Page 85 of The Raven and the Rose
He smiled into her eyes and brushed his lips across her troubled brow. “Perhaps if I give you time, it will thaw a little.”
She watched him walk away; she didn’t call him back.
Christmas was almost upon them. To cheer herself one December afternoon, she thought she might ride out to gather holly to festoon Ravenspur, but a lethargy crept upon her. She had begun to live in the past. If only she could turn back the clock! If only her little family could celebrate Christmas together again! If only Roger …
Line’s visits had stopped. Though Kate did not reprove her for sending him away, Roseanna knew the practical North-country woman thought her God’s own fool.
She was almost afraid of her mother’s reaction when she learned that her daughter had turned down a marriage proposal from the Earl of Lincoln.
This day, though it was only midafternoon, the light was already waning. As Roseanna lit candles, her nostrils pinched distastefully at the smell of the hot candle wax. She would go to bed early.What else is there to do?she thought listlessly as she slowly ascended the staircase. Suddenly, the door was thrown open below, and the Duke of Clarence and his gentlemen crowded into the hall. Her lethargy vanished instantly. It was replaced by hot, seething anger.
“Christ, little girl, the place is like a tomb! Throw open the wine cellars. Henry, get some young girls from the village, and we’ll have a party.” They were drunk, and the men laughed helplessly whenever George spoke.
“Get out!” she cried.
“What? Is that a fitting welcome for your lover?” He leered. “I’ve come to give you your Christmas present.”
“You conceited pig!”
“Bitch!” he snarled, and took the stairs two at a time.
She threw a heavy silver candelabrum at his head and ran along the second-floor landing. Then she ran into a bedroom and fastened the door tightly against him. He kicked the door in rage until the frame splintered and it gave way.
She backed away from him. “If you touch me again, I’ll make sure Warwick learns of it. If scandal is to your taste, I’ll give you a feast!”
“’Tis no scandal to bed a whore,” he sneered.
“I am the King’s daughter. You are my uncle. What you do is incest!”
“Lying bitch!” He drew back his arm and knocked her halfway across the room. “Where is your son?”
“With my sister-in-law,” she half lied.
His hands dipped into the neck of her gown, and he tore it from her body. She cowered like a cornered animal, and he became aroused. “You are very like your brother; he was a particular favorite of mine.”
“He’s dead, thank God,” she spat.
His eyes narrowed cruelly. “Your brother dead—your husband dead. Isn’t it strange that death always comes in threes? Where did you say the child was? With your mother at Castlemaine?”
“No, no!” cried Roseanna, paralyzed with fear.
He smiled slowly as he removed his clothes. “If it is true that you are Edward’s misbegotten lovechild, I shall enjoy your total submission.”
And submit I did,she thought later, brokenly, as her sobs were turning to dry heaves. Clarence was long gone, and the house was so still, one could hear the ghosts walk. When Kate helped bathe her, she saw a large blue bruise across her breast and said, “Be a sensible lass; go to Lincoln.”
Roseanna nodded, unable to speak.
She put aside her mourning garb and donned her crimson gown slashed with silver in honor of the festive season. When she arrived, with Kate and Mr. Burke in tow, she found Lincoln Castle in the midst of Christmas celebrations. The courtyard was filled with villagers, and the stables were bulging with mounts belonging to Lincoln’s guests. The earl had his whole family there, including his mother, his three sisters, their husbands, and his two young brothers. When he saw her, his face lit up. He went forward to take her hands in his. “Roseanna!” he exclaimed.
“Can we talk in private, Line?” she asked.
He took her into a small anteroom off the ballroom. Kate Kendall and James Burke stood outside the door, trying to ignore the stares they were receiving.
Roseanna was suddenly tongue-tied. She stammered, “I—missed you.”
“Oh, love, if you will only marry me, it will put an end to all your fears. I’ll become your son’s legal guardian and your devoted protector.”
“Your family—will they not object to me?”
