He threw back his head and laughed deeply.
She felt so humiliated, so light-headed with rage at what he had done, she could not control herself. She jumped from the bed, oblivious of her nakedness, and flung herself at him, pounding her fists at his chest, yelling her fury at him.
He clasped her hands easily. “Remind me, Kassia,” he said in a taunting whisper, “to tell you how to hurt a man.” Carelessly he picked her up in his arms and tossed her back onto the bed.
“I hate you!” she shrieked at him. “You are cruel, an animal! I will hurt you!”
“Oh no, wife,” he said, his eyes narrowing on her pale face. “A possession does not harm its master.”
She closed her eyes against the utter hopelessness his words brought her.
“I wish to break my fast,” he said coldly, his voice matter-of-fact. “Dress yourself and see to it.”
Kassia chattered with desperate gaiety as she rode beside Blanche. She saw the look of pity on the other woman’s face, and grew silent. Whatever had happened to change Blanche was a blessing, Kassia thought. She had been naught but sympathetic and kind during the past several days. Kassia was grateful to her when she suggested that they ride this morning. She wanted nothing more than to escape Wolffeton, for even a brief period of time. Escape her husband and that knowing, mocking look in his eyes.
“Evian is a kind boy,” she said, breaking the silence. “The men have taken him under their wings.”
“He worships Graelam,” Blanche said. She saw the pain in Kassia’s eyes and quickly said, “Forgive me. It is a lovely morning, is it not? And the sea is so calm, like polished glass.”
“Aye,” Kassia said shortly. “Let us ride to the east, Blanche.”
“I do not know if we should.” Blanche appeared to hesitate, a frown appearing between her brows.
“ ’Twas you who disdained an escort, Blanche. We are well on Wolffeton land. There are none to harm us.”
“I suppose you are right,” Blanche said. “I worry because your husband did not give us permission to ride out. I do not wish to anger him.”
He is angered no matter what I do, Kassia thought bleakly.
Dienwald de Fortenberry sat easily on his destrier, calmly eyeing the two riders coming toward him. He recognized Blanche readily enough, but it was the other woman who held his attention. She wore a voluminous cloak and a hood covered her hair. The lady Blanche was undoubtedly correct, he thought. No man who cared for his wife would allow her to ride unprotected, even on his own lands. She was a shrew, Blanche had told him. Spoiled and sullen, and Lord Graelam would be glad to see the last of her. He had been tricked into taking her to wive, forced to recognize her.
The two men who had accompanied him were growing restive. He glanced back and frowned them to silence. He would play the game according to Blanche’s rules, he thought. Some minutes later, he waved his men forward. They rode out from the cover of the trees toward the two women.
Kassia saw the men coming and felt a moment of alarm. The man at their head was richly dressed. When he raised his hand and waved at them, she drew up Bluebell.
When the man drew close enough for her to make out his face, she knew she had been wrong. He was looking intently at her, and his eyes were narrowed and cruel. For a moment she could not draw a breath. “Blanche!” she cried, her voice a croak. “Flee!”
She wheeled Bluebell about and dug her heels into her mare’s sides. The wind tore the hood back from her hair. She felt her heart pound frantically against her breast. How could she have been so stupid as to ride out without men to accompany them?
She saw the shadow of the man as he closed beside her. She tried to jerk Bluebell away, but Blanche was riding close on her other side, hemming her in. She screamed as the man leaned over and grabbed her around her waist and lifted her easily. She fought him, kicking wildly, her hands flailing at his face. He drew to a halt. “Hold, my lady,” he said, and shook her.
Kassia was beyond reason, and she continued to kick at him.
“If you do not stop your struggling, I will throw you facedown over the saddle.”
Kassia went limp. He gathered her against him, sheltering her in the crook of his arm. She saw the two other men surround Blanche.
The man wheeled his horse about, shouting at the other two men to bring Blanche.
You are such a fool, Kassia. Such a fool. She heard herself ask in a small, thready voice. “Who are you? What do you want?”
Dienwald said nothing, merely spurred his destrier to a faster pace. They rode east for some twenty more minutes. When he waved his men to a halt, Kassia was rigid with fear.
He leapt from the saddle, carrying her as if she were naught but a feather. He eased her to her feet. “You will stay here, my lady,” he said in a clipped, cold voice. “If you try to leave, I will beat you senseless.”
Dienwald watched her carefully, to judge if she would obey him. Her face drained of color.
She would obey him, he had no doubt about it. “What is that woman’s name?”