The Ward Ch. 02

Edmund hesitated in a doubtful moment, recollecting that Simon did indeed know Sage.

"Then why is she chained, boy?" Joel coldly questioned, feeling it was better he intervened before Edmund turned violent.

"I only heard sounds and found them," Cloyd shrugged, his eyes lowered as his falsehood began to unravel. "Simon is strange. Everyone says so."

"It's the first I've heard of it," Joel tartly countered, his eyes hard, but not half as fierce as his Master's. "Now explain my key in your hand."

Cloyd's jaw dropped and he stared at the long piece of metal clutched in his fist, before casting it to the ground and backing away.

"I took it from Simon!" he said shrilly, then yelped as Edmund wordlessly stepped forward and roughly dragged him from the room by his nightshirt.

"Go, Simon," Joel quietly ordered, quickly approaching Sage as Simon scurried back to bed.

Joel briskly set the candles down on the bedside and freed Sage's limbs save one ankle, and removed the gag.

"Are you hurt, child?"

Sage shook her head. The candlelight closer to her face revealed glittering tears in her eyes. Never had she felt so afraid and helpless, not even when Nicholas briefly caught her. The boy touched her where none had before, in a way that made her feel sick. His saliva wetly lingered on her nether parts and she wanted to wash herself clean.

Joel patted her hand, feeling responsible. "I am very sorry."

"Free me!" Sage begged in a broken whisper, her eyes beseeching. By now she knew Joel was more a friend to the Lord than a servant, and that he had a heart.

"I'm sorry," he said simply, then a thought struck him and he quickly went to the door. "I will come back in a moment, and sit here for the night," he said reassuringly. "But first I must see to it the master does not commit murder," he muttered under his breath, hurrying from the room.

As soon as she was alone, Sage sat up to inspect the chain on her ankle, already knowing it was pointless. Joel had somehow softened the iron interior with a thin, cushioning layer so it would not unpleasantly pressure her ankle or rub abrasively.

Lying back in a huff, she fought tears, and used her gown to rub away any moisture left between her legs. She breathed deeply to calm herself, the quiet night air outside gently rustling the surrounding trees as her eyelids grew heavy with exhaustion.

********

Sweat poured down Edmund's temples, nonetheless he raised the lash again. Joel seized his wrist before he could bring it down. Edmund started, not realising Joel had been standing in the room for some time. His initial determination to mete out a deserved punishment had quickly evolved into a terrible rage. The idea of a teachable moment faded while he beat Cloyd, and it became less a punishment than revenge, and an outlet to bear his sexual frustration.

Despite the arousal tormenting him, Edmund found no release with his mistress. Sage teased his body and his mind, and he had enjoyed the farce of posing a potential threat to her virtue. But ultimately he'd intended to release her unscathed, once his curiosity and conscience were satisfied she was under the wing of a responsible carer. He could not let her fall into the hands of Nicholas, who would take quick advantage of her alluring beauty and spirit of character.

But another thought was subconsciously budding in his mind, nurtured by his conversation with Joel, and this latest incident forced the reality to ring true. He wanted the girl and no other; to be on top of her and delight in her body. To be her first lover. But some low-born lad who knew nothing about women took it upon himself to defile not only an innocent girl under his protection, but a girl he desired, and he couldn't bear it.

"I believe he has learned his lesson," Joel said quietly, and both looked to Cloyd who hung shackled from a rod in the cellar. The boy was unconscious, and blood lightly trailed down the backs of his legs.

Running a hand across his forehead, Edmund threw the whip aside with disgust. "I thought more of my people, than this. Tend his wounds, and send him to town on the morrow."

"Yes, my Lord."

"Was she harmed?"

"She is naturally distressed, no more."

"Good," Edmund said curtly, his eyes shone with relief.

"And Simon?"

"Simon?" Edmund looked confused, then remembered. "What about him?"

"He was always a good worker. But to be in the young lady's room at that hour-"

"The boy is honest. He sought to protect her."

"I would like to believe so," Joel truthfully answered.

"He has reason." Edmund looked to Cloyd's limp form. "There is more, but for a time we are alone."

