Page 23 of The Forsaken (Echoes from the Past #4)

SEVENTEEN

Kate woke with a start. She had no idea how long she’d been asleep. For a brief moment, she thought it was time for the Midnight Office prayer, or Matins, but quickly remembered she was no longer at the priory. What had woken her was the opening of the door, followed by footsteps.

As her father approached the bed, the light of a single candle illuminated the lower half of his face, giving it a demonic appearance.

“Is it Mother?” she gasped, sitting up.

Gerard set down the candle on a bedside table and leaned over Kate. The anger burning in his eyes frightened her. “Did he force you?” he demanded.

“What? Who?”

“Did Hugh de Rosel force himself on you?” her father repeated, his face so close, Kate could smell wine on his breath.

“No, he didn’t.” Her mind had been muddled with sleep, but now she was fully awake. She drew back from her father and pulled the counterpane to her chest, clutching at it with all her might in a desperate but vain effort to protect herself.

He slapped her hard across the face and she cried out in shock as her head spun to the side, blood filling her mouth when she bit her tongue.

“Father, what have I done?” Kate cried as he towered over her.

Her father didn’t answer. He dragged her out of bed and pushed her down on the cold floor. She thought he might kick her and she curled into a ball to protect her middle, but he stood aside, panting with fury .

“Whore!” he spat out. “Get out of my house and never return. You’re useless to me now. You’re soiled.”

“Father, I…”

“Get out!” he roared. “If I ever see you again, I’ll kill you.” He grabbed the candle and stormed from Kate’s bedchamber, leaving her bewildered and shaking with shock.

What had she done? Why did he think she was soiled? Kate hastily pulled on her clothes, stuck her feet in her shoes, grabbed her cloak, and ran downstairs.

Hugh was in the yard, their horses saddled and ready. “Come, Catherine. We’ll bide at the inn tonight, and tomorrow, I will return and try to reason with your father.”

“What on earth did you say to him?” Kate cried as he gave her a leg up and handed her the reins.

“I asked him for your hand in marriage,” Hugh replied as he swung into the saddle. “I told him that I’d had the honor of getting to know you over the past few days and wished to spend my life with you.”

Kate stared at him. “Is that all you said?” She couldn’t begin to understand why Hugh would ask her father for her hand.

Lord Dancy was a staunch Yorkist, cousin to the Earl of Warwick, and distant kin to the new king.

He would never consider a suit from someone whose rank was beneath his own, particularly an avowed supporter of the House of Lancaster.

“Of course,” Hugh replied, sounding deeply offended. “What else could I have said?”

“My father seems to have misinterpreted your meaning,” Kate replied, her voice shaking with anger, hurt, and confusion.

Only a few days ago she had been at the priory, her life measured, ordered, and calm, and now her father, who professed to love her, had accused her of being a whore and cast her out when she’d done absolutely nothing wrong, other than help a wounded man .

“Please don’t worry, Catherine. I will speak to your father in the morning, but in the meantime, I will look after you, just as I did for the past few days. You are safe with me.”

Kate had no choice but to follow Hugh out of the yard and toward the road to Belford.

She didn’t cry, but her insides twisted with misery and she wanted nothing more than to turn around, run up to her mother’s bedchamber and beg her father to listen to her.

He’d misunderstood, that was all. He would forgive her and apologize for the awful things he’d said to her.

But her bruised cheek told a different story.

Surely her father should have known her better, or if he didn’t, could have at the very least given her a chance to explain—not that there was anything to explain.

She was innocent of any wrongdoing, as was Hugh.

The most he’d done was help her mount her horse and dismount when they arrived.

He had taken no liberties. He hadn’t so much as touched her hand or looked at her with anything other than respect.

He was Henry VI’s man, that was true, but that didn’t make him a blackguard.

When they arrived at the inn, all was quiet and dark.

The shutters were closed against the night and the stable door was bolted.

Thick clouds obscured the moon and fat drops of rain were just beginning to fall, a downpour imminent.

Kate slid into Hugh’s waiting hands, and he set her on the ground and drew her cloak closer around her body as her teeth chattered with cold and anxiety.

He threw the horses’ reins to a bleary-eyed boy who’d materialized out of the darkness, then banged on the door of the inn until the proprietor came to answer, wearing nothing but his nightshirt.

“We need two rooms,” Hugh commanded as he pushed past the man and drew Kate inside, out of the rain. The man followed them into the small parlor, his candle casting a pool of light on his tired face.

“I’m sorry, sir, but there’s just the one room. The bed is big enough for you and your lady wife,” the man added, as though reluctant to let them leave now that they’d woken him up .

“One room?” Kate balked.

