Oil lamps lit every hallway in the Duke of Northcove's palace. As Daphne followed the guard to the duke's bedchamber, she took note of this, and concluded that, perhaps, every duke in this world was like that. Her own father kept his palace as bright as this at night.
She has been told by a maid earlier that the duchess was not in the palace at all. Gabriel Northcove sent his wife back to her parents in the neighbouring kingdom as soon as the war began, even though the duchy was not under threat. Daphne wondered if his wife's absence was the reason why Gabriel wanted her on his bed tonight.
Then again, he must have a mistress or two. As Northcove mentioned the night before, his bride was chosen for convenience. Money, power, name -- those were enough reasons for a nobleman to marry a woman he did not particularly like, sometimes even a woman he has not even met before their betrothal. After the marriage, the wife's only duty to her husband was to give him an heir; he might look for sexual satisfaction elsewhere, hence, the mistresses.
When the guard finally stopped in front of a huge oak door, Daphne's heart started beating rapidly. Was it a good idea to talk to Gabriel at this hour of the day -- two hours before sunrise? Or should she wait a while longer before talking to him?
"We are here, my lady," the guard told her. "The duke's private chambers."
Swallowing hard, Daphne tried to smile. Perhaps, she was acting rashly; perhaps, she should wait. "I changed my mind. I shall talk to the duke later, when the sun is already up."
Although the guard's face did not betray his thoughts, Daphne knew by the way his eyes laughed that he guessed what it was that the lady was afraid of. With her face burning, Daphne raised her chin higher, as if she did not recognize the laughter in the man's eyes.
"As you wish, my lady," the guard said, slightly smiling at her as if she were a child asking for the moon.
Before they could move from the spot, however, the great doors opened and out walked a lovely woman with tan skin and honey-coloured hair. She flashed a small, shy smile to Daphne, curtsying, before hastily walking away. Daphne was too shocked to even respond to the woman. She was aware of the possiblity of a mistress, but to see the woman with her own eyes...?
The duke's chuckle interrupted her thoughts. "I see that you have changed your mind, my lady."
Daphne's already red face flushed even redder. "Y - your Grace." She cleared her throat in an attempt to stop herself from stammering. "I changed my mind, indeed, but not regarding your proposal late last night."
Gabriel's grin was too annoying. With a nod of dismissal to the guard, he swung the door open for Daphne. "Come in and let me entertain you inside."
She shook her head, wishing the guard back as the man walked away. "Your Grace is too kind, but I shall not want to abuse your kindness. Please, go back to your sleep and I shall be back later, at which time we shall talk."
Much to her chagrin, Gabriel actually laughed and waited until the guard was out of sight before speaking to her. "Tell me the truth, Daphne. You are afraid of my powers of seduction, are you not?"
Incensed, Daphne raked her eyes over the duke from head to toe. He looked glorious, indeed, as he stood there with only a sorry piece of blanket around his waist. Her eyes were full of haughty dismissal, however, when she looked up to his face again. "Excuse me? Do you think me an easy catch even after the way I ran away from you two years ago?"
A very amused Gabriel leaned against the door frame and lifted an eyebrow. "No, indeed not. But you were such an innocent girl back then, unacquainted with the physical pleasures of male and female union. But now...?"
Daphne almost slapped him. Instead, she faced the challenge he posed and walked into the room, brushing against him as she did so. Gabriel was chuckling as he closed the door behind him, before following Daphne.
"You are very much like your father," he commented when they were safely inside his bedchamber. He gestured for Daphne to sit on the couch beside the fireplace. "Seeking audience at the most ungodly of hours."
"In case you have forgotten, I decided to come back later," Daphne said, refusing to take a seat.
"Which will be such a waste of time, seeing that you are already here," Gabriel said, shrugging as he threw away the blanket covering his private part, revealing a semi-erect cock.
Daphne's face reddened as she averted her gaze. Truly, this man had no shame!
"Allow me to make a guess as to why you are here," Gabriel told her when she said nothing. He walked behind her and gently peeled off the quilt from around her shoulders. "You need to rush your plans so that you can be back in Van Halen's arms soon."