"Yes, my Lord," Joel nodded, reaching to undo the binds on Cloyd's wrists. "Once I have patched him, I will-"

"I will see to the girl," Edmund tersely interrupted, turning on his heel before Joel could object.

*****

Warm sunlight heated Sage's face until she sighed and laid a hand across her eyes. The sounds of fresh air and rustling trees roused her to an awareness she lay in an unfamiliar bed.

Lazily sitting up, she tiredly looked around and then her eyes widened as they landed upon Edmund, asleep in a cushioned chair by the door.

Sage took her opportunity to observe him without being scrutinized in return. He was well-built, his wide chest steadily rose and fell with his calm breathing. He was very handsome and particularly appealing in sleep. His face was vulnerably relaxed in quite a contrast to how he normally watched her shrewdly. Changed out of the riding attire, he was dressed for comfort in a loose white shirt and beige breeches. The sun's rays gleamed off the black sheen of his boots.

Sage eventually looked away and began to fiddle with the lace of her blanket, misliking the feelings curling in her belly when she observed the sleeping man. It was true he could have taken her many times by now, even the one called Joel could not prevent it, if that was what the Lord wanted. Again, the image surfaced of her entwined with Edmund, of him doing things to her she had yet to experience.

Despite desiring her, he did not molest her. Besides the bath encounter, which she could have prevented, he had not taken her dignity. He hadn't even tried to kiss her. This last thought contained an edge of disappointment, and now Sage was blushing at the prospect that she could even now cross the room and settle in his lap and know that he would welcome it. He would kiss her, she knew. He would touch those places his eyes often darted when he forgot himself.

Horrified, Sage shook her head and cast a paranoid glance to Edmund's sleeping form as though he might suddenly come awake and laugh at her. It was different with him; he was different. She'd never before wondered what it would be like to lay with a man. There was no point; her fate was sealed. But even if that weren't the case, she despised Lord Stiles more than anyone, and she'd loathed the stable boy's assault. She'd always presumed there would be no appeal for her with any man, until Edmund.

If it was Edmund who had sneaked into her room and peeked beneath her dress, he would not be an untried lad, or a cruel, lustful noble. She felt he would know what he was doing. And he would have kissed her first.

Edmund stirred and opened his eyes to see Sage quickly avert her face, which was bright red. He started up in his seat and looked around for what could have affected her, and perceiving no danger, curiously turned his attention back to her flushed face.

"Has something beset you?" he inquired, lazily stretching. He noted her eyes flicker to his biceps, almost as though against her will, before quickly returning to the bedsheet in front.

"Besides my assault?" she retorted, strangely relieved to have an answer, no matter how abhorrent the topic.

"That has been dealt with," Edmund grimly replied. He hesitated before slowly rising and approaching the bed. Sage did not move, but rather sat frozen with fear and anticipation as he gently sat on the bed's edge.

"Sage, I am truly sorry for what happened," he murmured, his hazel eyes sincere. "And I am sorry for the way I have treated you."

Sage's jaw was slightly ajar with incredulity, the sun on her face brightened her widened eyes so they appeared sky-blue, and Edmund ached to kiss her.

"I need to know why Nicholas wants you. I thought I would play the role of your Master, because he will surely come soon to enquire. But it was wrong of me."

"Will you let me go?"

Edmund sighed heavily. "Will you honestly answer my questions?"

"That depends on the questions," Sage warily answered, looking discomforted.

"Who is your Guardian?"

Sage lowered her eyes.

"Fine. Why does Nicholas want you?"

"He threatened to make me his wife."

Edmund quietly chuckled at 'threatened'. Of course, Lord Stiles was not a benevolent man, but he was very wealthy and handsome, in a cold way. It would not be difficult for him to find a wife, if he wanted one.

"Why has he chosen you? Does he love you?"

"He does not know me," Sage snarled. "He said he liked my beauty, and my spirit. That it would amuse him to keep me abed, with a baby in my belly."

"That does sound much like him, except for the child," Edmund remarked. Again, he saw Sage's expression become guarded. He did not like it.

"Sage, I have no intention to keep you as a slave," he murmured. "But I cannot allow you to leave without knowing you have a safe home. If your Guardian comes to claim you, so be it. But until then, you will be my guest. However, the front gates will be closed to your exit, unless I accompany you. And you will always be watched."

