Page 54 of Knight of Havoc
“I am the one who has a sore bottom. Do you not thinkyoushould be the one to apologize?”
He stepped forward and kissed the tip of her nose. “Apologize? I believe, little one, I was thinking of something more than just having speech together.”
There was a promise lingering in his gaze, and she wished with all her heart she could give in to his offer. But she could imagine the loud bellow in the distance, and she could not put off her chores any longer.
“Later?” she asked in a seductive whisper that had him pulling her up against his erect manhood.
“Most definitely, my lady,” he growled in what sounded like complete anguish.
“Do not worry, my lord. You shall survive the briefest of partings until I can see toyourneeds again,” she called over her shoulder as she headed toward the door.
A chuckle left him. “Then you best take care of that blasted cow quickly, wife, because I shall be down to the stables shortly.I believe there’s a nice new pile of straw in the loft that might suffice for a bed.”
“You are impossible.”
“Aye,” he said grinning, “but you love me anyway.”
“Aye… that I do. I shall see you shortly.”
Elysande watched him give a short nod before he turned and went to a table that held several parchments for him to read. He would be busy far longer than he intended if he were to peruse all that required his own attention as lord of the keep.
Closing the door behind her, she made her way to one of the turrets to descend into her hall. One day, she would create beautiful tapestries that would grace the walls to replace the ones that had been burned by Stephen’s men. She shook her head at the thought of the damage they had created months ago. She should not look to the past but only to her future with Reynard. There was much to look forward to now that they had returned home.
Aye… who would have known when Reynard stumbled upon her at her grandfather’s gravesite, that she would eventually set aside her misgivings for the young knight and fall in love with him? He was an unexpected blessing and she had much to be thankful for. She would remind him each and every day how he had stolen her heart almost from the very beginning.
She swung around in joy that she was home and was very much loved. Quickly, she grabbed a hold of a bit of cheese and bread that was sitting on one of the tables, nodded to one of the servants serving the knights who had returned to Blackmore, and then hurried out the keep’s front door. The heavy wood banged shut behind her as she scurried to reach the barn and the animals who were needing to be taken care of. She knew these simple chores she had once performed should be a thing of her past. After all, she was now lady of the keep—and as Reynard had mentioned, she had servants to see to the animals in thestable. On the morrow, she would set in place arrangements for others to handle this from now on.
She had just reached the barn and rounded the corner to head toward the door when she was once again grabbed from behind. ’Twas a firmer grip than she was used to with their play, and she could not help but flinch at the unexpected unpleasantness of Reynard’s touch. He had never hurt her before.
“Easy, Reynard, else you will bruise me all over,” she huffed, trying to face him to no avail. But she froze in fear a moment later when the voice that reached her ears was not the sound of her beloved husband.
“Did you miss me, my pet?” the voice asked as he inhaled the scent of her hair. She was immediately spun around so she could face her tormentor.
“You!” she cried upon seeing the face of none other than Gerold Morcant. Any thoughts the empress may have had that this miscreant would hide himself away were proven false for he stood here before her.
“Aye! Me. And this time you will not get away so easily. You and that whoreson Norwood owe me,” Morcant promised as he put his gloved hand over her mouth so she could not scream.
Elysande tried to dig the heels of her boots into the dirt, but he continued to pull her along until they reached his horse. As he made quick work of gagging and binding her, she could only ponder why these things kept happening to her. When he tossed her up onto his horse, she tried to jump back down but Morcant was too quick for her. With her held in his tight grip, Morcant took up the reins and put his heels into the horse’s side.
Before she could fully comprehend what was happening, Morcant was galloping out the unmanned gate of Blackmore. She could only wonder how long ’twould be before her husband realized she was gone.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Almost an hourhad passed since Elysande had left their bedchamber. Reynard swiped his hand over eyes to help clear his vision. He swore all the numbers the steward had written down had begun to run together until he could not look upon the ledger any longer. Time to reward himself for his labors by finding his wife. A wicked grin spread across his mouth as he thought of what they might do together. She was a fast learner as to what he liked and from the moans of pleasure that had come from her, Reynard was well aware that she had walked from this room satisfied. But hopefully enough time had passed to reignite her appetite again.
Knowing what he promised her and what awaited him in their stables, he quickly left the room and went in search of his wife. He nodded to several knights who continued to break their fast in the great hall, thankful several had returned to guard Blackmore from invaders. But their numbers were still low, and Reynard realized he might need to petition the empress for more men if he were to hold the fortress in her name.
A servant came and brought him a bowl of porridge that he quickly ate before deciding Elysande had had enough time to take care of the animals who needed to be fed. He left the keep and began making his way toward the stables. He frowned when he witnessed odd marks in the dirt when he neared the door, wondering what had been dragged with such force. He openedthe door and peered into the dark interior. The smell of hay and manure was strong. He would need to ensure the stalls were given a thorough cleaning now that they had plenty of servants to see to such matters.
“Elysande,” he called, searching for his wife and not espying her. The stall with the cow was empty. In fact, a small stool and an empty bucket stood at the entrance, giving evidence that Elysande had not even completed the main reason she came to the stable. The cow bellowed in protest.
“Elysande, where are you?” he yelled, thinking she was hiding and waiting for him to find her. He searched the other empty stalls and even the loft but his wife was nowhere to be found.
This did not bode well. His lady would not just disappear of her own accord, nor would she fail to complete her morning tasks unless something or someone disturbed her. He left the stable and once more searched the surrounding area. Nothing. No sound of his wife and nothing to determine where she was.
His attention returned to the marks in the ground, and he followed them around the stable. A frown marred his brow when he saw the hoof prints of a horse. Panic set in when he began to realize someone had most likely taken his wife. A servant came into the bailey, and Reynard pointed him back to the keep.
“Get my knights. Someone has taken Lady Elysande,” he ordered as he ran back to the stable to saddle his horse. He made quick work of securing the cinches and attaching the bridle before tightening the clasp on his belt that held his scabbard. He then easily leapt into the saddle. He was just maneuvering his steed through the door when four knights came charging toward him.
