Born In Sin Page 13

  Alone was what he knew and alone was how he intended to stay.

  Callie stayed up most of the night, trying to think of ways to reach her husband. There had to be some way to get underneath his thick hide and make him accept her.

  Morna would know. As soon as they reached her home, she would corner Morna and find out everything she needed. Aye, with Morna's help, Sin would be a cooked goose.

  She wasn't about to grow old without children. Whether he admitted it or not, Sin liked children. No man watched over Jamie the way Sin did unless he had paternal feelings. And from what she'd seen, Sin would make a wonderful father.

  "Sleep well, husband," she whispered. Because on the morrow she intended to begin the war she hoped would win her husband's heart.

  * * *

  Chapter 8

  « ^ »

  Well, so much for her war to win Sin's heart. The entire next morning was spent just trying to get him to speak.

  Callie was at a loss as to what to do. By the time she awoke, their horses were already saddled and he and Simon were waiting for her and Jamie to resume their trip.

  When she smiled and greeted Sin, the best he gave was a noncommittal grunt. In fact, the only response he gave to any question or comment she posed that entire morning was a noncommittal grunt.

  By the time they stopped for a rest at midday, she was quite ready to throttle him. Or at the very least set a pack of wild dogs onto his hide.

  Miffed beyond measure, she laid out their food, then went to her husband, who was busy tending the horses. "I was thinking of setting myself on fire tonight. Would you mind?"

  He grunted again, then looked up sharply. "What?"

  She smiled. "Ha! I knew it. I knew I could get you to talk. Just think, a whole word, too. Who knows, if I keep this up, I might have you speaking an entire sentence by week's end."

  Sin tried to glower at her audacity, but the woman's charm was infectious. Not to mention she looked just a bit too adorable standing before him with her hair braided down her back and her cheeks bright. What was it about this woman, that every time she came near him, he wanted to kiss those plump, full lips? To bury his head in her neck and just inhale her sweet scent?

  Her very presence set him on fire and left his entire body throbbing with need.

  "I thought you wished to get home as quickly as possible," he said, noting the deepness of his voice.

  "Aye, but we can talk while we do that. Have you noticed Simon hasn't had a bit of trouble asking me how I feel or if I am eager to see my family?"

  He glanced to where Simon stood with Jamie while he added a feed sack to his horse. "I'm afraid I don't speak quite as much as Simon." Then again, he doubted if a herd of women spoke as much as Simon.

  "I noticed. It's not exactly something you try to hide."

  Sin picked up his brush and started rubbing down his horse. He couldn't fathom why Callie chose to be here with him when she could be with her brother and Simon. Especially given the way he had treated her this morning. "Why are you being so kind to me?"

  Callie paused at the words. "You say that as if someone being kind is highly unusual."

  "It is. In case you didn't notice in London, most people won't even meet my gaze."

  She thought about that for a minute. "I think it's your glower that frightens them."

  "I have no glower."

  "I beg to differ on that point. You are quite ferocious with it."

  "Then why aren't you intimidated?"

  "I have absolutely no idea. My father always said I had more courage than ten men."

  "I think your father was right."

  She smiled at him and it did the strangest thing to his breathing, made his groin tighten instantly.

  She waved her hand back and forth between them. "I want you to notice that right now, this instant, we are having a conversation. It's really not hard, now, is it? Think you we can carry this on for the rest of the day?"

  He actually smiled at that. "I didn't mean to be curt with you this morning. I just don't like to talk while I travel."

  "Very well, then, I shall forgive you. But only so long as you make it a point not to ignore me in the future."

  "I shall try."

  Sin watched her walk off, his heart heavy. She was a great beauty, and he didn't mean her looks. Her beauty was soul deep and possessed a brilliance he'd never known existed.

  In that moment, he ached for her. Ached to be a man like Simon.

  If he were honorable and decent…

  He clenched his teeth. There was nothing to be done about it. He was what he was, and there was no way to change it.

