Virginia Henley Read online

  “I suspect him of being involved in a plot of treason, Roseanna. I want him secure under my hand for the next few days.”

  “Treason? You must be mad! You’re doing this because of jealousy—admit it!” she cried.

  He grabbed her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. “Have I reason to be jealous?”

  “No, damn you! No, no! This is utterly ridiculous. You will release him at once!”

  “No, Roseanna, I will not release him. Leave it be. You know nothing of the matter,” he said in forbidding tones.

  “I know that he went with me and my brother to buy horses. Why, you might as well accuse my brother of treason!”

  “I do,” he said quietly.

  Her eyes widened at his words. “You are mad, or lying, or both!”

  He went over to his discarded doublet and drew a scrap of paper from the pocket. He handed her the note that read, “The prisoner is to be taken to Middleham.” She read it, then looked at him uncomprehendingly.

  “When I found you missing, I searched Sir Bryan’s belongings and discovered this message along with a signaling lantern. As soon as I was safely out of the way, Sir Bryan signaled for your brother to come; then together they held you overnight in case they had to use you.”

  “But they didn’t take me to Middleham,” she protested.

  “I know, for I went to rescue you. They didn’t need to take you to Middleham. Jervaulx Abbey served them just as well without arousing your suspicions.”

  “Ravenspur, I have no idea what you are talking about. Why would I be of any use to them in this deep plot?”

  “Because you are the King’s daughter,” he said quietly.

  She was stunned. “You know?” she whispered. “You know Edward is my father?”

  “Of course, Roseanna. Ned is my dearest friend.”

  “That’s why you married me at all costs! ’Twas ambition masqueraded as love!” She flew at him with doubled-up fists and battered against his bare chest. “Damn you, damn you, Ravenspur!”

  “Stop it, Roseanna. You are working yourself up to hysterics.” He set the paper down onto the bedside table and placed his ring of keys atop it. “If Sir Bryan is innocent of wrongdoing, he has nothing to fear.”

  “Release him; I will vouch for him,” she pressed.

  “Nay, Roseanna, I will not!”

  She was panting now with anger. “I will never speak to you again!” she spat as she slammed out of his chamber.

  Her frustration was so great that she couldn’t help telling Kate that Ravenspur had locked up Sir Bryan. Roseanna wrung her hands as she sat in Kate’s chamber. “I cannot bear to think of him in the dungeons. Ravenspur is heartless!”

  Kate Kendall shook her head. “Such a nice North-country laddie. But ye’ve driven your husband to this with your own willfulness. Running off, not telling where you were going. He thinks Sir Bryan’s your lover, and he means to put a stop to it!”

  Roseanna clenched her fists. “He’ll not best me in this, you know. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll free Sir Bryan.”

  “You’ll not get around Ravenspur with that high temper. There’s more flies caught with honey than vinegar.”

  “Say me no sayings, Kate—you’ll drive me mad!” She went into her own chamber and shut the door with a bang. She paced the room like a caged cat; her mind raced over the recent events. It was true that Bryan had been in the barbican tower with a signaling lantern and that the following morning Jeffrey had shown up. But whatever they were up to was probably some boyish prank. How was it that Tristan could get up to any mischief and Ravenspur would dismiss it with an indulgent chuckle, but her brother was guilty of treason? Treason! She’d never heard such a preposterous notion.

  But Kate was right—she could never bully him into releasing Bryan. She’d have to get around him by subtle means. She picked up her brush and began to brush out her hair vigorously. When it began to crackle, she brushed more slowly; the soothing strokes aided her thinking.

  That was it; she’d seduce him! Then she shook her head impatiently. She could never gull Ravenspur; he was too wise and experienced in women’s ways. Her wicked juices bubbled as she went over her dilemma from every angle. She wanted this from him, but in order to get it she would have to exchange something he wanted from her. He made no secret of what he wanted from her, she thought, her pulse quickening. If she offered to strike a bargain—one night in which she would do anything he desired in exchange for Bryan’s release—would he agree?

