Dangerous Gifts Part 5

Too nervous to eat, Leah was glad that Lady Wheaton was abstracted at breakfast the next morning. Downright dreamy, in fact, with a smile hovering around her lips. She looked ten years younger and far less jaded than when Leah had first come to London.

Leah regarded her G.o.dmother fondly. If not for Lord Ranulph's magic, it was unlikely that the two women would have ever become acquainted. Now there was a bond between them that was warmer than what existed between Leah and her mother. She owed the faery lord a great deal.

For the first time in days, she wondered what he would want in return, but she felt too happy to worry about that. In olden times, favored servants were sometimes leased houses in return for a peppercorn a year, or something equally trifling. Lord Ranulph had said that he loved her music, and it was only the laws of his people that required him to exact a payment in return. No doubt his price would be like those peppercorn rents.

Unable to eat, Leah mangled a piece of toast and hoped that Duncan would call early. But he did not come until afternoon. She spent the morning playing the harp and thinking about the evening before. The memory of his kiss, and his embrace, caused tingling energy to flow through her body. In a very real sense, she felt truly alive for the first time. Perhaps that was what it meant to be in love.

It was a relief when a maid arrived to tell her that Captain Townley was waiting in the drawing room. Leah took a swift glance in her mirror. She looked beautiful. It had become hard to remember exactly the differences in appearance from before Ranulph had worked his spell, though she remembered with icy clarity how it felt to be so plain that she was almost invisible in her own life.

Leah felt a little sadness that Duncan would never have noticed her as she was before. Winning his regard this way seemed almost like cheating. But her beauty gave him pleasure, so she was more grateful than guilty.

After composing herself, she went downstairs to the drawing room, carefully leaving the door ajar for propriety's sake. Duncan was leaning casually against the mantelpiece. As she watched the sunlight define the chiseled planes of his face, Leah said involuntarily, "You're the most beautiful man I've ever seen."

Instead of being pleased or embarra.s.sed, he became still as a statue. Then, releasing his breath in a sigh, he said, "I can't think of myself as beautiful."

"Would you prefer handsome? Das.h.i.+ng? Heroic? You are all of those things," she said, amazed by her own boldness. "I love looking at you."

"I'm not the man you think, Leah," he said with sudden vehemence. "I'm not a hero, not das.h.i.+ng, not at all out of the common way. I'm a plain man who likes books and country living and music, who merely did his duty as the situation demanded."

His golden eyes darkened. "The only thing special about me is how much I love you. Meeting you was like . . . like coming home. I know it's too soon, and that I should not speak to you before talking to your father. I know also that you are a jewel who should be gracing the finest society in Britain, and I can't give you that. But is it possible"-his voice wavered for an instant-"do you think that you could be happy sharing a quiet life with me?"

He really was shy, she realized with amazement, perhaps as shy as she herself. Overcome with tenderness, she said, "I would like nothing better, Duncan." She went to him and took his hands before saying haltingly, "I love you. A rational person might laugh at us both, but I feel that . . . that in you I've found the other side of myself."

He scanned her face with riveting intensity. "Would you love me if I were ugly, or if this scar was far worse, or if I had never been called hero?"

Recognizing how much he cared about her answer, she took time to think before saying slowly, "I love your kindness, your humor, the way you make me feel safe and cherished." She gave him a shy smile. "I love the person I am when I am with you. I think that would be true no matter what you looked like, and even if you had never been lionized by London society."

His smile was radiant and relieved. "Then I'll go into the country and speak to your father. Is there any chance that he might refuse to allow me to pay my addresses?"

"None at all. You are not only wonderful, but wonderfully eligible." She smiled teasingly. "I'll be getting the best of this bargain, you know."

His expression turned wry. "Never think that, Leah. If only you knew."

Leah bit her lower lip. "My parents dislike surprises. I think it would be wise for me to go home first and prepare them for your visit."

"Good. That means that as soon as I have his permission, I can come to you and make a formal offer." His arms slid around her. "Oh, Leah, Leah ..."

She went into his embrace gladly. "This is very forward of me, but I'd like the engagement to be short."

His laughter was rich and deep. "As short as we can decently make it."

She sighed with delight. It was hard to believe that such happiness could be real. As she rested against him, loving his warmth and strength, a dreadful thought struck her. Surely Ranulph couldn't ask for her firstborn child! But there were ancient tales of faeries asking such a price.

The thought had not occurred to her when they had made their original bargain, probably because the idea of having a child was so far from her mind then. But it wasn't now. When she imagined marriage to Duncan, children were as much a part of the picture as Duncan himself. She would never give a child of theirs to a being who was as incomprehensible to her as the far side of the moon.

