Page 128 of Feathers in the Wind
“Will they be back?” Penitence asked.
“We've blown the far end of the tunnel. They'll not be back,” Luke said. “And the best part is we have another half dozen barrels of powder to add to our stores.” He pushed back his chair. “Excuse me, please. I have a report on today’s action to write.”
He left the party and retired to Sir John’s study.
As he sat in Sir John Felton’s chair, playing with the feathers of the pen, he looked down at the half-written report. He wondered why he bothered with these daily reports, except as an exercise to prove to Sir John that he took his responsibilities seriously. All of them… except the prohibition about his daughters.
Luke snapped the pen. He had seen Sir John Felton hang a man for stealing a loaf of bread.
He looked up at a knock on the door. Lovedie Brown entered carrying a flask and a cup. She shut the door behind her and crossed to the desk.
“I thought you might be thirsty,” she said, setting the cup and flask down on the table in front of him.
“Thank you, Lovedie.”
Luke lifted the jug, but Lovedie reached out and took the jug from him. “Let me, Captain Collyer.”
The wine splashed into the cup, blood-red in the candlelight. Lovedie walked around to his side of the table and set the cup down on the report Luke had been writing. As she did so she leaned forward, offering a provocative view of the swell of her breasts. Luke swallowed, and the hair on the back of his neck prickled.
Lovedie moved behind him, resting her hands on his shoulders. She began to knead the taut muscles of his neck and shoulders.
Far from a relaxing experience, Luke tensed, as her hands slipped inside his shirt.
“What are you doing?” he said as the questing fingers moved down his body.
“I’ve seen how hard you work, Captain Collyer,” she whispered in his ear. “I thought you might like a little fun.”
Despite himself, his own body responded to her touch and he made no move to avoid her.
“Lovedie...” he began, embarrassed to hear his voice crack with lust. “This isn't going to happen...”
Her hand slid lower. “Are you sure? Because that's not what you're telling me.”
The other hand continued to caress the back of his neck. He knew he should resist, but he had no power to move of his own volition. It was as if he had become a puppet in her hands and what hands... he groaned as she tugged at his belt, unbuckling it, and sliding her hand inside. She straddled his lap and cradled his face in her hands, her luscious lips parting as she bent toward him.
With a supreme effort, Luke pushed her away and jumped to his feet. She fell to the ground with a thump and sat in the circle of her skirts, looking up at him, anger flashing from her eyes.
“Don’t you want me?”
He swallowed, ignoring the ache in his groin. “Yes…no…I…I made a vow,” he said, “of chastity until the end of this siege.”
Lovedie rose to her feet, smoothing down her skirts. She gave him a scornful look, her lip curling in derision. “You? Chastity? A man like you needs to forget his cares.” She paused, tilting her head to one side. “It’s Mistress Deliverance, isn’t it? I’ve seen how she looks at you. Why would you want her when I can show you pleasures you’ve never dreamed of?”
He had no doubt she could, and at that thought, he took a deep breath.
“Lovedie, I’ve no need of what you have to offer, and I would thank you not to speak of Mistress Felton in that way. You owe her your life.”
The girl sniffed, tossing the thick, red locks as she stalked toward the door. As she put her hand on the latch she turned, looking at him from beneath lowered eyelashes, and said. “I’d not meant to offend, but if you change your mind, Captain Collyer…”
“I won’t. Thank you, Lovedie.”
As the door shut behind her Luke took a deep breath. The cup of wine had spilled in the altercation and spread across the table and the report he had been writing. He cursed, and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
Fresh air. I need fresh air.
As he stepped out on to the curtain wall, he turned his face up to the dark night and let the rain cleanse him of the disgust at his own reaction to Lovedie’s advances. He could have so easily succumbed to what she had to offer.
The base man in him whispered,Are you mad? A beautiful, experienced woman, throwing herself at you? Why didn’t you take what she had to offer? Deliverance will never know.
