Free The Mermaid's Knight by Jill Myles Page A

did. I trained my men to be the best fighters I could make them. I am now invaluable to King Henry as a vassal. Baron Rutledge could not touch me now if he wanted to.” He turned back to her, his eyes steely. “But I found that was not enough for me. I wanted to break Baron Rutledge. Make him suffer as my family suffered. And I decided long ago that I’d steal everything of value that belonged to him.
    His good name.” He smiled, and the expression did not reach his eyes. “His castle. His wealth.” He leaned over and took Leah’s hand in his own, bending low to kiss her knuckles. “His woman.”
    Before she could protest, he stood, gesturing at the table. “I will send a servant to come and clean this up after you are done. No more hiding, Leah. I intend to make it known that you are my leman tomorrow.” He swept his gaze over her – a chilling, possessive look – then stalked out of the room.
    Leah was frozen, a slice of cheese dangling from her fingers as her mouth gaped. He’d decided with all the force of his personality what he wanted – and he wanted her.
    The thought excited her and frightened her all at once.

Chapter Ten
    The next day was a long one. Not because of pain – she’d managed to sneak out to the shore late last night and enjoy a long soak in the waters. She’d stayed out most of the night and, as a result, managed to luckily sleep for most of the day.
    Ginny arrived with a bundle in her hands and a timid expression on her face. “Mistress,” she said, hesitant. “I know how hard you’ve worked on letting out your gowns…” She paused, and a nervous giggle escaped her when Leah held out the laces. “Nay, mistress. My lord Royce has given me orders that you’re to wear this one. He had one of the castle women cut it down to size for you.”
    A vague feeling of dread crept over her and she approached Ginny, extending her hand for the new dress. She saw that it was crafted differently than the other ones. Instead of one set of laces up the back, there were two, one up each side. Soft fabric of a deep, velvety green swirled down the skirts, and Leah suspected that this one would be tailored for her tall form.
    Royce wanted to show off his prize.
    A bitterly wry smile curved her mouth at the sight of the lovely dress. What would Royce say if he discovered that she wasn’t this Rutledge person’s whore? Would he be half as fascinated with her? She doubted it.
    That dark thought turned over and over in her mind as she took off her old, faded dress and allowed Ginny to lace her into the new one. It fit well, Leah had to grudgingly admit as the sleeves settled over her arms. She’d wondered about the extra set of laces when she’d first seen
    the dress, but now it was obvious. The different cut of the new dress allowed it to hug her curves
    – to emphasize her long, lean body, unlike the other shapeless gowns.
    It didn’t help matters when Ginny brought out a length of golden cord and settled it low around her hips, yoking the seductive ‘Y’ at the juncture of her thighs. Well , thought Leah with a hint of amusement. That fashion concept certainly didn’t leave much to the imagination .
    “You look lovely, mistress,” Ginny breathed. “Lord Royce will find it impossible not to fall in love with you tonight.” She brought out a comb and began to work at Leah’s long hair, fretting over the bangs. Eventually she settled on a half-coronet of braids and wove a bit of golden ribbon in. “‘Tis a shame that Lord Royce didn’t think of a wimple for you, Lady Leah.
    You would look so lovely with one, and you’ve got a face that it would show off well.” Images of some ghastly medieval contraption perched on her head made Leah giggle at the thought.
    Ginny laughed, too and tucked the last bit of ribbon into the braid. “I believe that’s the first time I’ve heard you laugh. You should do it more often. It takes that sad look out of your eyes and makes you so