  Here was her chance to use every womanly weapon she possessed to see if she could enslave him. Her color high and a frantic pulse beating in her throat, she emerged from her chamber and walked on a direct path to his. She took a deep breath and turned the handle of the heavy door. It swung smoothly open to reveal Ravenspur; one hand was already withdrawing his knife from its sheath against the intruder who entered without knocking. He quickly sheathed his knife and cocked an eyebrow at her.

  “I have something to say to you, Ravenspur,” she said in a rush.

  The corners of his mouth lifted in amusement. “Are you not the lady who vowed never to speak to me again?” he teased.

  She stamped her foot in annoyance. “Be serious, can you not?”

  He schooled his face with great care and said solemnly, “I’ll try.”

  His dark eyes upon her, she was suddenly shy about what she had come to say. The touch of his glance was almost physical as it moved over her, as if he wanted to commit to memory the length of her lashes, the exact shade of her eyes, the contour of her mouth, and the size of her swelling breasts. As his gaze moved lower and lingered on the curves of her body, she knew he was undressing her with his eyes. Then she clearly saw his physical response to her: his manhood swelled and hardened, stretching the material across his groin to the bursting point.

  Instinctively, she had picked her moment perfectly. “I’ve come to bargain with you,” she said softly, allowing her eyes to linger on the bulge between his legs before she lowered her lashes demurely.

  A slight frown creased his brow as he realized what she was about to propose. “Sir Bryan’s release in return for what?” he asked low.

  “Anything you desire,” she said with a seductive, sideways glance that drew him irresistibly until he was close enough to touch her.

  What he desired was that she love him, but he knew she would not give him that. So he’d settle for the next best thing. “A sample first, Roseanna.”

  She stood upon her toes and, lifting her arms behind his head, kissed him softly. Her breasts pressed against the curly mat of his naked chest; he could feel their heat through the material of her gown. His eyes lingered on her mouth for long, tension-filled moments.

  “Well?” she asked at last.

  “You know the answer is yes. I’ll let the young devil go free in the morning.” He moved toward a side table to pour himself a drink, then stretched his long length upon the bed.

  She watched him uncertainly, wondering what he would demand of her. Then with a wicked grin he made all plain: “Seduce me, Roseanna.”

  For a moment she was shocked; then the corners of her mouth lifted as she realized she was certainly woman enough to do that. Her laughter rippled out and sent a delicious shiver of anticipation down his spine.

  She picked up a stool and set it down at a distance from the bed, which allowed him an unobstructed view. She sat down gracefully, and as she bent low to remove her slippers, her full breasts swelled temptingly from the neck of her gown. She heard him draw in a swift breath as she pulled her skirts up above her waist, exposing her thighs. Then she elevated one slim leg and removed the stocking and garter. Her fingers moved with such tantalizing slowness, he felt impatience building within his demanding body. She treated him to the slowest, most seductive undressing imaginable, and he schooled himself to lie back and enjoy it to the full. She removed her gown and folded it and placed it upon the stool; then she slipped off her panties and stood before him clad on
ly in her shift. Its material was so fine that when she passed before the fire, he was transfixed. Every movement was intended for seduction, and as she reached her arms high to pull off the shift, she bared her body for him an inch at a time. She stood proudly naked before him for long minutes, then she lifted her hair with both arms and let it cascade over her nudity like a silken waterfall.

  His eyes feasted hungrily on her impudent nipples that thrust upward; then they fastened onto her creamy thighs, which were topped by a deliciously swelling Venus mound that he needed to taste.

  Roseanna threw her husband a bold smile, then went on her knees before the leather chest. Slowly she opened the lid and drew out the ivory scent casket. She selected a perfume made from attar of rose and proceeded to drive him to distraction as she perfumed all the most intimate and secret places on her body. Then she selected the flame-colored silk caftan and lifted her arms high once more; it floated over her head and down her body. The performance was complete.

  Roger could no longer bear the distance between them. He came up from the bed and lifted her high in his strong arms, then let her slide slowly down his body.

