Duncan stood by the edge of the water, the lower half of his body covered. He looked just like an avenging godchild of Zeus, for he was gifted with a most magnificent body.
He hadn't bothered to put his tunic back on, but threw it carelessly over one shoulder instead. Didn't he feel the cold? Madelyne was already shivering from the breeze that came through the window. Yet Duncan acted as if it were a warm spring day. Why, he was walking back toward his home with a lazy, unhurried stride.
Madelyne's heart quickened as Duncan drew closer. He certainly was well proportioned. The man was long in flank, lean in waist, extremely broad in shoulders. The strength in his upper arms was clearly outlined by the light. Madelyne could see muscles all but rippling across his chest. Power radiated from him, even from such a distance, drawing her and worrying her at the same time.
Duncan suddenly stopped and looked up, catching Madelyne staring at him. She instinctively raised her hand in greeting, then faltered in the attempt. Madelyne couldn't see the expression on his face, but she guessed he was scowling. Lord knew that was his usual expression.
Madelyne turned away and went back to her bed, forgetting in her haste to close the shutters.
She was still angry. Every time the picture of Adela came into her mind, she wanted to scream. She'd wept instead, for almost a good hour, until her cheeks were raw and her eyes swollen.
Adela was the initial reason for her fury. The poor girl had been through such an ordeal.
Madelyne understood what it felt like to be at the mercy of another. She knew the rage inside Adela and pitied the girl.
Yet she was also furious with the Wexton brothers. They had made the situation far worse by treating Adela so poorly.
Madelyne made the decision that she'd accept responsibility for Adela now. She didn't think she wanted to help Duncan 's sister because Louddon had caused her pain. Even though Madelyne was Louddon's sister, she wasn't going to feel guilt because of relation. She would help Adela because the sister was so vulnerable and lost.
She would be gentle with the girl, kind, too, and surely in time Adela would accept her comfort.
God help her, Madelyne started to cry again. She felt so trapped. She was so close to the border and to her cousin Edwythe's home, but now she'd have to wait to make her escape. Adela needed love and guidance, and her barbarian brothers didn't know how to give either. Aye, she was needed here, Madelyne thought, until Duncan 's sister was given new strength.
The air in the room had turned freezing. Madelyne huddled under the covers, shivering, until she remembered the shutters were wide open. She got out of bed, wrapped an animal skin around her shoulders, and hurried over to the window.
It had started to rain, fitting weather for her mood, Madelyne decided. She looked down at the lake just to make certain Duncan wasn't still there and then glanced over to look at the crest on the lower hill visible over the top of the battlements.
Madelyne saw the animal then. She was so startled by the sight, she rose up on tiptoe and leaned out the window, afraid to take her gaze away for even a second, lest the huge beast up and vanish on her.
The animal seemed to be looking up at her. Madelyne knew then that her mind had broken, just like Adela's. Good God, the beast looked just like a wolf. And Lord, he was magnificent!
Madelyne shook her head, yet continued to watch, mesmerized by the sight. When the wolf arched his neck back, she thought he might be howling. The sound never reached her though, probably snatched away by the wind and the rain pelting against the stones.
She didn't know how long she stood by the window watching the animal. She did close her eyes, deliberately, but when she opened them again, the wolf was still there.
''Tis only a dog,' she muttered to herself. Aye, a dog, not a wolf. 'A very large dog,' she added.
If Madelyne had been given to a superstitious nature, she would have jumped to the conclusion that the wolf was an omen.
Madelyne closed the shutters and went back to her bed.
Her mind was filled with images of the wild beast, and it took a long time before sleep claimed her. Her last thought was a stubborn one. She hadn't seen a wolf after all.
Sometime during the cold night Madelyne shivered enough to wake up. She felt Duncan put his arm around her and pull her toward his warmth.
She smiled over her fanciful dream and fell asleep again.
Chapter Ten
'There were giants in the earth in those days.'
If Madelyne lived to the ripe old age of thirty, she vowed she'd never forget the week that followed her decision to help Adela.
It was a week like none other, save the invasion by Duke William perhaps, but then, she hadn't been born yet to witness that event, so she guessed it didn't count. The week all but destroyed her gentle nature and her sanity. Madelyne wasn't sure which she coveted more, however, and therefore determined to keep both.
Why, the strain was enough to set a saint's teeth to gritting. The Wexton family was, of course, the sole reason.
Madelyne was given freedom to roam the castle grounds, with only one soldier trailing behind her like a loud shadow. She had even gained permission from Duncan to utilize the waste of foodstuff by feeding the animals. And since the soldier had also heard her request approved, he actually argued in her favor to the men in charge of the drawbridge.
Madelyne walked all the way to the top of the hill outside the walls, her arms filled with a burlap bag containing meat, fowl, and grain. She didn't know what her wild dog would eat and carried a selection sure to entice him.
Her shadow, a handsome soldier named Anthony, muttered over the distance. He had suggested they ride, but Madelyne was against the plan, forcing the soldier to walk beside her. She told him the walk would do them good, when in fact she hoped to hide her lack of riding skills.
When Madelyne returned from her chore, Duncan was waiting for her. He didn't look too pleased. 'You weren't given permission to go outside the walls,' he stated quite emphatically.
Anthony came to her defense. 'You did give her permission to feed the animals,' he reminded his lord.
'Aye, you did,' Madelyne agreed, and with such a sweet smile and soft voice, she was certain he thought her most composed.
Duncan nodded his head.
The look on his face was chilling. Madelyne thought he wished he was rid of her. Yet he didn't even yell at her now. In truth, he rarely raised his voice. He didn't have to. Duncan 's size gained immediate attention, and his expression, when he was as displeased as he was now, seemed just as effective as any bellow.
Madelyne wasn't afraid of him anymore. Unfortunately, she had to remind herself of that fact several times a day. And she still didn't have enough courage to ask him what he'd meant by telling her she now belonged to him. She kept putting that confrontation off, in truth fearing what his answer would be.
Besides, she told herself, there'd be time enough after Adela was feeling better to find out her own destiny. For the time being, she'd attack each battle as it presented itself.
'I only walked to the top of the hill,' Madelyne finally answered. 'Are you worried that I'll just keep on walking until I've reached London?'
'What is the point of this walk?' Duncan asked, ignoring her comment about escape. He thought it too ludicrous to respond to.
'To feed my wolf.'
