Page 69 of Warrior’s Lady

And if so, what did it all mean for her future? A warm glow flowed through her. "Let's get this dress on. Shall we?" She would find no answers to her questions standing in this room.

In no time at all with Rosy's help, the silken fabric draped across her breasts, her hips, her thighs, fitting her to perfection. The fabric was foreign to her. She had never seen its equal. Had Camden brought it back with him from the Holy Land like so many of the furnishings of his castle?

"Ye look enchantin', milady," Rosy said as she stepped back to admire Rhiannon in the gown.

"I feel enchanted."

"I'll see ye belowstairs with the others." Rosy bobbed a curtsy, then left the chamber.

Rhiannon let her fingers glide through the sea of light blue silk and lace, and a smile came to her lips. The dress wrapped her body in a cocoon of comfort and confidence until a knock sounded on the door and Camden entered.

He took a step into the chamber, then stopped. The intensity of his gaze made her uneasy, causing a tight stricture in her chest. "You look magnificent," he said, his voice thick. A heartbeat later, he continued toward her, taking her hands in his.

"Are you ready?"

He took her arm and guided her from the chamber down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs, the entire staff crowded into the great hall to watch them. Murmurs of excitement floated about the hall.

At the bottom of the stairs, Mistress Faulkner awaited them. She held out a fur cloak to Camden, who took it and placed the heavy warmth about Rhiannon's shoulders before adding a second cloak around his own. "One last thing," he said, accepting a silken band from Mistress Faulkner. "I must place this over your eyes."

"A blindfold?" She tensed at the memory of the last time her vision had been taken from her.

He must have seen the tension in her body because he added, "A temporary measure." His blue eyes glinted with mischief. At her sharp nod, he tied the band around her eyes. "Now we proceed."

Holding her tight, he led her out the front door of the keep and onto the castle grounds. Evening air brushed against her cheeks, and she nestled into the heavy cloak about her shoulders. It was long enough to brush against her legs, and she was grateful for the extra warmth. He led her along for a spell before stopping and gently removing the blindfold.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the fading light of day, and when they did, she felt the breath leave her lungs. She froze, taking in the scene. After that first stunning impact, she felt a rush of overwhelming rightness. As if everything in her life had led her to this moment.

She moved slowly into the scene. A hundred candles glittered in the darkening evening air, on the ground and higher up, on a semi-circular stone wall at the edge of the castle's fish pond. A thick sheet of ice covered the pond that glistened and sparkled beneath the glow of the flames.

It was as she remembered from the night so long ago with her mother. The night he'd asked her to share her memories with him. "You did this for me?"

The sheer beauty of the moment robbed her of speech. She reached out to one of the clusters of candles near her, her hand hovering over the soft golden light. The flame was warm beneath her palm, as warm as the look in Camden's blue eyes.

"Do you like it?"

"It's beautiful." Thickness tightened her throat.

"Aye, 'tis beautiful," he said, not looking at the scene before them but at her face. He took a step closer, drawing her body up against his. They were isolated in a cocoon of intimacy, out of view from the rest of the castle. "Will you glide with me?"

She nodded, not trusting her voice. He drew her over to a bench nearby and slipped pattens on her feet, then slipped into his own. He drew her up against his body, shifting his cloak so that her body pressed against his before he wrapped his cloak about them both. Then, slowly, carefully, he guided her about the ice.

The night air brushed against her cheeks as they glided from one end of the ice to the other, their bodies moving as one. She could feel her breasts swell, her pulse accelerate at his nearness. The heat of his body wrapped around her in a cocoon of warmth and arousal.

His lips caressed her temple, brushed the sensitive place just behind her ear. She drew a sharp breath. "Why did you do this?" she asked, needing to understand his motives before she couldn't think anymore, before his nearness clouded her brain.

"I want to remind you of a happier time."

He moved to kiss her neck. She pulled back despite the fact her knees felt weak and rubbery beneath her. She had to understand. "I need to know something."

"What?"

"You know who I am. That used to bother you. Does it still?"

The glow of the candlelight illuminated only one side of his face, leaving the other in darkness. Mysterious. She'd seen his ruthless side when she'd first arrived at the castle. She'd also seen his gentler side, more times than she cared to admit. But who was this man, truly?

"I used to think I knew who you were, and I was swept away by you anyway." He paused. "Does that make sense?"

"Aye," she breathed. Of all the things he had said tonight, that made the most sense, yet unsettled her at the same time. It was what she'd always wanted. Someone to look past her name, and into her heart and mind. To look at the person she was meant to be.