She looked at Jax as if daring him to challenge her. He glared at her a moment longer before swearing softly under his breath. With angry, jerky movements, he unstrapped his scabbard and ripped the bindings off his legs, tossing it to the nearest soldier. The man had fast reflexes and caught the weapon. Amadeo and the others were already removing their long blades. As one soldier went on the run with his arms full of weapons back to the retreating escort, Jax turned to Kellington.
“Now,” he fumed, struggling to maintain his control. “Are you satisfied? Now may we go?”
She smiled sweetly at him, her dimple deep. “Thank you, my pet,” she said quietly. “Aye, we may go.”
All of his anger fled. My pet. She had called him something so simple, so sweet, and so unexpected that it blew the fury from him like the flame blowing from a candle. Aye, she had only said it because he had submitted to her will. But at the moment, he didn’t care. He’d never in his life felt such a thrill as he had when that small, simple word spilled from her lips. It was absolutely idiotic. But he couldn’t help it. For the first time in his life, it made him feel as if he belonged. It made him feel wanted.
He shook his head at her, weakly, as he took her elbow. “You are maddening.”
She was still grinning at him. “I know.”
An exasperated expression crossed his face but it was without force. “God’s Blood,” he muttered. “When I got it into my head to take Pelinom those months ago, I should have stayed well away. I would have been doing myself a favor.”
She looked at him, the smile fading from her lips. That statement had a myriad of meanings to it. So many people would still be alive. Pelinom would still be a place of peace. But she would have never met this monster of a man who was so far showing he had a human side that was surprisingly deep. As much as she wished all of those people were still alive, she realized that she was not sorry she had come to know Jax de Velt. An odd sense of guilt swept her.
“Do you really think so?” she asked.
He cast her a side-long glance. “Nay,” he replied softly, resignation in his tone. “In truth, I will probably curse myself for the rest of my life for not having taken the fortress sooner. I would have met you sooner.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Is that how men of your sort normally meet women? By laying siege to their homes?”
His eyes narrowed. “I doubt I would have met you any other way. You and I do not travel in the same social circles.”
They came to a big trench of mud. Kellington lifted her skirt to pick her way through it, but Jax swung her into his arms and marched through the muck. Only when they were well clear did he set her down. He took her arm again.
“Jax,” Kellington shifted her grip so that she ended up holding onto his elbow. “May I ask you a question?”
“God, what now?” he groaned.
She struggled not to grin. It was a serious question. “Do you plan to lay siege to any more fortresses? Or was Pelinom your last?”
His humor faded as he looked down at her. “That is my business, lady.”
“I know,” she replied honestly. “But I have an opinion on it.”
“No doubt you do.”
She met his gaze. “I do not want you to lay siege to any more castles,” she said with some bravery, knowing it was ridiculous to make the statement but doing it all the same. “And I have a reason for this, too.”
His expression went to stone. “I would suspect you are going to tell me what it is.”
They were nearly to the inn and she wanted to say her peace before they arrived. She spoke quickly, quietly, and as humbly as she could. “If my father agrees to the marriage and I am not saying he will, but if he does, we can live at Pelinom quite comfortably,” she lowered her voice so that Amadeo and the escort would not hear her words. “You said yourself that you already have six castles long the Welsh border that surely must be making you wildly rich, and you also said that de Vesci gave you a castle, so it my estimation, you have more wealth than you can ever spend. You don’t need any more castles. And no one else needs to lose their life anymore, including you. You’re not invulnerable, you know.”
They had reached the inn. Jax did nothing more than open the door for her and Kellington didn’t press him for response. She knew he would more than likely not give her one. But she had said what was on her mind and was not sorry for it.
The tavern was crammed with people who had fled inside to escape Jax de Velt. At the sight of him entering the establishment, half of the people bolted to their feet and prepared to dash for the rear entrance. Jax saw what was about to happen and grabbed the nearest chair, tossing it against the wall behind him so hard that the impact shook the entire building. Everyone who was preparing to run froze in their tracks.
“Stop!” Jax roared. “I have not come to destroy the place so take your seats, all of you.”
As he spoke, he and his men walked into the room, throwing men back into their chairs and scaring a couple of women into tears. Kellington stood by the door, her eyes wide and her box and parchment clutched against her chest. When Jax finished tossing a couple of more men back into their chairs, he turned to her and held out a hand.
“My lady?” he said, looking an odd sight standing in the middle of a room full of terrified people. “Say your peace and get on with it.”
Kellington swallowed as all eyes turned to her. She could feel the terror filling the room. But she took a deep breath and steadied herself.
“I am Kellington Coleby of Pelinom Castle,” she said. “I need men to work an upcoming harvest and am prepared to pay a pence a day for this work. It should take no more than four days if I can have at least fifty men sign on.”
No one stirred. They were still terrified, shifting nervous eyes to Jax and his men, now feathered around the hall in strategic places. They were like wolves waiting to pounce. Kellington was hoping someone would step up because she was afraid of what Jax would do if no one moved. Spying a nearby table, she sat down and opened her box. Neatly setting out her quill and ink, she carefully unrolled the parchment in preparation for writing names and having men sign their marks.
