Chapter Fifty-Seven #2
His heart sank a little; Nottingham was mayhap one of the best fortified castles in England. The thirty foot walls were nearly impenetrable and he let out a small sigh. He wasn’t disheartened in the least, but considered it a challenge to his considerable skills.
He would get his wife back, walls or no walls. Prince or no prince. King or no king.
*
Dustin had not seen Gabrielle or Christin since she left them to attend John, and that had been nearly two hours ago.
She sat by the hearth, listening to the noise of the bailey, so wild with worry that she could do naught but sit and stare.
And movement or any words would be like removing the plug from the dam; everything would go and she would lose her careful control.
So she sat and waited for any word of what had transpired.
There was a knock on the door and she jumped, flying to open the panel. But her excitement quickly turned to apprehension when she saw that Sir Dennis stood in the hall, grinning suggestively at her.
“Ah, chèrie! You are so eager!” he said gleefully. “I am flattered.”
Her blood ran cold. “What do you want?”
He gave her a look of mock hurt. “Tsk, tsk, mon petite. Why are you so unfriendly? I have simply come to keep you company.”
“I do not want your company.” Dustin tried to shove the door closed, but he blocked it firmly.
His eyes glittered dangerously as he pushed into her bedchamber, the smile on his lips becoming something more sinister. “Do not ever shut me out, chèrie. I do not like it.”
Dustin backed away, although she wasn’t particularly frightened.
She had seen the way John had ordered his men not to touch her and was confident that Sir Dennis would obey the order.
But she was perturbed and angry; she had been confronted by Lord Bruce, Ralph, John and now Sir Dennis and she was frankly sick of the games they seemed to like to play.
She had tried to play their game, but it had backfired in her face and she was wary.
But she had not lost her fighting spirit, bolstered in the knowledge that her plight would soon be over.
“I do not give a damn what you like,” she growled. “Get out of here or I shall tell John you tried to force yourself upon me.”
Dennis pushed in so hard that Dustin stumbled back, almost tripping in her attempt to get away from him.
When she recovered, she could see that he was indeed moving for her and she dashed away, scampering for the hearth and the fire poker she could see within her reach.
She reached the poker a second before Dennis closed in on her and she swung it around with all her might, catching Dennis across the chest. The sharp tip left a long, thin gash on his flesh and he stopped instinctively, his hand flying to the wound.
Dennis’ eyes widened as he drew his hand back, covered with blood. “You little bitch,” he hissed with surprise. “Why did you do that?”
Dustin held the poker between them, fully preparing to use it again. “Get out.”
He looked at her, perplexed and angered. “But why? I have done nothing. You, mademoiselle, attacked me without provocation.”
“Without provocation?” Dustin repeated incredulously. “You entered my bedchamber uninvited, sir. I’d call that a most provocative move. Now, get out before I drive this poker through your heart.”
Dennis’ face lost its confusion and he charged her, snatching at the poker.
Dustin swung hard and hit him twice, once across the arm and once on the face before he dislodged the poker and sent it sailing.
Panicked, Dustin tried to flee but in her lethargic state, Dennis was faster and grabbed hold of her arms.
He yanked her, twisting and fighting, to the bed and slammed her down hard. Stunned momentarily, she attempted to roll away, but he flopped his body atop her and effectively stopped her escape.
Dustin was near hysteria, fighting and struggling for all she was worth.
Dennis had her arms trapped and threw his big leg across her thighs to pin her down, leaving his sword hand free to assault her.
She could feel his hand moving up her leg, skimming her hips and moving across the roundness of her belly.
“What joy Burton must have had planting his seed in this exquisite body,” he breathed heavily.
Dustin jumped and shrieked, twisting violently, anything to get away from his offensive hand. Tears were close to the surface, but she refused to give in. Once spilled, Dennis would have a great advantage and she could not allow that. She had to fight.
His hand caressed her stomach, moving upward and she realized with horror that he was moving for her breasts. His big hands cupped her fullness, fondling her roughly and she bit off a scream, trying with all of her might to dislodge him.
