A/N: Hello there! so sorry it took me so long to update again but university (unfortunately) comes first, and as I mentioned to my A/N in the last chapter an experiment I was running was ruined and since I couldn't save much I had to start all over :/. But anyway, now that things turned back to normal I'll be able to update a lot faster. Again, I'm sorry and thanks for understanding :)…

But let's get back to our story, in the last chapter I asked if someone of you got the "hidden piece of information" and I was surprised that none of you did, some got slightly close to the 'treasure' but didn't really touch it ;) so I suppose it wasn't as clear, or better as... suspicious as I thought. This means though that a big surprise awaits you ;).

An enormous THANK YOU to all my reviewers! And I do apologise for not finding the time to reply to all of you with a PM (that's for my amazing logged-in reviewers) so this time you'll find all the replies below with my replies for my anonymous reviewers :).

Hello: I'm really very glad you enjoyed the last chapter(s) ;). I know it took me a really long to update this time but I unfortunately couldn't help it :/. I hope that this chapter was worth the wait though ;). Thanks for reviewing :)!

gerardsfan: First of all welcome aboard :). Your words are really very flattering and I really can't start to explain how happy they made me, so thank you very very much :)! I do apologise for the chapter's delay and I do hope you enjoy it! Thanks again :)!

Erik4ever: Hmmm yes it is about sir Dudley, he's indeed planning something behind Erik's back you got that bit right, but what is he planning ;)? Stay tuned to find out! Thanks for taking the time to review!

Katie: Aaaw I'm so glad you think so :) :) :)! Thanks so much for your review.

the-laughingstock: Ooooh if you thought that last chapter ended with a cliffhanger, I'm wondering what you'll think about this one *winks* *winks*. I'm so glad you liked the last chapter(s) and thank you so much for reviewing!

trrmo77: wow... that was a really long review, probably the longer I've got so far. Thanks so much about it and about all the thought you put into it :)! I truly loved it.
Now, about your guesses. The first one was awfully close and at the same time awfully far from 'reality', if that makes any sense lol. The hidden information IS about Sir Dudley and your thought about him asking for a woman's hand is amazingly close... but not really (I'm not making any sense, am I :P? In a PM I would have been more specific lol, but maybe next time ;) ). I can tell you though that it isn't about Christine. Thank you again for the loooong review :)!

mAutumn: hahaha you will know, don't worry ;). Thank you so much for reviewing!

Guest: lol you're not the only one who doesn't and you're right it is about him :D! Thanks for your review!

Thaovyphantran: hahahaha don't worry about it, it happens ;). So glad to have you back :D! I hope you enjoy it :). Thanks for reviewing!

Phew... Long A/N xD

So, without further ado, I give you chapter 10!

Disclaimer: I own nothing...

HOPE YOU ENJOY :)!

...


Chapter 10

Erik was in a dilemma. Should he tell her the truth or not?

He kept the sword he had found in the ashes in a clothing chest at Dacre. If she did not believe him; he would hand it to her and would let her draw her own conclusions after seeing the wolf etched on the blade.

But only a little while ago he had witnessed the moment when she comprehended how deep her feelings for him were. The idea to tie her heart to his and then use her as revenge against her brothers was debatable. On the other hand, the first part of it was already done with no intentional action on his part.

And now to his amazement (and regret) he had no wish to use her in that way. In fact, his greatest urge at this moment was to protect her...

He silently cursed his traitorous heart before saying, "I don't know. We haven't yet found those responsible."

"Are the rest of your men still looking?"

He laughed. "The rest of my men?"

"There were only around a dozen of them at the camp. I just assumed the rest were here..."

"Well, in a manner of speaking you're right." He said nudged his horse's sides to make it move "Half my men disappeared with the fire."

She gasped. "You said no lives were lost."

"I don't know whether they're dead or alive. When I returned to Dacre, they were just… gone. There were no bodies discovered in the ashes. I was searching for them when I heard about the dice game." This was actually a half lie, he had been looking for his men. He just thought he would find them at Volk... And he still might...

"So, you only have a guard of what? Twenty-five? Thirty men?" Her horror-laced question would have been amusing if it were not so close to the truth.

"Yes, that's right." He said as he rubbed the nape of his neck, a sign that he felt uncomfortable.

At Christine's sudden silence Erik glanced at her. Her concentration was directed towards Dacre Keep. She studied the keep… And he tried to reassure her, "I know that the Volk has a guard of more than a hundred men but here we are so far away from any battle so it doesn't take many men to hold this keep."

