Page 12

Vanora grappled with Lionheart's words, struggling to make sense of them. She could not imagine Lionheart remaining at Cragdon under any circumstances. Why did Edward want him to remain? The one thing Vanora did understand now, however, was Edward's reason for bringing Althea to Wales. She was here for Lionheart's pleasure. Obviously, it was Edward's way of indulging Lionheart for leaving him behind at Cragdon.

"Why is Edward leaving you behind?" Vanora asked, her voice quivering with an unexplained emotion.

"He wants me here to protect his property," Lionheart answered. "Not just Cragdon, but all his property in Wales. Think you I like it? I prefer to fight alongside Edward."

"Fight? Is England at war?"

"Civil war. King Henry is at odds with his barons. Simon de Montfort leads the opposing forces."

Vanora digested that, then asked, "Did Edward bring news of Llewellyn?"

"Aye. He is in England. It appears that our countries are at peace now. He and Henry signed a treaty. There are rumors that Llewellyn will wed Simon de Montfort's daughter."

"If there is peace between our countries, why must you remain at Cragdon?"

"Because Edward asked it of me, and because I am a Welsh landowner by virtue of our marriage."

That was not what Vanora wanted to hear. But then, she seriously doubted the words she craved were in Lionheart's vocabulary. "What about Althea? Just say the word and I will relinquish my place in your bed to her."

"God's blood, think you I want Althea? 'Twas not my idea to bring her to Cragdon. Edward acted on his own because he thought it would please me. He knew he needed to placate me after ordering me to remain at Cragdon."

"Will Edward take her back to England when he leaves?"

"He says he cannot. I intend to send her home to her village as soon as I am able."

"I shall move into another chamber until your leman is gone," Vanora said. "Mayhap you will change your mind about bedding her, since she is so eager."

She grabbed her chamber robe from the bench and moved toward the door. Lionheart grasped her arm in passing and hauled her against him. "We spoke vows. You cannot leave my bed unless I approve, and I do not approve."

"I obey my God and no one else," Vanora retorted.

"Shall we summon Father Caddoc to settle the dispute? You know what he will say. A woman must cleave to her husband and obey him in all things. Even if I took Althea as my leman, you would have no say in the matter."

"Try it and see," Vanora challenged.

Lionheart laughed. "If I did not know better, I would think you were jealous."

Vanora snorted. "Do not delude yourself, my lord. Would you not protest if I took a lover?"

His eyes darkened to stormy gray. "You are mine, Vanora. I do not share what is mine. Do not even consider it."

"If I did not know better, I would think you were jealous," she tossed back at him.

"Mayhap I am," he admitted. His arms tightened around her. "Kiss me, wife."

"Are you sure 'tis me you want to kiss and not Althea?"

"Very sure." He cupped her chin and raised it, waiting for her to obey him.

Temptation overwhelmed her. 'Twas not much of a stretch to reach his lips. Tilting her head back, she

touched her lips to his. 'Twas all the encouragement Lionheart needed. His mouth opened on hers, their tongues tangled and breaths mingled. He kissed her endlessly, until her heart pounded and her knees began to buckle.

Placing his hands beneath her buttocks, he lifted her and carried her to their bed. Then he stripped off her shift, tore away his tunic and hose and joined her.

"Wait," Vanora said as he bent to take a pert breast into his mouth. "You did not tell me what Edward said about our marriage."

He lifted his head. "Later," he growled, returning to his succulent feast.

"Now."

He sighed. "Very well. He is pleased."

"Obviously not pleased enough to take Althea with him when he leaves."

"Enough! I will deal with Althea in my own way."

"I've changed my mind about wanting to remain married to you," Vanora declared. "Our marriage was not supposed to be a permanent arrangement. You were forced to wed me."

A growl of exasperation emerged from Lionheart's throat. "Most marriages are arranged. 'Tis the way of things."

Vanora took a deep breath and asked, "Do you truly wish to remain wed to me?"

Lionheart shrugged. "If I am to remain at Cragdon, the arrangement suits me well enough. I never wanted a wife and family, but now that I have lands of my own, the idea of children has appeal."