“It is a good wage I offer,” she looked to the men closest to her. “Will you not sign your mark, sir?”
The four men she was singling out were pale with apprehension. One man finally spoke.
“We are just passing through this town, my lady,” he said. “I have my own farm near York. I must get home.”
“You are going to get home four days late,” Jax kicked the man’s chair and sent him sprawling. “Sign your mark on her parchment. That is not a request.”
“Jax,” Kellington said softly, shaking her head reproachfully. Then she lifted her voice again. “I can use women, too. It is a very good wage for four days work.”
The man Jax had unceremoniously dumped from his chair picked himself up, brushing off his knees. He eyed Jax warily before looking to his companions at the table. It was evident that they were silently discussing what they should do. As Kellington looked hopefully around the tavern, Jax suddenly kicked over a table and splintered it.
“If you do not want me to burn this tavern over your heads, then you will all stand up and sign the lady’s parchment,” he boomed. “If anyone is still seated by the time I finish my directive, then I will personally use them as kindling.”
Everyone in the room shot to their feet, stampeding their way towards Kellington. It was a herd of frightened animals. She shrieked as men jostled too close, unsettling the table and spilling her ink. The drops ended up on her skirt and she gasped with great disappointment.
“Oh, no,” she stood up with big black splotches on her gown. “It’s ruined!”
Jax was on her in a minute. “Who did this?” he demanded. “Point him out to me.”
She looked up at him, her face red with frustration. Then she pointed right at him.
“You did this.”
“What?”
“If you hadn’t
threatened these people, then they would not have panicked.”
His jaw ticked dangerously; he did nothing more than eye the gown and turn his back on her.
“Make a neat line,” he began to walk back along the crowd of frightened people. “No pushing. You shall all be able to make your mark in good time.”
Kellington sighed heavily, watching him treat the patrons like a herd of cattle, before settling back down and reclaiming what was left of her ink. The first man she signed up was shaking so badly that his “X” looked like two wriggly lines.
And so it went into the morning. In little time, Kellington had forty six men and fifteen women signed to labor in the harvest. Their instructions were to arrive at Pelinom in two days and she promised them that they would be paid in full at the end of the harvest.
By the time she finished signing up the last woman, the place was empty. Jax stood several feet away, watching her like a hawk, as Amadeo covered the front door and the two remaining soldiers covered the rear entrance. When the ink on her parchment was properly sanded, he approached the table.
“Is all satisfactory?” he asked.
She nodded, carefully closing the lid on her box. “I believe so. We have more people than I hoped for.”
He watched her lovely hands seal up the parchment. “Are you hungry?”
She blinked in thought. “I suppose so. Do they have anything to eat in this place?”
He was already turning for the bar back. “We shall soon find out.”
“Jax,” she called in a tone that made him stop. When he looked at her, she lifted her eyebrows at him. “Nicely, please. People respond quite favorably if you are polite.”
He exhaled sharply; she saw it. But she smiled sweetly and all of the bluster went out him. He winked at her as he turned once again for the bar.
The innkeeper was a fat man with a red face and thick legs. He and his wife were in a panic with Jax’s request no matter how politely he asked, which wasn’t terribly considering he had never been polite in his life. But it was his first try at it. Leaving the soldiers posted at either door, he and Amadeo sat down with Kellington and enjoyed boiled apples and a huge slab of pork. The innkeeper served the men ale but Kellington didn’t like ale, so the man offered her boiled water with rose petals and cranberries. Happy with her drink and stuffed with the food, she sat back in her chair as Jax and Amadeo finished off what was left of the pig.
Jax licked off his fingers, his gaze moving over her. In fact, he’d done nothing but stare at her throughout the entire meal. His eyes kept being drawn to the big black stains on her gown.
“We should find someone to repair your gown,” he said, pointing to the mess. “Perhaps there is a seamstress in town.”
Kellington fingered the blotches. “This is beyond repair. I will have to dispose of it.”
“Then we should buy you material for a new garment to replace it while we are here.”
Kellington was never one to turn down the opportunity to shop; such occasions were few and far between. She agreed and the three of them, followed by the two soldiers, quit the inn and made their way onto the main avenue. By this time, the merchants had reopened their shops and children once again played in the street.
Kellington was prepared for all that to change when Jax appeared, but to her surprise, everything remained busy and open. She looked around at the vendors and stalls.
“Words must have made the rounds that you are not here to destroy the town,” she said, taking Jax’s arm as they walked. “People seem in a better mood than they did earlier.”
He grunted, feeling vastly uncomfortable; he had no charger, no broadsword, and his mission in the town was not one of destruction. It was a disorienting sensation, but with Kellington on his arm, it was also a surprisingly satisfying one.
“Stupid sheep, all of them,” he growled.
She had to laugh at him; he was so dour that he was funny. But she sobered as they moved down the street.