"Oh yes, I can see that by the thick stone walls and the imposing towers."

He stared at her. "Sarcasm does you little justice."

"I'm sorry." At least she had the decency to blush. "It just slipped out."

He inched his horse close to hers and touched her arm. "I will let nothing happen to you. I'll deliver you safely to your brothers, or I'll die trying."

"Thank you, but I would prefer it by far if you stayed alive."

"Well yes, I would prefer it too." He chuckled

"How long do you think it will take to rebuild?"

"From what I am told, a few years."

"It appears that it will be a pretty big keep. What was it like before?"

Erik cursed himself. He knew that she would ask questions... questions he would be unable to answer. So for one more time he chose to lie as little as possible. "To be honest, I'm not sure. Dacre was only recently given to me. I had been here once, for only half a day actually, before it was destroyed."

"Oh ... Then you hold Dacre for your liege?"

How much of the era's politics had her brothers told her? If he admitted that he was the Comte of Dacre, would she know which crown he served? It was a risk he was not willing to take.

"Yes. I hold it for my absent liege." He said, and since it wasn't unusual for the lord of any area to be absent, she shouldn't question him.

"Is that how you know Montague?"

She was obviously fishing for information but he had no idea if she did it intentionally or not.

"Alfred and I have known each other since we were boys. We were fostered together."

"Where did the two of you foster?"

Instead of answering he squeezed his horse's sides with his calves and made it run. The sooner they were inside the keep, the sooner he could find her something else to occupy her mind with.

Christine watched speechless as Erik left her behind nearly racing for the keep. She could tell that he was anxious to see the work being done... or that he was glad to be home.

But she suspected that that would be a lie.

She talked to herself in order to make the time pass. She had not expected to discover that the man who held her heart might also be the enemy. Is that why his name had caused something in her mind to twitch? Had she overheard it while listening to her brothers discuss Henry and Sophia?

What else had he not told her while he held her in his arms? What other secrets did he hide while kissing her to a mindless wonder?

The only thing worse than suspecting him of serving the empress would be to learn that he was already married.

Christine wanted to kick herself for being a complete fool. She hadn't even asked if he had a wife! But then again, surely he wouldn't have kissed her so passionately had he been wed, would he?

She took a deep breath, hoping to cool her outrage. There was no reason to get angry or upset before knowing the truth.

Until she had the opportunity to take her answers though, she would keep her ears and eyes open.

By the time she rode between the gate towers, Erik was standing in the middle of the bailey.

Christine dismounted and handed the reins of her horse to a waiting boy. She turned slowly, taking the time to inspect Dacre Keep… or what someday would be Dacre Keep.

Men and women quickly ducked their faces back to their tasks, a sure sign that they had been caught staring, but she didn't blame them. Not only was she a stranger, Christine knew she looked a fright.

Erik directed her towards a hut "I thought that you would like to bathe and rest." He looked at her gown briefly before adding, "And I'll see what I can do about finding you something to wear."

He kept his distance as he led her to the hut. Christine would be the first to admit that she never possessed any amount of patience and each silent step they took added weight to the tension knotting her shoulders. How long would she be able to hold the questions inside her?

When they reached the hut Erik held the door open letting her enter first. To her utter relief, there was no one else inside.

She waited until he closed the door and walked in the middle of the small room before she leaned her back against the door. "I must ask you something."

She saw him pause with his back to her and remove his mask in order to cover his face with both hands in an effort to... concentrate? Her gaze was momentarily attracted by the white mask on the table next to him and she wondered if she would ever see what was behind it, but for now she shouldn't be distracted. Her eyes turned to Erik's form again; his shoulders rose and fell with the deep breath he took before putting on his mask again and turning to face her.

The worried frown creasing his brow made her wonder if she truly wanted to know.

Christine twisted the skirt of her gown between her fingers. Yes, no matter what the truth was, she had to know. She vowed to herself not to shout, whine or cry. She would act like the adult she was.

"Erik, are you married?" She winced at the obvious trembling of her small, pathetic voice.

"Married?" A laugh made his deep frown vanish. "You want to know if I am wed?"

"Yes." Christine's legs trembled. She flattened her back against the door for support. "It seems a reasonable question considering..."

"Considering what? Is this not something you should have asked before urging me to kiss you?"

"I did not..." She swallowed her words and got the insane urge to slap the overly cocky grin from his face.

He stopped before her. A breath of air would not fit between them. Erik stroked a fingertip along the line of her jaw. "I would never use you or a wife like that, Christine. I am not married."

