Adored (Thrice Blessed Book 2) Page 2

  Roland slowly shook his head. “Not until we’ve conquered the evil the sisters feel is coming. Each of them talk about a bigger test they must face. Without you and Charles here, I don’t know if we can defeat that evil.” He needed the sword arm of every man, but he certainly couldn't let his two strongest men go. They would be invaluable against whatever enemy they faced.

  Hugh sighed. “I was afraid you would say that. I need to get away from Eva. She controls my every thought. I cannot stay here and live in such close proximity with her. I must get away.” How could he make his feelings clear?

  “I’m sorry, Hugh. I don’t think you leaving is the right thing to do. I think you should stay here and work out your differences with her. You have found a real love, and throwing it away is never the correct answer.” Roland hadn't truly believed in love until he'd taken Christiana in his arms. Yes, he'd craved it, but believing it would happen to him? No, he'd never thought that was possible.

  Hugh was so frustrated he wanted to punch a wall. “I can never do anything without thinking of her. She plagues my every waking thought. She came to my room last evening, just to tell me she wouldn’t give up on me and then she kissed me. She was never so forward!” He shook his head, feeling as if he should be confessing his sins to a priest, not to his friend.

  Roland tried to hide his smile, but didn’t quite succeed. “Eva has always struck me as the most timid of the three sisters. I’m pleased to hear she is not willing to just sit off to the side and let her life be settled for her.”

  Hugh stared at Roland in shock. “Timid? That woman is not timid. She makes me crazy!” He shook his head turning away. “Make certain we train hard today. I have the need to use my sword. Mayhap we could go into the forest and hunt down the resistance?” Killing someone was the only answer to his anger. That or bedding a woman, and as that was what he was trying to avoid, he knew that killing was what he needed to do.

  Roland waited until Hugh was out of earshot, before he began laughing, leaning against the wall in his merriment. He’d never seen Hugh so confused or so willing to go off and leave him alone. He liked the man Eva was turning his friend into, and he wasn’t afraid to say it.

  Hugh had obviously met his match and watching the ensuing battle between his sister-in-law and his friend was going to cause him a great deal of amusement in the days and weeks to come. He couldn’t wait.

  *****

  Eva sat on the bed Christiana shared with Roland, her eyes fiery. “The man is so stubborn he can’t see what’s right before his eyes!” She crossed her arms over her chest, anger vibrating off her.

  Christiana looked over her shoulder from where she stooped to pick up the tunic her husband had dropped to the floor in his haste to bed her the previous evening. “What’s right before his eyes, Eva?”

  Eva glared at her sister. “Love. Love is right before his eyes. He rejects me because I’m a noblewoman. There’s no reason to throw away love, and if there were, that would still be a stupid one. I will not allow him to spurn me!” She just needed a plan. Once she had a plan, she would be able to have Hugh in her life and keep him there.

  Christiana bit her lip to stifle her laughter. “So what will you do?”

  Eva shrugged. “’Tis a very good question you ask, sister. I will do whatever I must do to make him see reason, of course.” She didn't know what that was yet, but she'd know soon, and then she would take action.

  “To see what you consider reason, you mean?”

  “”Tis the same thing. I will make him understand that there is no way I will allow him to throw my love away. I will never marry another. Roland has given me permission to turn away all suitors, and that’s exactly what I will do, unless Hugh offers to become one of them. The man will never know what hit him.” Unless she took a sword to him, of course. He'd know what that was.

  Christiana sat down beside her sister on the bed, her legs folded under her. “Do you have a plan?”

  Eva nodded. “Of course I have a plan. ‘Tis obvious the man has no idea how to control his baser urges when I’m around. I will kiss him at every opportunity. I will bare myself to him whenever no one is looking. I will make sure he sees my legs and my breasts whenever I can. The man will be tormented so much, he will see my very nipples in his sleep!” She wondered if she could add a bit of berry juice to them, so they would be more prominent, but quickly dismissed the idea. She wasn't quite that brazen. Yet.

  Christiana threw her head back and laughed. “‘Twould certainly get the job done, sister. I cannot imagine how he could resist all that. ‘Tis a good plan indeed.”

  The door opened, and Marina joined them both on the bed, sitting on the edge with a defiant look on her face. “What’s a good plan?”

  Eva repeated her ideas to catch Hugh to her younger sister. She was certain Marina would understand with the way Charles had rejected her the previous evening.

  Marina shook her head. “Not me. I don’t care if Charles never looks at me again. I never loved him. His kisses were sweet, but there are too many men in this world for me to care that one doesn’t wish to have me for his wife. I shall simply find another man who kisses even better.” She shrugged to indicate it truly didn't matter to her.

  Eva shook her head. “You would kiss another man? How could you do that when you know Charles is the man meant for you?”

  “Who says Charles is the man meant for me? He’s an overbearing pig of a Norman, and I have no need for him in my life. I’m not so old I must have babes immediately. I will wait until a real man comes along who will treat me the way I deserve to be treated.”

  Christiana sighed heavily. “You know as well as I do you don’t mean that, Marina. You love Charles just as Eva loves Hugh, and I love Roland.”