Surely her fears were pure, overwrought nonsense. Nonetheless, it was good that she was returning home now. She would find Ranulph and settle her debt. Then she could go into her new life freely.

Leah found it strange to be back in the bedroom she'd occupied since leaving the nursery. She'd changed so much, yet the room looked exactly the same. Well, the same except for Shadow, who had returned from London with her usual aloof dignity.

Her father had been bemused by Leah's announcement that a Captain Townley would be coming to speak with Sir Edwin on a matter of great import. However, he'd decided that he approved of the prospect after reading Lady Wheaton's letter that described Duncan's character and financial situation.

Rather sadly, Leah recognized that her parents would be glad to have her off their hands. Yet the knowledge didn't hurt the way it once had. As long as Duncan loved her, she could accept the fact that to her parents she was no more than a regrettable obligation.

On the morning after she arrived home, Leah slung her harp on her back and asked her dozing cat, "Would you like to come for a walk in the woods with me? There should be mice to chase and similar delights."

Shadow gave her mistress a look of contempt, then closed her eyes and swished her black tail over her nose. Leah chuckled. The cat was a good companion, but not overinterested in exertion.

It was a lovely autumn day, with a clear sky and pleasantly warm suns.h.i.+ne. Leah hiked into the woods to the glade where she had first met Ranulph. There she sat on the trunk of the fallen tree and played her harp. She sang of love and joy, and silently asked for the faery to come.

She'd almost given up hope when Lord Ranulph abruptly appeared in front of her, his golden hair drifting in the wind like thistle down. Leah caught her breath at the suddenness. This time he didn't wear the garb of a fas.h.i.+onable Englishman, but elegant garments of medieval cut, with a sword swinging at his side and dark hose that displayed the powerful muscles of his thighs. He was dangerously masculine, with an untamed light in his green eyes that made him seem far more alien than on their first meeting. But his tone was courteous when he bowed. "You wished to see me, my lady."

Setting aside her harp, Leah stood and curtsied. "Your magic is strong, my lord. I went to London, as you arranged, and became very successful, as you predicted."

"I know," he said coolly. "I observed you in London myself."

She found the knowledge that he had spied on her disturbing. Had he eavesdropped on her private, tender moments with Duncan? She hated the idea.

Remembering his ability to read her mind, she tried to suppress the thought, but guessed from his cynical expression that he knew how she felt. She made herself smile. "I won the love of a hero, as you said I could. Soon I will be married. If it is agreeable to you, I would like to settle my debt now."

"Your timing is impeccable, Leah." He stalked across the clearing like a restless golden lion. "If you had not come here today, I would have summoned you."

Suppressing her uneasiness, she said, "You told me I would have three choices, my lord. What are they to be?"

"Can't you guess what I really want?" He stopped and turned to regard her with drugging eyes. "I want you to become my consort. I want you to live with me in Faerie, surrounded by music and beauty always. I will show you wonders such as you have never imagined. Come to me, Leah." He extended one long beautiful hand.

She felt the fierce power of his desire, the dark strength of his magic tugging at her. "No!" she said violently.

She retreated until the backs of her legs were pressed against the fallen tree. "I don't belong in your world, Lord Ranulph. I would never agree to such a thing."

His uptilted brows arched, and she saw that he was laughing at her. "But you will, my dear girl. It is the best of the choices I offer you."

She ran her tongue over her dry lips. "Tell me the other two.

He began to pace around the glade again, his sword swinging by his side. "You say that you are to be married. Captain Townley, I a.s.sume." Ranulph gave her a glance that demanded a reply.

"Duncan and I have an understanding," she said reluctantly. "After he has spoken to my father, our betrothal will be official."

"A handsome youth," Ranulph said musingly. "A warrior hero."

Leah nodded warily, not sure where this was leading.

The faery lord halted at the far side of the clearing and turned to face her. In a voice that chilled her to the bone, he said, "Your second choice, my dearest girl, is to bring me his heart."

Leah stared at Ranulph. "What do you mean? The fact that he has pledged me his heart does not mean that I can give it to another. Love isn't like that."

The faery's eyes narrowed. "I was not speaking in metaphor, Leah. Never fear, I shall make the task easy." A silver dagger materialized in his hand, the blade glittering wickedly. "This is an enchanted blade. Even a small creature like you will find it easy to slide the dagger between his ribs and cut out his heart when he is dead."

"You're mad!" Shocked beyond words, she gagged, on the verge of vomiting at the horrific image conjured by Ranulph's words. To look into Duncan's smiling eyes, then murder him . . . She pressed her hand to her mouth as her stomach heaved.

