Chapter Eight #3
Her free hand was on his shoulder, moving to his neck.
Her fingers brushed against his warm flesh.
“Aye,” she murmured. “You are the man I want. I do not make decisions based on whims. I cannot explain it, Sherry… from the moment we met, I felt something for you. Awe, respect, interest… all of those things. And you are devilishly handsome. When you look at me, I feel bolts of lightning course through my veins. But I never imagined you would feel the same way about me.”
With a grin, his lips slanted over hers, kissing her as strongly and deeply as he had ever kissed a woman in his life.
As he’d told her, his life had been one of cold duty, so to feel something warm and emotional had him reeling.
His hands were in her hair, holding her mouth to his as he feasted on her.
He was kissing her so passionately that he heard her gasp, as if he’d been smothering her, so he quickly pulled away, concerned he’d overwhelmed her with what he was feeling.
He was feeling everything.
“You have me,” he whispered, his hands still in her glorious hair. “All of me. But at the moment, we must move you someplace safe until the king leaves Norwich. If he moves against you now… I cannot guarantee that I would not take my own advice.”
She was licking her lips, dazed by the force of his kiss. “What do you mean?”
“I would kill him.”
Christin believed him and it terrified her, perhaps more than the king actually making a move on her. She couldn’t stand the thought of something happening to him because of her. Hand on his face, she kissed his bearded cheek.
“I know,” she said softly. “I have heard there is a nice inn near the cathedral. I shall go there until this is over with.”
He took her satchel from her and grasped her hand. “Come along, then,” he said. “We must hurry.”
He was starting to head out through the main gate and she dug her heels in. “Nay,” she said. “Not that way. There is a gate that leads to the farmlands below. It will be easier to leave through the gate down there and we will not be seen by so many of John’s soldiers.”
Alexander shifted direction. He began to walk, still holding Christin’s hand, passing into the small garden behind the keep. No sooner had he stepped foot into the garden than a massive shadow appeared in his way.
Sean de Lara emerged from the shadows.
Alexander came to a halt and dropped Christin’s hand, facing off against a man that served William Marshal in the capacity of the king’s bodyguard.
But it was more than that; if the king ordered Sean to bring him a woman, Sean would do it without question.
If the king ordered him to kill a rival, Sean would snap the man’s neck and toss him in the nearest river.
Much as Alexander had a terrible reputation for brutality, Sean’s could match it and then some.
Alexander’s reputation wasn’t out in the open as much as Sean’s was.
Everyone in England feared the man known as Lord of the Shadows.
And here he was.
“Sean,” Alexander greeted steadily. “What finds you out here? Isn’t the king still inside?”
Sean nodded. “He is,” he said, his gaze moving between Alexander and Christin. “Where are you taking the lady?”
Alexander quickly sized up the situation.
Sean was a couple of inches taller than he was and built like a bull, but Alexander had the advantage of enormous strength and a sword hand that was better than most. Even though he and Sean were technically on the same side, Alexander was prepared to fight the man in order to remove Christin.
He was prepared to do what was necessary.
“I am taking her away until the king leaves,” he said. “You were in the chamber when the king demanded to dine with her, Sean. Did you really think we would allow it?”
“Who is ‘we’?”
“Me,” Christin stepped forward. She didn’t really know Sean well but she knew his mission.
She knew he had to provide the illusion of being loyal to the king above all else.
“I will not sup with the king because if he tries to molest me or, God forbid, succeeds, it will bring my father’s wrath.
Dealing with the French will be the least of your worries if my father declares war on the crown. ”
Sean’s gaze settled on her for a moment before nodding.
“I know,” he said simply. “I have told the king the same thing but to no avail. But you should know that this runs deeper than his usual interest in a woman. I am afraid I may not have the opportunity to tell The Marshal when he arrives, so I must tell you, Sherry. All of this runs deeper than you think.”
Alexander wasn’t sure if he was still going to have to fight Sean off, but it didn’t sound like it. At least, not at the moment. He cocked his head curiously.