  Marina shook her head emphatically, denying everything. “He was a fun dalliance and a way to pass the time. Now my time is needed for my training. We must still fight the evil that is to come. Our strength comes from our bonds of sisterhood, not from a man. Nay, I will not fight the man and force him to stay for me. I care naught for his hardheaded, bossy ways.”

  Eva simply looked down at the fur covering the bed. “You can say that all you like, Marina. We know your true self, though, and we will never believe it.” She eyed her sister carefully, noting the sadness in her eyes. “I believe you and Charles will find your happiness together. Give him some time.” She wished she could take away her sister's pain as her sister did for others' wounds, but she knew it was impossible.

  Marina shrugged to indicate she didn’t care.

  Eva sighed. She wished her sister would admit to her feelings. “I need to find a way to get Hugh to realize he’s the best choice for me to marry.” How could she possibly do that? She'd never chased after a man in her life.

  Christiana grinned. “Are we going to come up with a new plan? Or will you simply torment him as you suggested earlier?”

  Eva shrugged. “I’d like to have a plan in case this plan fails. Or something a little less drastic, if possible. I want to marry the man, not have a child with him out of wedlock.” She shrugged, knowing if it meant having Hugh's child, she would happily take on the stigma that came with being an unwed mother.

  Marina eyed Eva. “I guess I wasn’t really thinking about how much you must be hurting as well. I’m sorry.”

  “I’m not hurting. I’m angry, but determined to find a way to make the man admit his love for me.” Eva sighed, looking at the ceiling. “Mayhap I should turn my attentions from him? Pretend I don’t care one whit for his feelings?” She watched her sisters carefully to see how they'd react to her plan.

  Christiana shrugged helplessly. She had been fortunate to have the matter taken out of her hands. Eva and Marina’s torment with the men they loved would have driven her insane. She needed to be able to concentrate on the coming evil, not on the man of her choosing. Of course, if she’d married any man other than Roland, she didn’t think she’d feel the same way. “I would suggest playing mind games with him. One minute you pretend he’s not there. The next time you see him, you back him into a corner and kiss him until he’s panting with passion.”

  Eva sighed. “’Twill probably work better than my plan. I’ll try it.” She looked at Marina. “How can we help you?” She wanted to see Marina smile again, and she knew helping her to snare Charles was the way to make that happen for her.

  “I need no help. I’m not lovesick for the fool.”

  Christiana and Eva looked at one another, and Christiana gave a slight shake of her head. They let the matter drop, for the time being concentrating on Eva and her plan to call Hugh her own.

  Chapter Two

  Eva left the room to see if anyone had been injured. They needed to work on Marina’s powers most of all. She and Christiana had always been able to practice their powers easily, with no harm to others, but Marina had to have someone to heal.

  It was Hugh guarding them that afternoon, and Eva focused on the wall beside his head rather than look at him directly. “Have there been any injuries today? Marina is at full power and needs the biggest injury we can find. Please.”

  She waited for his response, still not looking at him. She was going to ignore him as much as she could this time and pretend indifference, and the next time she saw him, she’d go at him like she’d never seen a man before. She wanted to giggle as she thought about the shock on his face, but she kept her face carefully blank and stared at the wall beside him.

  Hugh looked baffled by her indifference. “I will see if there is anyone she can help. I believe one of the men is still injured from the Battle of Hastings, so we could bring him if there is no other.” He watched her carefully, looking back over his shoulder as he headed for the stairs.

  Eva nodded abruptly. “That wou
ld be fine.” She turned and walked back into Christiana’s bedroom and closed the door with a firm snap. She shook her head. "I almost feel bad for the man. He looked so confused.” She sat back down on the bed with Marina.

  Christiana shook her head, refusing to spend all her time wrapped up in her sister’s love troubles. “Let’s do another vision. See if we can do bigger this time.” She walked to the window and looked out over the training grounds where her husband worked with his men.

  “Project the purple dragon, you know the one, onto the wall watching the men train. We will see how many of the men see it and how the training is affected.” Christiana knew they would be challenged again. Each of the sisters had to be the strongest she’d ever been to meet the coming battle.

  Eva stood and walked to the window, looking out over the men with their swords clashing. Hugh stood off to one side talking to Roland. She grinned to herself as she conjured the purple dragon and had it sit on the wall facing the men, but she added Hugh dangling from the dragon’s mouth with blood dripping off him. It was the most violent image she’d ever projected, but she wanted Hugh to believe, at least for the moment, that she was angry with him.

  All three sisters gathered together to watch how the men would react to the image. Charles was the first to see it, holding his hand up to stop his sparring partner and pointing. All the men slowly stopped to stare, most of them laughing uproariously. They all knew about the sisters’ powers, and all knew their leader believed they were powers from God and not from evil, so they weren’t afraid.

  Even Roland’s face broke out into a huge grin as he watched the dragon sever Hugh’s head from his body and throw his head up in the air and catch it, before placing the head back on the body. The pretend Hugh in the dragon’s arms then sat up on the dragon’s foot and shook his fist at the dragon. Hugh caught the part where the dragon juggled his head and placed it back on his body. His eyes immediately went up to the window of Roland’s room and he shook his head in disgust.

