Desire

however, satisfy his smoldering desire for lands of his own. Only his liege lord, his father, could grant him the manor that would make him a landed knight.

Four days ago Gareth had received Thurston's summons to Beckworth Castle. Tonight he had learned that his greatest wish was about to be fulfilled. It only required that he accept a lady with a blemished reputation as his wife.

It was a small price to pay for gaining the one thing he craved most in the world. Gareth was accustomed to paying for what he wanted.

'How old is the lady of Desire?' he asked.

'Let me think. Clare would be three and twenty now, I believe,' Thurston said.

Gareth frowned. 'And still unwed?'

'I am told that she has no great wish to be wed,' Thurston said. 'Some women do not, you know. Your own mother, for example.'

'I doubt that my mother had much choice in the matter after I was conceived,' Gareth said in a carefully neutral tone. This was old and all too familiar ground. He knew well how to conceal his bitterness.

'She was fortunate to find a nunnery that would take her.'

'On that score you are wrong.' Thurston rested his elbows on the carved wooden arms of his chair and laced his long fingers beneath his chin.

'With the dowry that I provided, you may be assured that your mother had her choice of convents. Indeed, the most important houses competed for her.' His mouth curved wryly. 'Little did any of them realize, of course, that whichever house took her in would soon find itself under her command.'

Gareth shrugged. He saw his mother infrequently, but he corresponded with her regularly and he knew that Thurston was correct. His mother was a brilliant, formidable woman. Every bit as brilliant and as formidable as his father, in fact.

Gareth focused his attention on the matter at hand. 'Is Lady Clare ill-formed in some fashion?'

'Not to my knowledge. I have not seen her since she was a child, but as I recall, she was a well-made girl. She showed no promise of being a great beauty, but I noticed naught that would be deemed ugly or misshapen in her appearance.'

Thurston cocked one brow. 'Are her looks a matter of great concern?'

'Nay.' Gareth gazed into the fire. 'Only her lands are of concern to me.'

'I thought as much.'

'I was merely seeking reasons to understand why she has never wed.'

Thurston moved one hand in a dismissing gesture. The exquisite crimson and gold embroidery on the sleeve of his tunic gleamed in the firelight.

'As I said, some women have no great desire for the marriage bed, for one reason or another. From all accounts, Lady Clare is apparently one such female. She has agreed to wed now only because she knows she must.'

'For the sake of her holdings?'

'Aye. The Isle of Desire is a plump bird, ripe for the plucking. It needs protection. She writes that there have been problems already with her neighbor; Nicholas of Seabern, as well as with a band of brigands who are harassing her shipments of goods to London.'

'So she is in need of a husband who can defend her manor and you, sir, wish to be certain that Desire continues to be profitable for you.'

'Aye. The isle itself is not large. The lands produce a certain amount of wool and the crops are reliable. But that is not the true source of the manor's wealth.' Thurston picked up a small, delicately embroidered bag that lay on a nearby table. 'This is what provides the income from Desire.' He tossed the small bag to Gareth.

Gareth caught the little sack easily. The scent of flowers and herbs wafted from it. He held the bag to his nose and inhaled the lush, rich, strikingly complex fragrance. It was a heady aroma that elicited a strangely sensual hunger somewhere inside him. He took another sniff.

'Perfumes?'

'Aye. Tis an isle of flowers and herbs. And the products it sends to market are perfumes and creams of every description.'

Gareth looked at the fragrant little bag in his hand. 'So I am to become a gardener?'

Thurston smiled. 'It will be something of a change for the Hellhound of Wyckmere.'

'Aye, that it will. I have little knowledge of gardening, but I expect that I shall soon learn whatever is necessary.'

'You have always been quick in that regard, no matter what the subject.'

Gareth ignored the comment. 'So the lady of Desire is willing to wed a man to protect her vast flower garden. And I want lands of my own. It would seem that she and I can strike a fair bargain.'

'Mayhap.'

Gareth narrowed his eyes. 'Is there some doubt?'

The smile that had been hovering around Thurston's mouth turned into a brief, laughing grin. 'I fear there is some competition for the position.'

'What competition?'

'Nicholas of Seabern, Clare's nearest neighbor, is also one of my vassals. He's had his eye on Desire for some time. In fact, he is the chief reason why I suspect that the lady is no longer a virgin.'

'He seduced her?'

'From what I can gather, my sources tell me Nicholas virtually kidnapped her last month and held her at Seabern Keep for some four days.'

'And then tried to force her to accept him as a husband?'

'Aye. The lady, however, has refused.'

Gareth raised an eyebrow at that news. He was not surprised at the tale.

Kidnapping unwed heiresses was a common enough sport. But he was startled to learn that the lady had not been immediately wed after the incident. Few women would have had the temerity to refuse marriage after having lost their virginity and their reputation to an encroaching lord. 'A most unusual female.'

'Aye. It seems Lady Clare has some very particular requirements regarding the man who will be her lord.' Thurston grinned again. 'She has sent me a recipe for a husband, in fact. She wishes to select one who meets her exacting specifications, you see.'

'Hell's teeth. A recipe?' Gareth muttered. 'What nonsense is this? I knew there was something you were keeping from me.'

'She has written her requirements out in great detail. Here, see for yourself.' Thurston picked up a folded sheet of parchment that was lying on a nearby table. He handed it to Gareth.

Gareth glanced at the broken seal and saw that it was in the shape of a rose.

He read swiftly through the greeting and opening paragraph of the beautifully scripted letter. He slowed down when he reached the portion which detailed the lady's requirements in a husband.

I have given your wishes and the needs of my people much thought, my lord. I regretfully accept the necessity of a marriage. To that end, I have considered die matter with extreme care. Desire is a very remote place, as you well know. I know of no eligible men in the vicinity except my neighbor, Sir Nicholas, who is unacceptable.

I therefore respectfully request that you send me a selection of at least three or four suitors. I shall choose a husband from among them. To assist you in the task of selecting the candidates for the position, I have prepared a recipe which specifies the qualifications I require.

You, my lord, obviously have an interest in these lands. I understand that you wish them to be protected, as do I. From your point of view, therefore, the future lord of Desire must be a trustworthy knight who can command a small but effective company of fighting men. I will remind you that he must bring such a company with him, as there are no trained men-at-arms here on the isle.

In addition to that obvious requirement, which I know that you will see to, I have three more requirements of my own. I wish to specify them in great detail so that you will have no trouble comprehending them.

First, as regards his physical qualities, the future lord of Desire must be a man of moderate proportions and stature. It has been my observation that extremely large men prefer to rely on brute strength to achieve their ends