  She felt his shaft hot and throbbing against her thighs, then her belly, and when her toes touched the carpet again, he bent his head to capture her mouth and make it his prisoner. His kiss was demanding, and she opened to his plundering tongue as a flame seared upward through her body, setting her afire with the need for him. The silk robe shivered against her breasts as he slowly pulled it from her body; moving backward, he took both her hands and drew her to his bed. He lay back and pulled her on top of him; then he whispered, “Love me, Roseanna.”

  She smiled her secret smile and kissed his eyelids. Then she traced his lips with the tip of her tongue before moving to the thick, corded column of his throat. She nuzzled his neck, while her fingers played teasingly with his small male nipples. When they hardened, she dropped her hot mouth first to one, then to the other, sucking until a throbbing began between her legs, deep in her woman’s core.

  With a cry, she pulled down his tight black breeches, and his manroot sprang free, long and hard. She caught her breath at his size. With one swift movement he freed himself of his breeches, then took her hands and drew them down to his fully aroused manhood. She stroked and explored until he was groaning with the pure pleasure her touch gave him. Then, inspired by the delicious feel of him, she took his manhood and guided it to her breasts, where she encircled her nipples with its tip. “Lord God, how you make me quiver!” he gasped.

  Roseanna was stunned by the intense desire aroused in herself the moment she fondled his thick shaft. She had intended to enslave him, but at this moment he was her master, and she wanted him to fill her. And she almost fainted with rapture as he took over then, kissing her wildly, filling her mouth with his deep thrusting tongue, then moving on to tease her nipples and suck them until the throbbing between her legs heightened. Then he was lifting her hips to his demanding mouth and darting his fiery tongue across her little coral bud.

  She gasped for more; he lay back against the pillows and gently lifted her onto his upthrusting shaft. With a moan of pleasure he thrust himself as deep inside her as he could go, then stopped and lay still. He knew she was too far gone to remain passive, and the climax he had begun to build in her with his tongue would scream for release. Then she did exactly as he desired her to do: She began to thrust up and down on him, writhing and grinding her hips into his. Each time, she withdrew her sheath the full length of him; then she drove back onto him again and again until she cried out his name and gained her release.

  Roger was not yet ready to finish, so he swiftly turned over with her until she was beneath him and lay quietly so she could enjoy the pulsations of her climax. Slowly she became aware again. “You are still big inside me!” she cried, trembling with spent passion. Roger lifted one round breast to his mouth, licked the nipple, then sucked hard. Slowly the throbbing began once more deep within her, and as his sensitive tip felt her contracting muscles, he swelled and hardened to his full length. He waited for her tight sheath to accept all of him; then he began to thrust deeper and deeper until her head thrashed wildly from side to side on the pillow. “I want to bind you to me forever, Roseanna,” he cried raggedly. “I love you.” He held her in firm control until it pleased him to give her release; then when he wanted her to come, he slipped his tongue into her delicious mouth and thrust in the same rhythm as his hardness thrust between her legs. They exploded together and lay spent in each other’s arms.

  Always before after their passion, Roseanna had withdrawn behind her barrier; yet tonight she knew she could not do so. She had promised things, and she was generously determined to give to the full like a real woman. He lay on his side looking down at her, cradling her tenderly in the curve of his strong arm. She slipped her arms around his waist; then her hands slipped lower to his buttocks, and her fingers touched curiously two hard spots.

  “What are these?” she whispered.

  He chuckled low. “Calluses, my darling. Welts from the saddle. When I was in training with Warwick, I had to stand in the stirrups for weeks. He kept us so long in the saddle, my arse was raw. Now of course, they are well calloused and hurt no more. Your father shared my misery. Somehow it made it easier knowing the King also had a sore arse.”

  She asked softly, “You knew he was my mother’s lover?”

  “Yes. They should have wed, Roseanna. It would have prevented the realm from becoming divided over the cursed Woodvilles.”

  “You, like everyone else, hate the Queen? Tell me why my father loves her.”

