Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

A LYX'S ARMS WENT about Raine's neck and all thoughts of anger were gone. It had been so long since she'd seen him, and her hunger for him was overwhelming. Eagerly, she pulled him closer to her, her mouth clinging to his, her tongue invading his mouth, seeking as much of him as she could reach.

"Alyx," he whispered into her hair, and there were tears in his voice. "I saw you as I went up the wall, sitting alone in that tower room, crying softly, so little, so sad. Right then I wanted to kill all the guards, but I knew I couldn't rely on the men from the forest to help me. If my brothers had been free, I would have tried it, but I wouldn't risk injuring you."

Her head came up at the mention of brothers. Elizabeth!

"What is it, Alyx? What's wrong?"

She tried to get out the word "Elizabeth," but it was unintelligible. After several more attempts she managed to say "Miles."

"Did you meet my little brother? No, you couldn't have. He's been on the Isle of Wight. After Mary... died, Miles nearly went crazy and Gavin persuaded him to go visit Uncle Simon. He left the Isle a few weeks ago."

Raine was puzzled at Alyx's vigorous shaking of her head. Miles, she kept mouthing. "Has something happened to Miles? Is he in danger?"

Alyx nodded yes, and before she had made one more nod, Raine was out of the tub, Alyx under his arm. Hastily, he set her down, wrapped a cloak around her and pulled on his loincloth. "We'll go see Gavin and you can write what you have to say."

Alyx's face was red the instant they left their room. She wore only a wet sheath under the cloak while Raine wore practically nothing as he pulled her through the holy monastery. They found Gavin in the stables.

"You aren't ready to ride so soon, are you, brother?" he teased. "Surely your bride deserves some attention."

Raine ignored his jibe. "Alyx says Miles is in trouble. She'll write for you what's happened."

Gavin's face immediately turned serious. "Come to the monk's study."

He led the way with such long strides that Alyx would not have been able to keep up if Raine hadn't grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him. He'd better enjoy this time while she had no voice, she thought.

The monk in the study protested a woman's presence, but the men ignored him.

"Here!" Gavin said, thrusting paper, pen and ink before her.

It took her several minutes to write the story of Pagnell's tying of Elizabeth Chatworth and his plan to deliver her to Miles. Raine and Gavin hung over her shoulder until her palms began to sweat.

"Elizabeth Chatworth," Gavin said, "I thought she was still a child."

Alyx shook her head.

"What does she look like?" Raine asked seriously.

Alyx's expression was enough to make them understand.

"The King isn't going to like this," Gavin said. "He has placed a heavy fine on the Chatworth estates and ordered Roger away from all Montgomery land."

"Land!" Raine shouted. "Is that all you care about? Chatworth kidnapped Bronwyn and killed Mary. What does it take to make you consider people instead of land?"

"I care more for my brothers than any land. What will happen if Miles rapes this Chatworth girl? It will look as if we are disobeying the King, and who will suffer then? You! He will never pardon you and you will have to spend your life in that forest with that army of cutthroats. And how will the King punish Miles? By outlawing him, too? I'm worried about losing two of my brothers because of Pagnell's nasty tricks."

Raine was still glaring at his brother while Alyx looked at Gavin with new respect.

"It's been days," Raine said finally. "I'd put my life on it that the girl is virgin no longer, and I'll wager that Miles raped no one. Perhaps if he knew who she was, he released her, and all we can do is pray she doesn't bear his child."

Gavin's snort said a great deal. "I'll take half my men and leave now and try to find Miles. Maybe I can talk some sense into him. Perhaps the girl's fallen in love with him and won't demand his head."

Alyx grabbed Gavin's arm and shook her head vigorously. Elizabeth Chatworth was never going to fall in love with a Montgomery in less than a fortnight.

"A hellion, is she?" Gavin asked, then paused and raised Alyx's hand to his lips. "Raine is going to take you home and you'll meet my Judith. I'm sorry your wedding has been such a hurried affair. When this is all settled we'll give a tournament in your honor."

Still holding her hand, he looked back at his brother. "You'll be safe at the Montgomery castle for a while. Take her there, let her rest. You haven't seen my son yet, either. And buy her some clothes!"

Alyx was sure Raine would take offense at Gavin's tone, but Raine was smiling. "It's good to see you again, brother," he said softly, his arms open. The brothers clasped each other fiercely for a long moment.

"Give Miles my best and try to keep him out of trouble," Raine smiled. "And when he returns he can meet my wife."

With one flashing grin, Gavin left them.

Raine turned back to Alyx. Her cloak had fallen open and the damp gown clung to her. "Now, if I remember correctly, we were just starting something when my little brother's problems interrupted us."

