Chapter Eleven #2
“Get up, Dustin. We’re leaving,” Christopher said abruptly, grasping her by the arm and pulling her to her feet.
Stunned, Dustin obeyed silently, allowing her husband to pull her toward the door.
John stood up. “But I am not finished with her yet. Could you come back in an hour?”
From out of the walls there suddenly appeared several soldiers of the prince’s special guard. They were elite troops, mostly mercenaries, and Christopher had no command over them. They followed the prince and the prince’s money.
“Tell your cockroaches to fade back into their hovels, John,” Christopher said lowly. “I have six knights and nearly one hundred soldiers out in the hall that say your conversation with my wife is concluded.”
Dustin heard what was going on, yet did not fully understand the gravity of the situation.
As Christopher took her to the door, she felt hands reach out and take her from him protectively.
She glanced up to see Marcus’ grim face, and then her husband was partially blocked from view by David’s muscular body.
John was up and walking as if to show them to the door.
Christopher never made a move to put his hand on the hilt of his sword, but the rest of his knights did.
Honestly, Dustin was as confused as hell because the prince had been cordial and polite toward her.
Why was everyone so deadly serious that she leave the room with a massive escort?
“I enjoyed our talk, my lady, even if it was cut short,” John said, craning his neck to get a look at her.
“And I would ask a favor of you, if you would be so gracious to grant me. We are holding a tournament in two days, as I am sure you have been made aware, and I would be honored if you would dispense with the trophies for the winners.”
Dustin was flattered but before she could reply, Christopher spoke.
“She will not,” Christopher said flatly. “She is my wife, not some whore issuing favors to the fortunate. Find another slut to do your work.”
“Chris,” she said, tugging at him. “I would like to do it.”
He didn’t react, but John’s face lit up. “There? You see? She will do it. Oh, de Lohr, do not be so selfish. Allow the less fortunate to gaze upon this rare and precious beauty. ’Twill make the men fight harder if they know they are to receive a kiss from such an angel for their efforts.”
“Nay,” Christopher repeated firmly.
“Yes,” Dustin countered, pulling away from Marcus’ iron grip. She shoved David aside and moved away from the knights before anyone could grab her. Angrily, she faced off against her husband. “I do not understand your rudeness. What he has asked of me is a great honor, and I should like to do it.”
John grinned broadly. “Ah, a woman who stands up for herself. I like it.”
Christopher’s jaw ticked angrily. In fact, he was angrier than he had ever been in his entire life.
“Dustin,” he said as evenly as he could. “You will not do this, and you will come with me now without another word.”
Something in his tone scared her. Puzzled and angered, she did as she was told and once again found herself in Marcus’ grasp. He led her from the room, with David and Christopher backing out of the room still facing the prince until the door slammed shut.
Christopher took his wife from Marcus while David and Edward dispersed the soldiers. With her firmly by the arm, he dragged her the entire way back to their rooms. Dustin, sensing she had done something very, very wrong, didn’t utter a word of protest.
When they finally reached their luxurious apartments, Christopher flung her into the antechamber and slammed the door furiously behind him. Dustin, having had time to build substantial fear of his wrath, scooted to the other end of the room. A safe distance, she assumed.
Christopher was shaking with fury and, aye, fright. He took a few moments to breathe and calm himself before dealing with his fully disobedient and highly willful wife.
“Dustin,” he began in a controlled tone.
“What?” she jumped at the sound of his voice.
Then she began to speak rapidly. “Christopher, I am sorry. I didn’t mean to contradict you but the prince had been very kind to me and he seemed to know a bit about my father, and I have never been to London before and awarding prizes in the tournament is such a wonderful honor, and I have never… .”
His brow furrowed and he cut her off. “Why are you jabbering like a fool?”
She looked frightened and he saw her swallow hard. “Because I am trying to explain myself before you spank me. Mayhap you won’t spank me quite so hard if you understand my excitement.”
He calmed considerably to see that she was truly remorseful. It furthermore occurred to him that she knew nothing of what was going on here in London, except for a few tidbits he had fed her.
Of course she saw a charming prince; John could be that if he wanted to.
