Chapter Ten
ARISTIDE
CHAPTER TEN
At the pointed end of a sword, and on pain of threats to Dionysia’s life, Aristide yielded to his enemy. And after a frustrating ride to the Jubert home, Peneus shoved Aristide and Dionysia into a dining hall, whither bandits, absent Ludewicus, jeered Lord and Lady Rochester.
“Bring me some wine, and send for the musicians.” Peneus perched at the head of a long table. “And let us decide how to take our revenge against the haughty knight of the realm.”
“Worry not, Dion.” In the front of the room, on display for the delectation of the hoard, Aristide wrestled against the rope that bound his wrists, and his mind raced to discern some means of escape that he might spare his wife additional humiliation, as he would bet their firstborn on Peneus’s plans. “He will not prevail, I swear. You need not be afraid.”
“It is all right,” she responded, in a low voice. “And I am never afraid when I am with you.”
Low men and women danced about, taunting and teasing Aristide and Dionysia. One knave kicked him in the arse, while another yanked on her skirt. A strange celebration ensued, with Peneus inciting his supporters into frenzy, until the bastard threw a crystal goblet into the hearth, and the crowd quieted.
“How well we remember the soft inside of Lady Dionysia’s mouth.” Peneus strutted to the fore. “And I wager Florian and Philibert harbor sweet recollections, too. What say we relive our former glory, Lady Rochester?”
A vile cheer echoed in the chamber, and a guard grabbed Dionysia by the arm.
“Nay, you will not take her.” Prepared to die for his bride, Aristide stood before her. “You will not touch my wife.”
“Then we shall kill you, first.” Peneus drew his sword. “And then we will take her. In fact, I will give each of my men a turn, as their just reward for faithful services rendered to the Jubert family.”
“All hail Peneus Jubert!” A foul villain raised a tankard in toast, and the throng followed suit.
In the confusion, Dion pressed herself against Aristide, and he met her stare. When he tried to offer support, she shook her head.
“My lord Aristide, I love you. I should have told you before now, but I am saying it, in the event I am never again afforded the opportunity.” Then she slipped an item into his hand, and he recognized the shape in an instant. “Together, my lord. Together.”
Not for a moment did he mistake her meaning.
The guard hauled her to the end of the table, placed his palms to her shoulders, and forced her to kneel.
Rage ignited, unleashing the warrior within. A series of solutions formed in his brain, and he executed his plan with lethal precision. With his pulse hammering in his ears, Aristide stood immune to the deafening commotion, and he worked the tiny dagger against the twine. As Aristide freed one wrist, Peneus untied his breeches and braes, worked his manhood in a vulgar display, and shoved his length into Dionysia’s mouth. With a smile, the bastard dropped back his head and closed his eyes.
Then Peneus flinched and screamed.
Like a madman, he punched and flailed at Dionysia, but she did not move.
And that was Aristide’s chance to strike.
Moving swift and sure, he cut the throat of the guard to his left, pulled the sword from the unfortunate villain’s scabbard, and gutted the sentry to the right. Armed for battle, he cut down a startled offender and ran through another. Closer and closer, he wreaked havoc with the singular intent of reaching Dionysia, as she pinned Peneus, who wailed in horror, to the floor and remained anchored at his crotch.
A war horn sounded above the skirmish, just as Aristide broke through the mass.
An eerie silence fell on the hall, excepting Peneus’s whimpers.
“What goes on hither? Juberts, come to order.” Ludewicus Jubert tugged off his gloves and doffed his cape. As he rounded the table, he winced. “Lord Rochester, what happened?”
“Your son captured Lady Rochester and I, while we enjoyed a tour of the countryside, and brought us hither for nefarious purposes.” Aristide gave his attention to his wife. “Dion, it is all right. You can let go, sweetheart.”
Sitting upright, she spat blood and a piece of flesh onto Peneus’s face. “Henceforth, Peneus Jubert, I rebuke your stain upon my cheek. I shall emerge from this place a new woman and never think of you again. But I suspect you will recall me, as I have marked you, for the rest of your life, however long that might be, after His Majesty dispenses justice in this matter—and I will have justice.” God, she was glorious in her fit of temper, until she glanced at Aristide and immediately softened. “My lord, are you injured?”
