He drew his finger down her cheek and let it trace down her neck and chest, brushing over her hardened nipple.
Desperate hunger flooded her body, and she arched into his touch, even as she knew she couldn’t afford this at the moment.Soon, but not now.
Reluctantly, she pulled back. “Keep your hands to yourself until you propose something,” she murmured. “We have little time and can’t afford to get distracted. Do you have any ideas?”
“So many. Most of them very wicked, but if you’re asking me how to win our freedom…”
“You know I am, you tempting devil.”
“Then we need leverage over Lord James. What would bring him to his knees? What would make all his dreams turn to ash? You know him better than I do. What does he fear most?”
She turned it over in her mind. What would make Lord James quiver in his boots? “He fears losing his position. He’s stayed neutral in this war for fear of choosing wrongly and ending up with nothing.”
Martin grinned. “Then we’ll have to make sure he loses if he doesn’t let us go. He wants to be Henry’s exchequer, does he not? Let’s draft a letter to the duke saying Lord James is plotting against him with King Stephen.”
Interesting idea. How could she build on it? “Let’s also draft a letter to King Stephen saying he’s plotting with the Duke of Normandy. That way he loses everything and has no one to run to.”
Martin’s gaze glinted with appreciation. “Have I told you I love how your mind works?”
Heavens, what she wouldn’t do to have him look at her like that forever. But she had to stay on task. “How does it help us, though? It’s not as if he’d ever let us send such missives.”
“True, but…” He paused, thinking. “How would he know if these letters exist? All we must do is tell him we’ve smuggled them out and that the letters will go out if he doesn’t release us by sundown.”
That could work. But… “What if he calls our bluff?”
“Hmm.” He placed a distracting hand on her thigh, which she plucked off immediately as though burned. But it was too late. Flames licked up her leg to her core, even at that light touch.
“Not until we’re done planning,” she murmured through gritted teeth.
He gave her an innocent look, as if he didn’t know exactly what he was doing to her. “Does he know Lady Eleanor wants Adelaide to take your place as her lady-in-waiting?”
She sat up and studied his face. “I didn’t think it would be a good idea to disclose that part until after we were wed. He knows I want to keep Adelaide with me but nothing more. Why?”
“Can you fake Lady Eleanor’s hand?”
“Yes, but why?” She’d drafted enough correspondence on Her Grace’s behalf that she could duplicate her handwriting well enough to fool any but the most discerning observers.
“Do you think you could draw up a letter from Lady Eleanor demanding that I deliver Adelaide to her personally? Let’s put a deadline on it too. Something soon. Easter, perhaps? He’d have no choice but to let her go, not if he wants to avoid angering Her Grace. We’ll offer to have my men take her, and once she’s safely out of the castle, we’ll tell him about the letters.”
She frowned. Could that work? Would the earl let Adelaide go on the basis of a letter from Lady Eleanor? It would certainly put him in a bind. He could hardly ingratiate himself to her if he was directly defying her wishes. But still…
“I’m not sure the letters by themselves would be enough for him to let her go, but perhaps the letters in combination with an offer from me to tell him everything he wants to know to become exchequer if he lets her go would convince him? It’s risky, but I don’t see that we have a choice.”
“Then it’s a plan,” he said, eyes darkening. “And now I can touch you.”
“Wait,” she ordered as his hand traced up her leg. “I have letters to write first.”
She pulled away and went over the desk in the corner of the room, which, fortunately, was stocked with parchment, quills, and ink.
Doing her best to ignore Martin’s heated gaze, she wrote the letters they’d discussed, including the one she forged in Lady Eleanor’s handwriting. “There. Finished. Have a servant deliver the letter from Lady Eleanor to me first thing tomorrow, and I’ll take it down to him, distraught at the thought of saying goodbye to my sister. And I’ll find a way to sneak the other two to yourmen. I want Adelaide safely out of this castle before we tell him of the letters to the king and the duke.”
“Come here,” he said, beckoning.
She rose and went to his side, wondering what he was up to now.
He reached out and caught her hand. Kissing the inside of her wrist, he reached beneath her cloak with his other hand and grazed down the side of her breast, his thumb brushing against her sensitive nipple.
Holy Mother of God, she was going to go up in flames!