Bland as b.u.t.ter, Ranulph continued, "I suggest that you do the deed when on a walk in my wood, so you will not have to go far to deliver your payment. You need not fear retribution from your own kind. Simply weep prettily and claim that you were set upon by a madman who slew your lover. No one will believe that a woman so beautiful, so fragile, so in love, could perform such a b.l.o.o.d.y deed."

He smiled satirically. "After a suitable mourning period, you will be free to seek another husband. That duke who mauled you in his garden, for instance. He was angry then, but I'm sure you could win him back with a single enchanting smile." Ranulph pressed the silver dagger into her numb hand. The hilt was cool against her palm.

She stared at the s.h.i.+ning weapon, her horror intensifying. "I can't. I won't."

He tilted his head, wicked, inhuman amus.e.m.e.nt in his eyes. "I didn't think you would. That's why I waited until now. It would take a fierce woman to kill her lover."

"You needn't have waited so long," she said in a shaking voice. "I could never do such a thing even to a stranger."

"You are that sentimental about all mortals?" he said, surprised. "If I had realized the extent of your squeamishness, I would have come to claim you sooner."

More than anything else he had done, that statement made Leah realize how utterly alien he was. He simply had no understanding of humans. "What is your last choice-my firstborn child?" she said bitterly. "If you ask that, I swear I shall use your dagger right now." She raised the weapon in shaking hands and held it to her breast, wondering if she would have the strength to kill herself. He'd said the blade was enchanted. Perhaps it would slide home easily . . .

Ranulph leaped across the clearing in one bound and wrenched the dagger away from her. "G.o.ddess, and you think I'm insane? " he said furiously. "I don't want your life, nor another man's squalling brat."

He tossed the dagger aside. It vanished in midair. More calmly, he said, "A babe fathered by me-now that would be more interesting. The Folk are not prolific, but in an eternity of mating, we are bound to produce a child now and then."

He truly intended to own her body and soul. Shaking her head in revulsion, Leah said, "You owe me another choice, Lord Ranulph. Whatever it is, it cannot be as evil as what you have already suggested."

He smiled at her, as splendid and amoral as a wild beast. "Your last choice is not evil at all. Such a simple thing."

She laced her trembling hands together. "Don't play with me, my lord," she said tightly. "Just tell me what you want."

"A simple thing," he repeated. "But, I think, the highest price of all. If you decline the other choices, it will cost you your beauty."

Chapter Seven.

Leah stared at Ranulph, her eyes wide and shaken. "My beauty?"

He winced inwardly at her distress, but it was necessary. He'd set the order of the choices deliberately, knowing that her first reaction to leaving her own kind would be refusal. Only after hearing all the choices would she take his proposal seriously.

Careful to keep all sympathy from his voice, he said coolly, "Don't play the fool, Leah. Refuse me, and you'll become again the plain creature you were before. Dull and colorless, almost invisible. Most people will not really understand the change, though anyone who saw you during your London triumphs will be unable to remember why he thought you such a great beauty then."

His voice dropped. "But your suitor will remember. He'll look at you with shock and revulsion. How many times did Captain Townley praise your beauty? How often did he murmur in your ear about your loveliness? When your beauty vanishes, so will his love. You will live the rest of your life alone and despised."

He gave a bored shrug. "I suppose that since masculine honor is involved, you may be able to hold him to the betrothal. In that case, you will have the pleasure of living with a man who despises you for deceiving him."

Her eyes, an emerald mirror of his own, filled with tears until she closed them. Her exquisitely expressive face revealed that she was imagining exactly what Ranulph had described: rejection by her lover, a return to her empty existence.

Judging it time to change his tactics, he said softly, "Now do you understand why I said that becoming my consort was the best choice? Come with me and I shall give you pa.s.sion and beauty beyond your wildest imaginings. Great caves s.h.i.+mmering with secret jewels. Forests with a majesty that would humble the greatest human cathedral. We'll ride the wind and sing the seas, and you shall never regret your decision."

Confident that the web of words he'd spun would change Leah's mind, he stepped forward and took her hand between both of his. G.o.ddess, but she was lovely. He felt himself hardening with desire. Pa.s.sion would sweep away the last of her doubts.

He drew her into a kiss. Her mouth was soft, her scent as fresh as spring flowers. He used all his erotic skills, he focused all his desire, weaving an enchantment that would leave her begging for more.

But it didn't work. She tore herself away, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand in revulsion. "Do you think I could ever prefer your touch to that of Duncan?" She lifted her harp and clutched it like a talisman against harm. "Perhaps you can cloud my mind with magic, but I will never be your wh.o.r.e voluntarily."