  Eva took a slight bow as the dragon faded from sight and the men below applauded and waved at her high above them in her window. She waved, and all three sisters stepped away from the window. “That was fun!”

  Christiana laughed. “I noticed you put your own touch on the vision so that Hugh would see your true anger.”

  Eva nodded slightly. “I did. I don’t think he was as amused as the other men, though.” Not that she cared if he was amused. He'd seen what she wanted him to see.

  Marina shook her head. “I should think not!” She sighed. “I never did think purple dragons were very believable.”

  “I wasn’t trying to project something believable. I was trying to project something that would make him think about the way he’s rejected me!” Eva crossed her arms over her chest, knowing her message had come through loud and clear by the look on Hugh’s face. She knew she should probably feel guilty for it, but she didn’t.

  They talked for a few minutes before there was a knock on the door. When it opened, a peasant was brought into the room. He was missing his right hand. It was completely healed over, the wound obviously old, but there. Hugh stood beside him, making it clear they had permission to help the man.

  Marina stood and walked to the man, taking his arm into her hands. “What happened?”

  The man shook his head, keeping his head bowed. “Me father was a thief. They cut off me hand when I was a boy to make him stop. Didn’t work.” He was obviously embarrassed to have to tell his story.

  Marina looked at her sisters who both nodded. This would be a difficult healing, but not something beyond her powers. “Sisters?” she asked.

  Both of the others hurried to her, putting their hands against her shoulders. She felt their power pouring into her. She didn’t truly need any power but Christiana’s, for her eldest sister was now so powerful Eva's and Marina’s powers paled in comparison. Marina closed her eyes, concentrating on healing the man.

  As Hugh watched, the man’s hand sprouted from the stub at his wrist and grew to full size. He had seen the sisters use their powers many times, but he was in awe. His eyes were wide with wonder. “'Tis more than I thought you could do, Marina.”

  Marina smiled. “A month ago ‘twould have taken three healings. Now, with Christiana so strong, she just lends me a bit of her powers, and ‘tis simple.”

  Hugh nodded, taking the arm of the peasant to pull him away. The man stared at the three sisters and smiled, his wrinkled skin even more wrinkled at his expression. “Thank you. I’ve been missing that hand for more than fifty years!” He moved his fingers and tested them, the look of joy on his face one that would stay with the sisters forever.

  Hugh pulled the man from the room and closed the door again. Marina looked at Christiana. “Do you think his hand was cut off because he was thieving?”

  Christiana shrugged. “I don’t know. Whyever it happened, 'twas long ago and not something for us to be concerned with.” She studied her youngest sister carefully. “How do you feel? Did it drain you?”

  Marina shook her head. “I wonder if I should accept your help for the healing now. You are so strong that nothing bothers any of us. Will I get stronger if I’m using so much of your power?”

  Christiana shrugged. “I don’t know. I do like knowing that more is possible, and I hate seeing you drained. Eva?”

  “I have no idea. I think it’s good for us to use the power you share. It helps to give us the practice we need without draining us.” Eva had no real answer, but she was always happy to offer an opinion. “Hugh seemed rather upset that I didn’t fall at his feet for a change.”

  Christiana grinned. “The next time you see him, you should be certain to kiss him and touch him.”

  Eva nodded with a smile. “That’s the plan.” It was a plan she adored. She was going to have his attention if nothing else.

  Marina shook her head at the other two. “The man will have no idea whether he’s coming or going!”

  *****

  Hugh cornered Charles when he saw him outside Christiana’s bedroom later that day. “Charles. I have something to ask of you.” He'd thought long and hard about how he wanted to approach the subject with Charles, knowing the younger man had always resented him.

  Charles looked at Hugh. He’d always thought of Hugh as Roland’s friend, but the two got along well enough. “What’s that?”

  “When you leave here, may I go with you?”

  Charles stared at his friend. “You mean when I go to London to seek my fortune with the new king?”

  “Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.”

  “But why? You’ve been Roland’s friend since you were boys. I thought you two would stay together through the years. Is that not so?”

  Hugh sighed heavily. He’d always planned to be Roland’s right hand for the rest of his days. “'Twas always the plan, but the women make things complicated.” He shook his head. “I can’t stay here with Eva so close and hating me the way she does or even loving me the way she did. It hurts us both too much.” What else could he say?

  Charles shrugged. “I would gladly have you at my side.”

  Hugh nodded with relief. “Thank you. I will serve you well.”

  *****

  Eva closed the door quietly, trying to control her anger. First he couldn’t marry her, and now he couldn’t bear to be in the same place as her? What was wrong with the man?

  She had been about to go out in the hall to kiss Hugh and show him how much she cared for him. She was too furious to even look at him now. She sat on the edge of the bed, letting the misery wash over her.

  Christiana rushed to her side. “I’m sorry, sister.”

  Eva looked up at Christiana. “You heard?” She shouldn't be surprised, of course. She tended to project thoughts to Christiana, even when she wasn't trying to.

  Christiana shook her head. “You were throwing your angry thoughts out, and I saw the whole thing through your mind.”