Although much provoked, Daphne said nothing. As she felt Gabriel's palms lightly stroking her upper arms, she silently cursed herself. Yes, it was really a bad idea to try talking to him at this hour of the day...
"Am I right, Daphne?" Gabriel asked as he stood behind the woman, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close until Daphne could feel his erection pressing on her backside.
"Yes," she answered, feeling very uncomfortable yet not daring to move away.
"And don't you think that is too much to ask?" came his whisper on her ear. Daphne shivered. "Your plans are risky enough without the hastiness. What made you think that I shall agree to this...modification?"
Even though her heart was wildly racing inside her chest, Daphne tried to calm down. "It is not as if being with Leander sooner is my only motivation for asking you to quickly put the plan under way."
"Yet, it is the main reason why you cannot rest easy," Gabriel said softly as he bent down to kiss Daphne's shoulder. "You need him beside you, because you cannot function well without him."
The truth of his words hit Daphne hard, but she did not give him the satisfaction of knowing how much his knowledge bothered her. So, in a haughty voice, she asked, "So what?"
Gabriel chuckled and turned her around so that they could stare into each other's eyes. "Convince me, Daphne, to act upon this hasty plan of yours. I must warn you, however, that I am done amusing you by granting you leave to use my army for your heroic endeavours. If you should try to convince me, then do it so that I have something in it for me."
"What do you want?" Daphne asked in a neutral tone.
The duke smirked. "You know what I want."
"Anything but me," she said.
"Anything but you?" Gabriel chuckled as he stepped away from her and began pacing the floor slowly. "That translates to 'anything or nothing.'" He paused, looking at her with narrowed eyes. "What if I ask for Van Halen's head in return for all the favours I grant you?"
Daphne turned to look at him, glaring in both anger and fear. "You cannot do that."
"What stops me from doing it?" asked the duke, stopping his march. "Nothing."
"You bastard," croaked Daphne, knowing that she has been cornered.
The sound of Gabriel's chuckle was an insult added to injury. "Look who's talking."
Daphne wanted nothing more than to fly at him and kill him at that moment. His last comment was meant to remind her that she was the illegitimate child of the Duke of Wildercross. Her mother was her father's mistress long before the duke married, and Daphne was the fruit of their liaison. Although her father treated her as if she was not born out of wedlock, everybody knew that Daphne was his love child.
"I will never regret running away from my arranged marriage to you," she said bitterly as she wondered whether to undress or not. "You are the most heartless person I have ever met."
"Really?" Gabriel's eyes shone with mischief as he looked at Daphne. "What do you think of your father, then?"
She refrained from taking his bait this time. The Duke of Wildercross held the reputation of being the cruellest of all the Thersalian nobles -- perhaps even of all the noblemen from the surrounding kingdoms. Yet, to her, the duke was nothing but a father -- indifferent at times, but always looking after her well-being. Although she might not love him, she respected him -- respected him enough not to say anything against him.
Gabriel walked to the bed and sat there, watching Daphne's reaction. Her face was pale, her eyes full of dread, so that, for a moment, Gabriel felt bad about asking her to give herself up to him in exchange for Leander Van Halen's safety. But he could not look at Daphne and not want to bed her -- not after he held her in his arms and felt her responding to his kiss the night before.
"What do you think, Daphne?" he asked, undressing her with his eyes. "Shall I give a reward to whoever can give me your beloved general's head?"
"Curse you, Gabriel," hissed Daphne as she clenched her fists.
The duke just shrugged and held out a hand. "Your choice, my lady."
'Choice?' Daphne exclaimed inside as she walked across the room towards Gabriel. 'I have a choice in this matter?'
As soon as she was close, Gabriel pulled her down to his lap, where Daphne stiffly sat, hating the feel of his cock pressing against her thigh. The duke brushed her hair away from her neck and started showering the exposed part with kisses. When Daphne felt one of his hands cupping her breast, she bit back her whimper of humiliation.