He stared at her, shocked that she could resist his sensual spell. Who would have thought that she had such strength? He produced his magic mirror with a snap of his fingers and held it up as a reminder of what she had looked like. Ruthlessly he used an image of her at her worst, with her eyes swollen and her nose pink from crying. "Is this what you choose?" he said cruelly. "Or will it be your lover's heart?"

She paled at the image in the mirror, but said resolutely, "Return me to what I was, Lord Ranulph. I was plain all of my life. I . . . I can learn to be plain again."

"You don't know what you're saying!" he exclaimed, incredulous. "It was bad enough to have no looks before, but now you have known the delights of beauty. The adoration, the power, the fame. To lose those things after briefly tasting them will be infinitely more painful than never to have known them."

"Do you think I don't know that?" she cried out, clutching the harp even tighter. "But I can bear it. I shall have to, since both your other choices are unthinkable. I could never harm Duncan, nor any other innocent. Nor can I give up my whole world to become the slave of a creature who is as beautiful and alien as a tiger."

"I want you for my consort, not my slave!" he snapped in a voice like a whip.

"Isn't it slavery if I go against my will?" Her mouth twisted. "You and I are made of different stuff, Lord Ranulph. You think beauty more valuable than freedom, more precious than another person's life. I can no more understand that than you can understand me. Goodbye, my lord. I presume that by the time I reach my home, I will be plain again, and our bargain will be fulfilled."

She slipped away from him and headed across the glade. Before entering the woods, she paused to say quietly, "I . . . I'm sorry that I cannot be what you wish."

Stunned that she was really leaving, for an instant he stood frozen. Then he gave a wild shout of anger. "No!"

He flung both arms to the heavens, and thunder boomed from the clear autumn sky, rolling across the wood with a force that shook the trees. Leah flinched, and he saw alarm in her eyes.

Realizing that if she feared him all hope was gone, he said tightly, "I shall not harm you, Leah. Not now, not ever. If ever you become disenchanted with being plain and lonely and despised, you know how to summon me."

She gave a faint nod of her head, but he knew with despair that she would never change her mind. Except for her music, she was as much a mystery to him as he was to her. Was that because she was a mortal, or simply because she was female?

Saturated with pain, he watched her disappear among the trees. She was gone, and he was alone.

Then rage returned. With a gesture of his hand, he removed the faery glamour that had dazzled all of London. Viciously he contemplated how her lover would react to the discovery that his ravis.h.i.+ng betrothed was now as plain as a barn mouse.

The restless churn of his anger turned toward Kamana. d.a.m.n the treacherous female! Her predictions that Leah would come to him were empty, more of her mocking games. She would answer to him for her lies. She had power, but he was her equal. She would be unable to refuse if he summoned her.

He closed his eyes and visualized Kamana until her exotic, teasing image was burned in his brain. Then he uttered the words of Power that would bring her to him, against her will if necessary.

She'd pay for her interference and lies, the traitorous witch. Aye, she'd pay.

Leah was still shaking when she reached home. Not wanting anyone to see the tears on her face, she crept up the back stairs and into her bedroom.

Shadow still lay on the bed. At Leah's entrance, the cat opened her eyes and gazed at her fixedly. Leah tried to smile. "Don't tell me that you'll abandon me, too. I would have thought that at least my cat would accept me as I am now."

Shadow leaped from the bed and came to rub Leah's ankles, purring warmly. A little comforted, Leah scratched the cat's neck.

Then she turned to her mirror. Any faint hope she'd harbored that Ranulph might not exact his price died. Drab hair, thin figure, ordinary gray-green eyes reddened from tears. She glanced at her left palm. In the center, she could still see the faint iridescent glimmer of the cut Ranulph had made when they'd sealed their bargain. Apparently it would be the only lasting sign of what she had been.

She inhaled painfully and forced herself to stare at her reflection. Had he made her plainer than before, or did her appearance seem worse because of the contrast to what she had been? No matter. This was the face she was born with, and would die with. She reminded herself that she'd had no real choice. Murder was unthinkable, and so was going into whatever strange, inhuman netherworld Ranulph called home.

She winced as she remembered Duncan's wors.h.i.+pful gaze, the number of times he'd told her that she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. He was too much a gentleman to break his pledged word when he saw what she had become, but Ranulph was right. It would be even worse to live with Duncan and know that he despised her than to live without him. She must release him from the betrothal.

The thought of losing him shattered her last shreds of composure. She threw herself onto the bed, sobbing uncontrollably. Shadow followed and touched her cool nose to Leah's cheek, but that did nothing to allay the pain. Merciful heaven, Leah would have been better off if she'd never met Ranulph of the Wood, or if she had been wise enough to refuse his d.a.m.nable bargain.