“Jax?”
“What is it?”
“I am sorry I spoke so rudely to you earlier,” she said quietly, looking up at him. “You may as well know I have a bit of a temper. I can snap at times.”
“I know. I have seen it.”
“Do you forgive me?”
He shrugged. “There is nothing to forgive. You were correct.”
“I know I was, but I am trying to apologize for being rude about it.”
He looked sharply at her, seeing that she was gently teasing him by the smirk on her face. He shook his head at her, a massive glove moving to cover her small one that clutched his elbow. He squeezed lightly.
“If I think you are being rude, I will tell you.”
She just grinned and coyly looked away. He was enchanted. But the spell was broken when Amadeo walked up next to him.
“Look there,” the man said, pointing an enormous mailed finger. “That merchant has bolts of material in his shop. Perhaps the lady wishes to look there.”
Kellington nodded eagerly, let go of Jax’s arm, and skipped happily to the stall. Jax stood there and watched her, every move she made, like he was just seeing her for the very first time. As each minute passed, he was growing increasingly smitten by the woman. And it was growing increasingly obvious to everyone.
Amadeo stood next to him, his blue eyes watching the lady also. He could not help but remember Henley’s words, thinking that man to be completely correct in every way. Almost every way, at any rate. The woman wasn’t a witch, but she certainly had Jax under her spell. He wouldn’t have been concerned with it but for the fact that Jax had a very specific schedule planned out for the siege of the next castle along this stretch of the border. With Pelinom secure, the siege of White Crag was less than a week away. He wasn’t sure how to bring that up without Jax taking his head off, but he knew he had to.
“My lord,” he turned slightly towards Jax, crossing his mailed arms. “A question, if I may.”
Jax’s eyes were still on Kellington. “Speak.”
“About White Crag, my lord,” he said. “I have been trying to figure out the security of Pelinom while we are away.”
Jax did look at him, then. “How so?”
“Because we cannot leave Pelinom open and unsecured,” he explained. “But with this harvest that must take place, we cannot lock down the castle. The gates must be open to transfer the goods into the warehouse. Have you given any thought as to how this harvest can still take place even though we must secure the fortress at our departure?”
Jax eyed him; he knew Amadeo well enough to know the man was driving at something, but he would wait to see what it was.
“With the troops from the Welsh generals, we will be able to leave two hundred men behind at Pelinom to guard the fortress,” Jax replied. “They will maintain tight security as the harvest is conducted.”
“So we will take White Crag with eight hundred men?”
“I believe that will be sufficient. The configuration of White Crag is a disadvantage to the defenders; you’ve seen an outlay of the place. The walls are only twelve feet high in some places. She will not be able to withstand much of a siege.”
Amadeo nodded faintly, his gaze moving to the lady as she discussed material with the merchant. “But what of the return of the lady’s father?”
“What about it?”
Amadeo faced him, eyebrows lifted. “I mean just that. You are returning the man who formerly commanded the fortress. In my opinion, my lord, that is like leaving the fox in charge of the chicken yard. You took it from him; he will want it back.”
“He has no army to accomplish this.”
“But he is de Vesci’s garrison commander and de Vesci commands thousands,” Amadeo couldn’t honestly believe that Jax did not see the situation for what it was. “Who’s to say that Coleby hasn’t already sent word to de Vesci about all of this? He could have very well requested de Vesci’s help in regaining the garrison. You know that the man is going to want it back; it’
s rich and strategic.”
Jax gave the man his full attention. “Coleby has been my prisoner for the better part of two weeks. Even now, he returns to Pelinom under escort. He’s had no time or means to send a message to De Vesci. Even if he does, I can guarantee you that De Vesci will think twice before attempting to regain Pelinom. He’ll be lucky if I don’t lay siege to Alnwick Castle and seize his seat.”
Amadeo shrugged in agreement. “We could do it just for entertainment.”
Jax tried to maintain a firm stance but ended up with a smirk. “Any other concerns, Amadeo?”
“Are we still departing for White Crag by the end of the week?”
“Have you ever known me to deviate from my plans?”
“Never, my lord.”
“This will not be the first time.”
“What of Coleby when he arrives?”
“He will be watched by Caelen, who I will leave in charge of the fortress when the army moves out.”
“By your command, my lord.”
Kellington picked that moment to wave Jax over; she had evidently found something she wished to purchase. He went to her, leaving Amadeo watching his liege, not completely convinced by their conversation that Jax was still as focused on his border conquest as he once was. The man had displayed behavior far out of the ordinary as of late and Amadeo knew the time would come when steps would have to be taken to ensure that de Velt did not lose his concentration.
Amadeo would have to be prepared to act for the good of all of them.
CHAPTER TEN
Kellington’s first glimpse of her father had her racing the length of the bailey and throwing herself into the man’s arms just as he dismounted his steed. Keats looked a little older, a little thinner, but he was very happy to be alive. As he tightly embraced his daughter, it was a moment he thought he would never experience again.