Daughters of the Dagger 04 - Amethyst Read Free Page A

stamped wax holding the missive’s information a secret. Sure enough, it was real. And not tampered with at all. Then he ripped it open and held it up, with his squire, steward, and Sir Gawain all looking over his shoulder to see it. “Do you mind?” he said, lowering the missive, clenching his jaw and looking up toward the sky in frustration.
    “We apologize, my lord,” said Sir Gawain, speaking for all of them.
    Once they’d stepped back, he held it in front of him and scanned the contents quickly. His heart sank as he realized that what the girl said was true. She was being sent as a temporary replacement to fill the position of assistant to the master mason until a proper one could be found. He only hoped to hell it would be soon, because as much as he didn’t fancy having a woman in this prestigious position, he knew his father was going to have twice as hard of a time with the idea once he arrived. And that was something he didn’t want to have to experience first hand. His father in a foul mood would make his own moods seem quite mellow.
    “It says the girl’s father has also sent a donation to help fund the building of my castle,” he pointed out. “Did she give you the money?” he asked, looking at Clement and ignoring the girl completely.
    “Nay, I d id not,” said the brash girl, walking up to him and standing directly in front of him, her hands still at her waist. “If you’ll read the entire missive you’ll realize that my father put me in charge of his funding to distribute it as I feel appropriate. And if we are going to be working together, Lord Marcus, then you are going to have to speak to me directly sooner or later, and stop acting like I don’t exist.”
    That did it. He could no longer ignore the little chit, nor could he accept her inappropriate behavior. “All right, Master Assistant, then you’ll join our meeting in the solar tonight, and I will need you to prove to me that you are qualified for this job. But your pay will be pittance compared to what I paid the last assistant, as a woman cannot earn the same money as a man, whether she is sent by the archbishop or not. And from now on, you’ll treat me with the respect deserved of an earl. You will curtsy when you meet me, and wait until dismissed before you walk away from me. You will not speak out before being invited to speak, and you will refer to me as Earl Montclair, not Lord Marcus. You will act as is proper. And get your damned hands off your hips already. I will not tolerate inappropriate behavior.”
    It was almost as if time stood still, as she stared so deeply into his eyes that he felt an odd sensation in his stomach. She was challenging him, and though he wanted naught more than to look away, he couldn’t. That was probably his first mistake, as in her eyes he saw determination, power and a bravery that he often only saw from his strongest knights. This stirred him deeply. And though it unsettled him, he found himself intensely attracted to it at the same time. Attracted to her. She excited him and he didn’t understand why. He preferred his women subservient, gentle, quiet and meek. Easy to control and willing to do anything he ordered. Or so he thought, until he’d just met Lady Amethyst.
    Her gaze lit the smoldering embers of his blackened soul, making him feel alive again. It was something he hadn’t felt in a long time. He found himself challenged by her stare and felt as if he needed to show this woman that he was master of the castle and whatever he desired, he received. He truly needed, as well as wanted, to put her in her place.
    H e’d often taken many a peasant girl to his bed for his own needs, every one of them thanking him by the end of the night and begging him to send for them again, as his prowess between the sheets was no secret among the women. And every one of them had bored him tremendously and done nothing to make him want them again. But this girl was different. He finally seemed to find