"You want children with me?"

"Unless you are barren, 'tis likely to happen whether we wish it or not."

Anger surged through Vanora. Gathering her strength, she pushed him away and rolled off the bed. " 'Tis not good enough, Lord Lionheart! I want my husband to be passionate about marriage and children."

A glint appeared in Lionheart's eyes. "You want passion, my lady? Then I shall give you passion."

She turned to flee, remembered she was naked and stopped at the door. Lionheart caught her and carried her back to the bed. "Aye, passion I have in abundance."

His lips found hers unerringly. She wanted to fight, to prove she was not vulnerable to his kisses, but it was she who rose into the kiss, her hands digging into his shoulders. Marshaling her resistance, she braced her hands against him to push him away, but when his ringers traveled down her stomach to delve into her weeping center, she dragged him closer.

With his tongue he traced a feathery circle around one peaked nipple. The rosy crest sprang taut into his mouth. She stifled a groan and let her fingers wander where they would, learning him by touch as well as by sight.

He lifted his head, gazed down at her. A soft laugh betrayed his victory. "Am I passionate enough for you, sweeting? 'Tis what you want, is it not?"

"I want... I want. . ."

"I know what you want, and you shall have it... when I am good and ready."

Vanora closed her eyes tightly, suddenly frightened of the way she felt. She no longer had control over herself; she was Lionheart's, to do with as he pleased.

"Stop! I do not want this," she cried.

If he heard, he ignored her. His mouth took hers once more as he spread her thighs and fondled her, his drugging kisses turning her to putty in his arms. His kisses were starkly sensual, bold, his tongue a probing sword that pricked her senses. When his mouth left hers and latched onto a nipple, she arched against him and surrendered to his passion . . . and hers.

Abruptly she pressed her hands against his chest and pushed. Startled, he reared up. She scrambled to her knees and shoved him down onto the furs. When she crouched over him, he blinked, as if suddenly aware of her intention.

He opened his mouth to protest, but the word lodged in his suddenly dry mouth. Her lashes lowered. She leaned closer. The silken caress of her hair, swinging forward to brush his thighs, created a firestorm inside him that was tantamount to torture. Distracted, he held his breath as her head bent toward him.

He felt the touch of hot breath first, like a brand against the most sensitive part of his body. Then her lips touched, kissed, caressed him lingeringly; they parted and took him into the hot cavern of her mouth. Every muscle locked. He struggled to breathe, struggled to deny the feelings assailing him. Vanora was the only woman who had breached the walls guarding his heart.

"God's blood, woman, you are killing me!"

She smiled up at him. "Good."

He fought to maintain a modicum of control, but the task was a daunting one with Vanora's warm mouth upon him and her tongue driving him out of his mind. He was close to the breaking point when, muscles bunching, flexing, he lifted her away and pulled her up over him. Instantly she wrapped her long legs about his hips and positioned herself over him.

He nearly exploded when she captured the throbbing head of his sex in the slick flesh between her thighs, leaving him poised at her entrance, desperate and aching. Then she took him into her hand and sank down, impaling herself on his rigid hardness. Lowering her head, she covered his lips with hers, brushing them, tantalizing them, her sizzling passion driving him wild.

His arms closed like a steel vise about her. His hands found the creamy globes of her buttocks, lifting her to meet his long, deep thrusts. Their bodies shifted, then locked tight. With a groan of surrender, he unleashed the tension coiled inside him.

The power, the force, the dominance of his male ego took over. Vanora sensed it in the taut sinews that held her. Tightening her arms around his neck, she held him closer, reveling in the towering passion the two of them had unleashed.

"Love me, Lionheart," she whispered against his lips. "Please love me."

"I am," he answered.

Vanora knew immediately that he did not understand what she was asking. He thought in physical terms, not emotional ones. While she knew without a doubt that she loved him, he had not the slightest notion what it meant to love with the heart as well as the body.

