If Love Dares Enough by Anna Markland Read Free Book Online Page B

violence he’d experienced had aroused him sexually, and he became more determined to never subject a woman to the fury that might be unleashed if he bedded her.
    But since his return, another nightmare had begun to surface in the form of Renouf de Maubadon, who appeared with horns on his head and flames spewing from his mouth—the devil incarnate. In this dream, a triumphant Renouf dragged a screaming, naked Devona Melton by the hair into a cave. Hugh could never follow into the cave in the dream, but feared unspeakable things were going on there. He awoke feeling wretchedly powerless, often gasping for breath.
    The third dream was the one he’d experienced the night he’d first met Devona. She was beneath him, naked. The smell of marigold filled his senses. He was suckling her lovely breasts, her legs parted in invitation, her mons arched to his aroused manhood, smiling, reaching up to touch his face, saying—
    What’s she saying?
    But the dream always ended with Devona’s death before he could discern what she was saying. This was the dream he preferred, at least there was some good in it. He wanted the part where they were making sweet love to go on and on. When he awoke from this dream he’d invariably spilled on the bed linens.
    The maidservants must think I’m depraved!
    “What is it she’s trying to tell me in the dream?” he wondered aloud.
    Two days later the dream came again. This time the lovemaking was more intense, more vivid. The smile, the green eyes, the breasts, the impudent nipple, the parted legs, the arched hips—but now something more, his manhood sliding into her tight wetness, her screams of joy, her voice calling over and over, “Come! Come!”
    His ecstatic reply, “I am coming, for you, my love, I’m coming!” He woke with a shudder to soiled linens once more, feeling like his heart would burst in his chest. He shook his head, tried to calm his breathing and ran his hand through his tousled hair. He drew his legs up to his chest, clasped his arms around them and rested his head on his knees.
    She wanted me to come.
    “I came all right!” he muttered cynically, looking ruefully at the bed linens. Then a thousand conflicting thoughts ran through his head. “She wanted me to come, she wants me to come—she wants me to come—could it be she wants me to come? Am I supposed to go to her, rescue her? How can I do that? Her husband is a Norman. Still—he’s a brute, a monster. She’s all that stands between him and her family, but she won’t stand forever. And I desire her! But my desire could kill her. Renouf will kill her anyway.”
    As his racing heart calmed, he remembered Antoine had sent word he’d found a steward for their English properties. Hugh decided to ride to Belisle that very day to approach his brother with his problem. They’d always been close and trusted each other’s opinions. Dawn’s first rays were illuminating the horizon when he mounted Velox and was on his way to Antoine’s castle with a handful of bleary-eyed yawning men-at-arms.
    ***
    Antoine and Hugh had enjoyed a fine dinner at Belisle, a castle that had prospered well under Antoine’s able management.
    “Michel Cormant, the steward at Alensonne, has two sons who are more than capable of doing the job for us in England, and they’re keen to go. Michel has another son, Paul, who can take over for him at Alensonne when the time comes. Barat and Théobald Cormant can re-establish East Preston first and use it as their base of operations to oversee the other manors for us. What do you think of that plan?”
    “It’s a fine one,” Hugh replied, “If they’re competent as you say. We can provide them with a team of servants from both our castles to get them started. We’ll need masons, carpenters, cooks—”
    “—And rat-catchers!” Antoine interjected with a grimace. “I propose we meet at Montbryce with our teams in a fortnight and leave for England from there.”
    “Agreed. We can leave