Vow of Seduction. Angela Johnson
virgin. Your violent argument with Sir Luc at the wedding celebrations contributed greatly to this misconception. Then Sir Luc paid his respects to Kat after your declared death and the rumors were born again. He began to court her assiduously over a year ago when she arrived at court. Now, court gossip is that Sir Luc and Kat are lovers. Though neither has indicated such in word or deed.”
Rand turned to Alex, righteous ire flaring in his gray-green gaze. “Foul lies, all. But for the life of me I do not know how the rumors started.”
Now, violent thoughts whirled in Alex’s head. Kat was a passionate woman. Luc was a charming and handsome man. Kat had believed him dead, leaving no obstacle to keep her chaste. What were the odds Rand was wrong?
Alex felt a sharp tightening in his chest, the pain wrenching. He was a cuckolded husband. No matter that Kat thought him dead, he still could not help feeling betrayed. While he had been rotting away in prison, dreaming of the day he would return to Kat, she had been lying in Sir Luc’s arms. His body shook with the violence of his thoughts. Kat was his and his alone.
His gaze moved across the swirling sea of brightly colored, silk-clad lords and ladies, their smiling countenances counterpoint to his turbulent emotions. When he spotted Kat at last, his jaw clenched tight. Next to her stood his rival and once friend, Sir Luc de Joinville. The man’s very elegance and golden handsomeness irked Alex. Sir Luc leaned close to her and whispered in her ear. Kat sipped from her chalice and nodded without looking at Luc, and then Luc moved away and into the crowd. A rush of fury pumped swift and hot through his veins.
Alex charged across the room, the crowd scrambling to get out of his way. At the commotion, Kat glanced up and their eyes locked. Her silver eyes widened, but she never wavered as he came closer and towered over her. Alex had no idea what he intended to do until he swooped her up into his arms.
Fear flashed in her eyes, though quickly doused. Satisfaction rippled through him. She said not a word as he marched out of the dining hall, no doubt not wishing to create more of a scene. At that moment, he could care less. Leaving behind a stunned silence, he exited the chamber and headed for the privacy of the rooms reserved for the Beaumont family.
Kat, her jaw clenched, did not struggle or speak as Alex carried her up the spiral stairs. Controlled fury emanated from his embrace, his muscles seemed hewn of granite and his glare as cold. It was not fear that kept her silent, nay, she was incensed at his brutish tactics, but the numerous servants they passed with their mouths gaping or snickering behind their hands was untenable. She would not risk her dignity further with open conflict.
Alex carried her into her chambers. “Damn you, Alex, put me down.”
Alex released her and she darted away. The door slammed shut; she jumped, startled. She did not understand why he was so angry. Alex had humiliated her before the court, carrying her off like prized booty.
She massaged her aching temples and moved to the table along the right wall opposite the fireplace. The fire beckoned her, but another pleasure equal to the fire’s warmth waited on the table. Two goblets and a full flagon of wine sat on a tray. She filled one of the cups, quietly thanking her devoted servant Jenny for her thoroughness. She stared into her cup, absorbed by the pale rosy hue of the claret, then took a drink, swallowing half the contents.
The warm yeasty liquid slid smoothly down her throat, in sharp contrast to the cold voice that reached out from the room’s shadows like icy tentacles. “Aye. I am damned indeed.”
Kat well remembered that deep husky voice, but a new and dangerous current flowed under its pleasant surface. She shivered. Taking a deep breath for composure, she searched the darkness where Alex stood. She saw the tip of his boots first as he stepped from the shadows and into the area lit by the fire. Next, her gaze rose up his long muscular thighs, which flexed beneath his tunic. He appeared leaner through the hips and waist, broader of chest and shoulder. His whole body was superb in form and shape.
Cynically, she wondered why his imprisonment seemed to have had no adverse effect upon his muscles. They appeared strong and healthy, not weakened from years of confinement, as one would expect. Finally, she came face to face with her sneaky, conniving, worthless husband. Shaved now, his face was leaner, carved with masculine lines honed from hardship.
She glared back at him scornfully. “So, the prodigal husband has returned at last.”
The bastard. He was still as handsome as the devil; more so, since the scar on his chin added a dangerous quality to the strength and character of his face, which appealed to her reckless side. But it was his gaze blazing with heat that caught her attention. It was the only indication of the anger she sensed he held tightly in check.
Alex flushed, but his eyes hardened. “You know I had not intended such an extended visit to the Holy Land, but my captors were insistent,” he said, his voice caustic.
Kat slammed her chalice down on the table and laughed bitterly. “Do I know? I say I do not know you at all. Mayhap all this time you have been enjoying the hospitality of one of those harems I have heard so much about, slaking your lust and unwilling to return to your unwanted wife.”
“Are you calling me a liar?” he asked softly, his voice a cold caress.
But she did not heed the warning and shrugged. “Nay. I think of you more as a treacherous bastard.”
Alex lurched forward two steps and grabbed her arms in a fierce grip. His fingers bit into her skin. She gasped in pain, while her head jolted back with the motion. “And you, my beautiful wife, are naught but an adulterous bitch!”
Kat jerked, all the breath squeezed from her lungs. So, Alex had heard the rumors that she and Luc were lovers. How ironic that the rumors had begun because Alex had abandoned her the day after their wedding. The nasty rumors had destroyed her reputation, leaving her open to all manner of degrading advances. Now, after keeping her resentment bottled inside for too long, his unfair accusation gave her leave to retaliate.
“Aye, Sir Luc is my lover. I am not ashamed to admit it. He is a magnificent lover. I revel in every moment spent in his bed.”
Alex dropped her arms as though stung. His face a mask of rage, he drew back his hand to slap her. She glared at him, daring him.
With a roar of outrage, he picked up the stool near his feet and smashed it against the wall. The legs shattered and, reflexes quick, Kat lunged aside as a sliver of wood bounced off the wall and nearly struck her in the head.
The ensuing silence was deafening. A spark popped in the fire, the orange glow illuminating Alex’s face. He looked appalled, drawn and disconsolate. She smiled, cold and defiant. Good. She meant to hurt him as he had hurt her. He deserved to suffer for a long time.
Alex, meanwhile, stared blindly into the fire, ashamed at his violent outburst. “Kat, I—” When he touched her cheek, she flinched, and he dropped his hand.
“Don’t touch me. I loathe you.” The venom in her voice left him in no doubt of that.
Alex collapsed wearily onto the cushioned settle, a long high-backed bench situated before the fire, and dropped his head into his hands. How suddenly the night had gone from bad to worse. Deep inside, he had hoped when he confronted her she would deny the accusation. But she proudly boasted of her adulterous actions without one bit of remorse.
Sad and defeated, Alex despaired. With sudden insight, he realized a secret part of him he never acknowledged had depended upon the constancy of Kat’s devotion. He felt lost without it now. “Why did you do it, Kat? Was this your way to punish me for leaving you?”
Kat’s laughter echoed scornfully. “What a conceited man you are, Alex. The fact is I do not give a damn about you. As to your question, I am an experienced woman now, you saw to that. You were dead. Luc and I desired one another, and we acted upon that desire.”
Alex rose lithely to his feet. He pulled her into his arms and forced her flush against his body. Her breasts cushioned against his chest, her scent enveloping him, she smelled like some exotic spice with a touch of the floral, jasmine, mayhap. He grew hard, his flesh rising