The Bride Of Spring. Catherine Archer

Aida and William having gone for a walk about the castle grounds. Raine had no heart for such distractions, and she would not wish for either of them to know how worried she was.

      At that moment a knock sounded on the door, causing Raine to give a start. She told herself she was getting far too anxious. Nothing would be gained by becoming so overset that she could not reason clearly. Quickly she rose from the bench beneath the window, taking a deep, calming breath before going to answer it. She had no idea who it might be, as William and Aida would simply enter.

      Seeing Denley Trent on the threshold when she opened the door did nothing to soothe her already tattered emotions. Immediately she moved to close it.

      Denley stopped her by stepping into the opening, effectively forcing Raine backward. She faced him with bravado, though the way he smiled at her as he came farther into the chamber and shut the door behind him gave her a definite sense of unease.

      She pointed toward the closed portal. “I want you to remove yourself immediately.”

      He grinned. “Oh Raine, is this the way you hope to win me? By ever playing hard to get?”

      She threw up her hands in exasperation. “I am not trying to win you. I wish that you would go and never again darken my stoop. Can you not understand that?”

      For a moment Denley seemed uncertain, and she felt a budding hope that she had finally made him see. But his uncertainty was soon replaced by a lecherous smile that she realized he must think charming. He came toward her with outstretched arms. “There is no need to be frightened, Raine. I will not hurt you. I know well how to please a woman.”

      Raine found this difficult to believe. Surely in order for that to be true, he would need have more sensitivity than he had ever displayed in her presence. Not that she had any experience with such things, but she preferred to live by her own misjudgment than for Denley to prove otherwise.

      But she had no time to discuss her preference now, for he was still moving toward her. The intent in his brown eyes was more than evident.

      Trying hard to hide the anxiety that rushed through her in a sickening tide, Raine took a step backward. She shook her head. “Nay, Denley, do not touch me. You cannot.”

      He shrugged. “I simply mean to show you that there is no need for so much maidenly fear on your part. Once the deed is done you will see that there is nothing to be afraid of and we can be wed without delay.”

      Anger flared in her like a burning torch. “I will not allow you to pretend that you are attempting to do me some courtesy by forcing yourself upon me. If you touch me it will be rape and nothing less.”

      He faltered only briefly. “We both know that our being together—our marrying—would be for the best.”

      “For you, perhaps.”

      Denley did not hesitate again, but continued toward her with obvious purpose. Raine was brave, but she was not a fool. She realized that retreat would be better than valor at the moment. She dodged around him and ran toward the door.

      Denley Trent was a big man and by no means light on his feet. He reached out to grab her, getting hold of the sleeve of her amber gown, as he cried, “I have you now.”

      But the stitching on her shoulder gave way and she pulled free, losing only a small amount of momentum, as she replied with relief, “Nay, sir, you have not.” She managed to get the door open and race out into the hallway before her cousin could prevent her from doing so.

      He followed close behind, though he cast a glance about the hall. She wondered if last eve’s debacle had made him slightly more reticent about creating a spectacle. She could only pray that was so.

      “Come now, Raine, need we continue with these childish games?” he whined. “You only put off the inevitable.”

      She did not dally about to discuss it, but hurried toward the more public rooms of the castle, holding her torn gown in place. To her relief, Denley made no move to follow her.

      Yet as she reached what she considered a safer location, blending in with the milling courtiers in the hall, she knew that she had only effected a temporary solution. Denley had not finished with her. Nothing she could do or say made the least impact on him. He was so set on meeting his own ends that he would not heed her, nor anyone else, and had clearly convinced himself that she was only resisting him out of some maidenly fear of marriage. Clearly he would stop at nothing to see them married, even if that meant he must resort to rape, a scenario she had only suspected before.

      Raine knew that she had to do something. The time for indecisiveness was past. Last night Benedict Ainsworth had revealed his plan to leave the court within the next two days, and he was her only hope.

      Under no circumstances could she allow William to fall into her cousin’s hands while there was a possibility of doing something to prevent it. The question remained, just how far was she willing to go to meet her ends?

      Aida, who had slumped down on the end of the bed as Raine began to tell her of her plan, shook her head in disbelief. “My lady, we cannot do this. What if you are found out?”

      Raine stood her ground. “We will not be found out, at least not until it is all over and I am safely married. If we follow the plan I have devised, no one will have time even to question what is occurring.”

      The terror in the maid’s green eyes would have been enough to give a less determined woman pause. Raine was not such a woman. “I told you what Denley attempted to do in this very chamber today. You saw what he did to my gown when I broke free of him. I can delay no longer. I must protect Will from Cousin Denley. Father would never forgive me for allowing that madman to gain control of his lands.”

      “But, Lady Raine, I do not think…I do not understand how you could ever have the courage to…do what you mean to do. Nor how I can have a hand in this scheme. He is a nobleman.”

      Raine rolled her eyes in exasperation. “You really have no need to do aught but get what we need from the castle kitchens, keep William from our chamber for the night and then to shriek as if you’d been cast into the fires of hell when you come into the room in the morning. It is really very simple on your part, Aida. I am the one who must get him here and manage all the rest of it.”

      Aida continued to look anything but certain of what her mistress was proposing.

      Raine felt her own certainty lag for a brief moment, but she braced herself firmly. The dread of what might happen if she fell into fear and indecision was too great. She knew all she could do was keep moving forward. From the moment this notion had popped into her head she had done just that.

      She turned to the maid. “Aida, you will help me to dress and arrange my hair for this evening. I must look the very best that I possibly can, though judging from what has gone forth so far I do not know how much that might aid me with Benedict Ainsworth.” She tried not to hear the regret in her own voice. “Still, I must consider every possibility. Our success hinges on my getting the man to this chamber.”

      She moved to the chest containing the new gowns she had made up in the hope that looking well would help her find a husband. Unfortunately, as she had already told Aida, after Benedict’s reactions to her last eve she was not sure that her appearance would make any difference whatsoever. What would be accomplished in fussing over such things would be in keeping the frightened maid occupied until she must go down to dine.

      And herself as well. Raine did not want to think about what might happen if Benedict was not there. Nor did she want to think about what would happen if he was not willing to come to her chamber. She simply could not allow herself to dwell upon the impossible.

      Several hours later, Raine paused at the chamber door and looked back at William, who sat upon the bed watching her. He had come in from the stables some time past, his gaze assessing as he saw that preparations were already underway for her to go down to dine. Yet he said nothing, though she was sure he could not have failed to note Aida’s anxiety. Raine realized that the maid was ofttimes agitated of late, and was grateful that he did not seem to