“They should be,” he murmured, hanging his head and sighing. “God’s wounds, Bea, I’ve seen men killed before, but that poor woman…she saw her attacker, knew what was coming…”
Beatrice put her hand over his, offering him her silent comfort.
“It was done right in his house, in his bedchamber, with the servants sleeping below.” His voice hardened. “Damn it, Bea, what kind of a man could do such a thing?”
Since he truly seemed to want an answer, she said, “An evil one an honorable man like you can’t possibly understand. But you’re clever, Ranulf. You’ll catch him. I know you will.”
“How can I, when no one in the village seems willing to tell me what I need to know? I confess, Bea, sometimes I feel as if the whole village is not only unwilling to provide information, they’re conspiring against me.”
She lifted his hand and pressed a kiss upon the back. “I don’t think so. It could be they truly don’t know anything more than you’ve already learned.”
He gave her a sad and wistful smile. “Little Lady Bea, always ready to believe the best.”
“I have faith in you, Ranulf. I know you’ll find out who’s done these terrible things.”
His expression determined, he rose and pulled her to her feet. “You’ve got to leave here, Bea. Until I catch whoever’s responsible, it’s too dangerous for you to stay.”
“I don’t want to go,” she said, unable to keep from voicing the wish of her heart. “I want to stay with you. I want to help you, even if it’s only to bring you wine when you return.”
He took her hands in his and looked down into her eyes. “I wish you could stay, too, but I won’t put you at risk.”
She gazed up at him with all the love and devotion she felt. “I would rather face danger with you than be safe without you.”
“Would you really, Bea?”
“Yes, I really would.”
With a sigh, he gathered her into his arms. She held him tightly, loving him. Needing him. Not wanting to leave here, where he might be in danger from unknown enemies. She wanted to protect him, and comfort him, and keep him safe and happy forever.
“Bea, Bea,” he murmured. “Don’t make it any harder for me to send you away than it is. If anything were to happen to you, I couldn’t bear it.”
He must love her! He must!
And then—oh, and then!—he bent his head and kissed her.
It was like the kiss he’d given her when she’d been half-asleep—soft, tender, wonderful—except that this time, she was very wide-awake. She could feel his affection, his warmth, how much he cherished her. His kiss told her better than words, more thananything he could say, that he must love her, this man who’d suffered. Who’d loved and lost. Who deserved to be admired for his strength and his courage, respected for his honor, cherished for the goodness that no one had been able to crush out of him, even though they tried.
With a low moan of encouragement, she relaxed against him, giving herself up to the desire flowing through her body. She let the love she felt for him come through her lips in a way different from words, but no less intense for all that.
Soon they were lost to everything but each other. Nothing else existed. All they knew was their passion as his hands shifted, moving with languorous exploration up her back. She slid her arms about him, holding him closer still, feeling his arousal and thrilled that she had caused it.
And then, as his kiss deepened and his tongue slid into the welcoming warmth of her mouth, his hand moved again, around her side to cup her breast.
Her breathing quickened and her hold tightened as her excitement reached a new height. Her breasts grew taut, her nipples pebbling beneath his still-light touch.
His beard began to tickle her and she smiled even as they kissed.
“I amuse you, my lady?” he asked huskily as his lips left hers to trail along her cheek.
“Your beard tickles,” she breathlessly confessed.
“I shall have to do something about that.”
“Please…”
Again they kissed, their passion fiercer now. She slipped her hands beneath his tunic, feeling the heat from his flesh through the shirt that remained between her hands and his skin. His lips took hers harder, with more urgency, and she responded in kind—until he drew back.
“You’ve got to go, Bea,” he whispered as he rained light kisses on her cheeks. “Back to Tregellas, where you’ll be safe. After this is over, once I’ve found the villains, I’ll come to you there.”
