Chapter 7
Gaston reined in the gelding, too, and so sharply that the startled animal tossed its head and snorted as if in protest. Gaston merely laughed as if the entire awful scene amused him.
“Ah, cousin, look what I found while foraging for mushrooms in the woods! A beautiful forest nymph with auburn hair and a fine English accent—and, oh, yes! I believe her name isEstelle. I recall you screaming it a time or two when things became, well, how shall we say? A bit too hot for you.”
Wincing as Gaston pressed the tip of the blade more deeply into her skin, Estelle didn’t dare move. Didn’t dare speak.
All she could do was watch wide-eyed as Valentin waved for the soldiers who had accompanied him into the forest to hold in place, their lathered horses tossing theirheads and whinnying shrilly. The piercing sound echoed through the trees, while Valentin nudged his stallion a bit closer.
“No further, Valentin!” Gaston warned him, slipping the blade lower along Estelle’s neck. “I’ll cut her throat before she draws another breath if you or your men make any attempt to rescue her.”
“What do you want, Gaston?”
Estelle swallowed at the tightly controlled furyin Valentin’s voice, his gaze riveted upon his cousin’s face.
“Safe passage, of course, past your well-guarded borders. Estelle has kindly agreed to accompany me to ensure no one tries to stop us, haven’t you?”
She didn’t move, cringing when Gaston bellowed in her ear, “Damn you, woman, nod for the man so he knows you understand the part you play!”
She bobbed her head but not too much, fearfulof the knife that lay crosswise now at the base of her throat. Her slight movement only made Gaston laugh again, the cruel sound making an agonized look pass across Valentin’s face as if he were in pain.
Her heart flew out to him, Estelle wondering how many times that brutal laughter had tormented him while Gaston burned his flesh—God help her, no! She couldn’t bear to think of it!
“Very well,you have safe passage,” Valentin grated, “but what of when you’ve crossed the border? Will you release her at the first town?”
“Hmm, an interesting question.” Clearly taunting him, Gaston shifted his hips against her in a most suggestive, and terrifying, manner that made Estelle’s blood run cold. “Perhaps…or perhaps not. It seems I’ve always wanted what is yours, Valentin. Your throne, your castle.Why not your woman, too? You wouldn’t have been such a fool to have surrendered yourself for her sake if you weren’t completely smitten by her—”
“No!”
Estelle’s high-pitched shriek so startled the gelding that the animal lurched sideways, catching Gaston totally off guard.
As he cursed, struggling with the reins, she no longer felt the knife at her throat and seized her chance to throw herselffrom the horse.
She hit the ground with a jarring thud, the breath slammed from her body. Yet nothing could have been more jarring than the bloodcurdling scream that suddenly rent the air.
In horror she looked up to see Gaston with the blade of a knife stuck in his throat…his own knife.
Valentin stood next to the gelding, clearly having jumped from his horse to wrest the weapon from his cousinand wield it against him, lethally. Blood pouring from the wound, Gaston made as if to pull out the knife, but then his arms went limp and his eyes rolled back into his head. His lifeless body pitched to the ground as Estelle scrambled out of the way, screaming now.
In revulsion and relief…while Valentin fell to his knees to pull her, shaking uncontrollably, into his arms.
***
“You’renot to leave this bed until you rest, do you hear me?” Adam said sternly, pulling the covers up to Estelle’s chin. “You have bruising, but fortunately no cracked ribs. As for that nick on your neck…”
Adam fell silent and Estelle could see that he swallowed hard, overcome by emotion, as Linette stepped closer to touch her husband’s arm.
“It’s not deep and will heal quickly, thank God.”
Now itwas Estelle who swallowed hard, feeling so wretched for the terrible distress her sister and brother-in-law had suffered since she’d arrived back at the castle.
Valentin shouting for a doctor as he carried her to her bedchamber while the place erupted in commotion.
Robert hastening as best he could down the hall to fetch Adam.
Valentin laying her upon the bed and ordering servants to fetchlinens to bind her ribs if they were found to be broken.
Her brother-in-law appearing a moment later, still pulling on his shirt, his face growing more ashen as Valentin quickly relayed what had happened.