Alyx took a step away from him, gesturing toward the room they were in.

With a laugh, Raine swept her into his arms, carried her through the courtyard and back to their room. Heedless of the piles of dirty armor on the bed, he tossed her in the midst of it and in one gesture stretched out on top of her.

"Will I hurt the child?" he murmured, biting her earlobe. Her headshaking was so vigorous that he gave a warm, seductive laugh as his hand trailed downward and pulled at the linen gown. The coarse, poorly sewn garment came away from her body with one easy tear.

Alyx had never been very proud of her body, always wishing for more curves, but now, bloated with child as she was, she didn't want him to see her in daylight. Her attempts to cover herself were brushed away by Raine.

Moving off her, he kissed her stomach, caressed it. "It's my child who distorts you, and I love it as well as his mother."

"Daughter?" she managed to say, hurting her raw throat.

"I only ask for your safety and, if God wills, the life of the child. I would love to have a daughter. With you for a mother, Bronwyn and Judith for aunts, I will gladly leave her all my estates. I'm sure she'll run them better than I do."

She tried to speak again, but he didn't let her as he began kissing her neck again. When she felt him remove his loincloth, knew his skin was next to hers, she forgot her worries about how she looked.

She had no idea how much she'd missed him physically, how much she needed the caress of his hands. He touched her body all over, running his hard fingertips over her skin from toes to head, making her feel cherished, loved. Even now when she could feel the power of his hunger for her, he took his time, loved her, touched her.

She lay on her back, eyes closed, her arms lightly about his neck as he ran his hands over her. When he touched her inner thighs, she opened her eyes, met his and the deep, dark blue piercing through her made chills run along her spine. The power of this man, the strength, the size of him, all held in leash as he fondled her, excited her horribly.

With an upward thrust of her body, she pressed against him, kissed his mouth hungrily, making him laugh deeply as he rolled onto his back and pulled her on top of him. The armor surrounding them clanged and a couple of pieces fell to the floor.

Alyx ran her teeth down Raine's neck, her hands sinking into the mass of muscle of his upper arms. Glorious! she thought, such a magnificent, splendid man—and all hers!

The laughter that came from her burned throat wasn't pretty, but the deep, raspy quality of it was seductive. She ran her thumb down Raine's ribs so hard he pushed her arm away as he sought her mouth. But Alyx applied her thumb to his other side, laughed again when he twisted away from her.

"Hellion!" he murmured, grabbing her by the hair and pulling her head back as he lifted his head and bit into her stomach.

Gasping, Alyx brought her feet forward, attempted to get away from him. Raine caught her left foot and proceeded to bite each one of her toes. The sensation that ran up her made her stop all movement.

She lay on top of him, stretched out, her feet in his face, his in hers. Two can play this game, she thought as she raked her teeth across the soft underpad of Raine's toes. She was quite pleased to feel him jump beneath her, and another piece of armor went crashing to the floor.

Raine's arms, longer than hers, slid up the sides of her legs, caressing and kneading so provocatively that after a moment she could think of nothing else but his hands on her body.

She began to tremble, shiver, and her skin seemed as hot as when the fire had been licking at her back.

Raine grabbed her hips and as if she had no weight at all, picked her up and set her down on his manhood with such an accurate thrust that Alyx let out a raspy squeal.

"Swordplay," Raine laughed. "I'm very accurate with a sword."

Alyx leaned forward and with her strong thighs began a rhythm that left Raine too busy to speak again. He lay still, his face a mask of almost pain as he held back, all his senses given over to the enjoyment of what Alyx was doing.

When he could stand no more, he grabbed her to him, rolled her over and with two hard, almost violent thrusts, they ended together, shaking, quivering, clutching as if they might get even closer.

After several moments, Raine raised his head and gave Alyx a smile that said more than all the words in the world. With a grunt of satisfaction, he rolled off her, pulling her close to him, their sweaty skin glued together. And together they slept.

***

It was early evening when they woke and Raine made an awful sound as he pulled a sharp, hard knee up from under the small of his back. "How can anything so small be so dangerous?" he asked a sleepy Alyx.

With one sharp smack on her buttocks, he moved away from her to stand and stretch. "Up!" he commanded. "We've stayed here too long already. It'll take us two days to get home as it is."

Alyx didn't relish moving to ride on a horse and her expression said so. She'd much rather stay here—in bed—with Raine for a few more days.

"Alyx, don't tempt me. Get out of there this minute or I shall return to the forest and send some of Gavin's men to escort you to the Montgomery estates."

That made her jump. Within seconds she was out of bed and had pulled the torn white sheath over her head.