Sage scowled, knowing it was certainly not the worst arrangement to befall her. She was mostly angry with herself. Furious that after being swiftly abducted and held prisoner, she was not half as upset about it as the day before. The loathing she felt toward Edmund was fast dissolving into a dangerous curiosity, and she was ashamed of what her Guardian would think of it.

As she pouted, Edmund could not resist cupping her smooth cheek in one hand so she returned his gaze. He felt her shiver from his warm touch, and smiled. She started as the lock on her ankle clicked free, the iron circle replaced by his other hand.

All at once, Sage felt heated. Where his hand gently caressed her ankle, a tingling warmth spread up her leg to where her womanhood throbbed, and his palm on her cheek made her heart pound. Edmund carefully watched Sage's breathing quicken, and saw her pupils dilate to turn her eyes almost blue-black. His own eyes darkened at her pretty mouth.

"May I kiss you?" he asked huskily, and grinned as she quickly pulled back with alarm.

Her beautiful eyes were wide with fear, but it was an unusual fear. She did not dread him, nor did she verbally refuse his request. Edmund could see she was uncertain of herself, and it frightened her. He realised it would be easy to make her accept him. But now that he knew it for certain, he chose not to rush. Though his body disagreed, he could still enjoy the anticipation of teasing her to a point of torment where she would be forced to initiate any intimacy between them.

Sage blushed, barely managing to pull herself together. It was very difficult to appear unaffected when they were alone on a bed, and he was not goading her temper with threats or mockery. She tried not to think what would happen if she let him kiss her, and quickly squashed all thoughts of what could follow. She had been kissed only once before, when Lord Stiles had her pinned to a wall and forced his mouth on hers. She'd truly hated it and the act reinforced her opinion that she would desire no ordinary man. Until she met Edmund.

******

"Lord Stiles has arrived. Again."

"Ah," Edmund smiled thinly at the papers before him.

It was not unusual for Nicholas to call upon Edmund, though the latter was rarely available to receive this particular visitor. Since childhood there had been an ongoing, one-sided rivalry between them, where Nicholas enjoyed irritating Edmund whenever possible whilst plaguing him with friendship attempts, which Edmund strictly rebuffed.

Edmund was strong, confident, and exceedingly wealthy with an excellent heritage. These things meant a lot to Nicholas, who often felt alone in a world of fools and peasants. If there was anything that bored him, it was being surrounded by inferiors who did little to entertain him. Edmund was witty and intelligent. His only flaw in Nicholas' eyes, was a kindness for servants.

"Shall I make your excuses?"

"Not at all. This is a visit I would like to accept. Take him to the lounge and give him refreshment. See that he is only served by men."

"My Lord, I am not aged beyond all wisdom."

"Where is Sage?"

"In the kitchen, befriending the cooks," Joel answered disapprovingly. Though there was no question that Sage was high-born, she was refreshingly curious and had no qualms mingling with inferiors.

"See that she remains there for the time being. Did he come alone?"

"Yes, my Lord. On horseback. It would appear to be a spontaneous visit."

"And we know where he is concerned, appearances mean nothing," Edmund said harshly, then sighed with exasperation. "Joel, I will never understand his fixation on me."

"It is because he thinks you are his worthy equal," Joel said with distaste. "When he should know you are infinitely superior."

"Bias," Edmund grinned at the papers before him.

"Common sense, my Lord," Joel dryly replied on his way out.

******

Edmund briskly entered the lounge and gestured for the two man-servants to leave the room.

"Goodness, Eddy, you really must review your staff," Nicholas drawled, still facing the tall window overlooking a large expanse of lush, green foliage. "I don't believe I've seen such an unfortunate-looking group of persons in one setting."

Finally he turned, a knowing smile curving one side of his mouth. Where Edmund dressed well, with coats oft lined with gold, Nicholas purposely dressed to flaunt his wealth and importance. His soft, white shirt enhanced the royal blue of his coat, which glittered an intricate assortment of diamonds and rubies with each movement.

