They both knew there was hardly any time remaining, and he wanted to claim her swiftly. When Warrick drew his hand between her legs, she was already wet for him. He needed to be inside her, and he fumbled with his clothing, hurrying at her urging.
Then he plunged deep and was rewarded with her shuddering cry. Her hands moved beneath his tunic, raking his back as he thrust. This time, their lovemaking was far different. He wanted to brand himself upon Rosamund, so that no man would ever touch her again.
‘I love you,’ she blurted out, gripping his hair as he plunged and withdrew. ‘Now and always.’
He couldn’t say the words, but he swore, ‘No one will ever part us, Rosamund.’
She wept as he took her over the edge once more, and finally he emptied himself into her, groaning as their bodies became one. Her breathing was hitched as she lay beneath him. He dried her tears, holding her as the moon rose above them.
‘I don’t want to lose you,’ she whispered.
But he knew the battle for this woman would be hard won. And if her father had indeed come after her, Harold would do anything to separate them.
For this night, they would remain outside the gates. Warrick withdrew from her body and arranged a blanket from his cloak. She lay down upon it, and he enfolded her in the wool, wrapping it around both of them. The night air was crisp, but her body was warm from their lovemaking.
He knew not what the morrow would bring, but for now, he would lie with this woman in his arms.
* * *
Rosamund awakened to the sound of horses approaching. She sat up and saw that Warrick was standing over her, fully armed with a sword and shield in his hands. Though he was only one man, she knew he would let no one harm her.
Her hair was a tousled mess around her shoulders, but she stood up to face the men. As she had feared, her father was leading the group. Harold de Beaufort appeared strangely calm, as if he had been waiting for her. He lifted his hand in a silent signal, and the soldiers surrounded them.
Her father studied her, eyeing her rumpled gown and unkempt appearance. Then he ordered the men, ‘Take him.’
‘Do not harm my husband,’ Rosamund blurted out. She took Warrick’s hand in hers, though she suspected it was futile trying to protect him.
‘He is not your husband,’ Harold said quietly. ‘Tell whatever lies you wish, but you are already betrothed to Alan de Courcy.’
Warrick fought against the men closing in. He raised his shield, keeping her behind him. But he murmured in her ear, ‘Go with your father, Rosamund. I will be fine.’
She didn’t believe that at all. Her father’s calm demeanour suggested that he had already decided what to do with Warrick. ‘If I go, I don’t trust him not to harm you.’
In the end, she had no choice when the men separated them. Rosamund cried out as two soldiers seized her by both arms and jerked her away from him. Warrick fought hard to get to her, but another soldier struck him across the skull with his shield. He lost consciousness, and she screamed when he dropped to the ground.
But the soldiers held her so tightly, she could not go to him. ‘What have you done?’ she demanded of her father.
‘He will be dealt with soon enough,’ Harold said. ‘You will come with me, and we will discuss what will happen now.’ He motioned for her to join him on horseback. The two soldiers forced her onto the saddle, though she fought them.
Warrick still had not regained consciousness, and fear roared through her. She wanted to run to him, to know if he was alive. Was he bleeding?
‘I will go nowhere with you,’ she shot back. Though she tried to dismount, the men held her there.
‘His life depends on your obedience,’ her father said quietly. He signalled for his men to pick up Warrick’s fallen body, and they placed him face down on horseback. A moment later, he stirred, and she was able to breathe again.
Tears of relief streamed down her face, and she pleaded, ‘Let me go to him. I need to know if he will be all right.’
Her father guided his horse alongside hers. He seized her wrist in a firm grip. ‘Come with me, Rosamund. I have a great deal to say to you.’
He took the reins of her horse in his other hand and forced her to follow. She looked back at Warrick, and a moment later, her father’s soldiers surrounded them. Wildly, she wondered if it was possible to free him somehow. But no, there were too many men. She tried to calm her mind, and she realised that defying her father would only make matters worse. They needed to speak with one another calmly and come to an understanding. Though she doubted if her father would kill Warrick, she did not know how Harold would punish the man she loved.
Her throat closed up at the thought, and she lowered her head. ‘I will go with you willingly, as long as your men do not hurt Warrick.’
Harold said nothing but continued riding towards the fortress. ‘You have no choice, Rosamund. When you decided to leave with him, you surrendered your free will. Now you will do exactly as I say, or he will suffer for every command you disobey.’
Her heart thundered at the warning, for she knew he spoke the truth. He had absolute power, and Rosamund wept silently. Her only hope was that obedience would pacify him.
Harold led the men into Dolwyth, lifting her down from her horse. To the soldiers he commanded, ‘Put our prisoner in chains.’