His teeth gritted, his body drawn taut as a bowstring, Lionheart drove into her, letting instinct take over. He hung on by sheer will, watching her face tighten with passion, then ease as he felt her hot sheath soften to receive his seed. Shudders wracked him; closing his eyes, he gave himself up to pleasure so intense he felt as if his soul had left his body.

An eternity later, Lionheart rolled away. Lying on his back, one hand flung over his eyes, he tried to make sense of what had just happened and the way he felt.

He had never known love. After his mother left his father gave him less attention than he did his horse. Lionheart had never allowed a woman to get close enough to him to discover his flawed heart. The heart his mother had destroyed.

"What are you thinking?" Vanora asked.

He glanced over at her. She was lying on her side, staring at him. He shrugged, unwilling to share his private thoughts, especially now, when his thoughts were of her. "We should get some sleep. Edward is an early riser, so I thought to take him hunting in the morning."

She placed a hand on his chest. He flinched and swore under his breath. The compulsive need to love her again surged like a tidal wave over him. What was wrong with him? He was thoroughly, remarkably sated, and yet he wanted her again. Would he ever tire of her? He seriously doubted it. Looking at her, seeing the quizzical expression on her face, Lionheart felt something in his chest shift. The feelings and emotions that poured through him were confusing. They rattled him and left him feeling vulnerable. It was not a comfortable feeling.

"Go to sleep," he growled, and was instantly sorry that he had spoken so harshly. The sudden intake of her breath told him that he had hurt her. She deserved better from him.

"Go to sleep," he repeated, gentling his voice.

* * *

Lionheart was gone when Vanora awoke the following morning. Rising, she washed, dressed and hurried down to chapel just as the bells tolled Prime. Kneeling quietly in a pew, she lowered her head to pray as Father Caddoc began the Mass. Chapel was lightly attended this morning, and Vanora supposed that everyone had gone hunting with Lionheart and Edward.

Though the Mass had ended and Father Caddoc had left the altar, Vanora remained on her knees to pray. She was rudely interrupted when someone behind her spoke her name. She recognized the voice immediately and turned to confront Daffid ap Deverell.

"Daffid! You are free."

"Aye. Your husband," he said, spitting the word out like a curse, "released me from the tower. He said Wales and England are at peace, and that Llewellyn is to wed Simon de Montfort's daughter. I do not put much faith in this peace Llewellyn has wrought, but it served to free me."

"Think you Llewellyn will break the peace treaty?"

"War is inevitable. When Edward becomes king, he will not be satisfied until both Wales and Scotland are under his rule. He has ambitions beyond his years."

"What are you going to do now?"

"Return to Draymere, I suppose. I wanted to see you before I left. Come with me, Vanora. Your marriage to Lionheart is a sham. You were betrothed to me."

"I ended the betrothal, if you recall. You are not the man I thought you were. I liked not what you asked of me. Nor do I like being treated like chattel."

He grasped her wrist in a bruising grip. "You are an Englishman's chattel now. How can you bear the shame?"

Vanora recalled the delicious pleasure Lionheart had given her last night and did not regret for a minute casting Daffid aside. Nor was she shamed. She had not wanted to wed Lionheart, but her heart now recognized him as the only man for her. "Release me," Vanora hissed. "Nay, you are mine. Cragdon is mine. Think you I like living at Draymere? 'Tis naught compared to Cragdon. Your father promised me your lands and your hand in marriage. When Lionheart leaves, I shall take back that which is rightfully mine."

He grasped her other wrist and pulled her against him, his thick chest pressing against her breasts. Then his mouth slammed down on hers, hard, ruthless, defiant. Vanora choked back the bile rising in her throat and tore her mouth free. "I am wed. You have no right to kiss me." "What do you think Lionheart will do when he learns the identity of the White Knight he is so eager to find?" he taunted.

"You would not dare!"

"Would I not?"

"My, my, who is this?" a feminine voice said from behind them. "Does your husband know what is going on behind his back?"

Moving away from Daffid, Vanora glared at Althea. "You know not what you are saying. Naught is going on behind Lionheart's back. Daffid was merely bidding me good-bye."

