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Sully honestly hadn’t noticed anything about Justine; his eyes were riveted to Josephine as they always were.

But after her statement, he managed to tear his eyes away long enough to give Justine the once-over.

The first thing he saw was the dark thatch of hair between her legs, clearly seen through the sheer fabric.

After that, he tried not to look any further but morbid curiosity kept his eyes where they should not be.

He could not believe that Justine would actually wear the dress in front of hundreds of drunk, leering men.

He crossed his arms and lifted a fatherly eyebrow.

“You intend to wear that… garment ?” he asked.

Justine’s chin shot up defiantly. “I do.”

Sully cocked a thoughtful eyebrow before turning to an irate Josephine. “A word, if you please, my lady.”

Josephine cast Justine a triumphant expression as she went to the opposite end of the room with Sully. Justine, in turn, cast her sister her very best evil eye.

Sully moved close to Josephine. “Will you trust me?” he whispered.

She nodded eagerly. “Implicitly.”

He looked her in the eye. “Let her wear it.”

Josephine looked stunned. “ What ?”

“Let her wear it,” he repeated patiently. “Let her see just how untouchable she really is. You can yell at her until your tongue falls out, but she will never relent because she believes she is right. Some people must learn lessons the hard way.”

Josephine looked at him dubiously, then looked at her sister, and back to Sully again. Her jaw muscles were flexing as she thought on his words.

“Very well,” she said reluctantly. “I would be in favor of that. But what if the situation gets out of hand? Will you save her?”

“Do you want me to?”

There was a twinkle of mirth in her eye. Despite her anger, she found herself fighting off a grin.

“I almost do not,” she said.

The subject of the conversation began to fade in Sully’s mind and all he could think of was the smell of Josephine’s rose perfume and the swell of her bosom.

Why on earth should he think of Justine when this glorious creature was in front of him?

But Josephine turned with a wink and was gone. That ended Sully’s daydreams.

Oblivious to Sully’s mental worship of her, Josephine walked over to her sister and looked the woman up and down. Hands on her hips, she faced off against Justine’s stubborn stance.

“Sully feels you should be allowed to wear the gown of your choosing,” she said evenly. “So be it. We will attend our guests now.”

Justine’s chin jutted out triumphantly and she stomped from the room. Josephine looked at Sully with uncertainty in her eyes.

“I hope you are right,” she said quietly. “Or I will have lost all control over her.”

Sully came over to her, a reassuring smile on his face.

He offered her his arm and she accepted.

As they descended the stairs, he didn’t say what he was thinking; he knew that Justine’s shocking costume would be quickly forgotten when Josephine, in all of her glory, entered the hall.

Any normal man would look at her over her foolish sister.

Sully wondered if his plan would, indeed, backfire.

*

Josephine could barely eat. With Donald on one side of her and Sully on the other, her trencher was filled to overflowing with food, but her appetite was gone.

Around her, the hall was alive with music and laughter.

The smells of roast meat filled their air as hungry dogs wandered the room.

But Josephine’s eyes watched her sister’s every move as she sat at the end of the table, surrounded by salivating soldiers who pretended to be interested in what she was saying.

But their bloodshot eyes were fixed on her small breasts with large brown nipples that showed obviously through the fabric.

Josephine was deeply embarrassed for her sister, but Justine seemed not to notice the reason for their attention. She was going on and on about the deadly benefits of the nightshade plant.

“Justine has certainly dazzled the men with her… charms,” Donald spoke in Josephine’s ear.

Josephine glanced over her shoulder at him. “I pray that the floor will split wide and swallow her up.”

“Is she truly yer flesh and blood?” Donald asked with mock seriousness. “Or did yer mother find her growing on a vine in the forest?”

Josephine visibly sobered. “My mother died in childbirth for that… that woman .”

Donald wished the floor would split wide and swallow him, too. He had not meant to sound insensitive. Josephine turned away from him and focused on Sully.

“Your plan is not working,” she whispered, singsong. “Not once has anyone made a move to touch her and she is enjoying the attention immensely! Now what?”

“Patience, my lady,” he reassured her. “Have you ever known me to be wrong?”