"Filthy thing," Raine said, fingering it. "Judith will find you dresses fit for a Montgomery. It will be nice to see you dressed as you should be, although I must say I like your hair like this." He rubbed her curls as if he still thought of her as his squire.

There was no time for anything else as he pushed her out the door and tossed her into the saddle of a horse. Except for messengers, Alyx had never seen knights as they were with their lord master. Raine had only to hint at a command and Gavin's men jumped to obey. Quickly, efficiently, they cleared the armor Raine had taken from Pagnell's man from the room while Raine dressed in the dark green wools he'd worn in the forest. One of the knights gave such a look of astonishment that Raine laughed.

"They itch, too," he said. "Ready, Alyx?"

Before she could answer, they were off, galloping at a pace that she should have been used to. It was no surprise to her when Raine rode through half the night. But what did surprise her was the way Gavin's men treated her. They asked after her health, if she were tired. When they stopped to eat and rest the horses, some of the men presented her with flowers. One man spread his cloak for her to sit on. No one seemed to notice that the fur-lined cloak was of far better quality than the sack she wore.

With surprise and disbelief in her eyes, she looked up at Raine but saw that he thought nothing of the way the men treated her. A knight asked permission to play the lute for her, and as three men sang together, Raine raised one eyebrow at her, for the men were not very good. Alyx looked away, because to her, the knights, so kind, so polite, were perfect.

When Raine lifted her back on her horse, he said, "They are practicing their chivalry on you. I hope you can bear with them."

Bear with them! she thought as they started riding again. She felt as if she'd just seen a glimpse of heaven and, indeed, she could withstand it.

At night they stayed at an inn and Alyx was embarrassed by the way she was dressed. There was no need to be. The innkeeper took one look at Raine and the twenty men in their rich green and gold and he practically lay down to be their carpet. Food such as Alyx had never seen before was set before them in a quantity that made her gasp.

"May they sit with you?" Raine asked.

It took her a moment to realize he was asking permission for these lovely men to sit at the same long oak table with her. With a large smile, she gestured to them and the chairs.

The men's table manners were so good that Alyx was overly cautious about her own. All through the meal they offered her prize tidbits of meat and fruit. One man peeled an apple, placed a sliver on a plate and asked if she'd accept it.

They expressed sympathy about her lost voice, which made Raine laugh and say they were missing more than they knew. Formally, they asked Lord Raine to explain this. He said they'd not believe what he said, which made Alyx blush.

In their room was a large, soft bed, sparkling clean, and Alyx immediately snuggled under the light blanket. In seconds, Raine joined her there, pulling her close to him, his hands caressing her stomach, smiling when the baby jumped.

"Strong," he murmured, falling asleep. "A good, strong child."

In the morning the landlord tapped on their door and delivered fresh baked bread and hot wine, along with twenty red roses from Gavin's knights.

"That's Judith's doing," Raine said, dressing. "They're all half in love with her, and it looks like you've won their hearts, too."

Alyx shook her head at this and indicated that they only cared for her because of her relationship to him.

He kissed her nose. "Perhaps all men fall in love with women who can't speak."

Alyx grabbed a pillow and threw it at him, catching him in the back of the head.

"Is that any way for a lady to act?" he teased.

In spite of his light manner, Alyx worried about his words all day. She wasn't a lady and she didn't know how one should behave. How could she possibly meet this paragon, Judith Montgomery, dressed in a sooty, scorched, shapeless sack?

"Alyx, what's wrong with you? Are those tears I see?" Raine asked from beside her.

She tried to smile and indicate that there was something in her eye and she would be fine in a moment. After that, she tried to control herself better, but by the time they rode into sight of the Montgomery castle, she was ready to turn tail and run.

The massive stone fortress, centuries old, was even more formidable than she had imagined. As they rode closer to it, the old stone walls seemed to be crushing down on her.

Raine led them to the back entrance, to announce their arrival to as few people as possible. The path to the gate was lined with high stone walls and as they rode, men called down in joyful greeting to Raine. He seemed so at home here that the man she knew began to seem far away. The men who obeyed him without question, the whole vast scope of this place, was closer to the real man than the artificial outlaw camp.

They rode into a courtyard and, to Alyx's astonishment, houses, looking comfortable, with many windows, were inside the walls. In the few castles where she and Jocelin had sung, the people still lived in the towers, which were so uncomfortable most castles had been abandoned.

They had barely stopped when out of a little walled garden came running a breathtakingly beautiful woman wearing a gown of flashing red satin.

"Raine," she called, running, arms open.

She can't sing, Alyx thought defensively, watching her husband leap from his horse and run toward the woman.