"Your bath should soon be here." His lips whispered across her forehead.

She forced herself not to look up at him. To do so would only result in another kiss. As much as she longed for his lips on her own they were not alone like they had been in the woods.

They were in a keep with people about and unfortunately it was now time to remember who she truly was.

A kick from the outside of the door bounced the wood against her back, sending her into Erik's strong embrace, knocking the breath out of her.

He grasped her arms and then manoeuvred them away from the door. He quickly brushed his lips against her cheek before releasing her and moving away.

Two men carried in a large tub, which they set down before a small metal brazier in the corner of the hut, while three other men emptied buckets of hot water into it. The first two attached a pole to the side and draped a long cloth over it.

Behind them an older woman carried a basket containing supplies for Christine's bath.

The older woman shooed the men from the cottage, including Erik, before setting her basket down on a bench that she then dragged to the side of the tub.

"Can I get you anything else, my lady?"

Spellbound from the steam escaping from the makeshift tent's opening, Christine shook her head and slowly moved towards the heaven before her.

A bath... A wonderful... hot... private bath. Just the thought of sinking into the clear sparkling water sent goosebumps racing up and down her arms.

"Well then, I leave you to your bath." The woman paused at the door. "You might wish to lock this behind me."

Christine thanked her and without taking her eyes from the tub, she felt for the locking bar and dropped it in place. She headed for the bath, literally peeling off what remained of her clothing and dropping the remnants on the floor in her wake. Naked, except for her leather boots and stockings, she sat on the bench to remove those.

She then searched in the basket. She picked the plug off a vial and poured the thick liquid into the water. The water soon filled the room with the scents of rosemary and lavender.

She threw the stiff boar-bristle brush into the water, wondering if it were strong enough to scrub the filth off her skin.

Christine forced herself to climb carefully into the tub instead of jumping into the water as she wanted to. She sat down and soaked all the way to her chin.

The fact that she could not stretch out her legs and lounge like she did in her own specially made tub at Volk was of little concern. She drew the curtain fully closed, and after washing her body and hair thoroughly she planted her feet on the bottom of the tub, rested the back of her head on the wooden side and closed her eyes.

This sinful luxury was a slice of heaven and she would not ruin it by thinking of what she could not have at this moment.

She didn't want to think of anything. Not about her foolishness or of what would happen once she returned home. There would be enough time to worry about all of that later.

She sighed and let her arms float. Right now, she simply wanted to soak, relax and let the warmth of the water seep into her tired, sore muscles.

...


Christine swallowed a mouthful of cold water and came awake with a choking gasp. She jerked upright in the tub, splashing water over the sides.

"Are you all right?"

Erik's question startled her further and she knocked over the pole holding up the curtain.

She fought with the fabric now covering her. "How did you get in here?"

His footsteps came closer. "Through the roof."

So much for locking the door. "Stay back."

"No need to panic. I'm just going to right your tent."

"I am not panicked."

His hand jutted through the opening of the fabric. He waved it around looking for the pole and found the top of her head. Christine smacked his hand away and grabbed his wrist and guided him to the wooden pole.

Once he reattached it to the tub, he fluffed the fabric back into place around it.

"You have to be freezing in there."

She curled her arms around her bent knees. "I am. Go away."

"I have more hot water."

Christine stuck a hand through the tent's opening. "Thank you."

"No."

He was clearly laughing at her. She could hear it in his voice. Leaning over, she poked her head out of the opening.

Aye, laughing just as she had expected. But he wasn't lying. He did have two more buckets of steaming water. She hoped begging would work in this instance. "Please, my lord, may I have the water?"

Erik looked up at the ceiling and rocked back and forth on his heels. "What do I get?"

"That depends. What do you want?"

"That depends. What are you offering?"

Christine wondered if it was possible to break one's teeth by grinding them together. She relaxed her jaw and had a most excellent offer for him. In what she hoped was her most sultry voice, began, "How about…"

He came a step closer. "Yes... Go on..."

"When I am all clean and sweet-smelling…"

Another step closer. "Mmmm… so far it sounds good."

"And finished with my nice warm bath…"

The last step brought him next to the tub. He knelt down so they were eye to eye. "Yes…" His warm breath grazed her chin.

"I promise not to kill you in your sleep."

He laughed. "That sounds fair. If you move aside, I will pour the water in."

"No, thank you. Just set the buckets by the tub and leave. I'll manage them on my own once you are gone."