As inculpable as she was, she fell under his spell, and when he asked her to present prizes at the tourney, she was understandably flattered.
John was very right in his description of his wife, and for that he could not fault the man, but Dustin did not understand the greater implications of doing John a “favor.”
He visibly relaxed. “I am not going to spank you,” he said. “But you have made me angry.”
“I am sorry,” she repeated, not knowing what else to say.
He took a good look at her in her burnished gold surcoat; she looked absolutely ravishing.
To think of John and Ralph drooling all over her drove him white with anger all over again, but he banked it.
He hadn’t seen his wife in three days and he didn’t want to spoil their first meeting even more than circumstances already had.
He unlatched his armor and removed his mail gloves and hauberk, leaving them in a pile by the door.
Then he removed his heavy leather vest and tossed it across a cherry wood table, leaving him clad in only a damp linen shirt, breeches and boots.
He proceeded to wander over to a silk and oak chair, sitting heavily in it.
Dustin watched him closely. He seemed preoccupied and she wondered if it was because he could not decide how to properly punish her.
“Come here,” his voice was soft again.
She obeyed and he drew her down onto his lap, his eyes drinking in her beauty for a long moment before speaking.
“Dustin, I know you do not understand politics or intrigue, but unfortunately, sweetheart, you are right in the middle of it,” he said.
“I told you that I had enemies, with one of them being John because of the title Richard bestowed upon me. Understand me when I tell you that he will do anything, anything at all, to destroy me. And he will use you if he can.”
She looked shocked and angered. “I would not help him destroy you.”
“Knowingly, no. But John is a clever man, and he would use someone of your innocence to his advantage,” he said, caressing her arm gently as he spoke. “He knows I will do anything to keep you safe and protected, and he’s right. I’d give my own life to keep you from harm, Dustin.”
She gazed back at him, at his sky blue eyes, and her hand came up to caress his bearded cheek.
“He was very kind to me,” she said simply.
“He would be, for he has everything to gain by obtaining your trust,” he replied.
“Listen to me well, you must never again go near the prince. Do not speak or even look at him, or Ralph either. They are on this earth for one reason and one reason only, to destroy all that is Richard’s and to obtain England for themselves.
As Richard’s champion, they must kill me if they are to accomplish this. ”
The thought of Christopher dead scared the hell out of her. He saw her eyes go wide and she threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him tightly.
“You cannot die,” she whispered tightly. “They cannot kill you, Christopher, they simply cannot.”
He held her close. “They won’t, sweet. They are not smart enough.”
She pulled back and looked at him, and he was surprised to see tears in her gray eyes. “If you die, I shall be all alone. My father and mother are dead, and Rebecca is gone. But you…I would not want to live if you were dead.”
He was touched by the passion in her statement, her apparent devotion to him. He remembered what she had said to him the morning he left her at the inn, and he believed her now. It scared him to death.
“I will not leave you,” was all he could say, and pulled her to him once again as he tried to compose himself. He could not think straight with her looking at him as she was. “I shall never leave you, Dustin. I vow it.”
She held on to him for a few long moments before wiping at her eyes. He brushed her hair back with his trencher-sized hands, smiling at her until she smiled back.
“No more cough?” he asked lightly.
She shook her head. “Nay, I am healed,” she replied. “Marcus was worse than any nursemaid. Twice he sat on my legs to keep me from getting out of bed.”
Christopher laughed softly. “Good man. I knew you could not get around him.”
Her smile faded as she remembered her encounter with Marcus. But she pushed the thought away, ignoring it, focusing on her husband.
“You did not say goodbye to me,” she commented, moving the subject away from Marcus. “Why not?”
Confusion crossed his features. “I did, Dustin. Don’t you remember?”
She shook her head. “You did not. I would have remembered, but you left me without a thought. I am angry with you for that.”
It occurred to him that if she didn’t remember him bidding her farewell then she didn’t remember what she had said to him before he left. He realized he was deeply disappointed.
“I did, I assure you, so your anger has no basis,” he said.
She eyed him dubiously but relented, obviously not too terribly angry with him. Arms still around his neck, she cuddled up against him happily. “What will we see first in London? I want to go see the Tower, and Westminster Abbey, and the Thames, and….”