"Daffid," Althea repeated. "The name is Welsh, is it not? Introduce us, Lady Vanora."

Sighing resignedly, Vanora introduced Althea to Daffid.

"What brings you to Cragdon, Althea?" Daffid asked.

"I came with Prince Edward. I am Lionheart's leman."

Daffid's brows shot upward, but before he could comment on that startling bit of news, Vanora said, "Unless you wish to return to the tower, you had best leave, Daffid."

Daffid glared at her. "I will leave, but do not forget what I said. Cragdon is mine." Whirling on his heel, he stormed off.

Althea regarded Vanora with suspicion. "What did he mean? Why does he think Cragdon belongs to him?"

Vanora saw no help for it. If she did not tell Althea, someone else would. "Daffid was my betrothed. I decided we did not suit and broke the betrothal before I wed Lionheart."

"You looked like you suited well enough from where I was standing," Althea snorted. "How long have you been whoring behind Lionheart's back?"

"I do not have to answer to you," Vanora returned. "There is but one whore here, and 'tis not I. Excuse me, there is much to be done today, and exchanging barbs with you is a waste of my time." So saying, she raised her chin and swept past Althea.

* * *

Lionheart returned to the keep later that day in a cheerful mood. The weather had been brisk, just right for the hunt, and they had bagged a variety of small game. Edward enjoyed the hunt as much as Lionheart did, and they had planned a sennight of hunting before Edward returned to England.

Mugs of mulled wine were passed around as Lionheart settled into a chair before the hearth. Edward stood nearby, staring pensively into the flames.

"This brief sojourn is just what I needed, Lionheart," Edward said. "Soon I will be involved in a battle to defend my birthright. If Father were stronger and less enamored of harboring foreigners at his court, civil war would not be necessary."

"You shall persevere, Edward, I know you will. I am here should you need me. Just send for me, and I will hie myself to your side."

"I have never doubted your loyalty, Lionheart. I regret having to leave you behind, but 'tis necessary. Should a messenger arrive bearing my colors, you will know I am in trouble. I pray it will not come to that. Excuse me, I wish to change before the evening meal."

Lionheart watched Edward walk away, his golden head held high and proud. Despite his youth, he was a splendid warrior and would make a wise king. Lionheart was proud of the young man he had befriended.

From the corner of his eye Lionheart saw Althea approaching and heaved a weary sigh. The look on her face did not bode well for him. What now? he wondered.

"Lionheart, may I have a word with you?"

"What is it, Althea?"

"Not here. In private."

"I have no time for this."

"Please, Lionheart, 'tis important. I promise you will not be sorry."

"If this is some trick, Althea—"

"Nay, no trick. Come to my chamber. 'Tis about your wife."

The word "wife" startled him. What did Althea know about Vanora? "Very well, but do not try your seductive wiles on me. I did not ask you to come here and am sorry that Edward took it upon himself to bring you. When you leave, you will be amply compensated for any inconvenience. Consider it your dowry."

Disregarding his words, she grasped his hand and pulled him toward the winding staircase that led to her chamber. Only one person noticed. Giles's disapproving gaze followed them until they were lost to sight.

"You are acting strangely, Althea. Are you unwell?" Lionheart asked when they reached the top landing.

"I am very well." She flung open the door and strode inside, waiting for him to follow. Once he was inside, she closed the door.

"All right, I am here. Why the secrecy?"

"I did not want others to hear something that would cause you embarrassment. I truly care for you, Lionheart."

He heaved another sigh. "I know that and regret the way things turned out. I am fond of you, too. Now tell me what it is that I should know."

"I met Daffid ap Deverell today. What was Vanora's former betrothed doing at Cragdon?"

"Is that what this is about? Daffid was being held prisoner in the tower. When Edward arrived, he advised me to release Daffid. I did so this morn." A frown creased his brow. "Where did you see him? I assumed he had left Cragdon."

"You assumed wrong," Althea said with a smirk. "I saw him kissing your wife in the chapel."

