Lady Fortune by Anne Stuart Read Free Book Online

moment she didn’t think he would answer. And then his mobile, mocking mouth curved in a wicked smile. “Father Paulus did his best to flay me alive.” His voice was raspy, dry. “He’s surprisingly strong for such a skinny little man.”
    “Perhaps he has the strength of his convictions,” Julianna said in an unsteady voice, turning away to rummage among the pillows for her satchel.
    “Perhaps. Or he may have simply had enough practice with the whip to build up his strength. What are you looking for?”
    She emerged from the cushions with a small, earthen-ware jar. “A salve of bee’s pollen and lingonberry juice. It works wonders on cuts. Take off your tunic.”
    “I think not,” he said with a wry smile that belied his obvious pain.
    She tilted her head to look at him. “I can safely rule out any fancy that you’re modest,” she said. “So I can only assume you don’t trust me. There’s no poison in this salve, and it will help the welts to heal more quickly.”
    “You don’t have the soul of a poisoner, my lady,” he murmured. “Nevertheless, I’ll keep my clothes on for now.”
    Julianna didn’t know whether to be pleased or affronted. “And just what makes you an expert on my soul? I assure you, I have more than enough determination and courage to… to…”
    “To murder someone? I doubt it, my lady. Courage and determination, yes. Murderous tendencies, no.”
    “You’re right,” she said flatly. “Because one hour with you would bring them out if I had any.”
    He threw back his head and laughed, dismissing his injuries. “Then I can count myself honored to have done such a service.”
    “A service?”
    “You need never worry what dark urges you have hidden deep in your heart. You’ve faced the worst that life could taunt you with, and you’re free of the taint of murder. Of course, you may have other dark urges. I will do my best to help ferret them out.”
    “I have no dark urges. Only for peace and quiet,” she said in a sharp voice.
    He merely smiled in return.
     
    He could love a woman like Julianna of Moncrieff, Nicholas thought, staring at her. Mind you, he could love any number of women, well and often, and did so to the best of his ability. But he sensed that the lady Julianna was different.
    If he were a sensible man, he’d keep his distance. Different could mean dangerous, and he wasn’t about to let himself become vulnerable to a pair of shadowed eyes and a soft mouth.
    But he also wasn’t a man to hide from danger—he was more likely to ride out to meet it. That is, if he were riding.
    And Julianna of Moncrieff was a challenge and a temptation, and he never resisted either. She was going to be his reward for success at Fortham Castle . Not his sovereign’s approval or long-promised boon, though those would be welcome. No, the shy, tender flesh of the lady would be his true compensation for a treacherous job well done. Absconding with a priceless relic would be a simple task. Seducing Lady Julianna would prove the real challenge, and he relished the thought of it.
    He was impatient for the task to begin, more than ready for the Earl of Fortham. King Henry was generous to those who served him, and Nicholas had yet to fail him in his requests. He wasn’t about to start now.
    He was ready for the job to begin.
    He was eager for his reward.

CHAPTER FOUR
      
    Isabeau moved away from the window, kicking restlessly at her skirts. She was almost feverish with anticipation, and yet there was no way she could make time move more quickly. The passing hours would bring her daughter back to her after ten long years of silence. The passing hours would bring her wedding as well, and a new man to lie beneath, but she was not unwilling. Hugh of Fortham was not a harsh man like her first husband, and he would likely be quick and efficient about the business. In the months of their betrothal, since she first came to live at Fortham Castle , he’d never so much as kissed her