"Judith," he said, grabbing her, twirling her about, feet off the ground, kissing her mouth, in Alyx's opinion, much too exuberantly.

"My lady," came a voice to Alyx's left. "May I help you down?"

Her eyes never leaving Raine and the exquisite Judith, she let herself be lifted down.

"Where is she, Raine?" Judith was saying. "Your message was so garbled we could hardly understand it. We must have misheard because it seemed the messenger was saying your wife was about to be burned the stake."

"True I rescued her at the very last moment." His voice held a great deal of pride. With one arm around Judith, he led her to Alyx, whom he casually embraced. This is Alyx and this vision is my unworthy brother's wife."

Alyx nodded once, openly staring at her sister-in-law. She'd never seen anyone who looked like this before: gold eyes, auburn hair barely visible under a pearl embroidered hood, a small voluptuous figure.

Judith pulled away from Raine. "You must be tired. Come with me and I'll have a bath brought for her." She took Alyx's hand in hers and started toward the house.

"Oh, Judith," Raine called from behind them. "Alyx lost her voice because of the smoke."

Beside her, Alyx felt Judith stiffen and knew it was because Raine dared to marry someone like her. Rapidly, she tried to blink back tears.

"You are tired," Judith said sympathetically, but there was an edge to her voice.

Alyx had no time to look at the house as Judith led her up the stairs and into a large paneled room. Alyx's house in Moreton could have been set in the room at least four times.

Heavy footsteps on the stairs made Judith turn. Raine stood just inside the doorway, grinning. "She's pretty, isn't she?" he said fondly, looking at Alyx. "Too bad her voice is gone, but I'm sure it's only temporary."

"No thanks to you," Judith said, leading Alyx to a chair.

"What does that mean?" Raine asked, bewildered. "I rescued her."

Judith whirled on him. "From what? From Pagnell's trap? She was used as bait to lure you to him. Raine," she calmed, "I think you should leave now. I don't think your sweet little wife wants to hear what I plan to say to you."

"Sweet!" Raine snorted. "And what reason do you have to be angry with me?" He was offended.

"You are trying my patience, Raine," she warned. "Alyx, are you hungry?"

"Look, Judith, if you have something to say, say it."

"All right, then we'll leave this room. Your wife needs her rest."

Alyx was beginning to get an idea of what Judith had to say. She grabbed her sister-in-law's hand and with her eyes urged her to continue. There were so many things she would like to say to Raine.

Judith blinked in understanding and whirled back to face Raine. "All right, I shall tell you what I have to say. You men, all of you, all four of you brothers, think nothing of dragging a woman all over England with no thought to her safety or comfort."

Raine's jaw jutted out. "We stayed in a very comfortable inn last night."

"You what! You took your lady wife into a public place dressed like that? How dare you, Raine? How dare you treat any woman like that?"

"What was I supposed to do, shop for clothes? Perhaps I should have ridden to London and asked the King for a bit of silk."

"Don't try to gain sympathy from me for being declared a traitor. It was your own Montgomery hotheadedness that caused all your problems."

At this Alyx began to clap her hands.

Judith flashed an understanding half-smile at her while Raine glared.

"I can see I'm not needed here," Raine said.

"You're not running away from this," Judith said. "I want you to run downstairs, pull Joan from whatever corner—or bed—she's lounging in, then order a bath sent up here. Oh, Raine, how could you do this to this poor child? The mother of your baby? It's been days since the fire and she's still covered with soot, and how you must have ridden to get here so fast! Now go along and get yourself cleaned up and dressed properly."

With his jaw still out, refusing to speak, Raine left the room, the door slamming behind him.

With a sigh, Judith looked back at Alyx. "You have to stand up for yourself or men will take advantage. Are you well? Raine didn't harm you in his haste, did he?"

Alyx only shook her head, looking at Judith with admiration and the beginnings of love.

"It's a good thing the three of us are all sturdy and strong or else we'd be dead by now."

Alyx held up three fingers, frowned in question.

"Bronwyn, Stephen's wife. You'll have to meet her. She is lovely, absolutely lovely, but Stephen drags her everywhere, makes her sleep on the ground rolled up in a wool blanket. It's really dreadful."

A knock on the door interrupted Judith, and seconds later servants arrived with a tub and pails of hot water. "I should send Raine more often," Judith said. "He certainly gets things done quickly."

Alyx gave a little giggle and Judith smiled back.

"They are good men. I wouldn't trade Gavin for anyone, but sometimes you have to raise your voice a bit. Someday you'll get over your awe of your husband and you'll find yourself shouting right back at him. You may not think so now, but you will."

Alyx merely smiled and allowed herself to be led to the tub.