Lionheart inhaled sharply. Vanora had denied having feelings for Daffid, and he had believed her. Had she lied? Had she been planning mischief even as they made love last night?

"There is more," Althea said.

Lionheart's lips thinned. "Tell me."

"They were discussing the White Knight. Do you know who that is?"

Lionheart's attention sharpened. "Are you certain?"

"Aye."

"What did they say?"

"Daffid threatened to divulge the identity of the White Knight, and Vanora became angry."

"What else?"

" 'Tis all I heard. But their kiss spoke louder than words. 'Twas a passionate kiss, Lionheart. Twas obvious they had been lovers and were eager to resume their relationship.

Lionheart knew for a fact that Daffid and Vanora had never been lovers, for he had taken her maidenhead on their wedding night. His eyes narrowed. Mayhap Vanora wanted them to become lovers.

Lionheart had always suspected that Vanora knew the White Knight's identity. Was it Daffid? Nay, he thought not. The knight had neither Daffid's stocky build nor his years. Who was he? Lionheart was certain he had not seen the knight at Cragdon. He would recognize him were he to show himself. Not his face, but his carriage and build. Strange as it might seem, the mysterious knight seemed as familiar to him as his own body.

"Are you going to punish Vanora, Lionheart?" Althea asked. "You should beat her for betraying you. I would never betray you."

"Stay out of this, Althea. I will take care of my wife. If you speak of this to anyone, I shall turn you out of Cragdon to make your own way home."

Althea threw herself into his arms. "I will say naught. I do not want to leave you, Lionheart. Ever."

Catching him off guard, Althea shoved him backward. He had not expected her to be so strong. He tumbled onto the bed, and she fell atop him in a tangle of arms and legs.

"What are you doing, woman?"

"Relax, Lionheart. I want us to enjoy what we once had together."

* * *

Vanora entered the hall, her gaze searching for Lionheart. She knew Edward had returned and wondered where her husband had disappeared. He was not in the solar and obviously not in the hall. She spied Sir Giles and summoned him with a look.

"How may I help you, Lady Vanora?"

"Have you seen Lionheart? I was told he had returned from the hunt."

Shuffling his feet, Giles avoided Vanora's eyes "I cannot say, my lady."

"What can you not say? Has Lionheart returnee or has he not?"

"He has returned."

"Is something amiss, Sir Giles? Is there some reason you do not want me to know where Lionheart has gone?"

Giles cleared his throat. "I... I..." he looked anywhere but at Vanora.

Vanora felt the beginnings of a headache behind her eyes. For some reason, Giles did not want to reveal Lionheart's whereabouts. But that was not acceptable to her.

"Speak, Sir Giles. Tell me what it is you do not want me to know. Has aught happened to my husband?"

"He is well, my lady."

"Then kindly tell me where I might find him."

"W-with Edward," Giles lied.

As if to mock his words, Edward strode into the hall. "Have either of you seen Lionheart?"

Both Giles and Vanora shook their heads.

"Tell him he can find me with my warriors should he ask for me," Edward said, striding out the door.

"Where is he?" Vanora hissed. "Do not lie to me, Sir Giles."

Giles swallowed hard. "The last I saw of him he was accompanying Althea to her bedchamber. I am sure his intentions were honorable," he quickly added.

"Have a man's intentions ever been honorable?" Vanora retorted as she stormed off toward Althea's chamber. If Lionheart had been bedding his leman, she would make him very sorry.

Vanora paused at the top landing and held her ear to the door. Thick oak prevented her from hearing what was going on inside. She thought she heard creaking bed ropes but could not be certain. Inhaling a steadying breath, she lifted the latch and pushed open the door.

Her gaze was drawn to the bed, where a man and a woman sported in obvious enjoyment. She tried to stifle the cry of outrage that gathered in her throat but could not. How could he? Only a depraved man or an unfeeling one could make love to his wife and then seek out his leman the next day. Apparently, Lionheart was both.

Vanora's cry resounded loudly in the stillness of the chamber. Lionheart managed to free himself from Althea's clinging arms and legs in time to see Vanora fleeing through the open door. He tried to follow, but Althea clung to his neck and refused to let go.

