Page 108 of A Touch So Wicked

Damian seized her hand and flung it away. “Ours is not a love match, Kimbra. We both know I’m wedding you to save Elissa’s life. I’ll do my duty, but not until I have to.”

Turning on his heel, he left Kimbra without a backward glance.

Despite the cold, misty drizzle, Elissa easily kept pace with her escort as they journeyed north from London.

“We’ll stop at coaching inns as we find them,” Captain Harding informed her as he fell in beside her. “And seek shelter at private homes when no inns are available. We’ve also brought along a tent for your comfort.” He searched her face. “You appear excessively wan, and far thinner than when last I saw you, so I’ll try to make this journey as easy as possible for you.”

“I appreciate your concern, Captain,” Elissa said warmly. “The Tower isna a healthy place. Fresh air will do wonders for me, though I could do without this rain.”

As if to mock her words, the skies opened up and rain poured down on them. Elissa pulled her hood over her head and shivered beneath her cloak. She was surprised when Captain Harding removed his own cloak and placed it around her shoulders. Compassion still existed in this harsh world, she thought, as she smiled her thanks.

She was only a little damp when they rode into the yard of the Royal George Inn. A lad ran up to take charge of the horses as Captain Harding hastened with her into the inn. Elissa went directly to the common room to warm herself before the hearth while Harding arranged for rooms and food. No one noticed the hooded man who entered the inn a short time later and sat at a table in a dark corner obscured by shadows.

Elissa dined on savory meat pie, creamy yellow cheese, and soft white bread, washing it down with hot tea. She even found room for a generous slice of apple cobbler.

After she finished eating, she rose and requested permission to leave. “May I retire now?”

“I will escort you, my lady,” Captain Harding said.

“Thank you, Captain. You are kind.”

“Not a bit, my lady. The king has dealt harshly with you when there was no need. In my opinion, you have done him no harm. Losing your husband had to have been distressing for you, and your stay in the Tower completely demoralizing, but at least you have your life.”

“Aye,” Elissa agreed softly. And the life of my bairn, she thought, placing a hand over her stomach as she turned away.

Elissa’s chamber was on the second floor. Harding wished her good night and locked the door behind her. She walked to the window, staring at the ground through the pelting rain. Thoughtfully she contemplated the thick oak tree that grew beside the building, and the leafless branches lashing the window. Only a fool would attempt such a climb. She had another life to protect besides her own, and anything that dangerous wasn’t worth the risk.

Sighing despondently, she closed the shutters and retrieved her nightgown from her satchel. She undressed quickly and pulled it over her head, settling it around her hips. Then she blew out the lamp and crawled into bed, pulling the quilt up to her chin. She hadn’t enjoyed such luxury in weeks. A full stomach, a comfortable bed; it was pure bliss. The only thing missing was Damian to keep her warm.

Elissa slept, but apparently not deeply enough, for she heard a noise and felt a rush of cold air. She tried to dismiss it as imagination until she felt something brush across her cheek. Still groggy from sleep, she tried to sweep it away, startled when her hand came into contact with warm skin stretched over bone. A scream gathered in her throat. A hard hand covered her mouth and the sound died for lack of air.

“Quiet,” a voice close to her ear warned. “I’ll remove my hand if you promise not to scream.” Elissa nodded and the hand slid away.

“Damian!” Elissa whispered on a shaky breath. His face was obscured by shadows, except for his eyes, which gleamed like silver coins in the darkness. The last vestiges of sleep fell away. “What are you doing here? Why aren’t you with your bride-to-be?”

Damian perched on the edge of the bed and gently caressed her cheek. His touch, the tenseness of his body, everything about him conveyed sadness and pain.

“I followed you here,” he whispered. “It wasn’t difficult. I arrived shortly after you did and sat in a dark corner of the common room while you and Captain Harding dined. When you left to come up to your room, I was faced with a dilemma. I had no idea which room was yours.” He smiled. “The innkeeper was very accommodating when I greased his palm with a coin.

“I still wasn’t sure how I’d get inside your room so I went outside to study the lay of the building. Then I saw you standing at the window. The tree was a bonus I hadn’t expected.”

“You climbed the tree?”

“Aye. If the tree hadn’t been handy, I would have found another way. I had to explain so you wouldn’t hate me.”

“Hate is too mild a word. You abandoned me. Wealth and possessions mean more to you than my love. Go away, I donna need you.”

“Nay, you’re going to listen to me. If I hadn’t agreed to wed Kimbra, you would have been put to death. I pleaded for your life but the king refused to listen. He even forbade me to visit you in the Tower. I was frantic to see you.

“When the king promised to spare your life if I wedded Kimbra, I had no choice but to agree. Even if I never saw you again, you’d still have your life. And resourceful as you are, I knew the convent wouldn’t hold you for long.”

Elissa listened to Damian’s words with open skepticism. She wanted desperately to believe him, and his explanation did make sense, but the pain of his rejection was difficult to dispel.

“Why should I trust you?” she asked softly.

“Because I’m telling the truth. Would I come all this way to lie? I didn’t want you to believe I had abandoned you. I would have sacrificed everything for you. Someday, somehow, we will be together again.”

She believed him. Blessed Mother, she believed him. She didn’t have to see his face to know he spoke from the heart. But it was too late for them. Their marriage and their life together had been severed as neatly as if a knife had split them apart.