  Sighing in regret, he returned to tending his horse.

  By the time they reached Ravenswood the next day, Callie was more than ready for a night of good, solid rest. The inn they'd stayed in the day before had been cramped and cold, the innkeeper sour and dour.

  It had been a miserable night spent with Jamie's elbows and feet digging into her while she wondered where her husband was sleeping.

  But tonight there would be plenty of room for Jamie to have his own bed and her husband would not be able to escape her. Aye, she would keep him by her side even if she had to tie him to her.

  Simon had become more and more anxious the closer to Ravenswood they got, and as soon as the massive castle came into view, he spurred his horse forward, racing down the hill to the drawbridge.

  "I think he's excited," she said to Sin.

  "Aye, he and his brother have always been close. Much like you and Jamie."

  She glanced to where Jamie slept, nestled in Sin's arms. Jamie had grown so weary an hour back that Sin had feared he would fall from his horse. Sin had stopped and pulled the lad to ride with him so that Jamie could nap in peace.

  Jamie held the face of an angel while he slumbered and she didn't miss the gentleness of Sin. For a man who wanted no children, he showed a kind concern that many men lacked.

  By the time they entered the well-kept, stylish bailey, Simon was standing with a very handsome, tall, dark-haired man and a blond lady who looked to be expecting a child any day. The man held a toddler in his arms and looked upon them with brotherly affection.

  He must be Draven of Ravenswood.

  "Sin," Draven greeted with a hint of reserve in his demeanor. "It's been a long time."

  Sin reined his horse just before the three of them. Something insidious and painful crossed Sin's brow as he glanced around the lovely yard, which bustled with servants attending their duties.

  A haunted look came into his dark eyes and was shared by the man before her.

  "Aye, Draven," Sin said quietly, "it has. You look well and happy. Congratulations."

  Draven smiled. "The same to you."

  Simon came forward to take Jamie so that Sin could dismount. Sin, in turn, helped Callie from the saddle and led her to the others while the horses were led away by stable hands.

  "My wife, Caledonia," he said to Draven.

  Draven's eyes widened a bit in surprise, but he quickly concealed it. He turned to the pregnant lady and his face instantly softened. "My wife, Emily."

  Simon laughed. "Could we be anymore stilted, gentlemen? These ladies would never know the trouble the two of you once brewed."

  Draven laughed at that. "Us? I recall it was you doing most of it while we pulled you from harm's way."

  "Lies!" Simon cried. "I was an innocent led astray by you demons of Lucifer."

  "Innocent?" Sin asked Draven. "Remember that time he shot the bear with an arrow?"

  Draven snorted. "Remember it? I am still scarred from it. And what of the wolf?"

  Sin snorted, then lowered his voice to a child's falsetto. "Look, Draven, Sin, I found a puppy."

  "A puppy with an angry mother."

  "Oh, wonderful," Simon said sarcastically. "Now, why on earth did I want to put the two of you together again? I recant my words. Go back to your sullenness. Both of you."

  Emily hugged Simon and squeezed his
arm. "Poor Simon, ever the brunt of it."

  Shifting Jamie's weight in his arms, Simon glanced at Callie, and by the look on his face, she knew he was remembering her trick of tying him to the bed. "You've no idea, Em."

  Callie smiled serenely at him.

  Emily reached out and took Callie's hand. "Come inside and let us see to a bed for your brother and a hot meal and rest for you and your husband."

  There was an open and kind air about Emily of Ravenswood. One that made Callie feel instantly at home. Though she didn't know the woman at all, she felt a kinship with her.

  As soon as they were inside, the toddler kicked Draven and demanded to be put down. "Hen, stay close."

  The boy ran to the hearth and gathered an armful of toys, then ran to Callie to show her each one of them. He garbled and cooed at her in rapid succession, but she only caught a word or two of his speech.