"Let her go, Lionheart," Althea pleaded. "Everyone knows you wed Vanora for her land, and because her priest demanded it of you. Had you been able to bed her without wedding her, you would have done so. Cragdon is yours now; you need no longer pretend you are satisfied with the marriage."

"You are wrong, Althea," Lionheart bit out, unwinding her arms from his neck and flinging her away. "I could have taken Vanora without wedding her if I had wanted to force her. Or I could have found another woman to satisfy my lust, but only Vanora would do. I wanted her, Althea. 'Tis as simple as that," he said with a jolt of insight.

"Are you saying you love her?" Althea gasped. "Not you, Lionheart. You take but do not love. You were ready to leave Vanora behind and follow Edward before he commanded you to remain."

"Aye," he admitted. "But that does not mean I would not have returned at some point in time." That truth startled him. He would indeed have returned, because there was a connection between him and Vanora that defied distance and time.

He strode toward the door.

"Where are you going?"

"To find my wife."

"Daffid and your wife were kissing. What are you going to do about it? And what about the White Knight?"

Lionheart did not answer, but his mind would not let the matter rest as he beat a hasty retreat. If Althea had seen Daffid and Vanora kissing, he wanted to know the details before he decided on his own course of action. It was unacceptable behavior, and he would not stand for it. As for the White Knight, he would force Vanora to reveal his identity and have the man's guts for garters.

Lionheart stormed into the solar. Vanora was not there. He strode along the gallery, opening doors until he found her. She was putting fresh linens on a bed in an unoccupied chamber.

He paused in the doorway. "What are you doing?"

Her glare told him it was none of his business.

"Vanora—"

"Oh, very well. I refuse to sleep in the same bed

with you. I am moving out of the solar to make

room for your leman." "What you saw was not what it seemed." "My eyes did not deceive me, my lord." "Things are not always the way they look." "You were engaged in intimate relations with

Althea, were you not?"

"Nay, I was not." His eyes narrowed. "You were

observed kissing Daffid in the chapel."

"I see Althea wasted no time in telling you.

What else did she say?"

"We will get to that later. Why were you kissing

Daffid? Do you regret breaking your betrothal to

him?"

"Did Althea not tell you I was an unwilling participant in the kiss? Daffid sought me out in the chapel to say good-bye. The kiss was unexpected and unwelcome."

"Was it? Very well, I know appearances can be deceiving, even if you do not. Shall we go on to another subject? Althea heard you discussing the White Knight. She said you spoke as if you knew his identity. Who is he, Vanora?"

Vanora blanched. "I know not. Forget him, Lionheart. There is peace between our countries, and the reason to seek him out no longer exists."

"How can I forget someone who made a fool of me? Nay, I shall hunt him until I find him. I am your husband; you owe me your fealty. Give me the name of the knave, and I shall forgive you for kissing Daffid."

"You forgive me? How dare you! Daffid's kiss was forced on me, but you went willingly to Althea's bed. You should ask my forgiveness."

"I have done naught to warrant forgiveness, while you, on the other hand, have many secrets." He pinned her with a hard look. "You will sleep in my bed until I decide otherwise, is that clear?"

"Have I no say in the matter?" she shot back.

"None whatsoever. Know this. I accept that Daffid forced his kiss on you, but I will not tolerate your secrecy concerning the White Knight. When I find him, and I will, he shall not escape my wrath."

Turning abruptly, he stormed off.

Vanora was torn. Had she jumped to conclusions about Lionheart's involvement with Althea? Nay, her eyes had not deceived her, and Giles did say that Lionheart had gone willingly with Althea. Had Althea somehow contrived to make it look as if she and Lionheart had become lovers again?

That thought brought a more perplexing one. What was she going to do about the White Knight? Discovery was threatening her peace of mind as well as her relationship with Lionheart. The longer Lionheart remained at Cragdon, the greater the danger. Her future stretched uncertainly before her. Should Lionheart discover her identity as the knight upon whom he had sworn vengeance, her life would be forfeit.