“Deeper?” he repeated. “Sean, you should know that we had an incident at Ramsbury Castle a few days ago. Has anyone told you about it yet?”
Sean shook his head. “Nay,” he said. “What happened?”
“We had information that Lord Prescombe was a double agent for the French crown,” Alexander said.
“We set a trap for him and as it turned out, he had a female French agent working with him. Christin cornered the woman and she told Christin that there is a threat against John under our noses. There is some manner of threat against him we are not aware of and The Marshal believes it may be one of the allies who will be in attendance at this celebration. That is why we are all here; to find out who, or what, this threat is.”
Sean digested the information. “It is possible that it is one of the allies,” he said. “It is equally possible it is not. It could be an assassin dressed as a soldier or a knight, someone who is able to get close to the king. I will have to shadow him closely to ensure he remains healthy.”
Alexander nodded. “Indeed,” he said. “It is important you know what we were told. But now with this added threat of the king being interested in Christin… if her father finds out, the king’s days are numbered. It will tear the country apart.”
Sean sighed heavily as the weight of the situation settled. “It is worse than that,” he said. “If I do not have the opportunity, you must tell William that John has plans for Christin.”
Alexander and Christin looked at one another, puzzled. “What plans?” Christin asked. “How could the man possibly know anything at all about me?”
Sean looked at her. “He knows that you are Christopher de Lohr’s eldest daughter,” he said.
“He knows you are unmarried. He plans to marry you to his bastard son, Robert FitzRoy. The man is the son of a king, after all, with a great manse in Bishop’s Lynn, and for ties to de Lohr, John is willing to take the risk.
He is convinced that marrying you to his son will subdue your father. ”
Christin was genuinely trying not to look horrified. She was also genuinely trying not to run. She held her ground, looking at Sean as if he’d just given her a death sentence.
“Is this true?” she breathed. “There could be no misunderstanding on your part?”
Sean shook his head with genuine regret. “Nay,” he said quietly. “There is no misunderstanding. I am sorry, Christin. I have tried to discourage him and I shall continue to try. But at some point, it will look suspicious if I do not support his wishes.”
Christin understood that. She could see that Sean wasn’t here to take her to John, at least not yet. He was keeping her informed of what was happening. She’d never felt so frightened in her life.
Alexander.
She looked at him to see what his reaction was to all of this. He was looking at Sean, staring at the man in disbelief. When he finally spoke, his voice sounded strangely weak.
“Then hiding her until the king departs Norwich will not matter,” he said. “This is not a whim.”
“Nay, it is not,” Sean said. “If she escapes him here, there will be another time. John does not easily give up. But if we face it now, we can control it somewhat.”
“How?” Alexander asked.
Sean looked at Christin. “I have an idea, my lady, if you would be willing.”
Christin wasn’t sure how to answer him. She wanted to leave. She wanted to hide out but Alexander and Sean seemed to think that wasn’t a good idea. If John was on her scent, he would not relent until he found her. But she wasn’t so convinced.
“Why must I face him?” she asked. “Why can I not simply hide away until he forgets about me. There are thousands of women in England. He will find someone else for his son, eventually.”
Sean lifted his big shoulders. “It is possible,” he said.
“It is equally possible that by losing the opportunity to wed you to his son, he will go after one of your sisters. You have three, do you not? Brielle is the sister closest to your age. What if he takes her instead of you? Would that make you feel better?”
He sounded cold and Christin stiffened. “Of course it will not make me feel better,” she hissed. “My father will go after him, anyway. I must send word to my father to hide all of my sisters until the king grows weary of us and moves on to another family.”
“My lady, I have served John for years,” Sean said patiently.
“He does not forget. The more you elude his grasp, the more obsessed he will become. He went after your mother years ago. Did you know that? Your father saved her, but it took a massive war and great loss in order to regain your mother. John has had an obsession with the de Lohr women for a long time, so this is not something that will simply fade away. You must trust me on this.”
Christin thought she had heard that at one point, how John and his henchmen had captured his mother. As she struggled with her reply, Alexander spoke quietly.
“What is your suggestion, Sean?” he asked. “Tell us and we shall do it.”