“We’ll take it,” Hugh replied and dropped a coin into the man’s outstretched hand. He turned to Kate. “I’ll sleep on the floor. You’ve nothing to fear from me, Catherine.”

Kate and Hugh followed the innkeeper to the upper story and into the room.

“’Tis the best room in the house, sir,” the innkeeper said proudly, pointing to the four-poster bed with an embroidered tester and a thick quilt.

The mullioned window offered a view of the village green during the day, but at the moment, it was a black rectangle streaming with rainwater.

Not a chink of light could be seen, with every house in the village tightly shuttered for the night.

It was like gazing into an abyss—or perhaps the abyss was in Kate’s soul.

She’d never felt as adrift as she did at that moment, not even when she’d been lost on the road to Belford.

Then, she’d had a home to return to. Now, she didn’t belong to anyone.

“You and your lady will be comfortable here. Shall I have some hot water sent up?” the innkeeper asked. “Or some food?”

“There’s no need,” Hugh replied as he unbuckled his sword belt and threw his cloak over a chair. “Leave us.”

“Good night, sir. Madam.” The man bowed low and left them alone.

“Take the bed, Lady Catherine. I’ll bed down on the floor.”

“I’ll take the floor,” Kate said miserably. “I won’t be able to sleep anyway.”

“Of course you will. You need your rest. Now, come, let me help you with your cloak.” Hugh opened the clasp of Kate’s cloak and tossed the garment next to his own.

He then bent down and removed her shoes and set them beside the bed.

“Lay your head,” he said gently. “It will all come out all right in the end.”

Kate hadn’t meant to give in to her grief, but tears of hurt and anger slid down her cheeks. “He’ll never forgive me,” she cried, “especially not once he finds out that I shared a room with you tonight. I must go,” she exclaimed, but Hugh’s strong hands on her forearms stopped her.

“Catherine, darling, there’s nothing wrong with us sharing a room. ’Tis the only one left, and we are betrothed, you and I.”

“Are we?” Kate asked, staring at Hugh in confusion.

“Of course. Your father gave his consent, before he evicted me from the house,” Hugh added with a sad smile. “He won’t have you dishonored in the eyes of the world. He’d rather have you married to the likes of me.”

“I haven’t done anything to bring dishonor on my family,” Kate argued.

“Of course you haven’t. You’re beautiful, and pure, and kind,” Hugh said, brushing a stray curl out of her eyes. He leaned in and gave her a feather-light kiss on her lips. “You saved Guy’s life, and now you can save mine.”

Kate stared up at him, confused.

“Oh, Kate, I have been lonely for a long time. You brought something out in me, a depth of feeling I didn’t realize I was possessed of. I want to love and protect you. I want you to be mine,” he whispered as he pushed her back onto the counterpane.

“Hugh, no,” Kate protested, but Hugh covered her body with his own as his kisses grew more ardent.

“Kate, I love you,” he whispered, his eyes aglow with passion. “I’ll make you happy.”

“No, please,” she begged as she struggled against him, but it was too late. Hugh had pushed up her skirts and was already fumbling with the laces of his breeches.

Kate felt his hand between her legs as he attempted to guide himself inside her.

She tried to squirm away, but he was too heavy, and there wasn’t anywhere to go.

She cried out as he forced his shaft inside her, breaching her maidenhead and destroying any possible future she might have had in the Church or with any other man.

Hugh began to move inside her, pushing deeper and deeper into her unwilling body.

Honeyed words dripped from his lips as he made love to her, but Kate had to bite her lip to keep herself from howling in anguish.

She didn’t want this; she hadn’t asked for this, and now there was no going back.

“Kate, try to relax. All I want is to make you happy. Please, darling, it’s all right.”

All the fight went out of her and Hugh thrust harder, making her cry out in pain, but he seemed to misinterpret her reaction as one of pleasure.

“That’s my girl,” he whispered. “I knew you liked me.”

Hugh eventually finished what he was doing and rolled off her. He cupped her cheek and looked into her eyes, as though seeking affirmation that all was well between them. “I’ll give you a good life. I promise,” he said. “You will never have cause to regret marrying me.”

Kate nodded mutely, too afraid to look at Hugh for fear that he’d see the panic and revulsion in her eyes. She didn’t wish to marry him, nor did she think he could make her happy, but what choice did she have? Her fate was sealed.

Hugh fell asleep, but Kate lay awake for hours, staring up at the tester. Had she still been at the priory, she would have prayed, but God seemed to have forsaken her this night, and she was on her own.

She must have eventually dozed off because when she opened her eyes, it was morning, and weak sunshine was streaming through the dingy window. Kate sat up and looked around in panic. Hugh was nowhere to be seen. His sword belt was gone, as was his cloak. She was alone.