Juliana Garnett by The Vow Read Free Book Online Page A

hall, and wooden benches flanked the long oaken slabs. The enemy filled Wulfridge’s hall with laughter and boasts and the retelling of their victory until Ceara wanted to cover her ears with her hands. Stark pride was the only tether that kept her bound to the Norman at her side. She would not give him the satisfaction of admitting her longing to flee, so sat stiffly with her head held high.
    But exhaustion left her almost reeling. She longed for her bed, yet dreaded the coming night. Already, she had seen the few women of the household disappear, and could only imagine their fates at the hands of these rough men. No less would be her fate, she was certain. Luc had kept a hand on her all evening, playing with her hair and occasionally stroking her cheek with the backs of his fingers, as if she already belonged to him. Unnerving in itself, but coupled with the knowledge of what was surely to come, it was almost enough to undo her.
    The moment came far too soon. He rose to his feet, a careless hand still on her shoulder. His fingers pressed into her flesh. “Come,
demoiselle
. I would seek rest this eve, for the morrow comes early. You may show me to a bed.”
    Stubbornness and fear kept her seated, and tension made her tongue sharp. “ ’tis customary for dogs to sleep at the door, Norman. Seek your rest there.”
    “Do you intend to join me?” His tone was mild, but his fingers dug into her shoulder painfully. “You may once have been the lady here, but Wulfridge is no longer yours to command. Lest you wish to sleep on stone yourself, you will show me to a soft bed instead of a cold portal.”
    She managed a shrug that did not dislodge his grip. “Wulfridge has long been mine to command, and I prefer my own chamber.”
    “Foolish little pagan. If you test me, it will be to your discomfort, for my patience is near gone and I will deal with you harshly. Now rise. I do not intend to quarrel with you in front of the entire hall. I have more pleasant pursuits in mind for this eve.”
    Ceara stiffened. The last was spoken loudly enough for her people to hear, his clear English carrying the length of the hall. She glanced up. Dismay flickered on familiar Saxon faces, while the Normans looked smug at her plight. Captain Remy had the temerity to laugh, a grin creasing his face, and he lifted his cup in a salute to his lord.
    Reckless fury surged through her, and she forced a serene smile as she obediently rose in a graceful movement. Even as she stood, at last, on a level surface with Luc, he was much taller than she. Yet she would not be intimidated. Not for his satisfaction, nor the entertainment of his men.
    She pushed back a loose strand of her hair as she met Luc’s dark eyes with a steady gaze, then deliberately lifted her voice so that all still remaining in the hall could hear: “Yea, you may very well have taken the hall, Norman, but you have not conquered all. As to
pleasant pursuits
, my lineage is pure and I will not willingly suffer the touch of a Norman bastard.”
    It was a taunt, such as those he had been pricking her with all evening, but she saw at once this barb was swift and true. Captain Remy slammed down his cup and growled an oath, and there was an uneasy stirring among the Normans before a heavy silence fell.
    In the sudden quiet, the sputtering of torches sounded overloud to her ears, as did the wild thud of her heart pounding in her chest. Hot flame leaped in Luc’s eyes; his brows lowered like swooping hawks, and his fury was visible in the strained white lines on each side of his mouth.
    Luc’s hands flashed out to grab her upper arms and lift her, dangling her above the floor. It was not an easy task, for she was no small woman, and no man had been able to thus handle her since she was but a green girl. Ceara realized with increasing alarm that she had gone too far, but it was too late to retract her words even if pride would allow it.
    “Saxon bitch,” he snarled softly, “be ’ware of