Free Prisoner of My Desire by Johanna Lindsey Page B

watched her stepbrother turn purple, he was so furious, and curse and rant, sending nearly every servant running to vacate the hall. Her first thought was that he had somehow discovered that Lyons’ substitute had escaped. But unless the man had stupidly got himself caught again, that could not be, for Gilbert had not gone abovestairs since the night it had all begun.
    When he noticed her sitting there, his highcolor slowly receded. He appeared so thoughtful as he stared at her, too thoughtful—and calculating. She held her breath when he approached, suddenly horribly afraid that she was going to be forced into some new act that she would despise. But when she heard what he had to say, she would have laughed if she did not think he would slap her for it.
    “I know not how he discovered that Kirkburough is now mine, but he must have, for Fulkhurst has followed me here. God curse him, the man is relentless!”
    “I thought you said he was at Tures.”
    “He was. But he must have had warning that my army approached and escaped ere the siege began. And he must have gathered another army, for he comes with nigh five hundred men under his dragon’s banner.”
    “If he raised another army, why did he not take it immediately to Tures to rout yours?”
    “Do not be stupid, Rowena,” Gilbert snapped impatiently. “Tures Castle was your father’s stronghold. You know how defensible it is. Those men Fulkhurst left behind to guard it can hold it for him for weeks. There is no hurry for him to return to Tures, not when he has learned that I am here with naught but a handful of men. Does he capture me, he can make terms that will disperse my army.”
    “Or he can kill you.”
    He glared at her, but she was pleased to see his color recede even more to an unnatural paleness.
    “Are you sure ’tis him?” she asked. “Tures is two days north of here.”
    “No one can mistake his colors, or that damn fire-breathing red dragon rampant on a black field. ’Tis him, and he will be without in less than an hour, so I must leave now.”
    “And I?”
    “He will take this keep whether I am here or not. He knows ’tis mine, and he has sworn to take all that is mine for our trespass at Dyrwood. Curse him, why could he not be satisfied with my father’s death?”
    As that was said not to her, she did not try to answer. She could not understand vengefulness of that depth anyway. But she was not alarmed that the Lord of Fulkhurst was coming here, or that Gilbert meant to leave her behind to face him. Anything that thwarted Gilbert and his hateful plans would be well received by her.
    “You will make terms with him for yourself,” he continued. “He will not harm you. Last year he captured another of my wards, Lady Avice, and only insisted she swear fealty to him. Do the same if he demands it, for it will not matter. I will be back here in three days’ time with my army to defeat him. Aye,’tis better done here than at Tures Castle, for Kirkburough can be easily surrounded. And I now have enough men to do so, three times as many as he. Do not fear, Rowena, I will have you back in my care shortly.”
    So said, he grabbed her and gave her a kissthat could in no wise be construed as brotherly. She was amazed. She was repulsed. She had not known he desired her until that moment.

Chapter 11
    Rowena did not realize it until after Gilbert had gone, that she and her mother had been saved from his fury by his distraction. He was so set on his new course, with only Fulkhurst and defeating him on his mind, that he had forgotten about the man supposedly still chained upstairs. Were the man still there, she would have had a fine time explaining him to the invaders when they took over the keep.
    Fortunately, that was not one of her worries. Nor did she give any thought to Gilbert’s instructions, not at first, since she had had every intention of leaving the keep herself as soon as he had. But it took no time at all to discover that the