“You are worried about me?” With a handkerchief, he wiped her mouth and evaluated her condition, as Ludewicus gauged his son’s health. “You will have a nasty bruise on the morrow, my brave lady.” Then he pulled her into his arms and hugged her. “I thought you lost to me.”
“That was never a possibility, my lord, as we were together.” Harkening to their joyous interlude, she shifted in his hold to kiss his neck. “Remember?”
“Aye, fair Dion, I remember.” Cupping her chin, he bent his head and claimed her lips. “And I love you, too. Now, I should kill Jubert.”
“Nay, you will do naught of the sort, as I want him to suffer the scars I inflicted, and I suspect His Majesty will do much worse.” Nuzzling his chest, she sighed. “My lord, I wish to go home.”
~
“Aristide, prithee, I will not hurt you.” Hunkered in their bed, after a long, hot bath, her husband shielded his crotch, as she reached for him. “You always enjoyed it before.”
“Fair Dion, I love you, and I will do anything for you.” Then he winced, and she bit her lip against laughter. “But after what I witnessed today, I do not want your teeth anywhere near my manhood.”
“Do you honestly think I would cause you pain?” She trailed her fingers along the sensitive inner side of his thighs, and he withdrew. “I should sooner injure myself. Do you not trust me, after everything we endured?”
“Sweetheart, it is not a matter of trust.” Given his expression, she could not resist a giggle. “While I love you, and I would put my life in your capable hands, I am not sure I will ever forget what I witnessed at Jubert’s, and I will have to forget that to find any pleasure in the particular act.”
Then his demeanor changed, and he pounced.
Stretched on her back, with her husband sprawled atop her, Dionysia laughed and wrapped her arms about his neck. “So I am never again to pleasure you with my mouth?”
“I had though you might eschew it, given your history with Peneus.” Spreading her legs, he positioned his hips and claimed her with a gentle flex of his spine. “And thither are so many other ways to achieve release.”
“Oh?” She gasped, as he seated himself within her but paused. “My, but my husband is resourceful.”
“As is my wife.” In a breathtaking maneuver, he ground his pelvis to hers. “I did not realize you still carried the little dagger.”
“It is a longstanding habit owing to a dark moment in my history.” She wrapped her legs about his waist and heeled his bottom. “But I keep it for utilitarian purposes.”
“Wherefore did your father give you a weapon?” In a decadent slip and slide, he pumped in a repetitive rhythm. “It strikes me as a rather odd gift for a delicate daughter.”
“Because, in the aftermath of Peneus’s offense, I vowed never again to be taken prisoner.” She framed his face, and he stilled. “Should the past repeat itself, I intended to take my own life.”
“What?” Aristide rested his forehead to hers. “Oh, no, love. You cannot do that, as your soul would be forever condemned.”
“That was before we met and married, and I knew not the strength I possessed.” She pressed her lips to his. “But you showed me thither was more to me than a sad past or a mark upon my cheek. You helped me find myself, thus when Peneus took us prisoner, I had the courage to fight back, and I am forever grateful.”
“And you did, brilliantly.” He resumed the delicate dance. “Like you, I lingered in a pit of misery and loss, when the Templars were disbanded, and my brothers were imprisoned. As I sat in White Tower, I longed for La Rochelle and my family.”
“At least I had my parents with me.” She sighed as Aristide plunged to the hilt. “Oh, great one, you were alone, in a foreign land, with no one to provide support.”
“But I had hope.” She recalled his admission, earlier in the day, and wrapped her arms about him, holding him close. “I journeyed to England and prayed I would find a place to call home again.” He quickened his pace, desire flared, and Dionysia answer the sultry summons. “On the Chapter Steps, I married a beauteous lady of incomparable spirit. Soon, France became naught more than the place of my birth, because I found home in her arms.”