Suzanne Robinson by Lady Defiant

Author:Lady Defiant
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter

14

Surely there is nothing more wretched than a man,

of all the things which breathe and move upon the earth

—Homer

His body was aflame, unsatisfied in a way he’d never experienced. His skin felt as raw as if a hive of bees had stung him, and he admitted to himself that no other woman had ever driven him to this pass. He’d behaved like a randy youth in a brothel. He couldn’t allow it. Blade pounded his fist into the door of the library.

“Damn, damn, damn.”

When they first met he had thought her even-tempered and malleable, but he’d been fooled by her air of distraction brought on by her intellectual curiosity. Now he knew better. Still, he hadn’t expected her to turn into a spitting viper. He also hadn’t expected her temper to ignite his and then hurl him into a maelstrom of desire that vanquished his resolution not to touch her again. The more he saw her, the more he wanted her. Blade looked at his reddened knuckles. They throbbed, and he cursed himself again.

At least he was rid of Leslie now that Oriel had gone to her chamber. The man knew when to give his victims respite from his company. Blade quit the library, shaking his throbbing hand, and returned to the withdrawing chamber. There lay the small comfit box given to Oriel by Derry. He had secreted it beneath a cushion.

“Sodding doxy’s brat,” he muttered to himself as he carried the box to his chamber and examined it. “Handing messages to Oriel.”

Oriel and Leslie had finished the candied fruits, and the box was empty. Blade turned it over, knocked on the wood, then pushed on the bottom. A panel slid back to reveal a small scrap of paper. Blade shut the panel and put the box on the table beside his bed. He lifted his head and listened, but could hear no one. He returned to the paper and studied the images upon it. Beautifully drawn, they were of a red bird and a falcon.

Each detail of feather and beak was carefully traced, but the picture was odd, for the red bird was attacking the falcon. In fact, the red bird had its claws around the falcon’s neck, its beak embedded in the heart of the falcon. The feathers of the red bird were painted a vivid shade, between scarlet and crimson, which is called cardinal. The falcon was his own heraldic device

Blade crumpled the paper in his fist and tossed it into the flames of the fireplace. Leaning on the chimneypiece, he stared into the fire. The Cardinal of Lorraine knew about him, possibly from Claude. As he was contemplating how long he could survive with Charles de Guise hunting for him, René returned with a pile of his master’s clothing in his arms. Blade hardly glanced at him.

René knelt in front of a chest and began transferring hose and shirts to it. Blade spoke softly to his man in French.

“We’re in trouble. The Cardinal of Lorraine has discovered who I am.

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