  "He's telling you that his grandfather bought the horse at Ransock's fair, where he got to play with a monkey."

  Callie laughed. "Ah, that makes much more sense. How old is he?"

  "A year and a half."

  "When is the next due?"

  "Within a month, I think."

  Callie stared at Emily's plump belly with a touch of envy, and she wondered if she might have already conceived from her wedding night. It would be wonderful to have a child growing inside her. To feel the small fluttering of the baby and know it was hers to love…

  She couldn't wait for the day.

  Hen pulled at Callie's sleeve, wanting into her lap. Without hesitation, she sat him there and let him continue to show her his toys.

  Sin watched the natural way Callie coddled the babe and his heart ached. Breathing deeply, he looked around the great hall. It was so strange to be back after all these years.

  He couldn't remember the times he had been pinned before that same hearth while Harold maliciously beat him for any number of imagined reasons. In those days, the hall had been bleak and dark.

  Now it was painted and welcoming. He barely recognized it. Even the dais with the lord's table had been moved to a different location.

  Still, he knew this place. Felt the haunted memories of the past stirring. Painful, bitter memories he had spent his entire life trying to bury.

  Draven placed a hand on his shoulder.

  Instinctively, Sin started to knock it away, but forced himself to endure it. There was much about Draven that reminded him of Harold. The same dark hair, the same features and height. The only difference were the eyes. Harold's had beer cruel and brown, while Draven possessed the light blue, kind eyes of his mother.

  "The ghosts of the past are hard to exorcise, aren't they?"

  Sin nodded. "I'm amazed you can live here."

  "In truth, I only existed here until my wife forced herself upon me."

  "Forced herself?"

  Draven laughed. "You've no idea what a tigress resides in that angelic body."

  Sin looked to Callie, who appeared as calm and serene as the Madonna herself. Aye, looks could be quite deceiving.

  Draven offered him a cup of wine, but still couldn't meet his gaze for any length of time. Sin knew why. He'd never forgotten the day they had last seen each other.

  The heat of Outremer had been searing. Barely fourteen, Sin had been Harold's squire for more than four years. The old earl had wanted to make peace with God and kill a few Saracens and so he had packed up his knights, son and squire and made for Jerusalem.

  The journey had been arduous. Two of the knights had died en route and three more had been slain in battle. The last of Harold's knights had died of disease just the day before a bandit had robbed Harold of all his money.

  Penniless, Harold had made for a slaver. The man had wanted Draven even though he was two years younger. Draven had been better fed and far less scarred.

  "You'll not take my son," Harold had growled. "You can only have this one."

  He had shoved a stunned Sin into the man's hands, where he had been inspected in the crudest and coldest of fashions. They had haggled over his worth and in the end he had been sold for less than the price of a good night's lodging.

  When the slaver's men had come at him with irons, Sin had fought them with all his strength. But it hadn't been enough. And as they had dragged him away and the old man paid Harold, Sin had seen a flash of relief on Draven's boyish face that his father hadn't sold him instead.

  Sin cleared his throat as he banished the memory. "I don't blame you, you know."

  Guilt was etched into Draven's face. "I should have done something."

  "Done what?"

  "Fought him. Protested. I don't know." He took a deep breath. "Something."

  "You were twelve years old, Draven. You were starving and scared. Had you moved, he would have either beaten you or sold you, too. Honestly, it's all right."

  They both knew he was lying. As bad as Harold had been, he had been a saint compared to the Saracen who had bought Sin.

  For a time, they watched the women and spoke of nothing in particular. And after a little while, they relaxed and remembered the boys they had once been. Coconspirators who had made mischief and mayhem.

  And with Simon's help, they joined the ladies and retold some of their juicier stories.

  "They tell me no one can defeat you in arms," Draven taunted Sin while Sin leaned against the hearth.

  "I've heard the same of you."

  Simon groaned. "Sweet Jesu, not this again."

  "What, Simon?" Emily asked.