Marginally taller and leaner than Edmund, Nicholas was also athletic for a noble. With curling hair slightly darker than Sage's, his features were elegant and attractive, though sharpened by a lifetime of manipulative cruelty.

"I can only conclude that you keep anything worthy hidden from sight," he added, suggestively arching one eyebrow.

"A pleasure to see you, Nicholas," Edmund said bluntly, with no indication of being pleased. Though they were raised in similar circles, he never took to the elaborate, roundabout way of speaking. The art of sarcastic innuendo; of sculpting sweet words to bear stinging insults.

"Why, it has been many weeks since I've laid eyes on my dearest childhood friend," Nicholas purred, his cold, pale-blue eyes watchful over the glass of wine he sipped. "Imagine my surprise, when I was informed you hunted alone in the forest. And I've been begging you to hunt with me for a twelfth month."

"Our ideas of sport differ," Edmund said shortly, and went to pour himself a glass.

"Ah," Nicholas smiled down at his wine as though recollecting a private joke. "That reminds me, I really must meet your exquisite new slave."

"My slave? She is my guest, and she is resting."

"That is a shame," Nicholas sighed, downing the contents of his glass before casting a sly glance Edmunds direction. "Or is it? Overuse can take its toll. That is, if you have been adequately-?"

"Was there a particular reason for this visit, Nicholas? How may I be of service?" Edmund curtly interrupted, barely maintaining a civil tone.

"Why, the pleasure of your company is more than enough reason," Nicholas mocked with wide eyes and a polite bow. "I was wondering if you would care to dine with us, tomorrow night?"

"I am unfortunately busy," Edmund replied through grit teeth.

"So unfortunate," Nicholas crooned, gently setting his empty glass down. "Mother will be so disappointed. Another time, perhaps?"

"Perhaps."

"I suppose it would be futile to make you an offer?" Nicholas said lightly.

"An offer?" Edmund blankly repeated, half-expecting the other man to extend the joke and get down on one knee.

"A mere business arrangement. I want the girl. Name your price."

"My price?"

"Sell her to me, and you have my word she will not be mistreated."

"Why?"

Nicholas smirked. "She is no peasant slut. I've a mind to marry her."

Edmund laughed roughly. "That is mistreatment enough. So you have met her, after all?"

"Enough games, Eddy." Nicholas showed his teeth in a menacing smile. "I had her in my arms, once. Before I could do anything worthwhile, she achieved the impossible."

"How?" Edmund shot back, his mind filled with a hateful image of Sage trapped in Nicholas' embrace, quickly followed by a fierce determination that Nicholas would never so much as lay a finger on her ever again.

Nicholas' face darkened. "This is not your world. Little do you know the treasure that you keep."

"And you do?"

"My little kitten has claws, and I like them."

"She is not yours," Edmund growled, surprisingly aggravated by Nicholas' playful term of ownership. "The world is filled with girls of equal beauty. Leave this one."

"But I want her. You know that when I want something, I get it," Nicholas replied, enjoying Edmund's visible aggravation.

"Not when we want the same thing."

"Ah, a challenge from a worthy opponent. I accept."

"I invite no challenge. Tell me, why has no one come for her?"

Nicholas shrugged with an indifference Edmund knew was feigned. "I suppose she is a lost girl in need of a proper home. A strong husband to care for her."

"To control her, you mean. I believe a priest would have something to say for her lack of consent," Edmund snorted.

"Ah," Nicholas smiled serenely. "I have ways to convince even the most wilful girls to readily submit to me. Where that might fail, my family has a long held affiliation with the Church. It would not be the first marriage where a girl did not quite agree to her husband... "

"You've never shown interest in wedlock. Why would you aspire to marry a girl who detests you?"

"She is desirable. She also amuses me, and that is a rarity. But most of all, I want her for what she can give me."

"And that is?"

Unwilling to elaborate, Nicholas sighed and adjusted his coat. "I have engagements today. Do let me know if you have a change of heart. Otherwise, I look forward to dining with you. The invitation is, of course, extended to your lovely guest. Mother is most anxious to meet her," he sweetly added.

Without waiting to be shown out, Nicholas smugly sauntered from the room. As soon as the door gently closed behind him, Edmund swore as the wine glass shattered in his angry grip.