Read Desire for Free Online Page A

his loyalty could be assured of unswerving service.
    Four years earlier Ulrich had sworn fealty to the Hellhound of Wyckmere.
    Ulrich knew Gareth better than anyone, including Thurston. He was well aware that Gareth had never before offered the Window of Hell to man or woman, lord or lady, master or mistress.
    "I will admit that you have a way with grand and impressive gestures."
    Ulrich stroked his jaw thoughtfully.
    "With you, such gestures always conceal clever traps. But this was an unusual move, even for you."
    "It was an unusual situation."
    "Still, it was merely another snare, was it not? You left the lady little alternative but to accept the Window of Hell."
    Gareth shrugged.
    "It would have been awkward if she had turned the blade on you and tried to run it through your gut."
    "She was hardly likely to do that. The greater risk was that she would refuse to accept it." Gareth held the scented soap to his nose and sniffed cautiously. "Does it seem to you that everything here on Desire smells of flowers?"
    "The whole damned isle smells like a garden. I vow, even the village ditch is perfumed."
    "It appeared that it was linked to the sea through a channel of some sort." Gareth frowned thoughtfully. "The refuse is no doubt washed out with the tide. The garderobes here in the hall empty into a similar sort of system. Very interesting."
    "I have never understood your curiosity about clever devices." Ulrich drew in a long breath, inhaling the scent of spring that poured through the open window behind him. "Tell me, what would you have done if the lady had refused the blade?"
    "It no longer matters, does it? She did take the blade."
    "And sealed her fate, is that what you believe? I would not be too certain of that, my friend. I have a feeling that the lady of Desire is a resourceful female. From what you have told me, 'tis she who has kept this manor so fat and profitable."
    "Aye. Her mother taught her the secrets of perfume making. Her brother apparently spent all his time riding from one tournament to another until he finally got himself killed. Her father was a scholar who had no interest in managing his lands. He preferred to spend his time in Spain translating Arab treatises."
    Ulrich smiled slightly. "What a pity you never made his acquaintance.
    The two of you would have had much to discuss."
    "Aye." Gareth felt a sudden surge of satisfaction. Once wed, he would retire from hunting outlaws and return to his first love?hunting the treasures buried in books and manuscripts, such as those Clare's father had collected. Water cascaded off his big frame as he stood and reached for a drying cloth.
    "Hell's teeth. I smell like a budding rose."
    Ulrich grinned. "Mayhap your new lady will appreci' ate the scent. Tell me, how did you guess that the wench on the convent wall was in truth the mistress of Desire?"
    Gareth made a small, dismissing movement with one hand while he dried his hair with the cloth. "Twas obvious she was the right age. And she was better dressed than any of the villagers."
    "Aye. Nevertheless?"
    "She bore herself with an air of confidence and authority. I knew that she must be either an inhabitant of the convent who had not yet taken the veil, or the lady of the manor.
    I gambled on the latter."
    Gareth recalled his first view of Clare. From his position astride his stallion, he had noticed her as she clambered up to sit atop the stone wall. She had been a lithe, graceful figure dressed in a green gown and saffron mantle. The neck, hem, and sleeves of her tunic had been embroidered in yellow and orange, as had the wide girdle. The latter had rested low on her hips, emphasizing a narrow waist and the womanly flare of her thighs.
    To Gareth, the woman on the wall had been the embodiment of spring itself, as fresh and vivid as the fields of roses and lavender which carpeted the isle.
    Her long, dark brown hair, loosely secured by a narrow circlet and a tiny scrap of fine linen, had gleamed with a rich luster