  Simon shook his head. "Ladies, be prepared. You are about to witness the most horrendous thing on earth."

  Callie frowned. "What?"

  "Two champions at odds."

  Callie laughed, until Sin spoke again.

  "I could take you."

  Draven snorted. "Nay. Only in your most fanciful dreams. But I, on the other hand, could make you cry like a girl."

  "Ha! Never."

  "You think not?"

  "I know not."

  "Then suit up and meet me outside."

  "Draven!" Emily gasped. "They haven't been here hardly any length of time and you wish to spar with Lord Sin?"

  "I'm not going to spar with him, Em, I'm going to sweep the list with him."

  Sin scoffed. "You wish."

  "Sin," Callie said as he pushed himself away from the hearth. "Are you not too tired?"

  "Even half dead, I could beat him with one arm tied behind my back."

  Draven smiled evilly. "Then do it."

  "I will."

  Simon groaned even louder.

  Callie looked up at Simon. "They're not serious, are they?"

  Emily answered for him. "I have an awful feeling they are."

  Her awful feeling turned out to be correct when ten minutes later both men came back downstairs dressed for battle.

  "Will you not at least eat first?" Simon called.

  They shook their heads in unison and headed for the door. Their voices echoed through the room as they clattered down the foyer.

  "Lay on, Sin, and taste your first defeat."

  " 'Tis your own feet you'll be tasting, Draven-boy. There shall never come a day when you can best me."

  Draven paused at the door and looked back to the hearth. "Come, Simon, and watch your foster brother eat crow."

  The men slammed their helmets on, clanged their swords together, then headed outside.

  "Simon?" Callie asked. "Should I be worried?"

  They heard a scream from outside the door.

  "I think we should be worried," Emily said as she scrambled to her feet and rushed for the door.

  Simon grabbed Hen and they followed Emily to see the men outside in the yard.

  "Alys?" Emily asked an attractive, dark-haired maid who appeared to be around Emily's age. The woman stood with her hand over her heart as if she'd suffered a horrendous fright. "Are you all right?"

  "Aye," Alys said, "but your husband is dangerous with that sword, milady."

  "You
have no idea," Simon muttered as he approached the men. He flashed a bright smile at the maid, who blushed prettily, then hastened off.

  As soon as the men locked swords, a small crowd of servants and knights formed to watch them. Emily and Callie exchanged a frustrated, weary look, then went to try and break them up.

  It didn't work.

  Hours went by as Sin and Draven attempted to pummel each other into the ground.

  After a time, Jamie got up from his nap, played with Hen, then both were tucked into bed. Supper was served, eaten and then grew cold all the while they waited for the two combatants to grow up and join them.

  Even the crowd outside dispersed as the watchers made their way to their own beds.

  Finally, Emily had a brilliant idea. She and Callie made platters, then took them outside where their husbands were still fighting.

  Someone, most likely Draven, had ordered rushlights lit around the list so that they could see each other even in the darkness of night. In spite of the lunacy of their actions, Callie did have to admire them. They were both extraordinary fighters, especially given the fact they had been at this for many hours.

  "Mmmm," Emily said, taking a whiff of the roasted venison in cherry sauce. "Callie, you must take a bite of this. 'Tis the best venison our cook has ever prepared."

  The men slowed a bit as they craned their necks to see.

  Callie took a bite and moaned in exaggerated bliss. "You are right. 'Tis marvelous. Delicious." She cast a sideways glance to see the men stopping. "The best I have ever eaten."

  Sin's stomach rumbled at the thought of the banquet the ladies held. He hadn't eaten much of anything that day. But Satan's throne would freeze before he ceded this battle to Draven.

  "You're looking a bit weak," Draven taunted. "Methinks you need a bite to replenish your feeble strength."

  "My strength is nowhere near as feeble as your brain."

  They began hammering blows again.

  Callie and Emily exchanged annoyed glares. Men!