“Do not fight me, chèrie,” he panted. “I can give you much pleasure or much pain. Yours is the choice.”
Dustin was growing quite weary with her struggles.
Her body was not in prime condition and she realized reluctantly that she would not be able to beat this man in a physical sense.
The only thing to do would be to defeat him on a mental level.
Dustin wasn’t very good with mind games, but she would have to try in order to save herself.
Forcing herself to calm, she desperately cleared her mind of its panic and set forth rapidly to formulate another plan.
Her struggles lessened, she moved to look Dennis in the eye. His plain face met her beautiful one, his eyes glazed with lust.
“I….I choose pleasure, my lord,” she choked, her heart pounding in her ears.
He flickered a small smile. “Wise, chèrie. I am quite good, I am told.”
Dustin forced a smile, she was shaking so badly that she could feel her lips shaking. “We shall see. Might I rise and prepare myself?”
He eyed her. “Not so easy as that, mon petite.”
Dustin cleared her throat and drew in a breath to relax, to prove to him that she was sincere. If she was going to retrieve the fire poker again, then he had to let her up. And once she had the poker, she fully intended to gore him. It was either that or he would surely kill her.
“It is, I swear it,” she said softly, trying to appear submissive. “I am tired of fighting. My body aches for a real man’s touch. Mayhap that is you?”
“Mayhap,” he replied, eyeing her now that she was suddenly cooperative. “You will certainly find out.”
Dustin gulped, trying desperately to convey compliance. Surely he could feel her shaking. “I have not had but two lovers, my lord. You will be gentle with me, will you not? My husbands were often rough. It frightened me.”
She was lying through her teeth, anything to appear vulnerable.
Dennis lapped it up, knowing she was lying but feeling comfortable enough with her submissiveness.
As long as she wasn’t biting and kicking, he could handle her resistance.
He felt himself growing warm, looking forward to their coupling.
He had been planning this since he had seen her the day before, and to hell with the prince.
He was confident he could explain his impetuousness.
He grinned. “Very well, then. Rise and prepare yourself,” he said, releasing her. “But no tricks, mind you. I shall thrash you soundly, prince or no prince.”
Dustin nodded solemnly, straightening her surcoat as she rose.
With a shielded gaze, her eyes rapidly searched the floor for the fire poker.
As she rounded the side of the bed, she was flooded with relief to see it lying close to her wardrobe, which just so happened to be her destination.
Taking a deep breath to bolster her courage and ease her quaking knees, she blessed Dennis with a sweet smile and moved toward the wardrobe.
“Something pink, chèrie,” Dennis said, stretching his legs out on the bed. “I like to see my women in pink.”
Dustin did not answer; she was close to the poker and was trying to maintain her posture so he wouldn’t see that she was moving for it until it was too late.
Her feet moved rapidly across the scrubbed floor, every step bringing her closer to Dennis’ death.
Her palms began to sweat; she had to be swift and sure. There would be no room for mistakes.
With quaking hands, she was upon the poker and she dropped to her knees, snatching it confidently within a firm grip.
Dennis, moved from the warm anticipation of sex to a stab of anger at the sight of his prey preparing to defend herself again, shot off the bed with the agility of an attacking tiger.
“Non!” he bellowed. “You scheming little whore. I shall take that iron to your backside.”
Dustin heard him coming, hearing his angry footfalls hit the floor and rush toward her.
Panic surged through her and she stumbled as she attempted to rise, ending up on her behind.
In the great rush to protect herself, she swung the poker around just as Dennis descended on her like an avenging angel.
The combination of her rapid movement and his swift action drove the head of the poker right through his sternum, burying it deep within the muscle of his beating heart. He was dead before he hit the floor.
Dustin sat on the floor, gasping with shock and terror.
Sir Dennis was slumped over her feet, bleeding all over her legs and surcoat and she was so petrified with horror that she could do naught but sit and stare at him.
It took her several long moments to realize that he was no longer a threat and only then did she try to calm herself.