond. I wil have you at any cost."

He gazed deeply into her eyes.

Excitement rose within her. He wanted her not just for tonight,

but forever. He wanted to marry her, not for just her castles, but

for herself How delicious it was to keep him waiting, keep him

begging, keep him aching for the consummation. Her fingers

traced across the pulse beating in his throat, then up across

his lips. He had the most beautiful, demanding mouth she had

ever seen. Surely it could not lie to her? He had pledged that

he wanted her for herself alone, not her Marshal inheritance,

and more than anything in the world she longed to believe him,

longed to have someone love her.

Rosamond caught her breath on a shiver. She was intoxicated

with the nearness of him and swept her lashes to her cheeks

lest he see the wild desire she was feeling. His hands moved

up her body, then his fingers slid into her hair to hold her

captive for his mouth’s ravishing. His lips claimed hers with

such ferocity, Rosamond was lost, lost. She opened her

mouth, welcoming his thrusting sleek tongue deep inside.

Then she rubbed her woman’s center against his hard body

until she could feel the heat of him. I am no longer an ice

maiden in need of a thawing... love me, Rod, love me!"

When Rosamond opened her eyes in the morning, her dream

stil lingered. As she recal ed al the sensual details, she was

shocked by her wanton feelings for Rodger de Leyburn. How

could she have al owed him to kiss her and touch her

intimately, even in a dream? Rosamond denied that she found

him attractive and put the blame on last night's actual events,

as the memory came flooding back to her. She blushed

deeply, covered with shame for the sexual encounter she had

deeply, covered with shame for the sexual encounter she had

overheard.

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That the lovers were Lord Edward and Alyce de Clare made it

a thousand times worse, shocking her beyond belief. She

took refuge in anger; it was al that devil de Leyburn's fault that

she had accidental y learned of the scandalous affair!

Rosamond did not want to share this shameful secret with

him, nor share anything else, despite the fact that she had

found him attractive in her dream. Blood of God, if he had his

way, she would soon be sharing his bed, sharing his life! As

her eyes fel on the purple garment at the foot of her bed, her

blush deepened. Whatever had possessed her to conceal

herself with the cloak and go to his chamber at midnight? It

was time she stopped behaving recklessly and acted with

reason and resolve. She would go to the one person who

would help her, the lady who had been both mother and

guardian angel to her since she was a child. Rodger de

Leyburn was no match for Countess Eleanor de Montfort!

******************

been deeply troubling me?" Rosamond dipped a curtsy, and

the chatelaine of Kenilworth, who had just finished breaking

her fast and was about to leave the hal , sat back down at the

table.

Eleanor patted the seat beside her. "It's about your betrothal,

isn't it, Rosamond?"

"Yes! How did you guess?"

"You wish to end the betrothal and marry."

"Yes ... no! I want to end the betrothal, Lady Eleanor, but I do

not wish to marry!"

"Rosamond, dearest, you are seventeen, quite old enough to

be a wife. You have learned your lessons wel and wil make,

not only a beautiful bride, but a most efficient chatelaine."

"I don't want to wed Rodger de Leyburn; I don't want to leave

Kenilworth."

"Oh dear, I'm afraid we've sheltered you too much from the

world. I should have encouraged you to visit your own

properties more often, so you could take a hand in running

them. I ful y understand that Kenilworth became your refuge

when you were a young girl, but now you are a grown woman. I

want to see you spread your wings and take your rightful place

in the world."

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"Rodger de Leyburn wants only my Marshal inheritance!"

"Rosamond, that is not true. As Lord Edward's steward, Sir

Rodger is a wealthy man in his own right. If the thought of

becoming part of the royal household intimidates you, put your

worries aside. Ancient Westminster Palace al ows you to live

right in the city of London, and Windsor Castle is a wondrous

place with many newly built towers right on the River Thames."

"It is Sir Rodger who intimidates me," Rosamond blurted.

"Rosamond dearest, Sir Rodger took breakfast with me this

morning. He sang your praises to the high heavens and is

obviously besotted with you. Take my advice and don't hold

out against marriage as I did with Earl Simon. It wil do you no

good; a man as determined as he wil have his way at any

cost."

"Goddamn the man!" Rosamond cursed. "The devious devil

got to you before I did. He is not in the least besotted."

"Rosamond, you haven't the faintest idea how lovely you are.

Your hair is the most glorious shade of gold, and your eyes are

like violets. You remind me of a long-legged gazel e I once

saw in the Arabian desert. Your explosive reaction to Rod tel s

me you are not indifferent to him, by any means. A clever

woman like you should be able to wrap him around your little

finger. Learn your feminine power, Rosamond, then don't be

afraid to use it!"

Four

During the next week, Simon de Montfort and Edward Planta-

genet spent every waking moment in each other's company.

Clearly, Earl Simon was trying to woo the prince to side with

the barons. He was a persuasive man who focused on his

goal single-mindedly, and as the days passed, the two

powerful men, one dark, the other fair, found they had a great

deal in common. Both were big men with abundant energy

and driving ambition. They could hunt al day, then stay up al

night discussing weapons, warfare, and military maneuvers.

With great enthusiasm they organized training exercises for

their men-at-arms and personal y demonstrated the best way

to wield a broadsword, mace, or battle-ax.

Simon pointed out that the leadership qualities required to

direct men in battle were similar to those needed to lead a

country. It took courage, foresight, strategy, determination,

tenacity, generalship, and an unswerving belief in your own

destiny Lord Edward had these qualities in abundance, and

Simon recognized, too, that the prince was developing a

shrewdness as keen as his own. De Montfort was an

ambitious man who knew Edward had the qualities of

leadership. How long would it be before Lord Edward

exercised his shining magnetism and royal aura to draw men

to do his bidding and transfer their loyalty from Simon to

himself? Before Edward recognized his ful power, de Montfort

wanted him to sign a solemn oath that he would abide by the

Provisions of Oxford.

To this end, Earl Simon sought out Rodger de Leyburn,

another shrewd young man, but one who was passionate

about the baronial cause. "Rod, you are closer to Edward than

any other of his captains. Am I right in thinking him persuaded

to our cause?"

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"He would like to heal the rift between the barons and the

royalists, because he knows it would be best for the country.

Continual hostility leads to the people's discontent and enmity.

He has no objection to Parliament meeting on a regular basis

to enforce the laws of the land and discuss state problems. He

hopes a stronger government wil solve problems, not create

them. He now agrees with you that the king's advisers should

be Englishmen of vision who wil fol ow wise policies,

encourage trade al iances, and veto expensive foreign wars

that drain the treasury."

"I too think he wil not oppose the Provisions, but I need more,"

Simon said. "Before Parliament convenes at Candlemas, I

would like his signature swearing that he wil abide by the