Her pause made him turn to look at her. “Not very often, but it has been known to happen.” His eyes twinkled at her and she pointed a finger at him in a threatening fashion. “But this better not be one of those occasions!”

Suddenly feeling ravenous, Josephine turned her attention to her trencher and began to hungrily devour a piece of stringy beef.

The music grew more lively and a few couples rose to dance to the swift beat.

Before Josephine could finish her food, Donald had her by the hand and led her to the floor near the hearth where the others were dancing.

It was a fast-paced old folk dance and Josephine was soon breathless and laughing as Donald swung her endlessly in his arms.

Sully watched from his seat on the dais. It was so good to see her laughing again; Lord knew, there had been little enough to laugh about lately. Her laughter sounded like chimes; clear, pure, and tinkling. But his eyes darkened with the jealousy he had no right to feel.

God in heaven, what was he going to do when she married?

How in the hell was he going to handle a husband touching and loving Josephine?

Get a hold of yourself, man, he scolded himself.

Who is to say that you will not be the one holding and loving her ?

He comforted himself with that thought. He always thought that if he was patient enough, his patience would come to fruition.

Josephine would see who loved her the very most. Not Donald or the other fools who fawned over her, but the stoic and strong knight who had devoted his life to her.

The man who had treated Torridon as if it were his very own castle.

In fact, Sully comforted himself further when he remembered that he had news for Josephine. News that they had been waiting for had come right before the feast began and Sully intended to deliver it to Josephine personally.

Alone .

Aye, she’d know soon who loved her the very most.

As Sully pondered what the future might bring for him and his lady, Justine was dancing furiously with several men, being passed from man to man as they swung her roughly.

They were laughing loudly in their revelry but, soon, hands began to touch places they shouldn’t.

Justine stopped laughing and tried to stop dancing, but momentum kept moving her from one man to the next.

Finally, one particularly burly soldier grasped her around the body and pulled her close to his sweaty, smelly face.

Justine squealed and pushed at him as he brought his stinking mouth close to hers.

“Aw, c’mon, girl! Do not be shy!” he rasped.

Josephine stopped her dancing and raced to her sister’s side. She pounded the man’s broad chest.

“Let her go, you swell-headed lout!” she yelled.

Sully was on the move. He vaulted over the dining table and hit the floor running. Etienne, Burl, and Christoph followed on his heels. But he wasn’t fast enough to prevent Josephine from wrapping her arms around the man’s neck and hanging on for dear life in her attempt to choke him.

Between Josephine’s yelling, Justine’s screams, and the soldier’s grunting, it was hard to tell just who was assaulting whom.

Donald, rushing to assist Josephine, was summarily flattened by one of the soldiers who had been dancing with Justine.

His nose was gushing blood as he pushed himself up from the floor and shook off the bells ringing in his ears.

Sully bounded over the flailing Donald to wrench Justine from the man’s grasp. He thrust her into Burl’s waiting arms.

“Get her out of here!” he ordered.

The soldier was struggling to breathe with Josephine’s arms wound tightly about his neck.

She managed to remove one arm long enough to pound him solidly on the side of his mangy head, all the while hurling insults at him.

Sully lunged and grabbed Josephine about the waist, tugging her hard at least twice before he managed to dislodge her.

“Josephine!” he bellowed. “Josephine, release!”

Etienne had the soldier by the hair, pulling him away as Josephine was pulled off of him.

She was still angry and fighting until Sully, with one arm wrapped tightly around her small waist, clamped his other hand over her mouth.

Then, with Josephine silent, he turned with a clenched jaw to his knights.

“I want the offending soldier and his cohorts sent on their way,” he growled to Etienne.

“Och, my lord!” the man whined. “We were just ’aving a li’l fun! Besides, she was jus’ askin’ fer trouble with that invisible dress she’s wearin’!”

His friends chimed in loudly, implying all sorts of unladylike things.

Sully had to struggle to keep Josephine under control.

She writhed, twisted, and grunted under his iron grip.

But the man’s argument didn’t affect Sully; he continued to stare at the man with an unwavering gaze.

Then, with a nod of his head to Etienne, the soldier and his four accomplices were forcibly escorted from the room.

As they were exiting the door, Sully looked over at the musicians.

“Play!” he commanded.