Medieval 01 - Untamed

either side of the aisle. These rooms were neatly kept, and had been even before his edict.
    Meg’s doing, I’ll warrant , Dominic admitted silently. She is as clean as a cat. Pity she’s as independent as one, too. The most simple command is beyond her ability to obey .
    Dominic ducked beneath the low lintel of the herbal. No sooner had he straightened than Meg’s voice came to him. Her back was turned as she worked over a mortar and pestle on a long stone table that looked as though it grew from the earth beneath her feet.
    â€œWhoever it is,” Meg said without turning around, “leave the torch outside. It fouls the air in the herbal. How many times must I remind the keep’s people of that?”
    â€œAs many times as I must tell you to stay in your rooms, perhaps?” retorted Dominic.
    Meg spun around. In the leaping torchlight her eyes were wide, startled. The light made her skin as golden as the jewelry Dominic had thrown in disgust on her bed upstairs.
    â€œYou!” she said. “What are you doing here? This is my place!”
    â€œNay, madam. The keep and everything in it is mine,” Dominic said curtly. “It is a fact you would do well to remember.”
    Cloth swirled as Meg went back to working over the mortar. She cast a quick eye at the water keeper and picked up the pace of her strokes.
    â€œI am speaking to you,” Dominic said, holding on to his temper with an effort that thinned his lips.
    â€œI am hearing you.”
    â€œDid you hear me when I said you were to remain in your quarters unless I was with you?”
    Silence.
    â€œAnswer me,” Dominic snapped.
    â€œYes, I heard you.”
    â€œThen why are you here?”
    â€œThe herbal is part of my quarters,” Meg retorted.
    â€œDon’t try my patience.”
    â€œHow could I?” she muttered. “You have none.”
    Dominic, who prided himself on his patience, discovered he was out of it. He crossed the room in three long strides and grabbed Meg’s arm with one hand.
    â€œEnough of this foolishness,” he said curtly. “You stood before God and promised to obey your husband. And by God, you shall. To your room, madam.”
    â€œSoon,” she said, “but the leaves must be worked for a little time yet.”
    Dominic didn’t argue. He just turned to go, pulling Meg in his wake.
    When Meg felt herself being dragged away from the table, she didn’t try to argue, either. She didn’t even think. The fear that had driven her since she had awakened exploded in a mindless black rush. She jerked her arm and twisted wildly from side to side in an attempt to break Dominic’s hold.
    â€œWhat in God’s name…” he muttered.
    Meg dropped the pestle and clawed at Dominic’s hand, trying to force him to free her. His fingers didn’t loosen at all, so she tried to pry them off one by one.
    It was futile. He was far stronger than she was.
    â€œStop this thrashing about before you hurt yourself,” Dominic said curtly.
    â€œLet go of me!”
    â€œNot until you’re in your quarters.”
    â€œNo,” Meg said hoarsely. “I must finish what I started!”
    Dominic shifted his grip with lightning speed. Between one instant and the next, Meg found herself hauled up off the ground, her feet flailing, as helpless as a bird in a net. Thinking only of the irreplaceable leaves that must be prepared immediately or ruined beyond use, she fought back with a fury that was all the more startling for its silence.
    The torch dipped and arced frantically as Dominic sought to subdue Meg one-handed. The sullen flames came breathtakingly close to her eyes, her hair, her cheek. She didn’t notice. Her head cloth and circlet came off, sending her hair cascading wildly about.
    â€œGod’s teeth,” Dominic hissed. “You little idiot, you’ll burn yourself!”
    Meg didn’t seem to hear. The torch’s flame careened against her unprotected wrist as she made a frantic grab for Dominic’s face. With a savage oath, he dropped the torch and ground it out underfoot.
    Once both hands were free, Dominic quickly finished the struggle. Before Meg knew what had happened, he had her flat against the wall, her wrists locked over her head in one of his hands, her chin in the other, and her knees clamped between his. No matter how hard she fought, she could do little more than breathe.
    Dominic looked