  “I’m not sure I’d call it love, but she has an unbelievable hold on him.”

  Roseanna said boldly, “I’ve heard she holds him by his prick. She must be very practiced in bed.”

  “No, Roseanna. In my opinion she is one of those cold women who hates sex, so she has become an expert at holding him off. She plays him on a line like a damned salmon. He’s like an eager boy panting after her, while she lures then rebuffs, forever denying him; therefore his desire for her grows. She closes her eyes when he takes other women, then extracts money and favors for her ambitious family from the guilty Edward. She is an expert at manipulation. I thank God you are not like that,” he murmured against her temple.

  She felt a pang of guilt, for she was trying to manipulate and enslave him to the point where he would eat out of her hand. “What do you mean?” she asked defensively.

  “I thank God you are not cold. Your body receives almost as much pleasure as mine.”

  “How do you know?” she breathed.

  “When I first hold your breasts, they are warm and very soft; but when I caress them and stimulate them, they grow very round and firm. Then your nipples thrust up, tempting my tongue. I love to feel your breasts change in my hands. Let me show you.”

  The bed was gloriously warm. The feeling of splendor between them made their bodies sing. Hot it was, and thrilling. Their desire rose up in towering waves, then smashed down into showers of sparkles. It towered again and toppled. It mounted and shook in a rhythm as if set to music. They wanted to fling their bodies to it as a sacrifice. Each longed to become a part of the other. It was a wonder and a glory and a terror that made them so alive, they felt immortal. After what seemed an aeon, they were exulting and shivering in every inch, and the Stardust whirled about them in an extravagant frenzy that almost pulled them into unconsciousness.

  Roger hadn’t felt so fulfilled and relaxed in years. He was hovering deliciously on the brink of exhausted slumber when he heard her say, “You will let Bryan go free in the morning?”

  He murmured, “If this whole night has been for him instead of for me, you have sealed his death warrant, my beloved.”

  Icy fingers gripped her heart. Was he serious? She knew he was. She must get Bryan away, or Ravenspur would hang him for treason and jealousy.

  She lay without moving for an hour and listened to her husband’s deep, even breathi
ng. Then she put out a tentative hand to the bedside table and slowly felt around until her fingers felt the keys. Cautiously she picked them up with the paper they lay upon and clasped them tightly to her breasts to muffle any clink of metal. Her heart beating wildly in her chest, she slowly moved away from the sleeping man until she had a foot on the floor. She stayed like that for long minutes without breathing until she was certain she had not disturbed him; then she softly stole naked from the chamber.

  Kate Kendall stirred, then sat up and gasped as Roseanna’s naked figure stole into the room. “Put the blanket over your head, Kate. You have seen nothing of me this night. For what I am about to do, I may never be forgiven.”

  Roseanna dressed in her warmest velvet riding clothes, woolen stockings, and high riding boots; then she pulled a long warm cloak overall. She put what money she had in a leather purse and belted it at her waist. Taking the keys and the paper, she bade Kate farewell. Ordinarily she would have been nervous about going below the castle in the dead of night, but her own danger was nothing compared with Bryan’s.

  The dungeons smelled of damp and decay; she shuddered to think of the golden-haired youth in such a dreaded place. Dim candlelight came from the only cell that was occupied. As she crept toward it stealthily, a tall, dark form loomed out of the shadows. She almost jumped out of her skin—she knew she had been discovered. “Roger!” she cried in alarm; then she saw that it was Captain Kelly. “Oh, I thought you were my husband —you are so alike.”

  His eyes gleamed at the prize he had caught doing what she shouldn’t. Suddenly a thought hit her in the pit of her stomach: This could have been the man Mr. Burke had seen the night Janet was murdered! Her mouth was so dry, she could barely swallow. Kelly reached out a bold hand to touch her breast; in her misery she did not stop him. Emboldened by her acceptance, he said low, “I’ll look the other way while you free your lover if you’ll spread yourself for me.”

  Numb with fear and loathing, she nodded her head and fumbled the key in the cell lock.