He did as she asked with the pails, but instead of leaving he stretched out on the narrow bed. "What are you doing now?"

"Resting."

"Not on my bed."

"Our bed."

Perhaps she offered him too much. Maybe she would kill him in his sleep. "What do you mean our bed?"

"It seems that Sir Dudley told everyone we were married."

"What?" Christine flinched at her screech.

"He thought it would be an easier explanation than the truth and would keep everyone from asking too many questions."

Christine pulled a bucket up and over the edge of the tub. She needed to get this bath finished so she could set things right.

Erik continued his explanation. "I was angry at first. But he has a point."

"And what would that be?" she asked as she emptied and the second bucket into the tub.

"It saves me from explaining how I won you in a game of dice."

Christine dropped the empty bucket. It rolled across the floor. "And you agreed that lying was the better of two evils?"

"How would you prefer the people of Dacre to see you? As my wife, or as..."

"Your whore?" she interrupted him.

The bed creaked. "I didn't say that." His voice was a little louder, so she assumed he had sat up.

"There was no need to say it. It was implied anyway." She put some soap onto the brush and began scrubbing her feet and legs for the... third time.

"Why would anyone think that?"

"I don't know how you were raised but at Volk an unmarried woman does not go about with a man unless there is someone else with them."

"A chaperon."

She scrubbed her arms again, wincing as the stiff bristles found cuts and scrapes. "Yes, a chaperon. A maid. A brother. A sister. Someone."

"Is that what you want? A chaperon?"

Christine bent over and wet her hair. While soaping her hair once more, she cursed, then answered "No. What I want is another bucket of water to rinse my hair."

The bed creaked again. The locking bar hit the floor and the door squeaked on its hinges. Christine paused and smiled to herself. He actually went to get her more water.

Erik returned before she was done scrubbing her head. Ice-cold air blew across her wet body. She rubbed the soap from her eyes and saw that he had removed the curtain.

"Bend over."

"What?"

Before she had the chance to cover herself with her hands, a bucket of water was emptied over her head.

Clean water. Yes. Warm water. No.

"What the hell..." She almost jumped out of the tub.

Another bucket of cold water cut off her curse. He picked up both empty buckets and headed for the door. "I'll get some more."

The instant the door slammed behind him, Christine jumped up and grabbed a drying cloth from the bench. Her bath was over. She wrapped the oversized cloth around her, tucked the end in and raced towards the door.

The locking bar was not heavy, but it was on the floor. She nearly lost the cloth when she bent to retrieve the bar, but got it in place just in time. Because the moment she stepped back, Erik slammed into the door. She heard a curse on the other side.

"Open this door," he demanded.

"No. Thank you. I do not need any more water. I'm done."

"Christine."

"Erik." She tried to match his deadly tone.

When he didn't respond, she went back by the brazier and took a seat on the bench. There was another cloth in the basket and a comb.

The sun was setting. She had nothing else to do the rest of this day except for trying to untangle the nest she called hair. She dragged it over one shoulder and towelled off as much water as she could before she started working the comb through it.

The monotonous activity let her mind wonder. Even if her suspicions were correct and Erik did serve the empress, what did it matter? Henry and Sophia would not live forever. After all Adam had married the widow of an enemy and every member of her family welcomed Victoria and her son with open arms. Christine had never heard a single negative comment.

Of course, there were a few small… minor differences. Adam and Victoria had been in love as children. And Adam didn't require Gustave's approval for his marriage.

Surely though there must be a way to gain his approval. Christine's eyes widened. Her hand stopped midair. She could think of one sure way to gain his blessing.

Her heart raced at the thought and she dragged the comb rather sharply through another knot, breaking a tooth off the comb.

Her brothers would be livid, she thought, as she tossed the broken comb tooth into the fire. Their wives would be horrified. But she could talk to her sisters-in-law. She could explain how much she wanted to become the Lady of Dacre. They would eventually understand and would be able to bring their husbands around.

The only person she had to convince first though; was Erik himself. Would honour keep him from letting her seduce him? Would it make him feel tricked into marrying her? And if it did, would he soon get over it?

Christine sighed. One step at a time. First the seduction. How did one go about seducing a man completely? Heat fired her cheeks. She'd have to do so in a manner that led him to believe he had done the seducing.

Easier said than done considering she had no idea where to start.

A small scratching sound caught her attention. Christine frowned and scanned the room.

Nothing.

There! Again, the same sound. It seemed to come from the ceiling. And before she could form a guess about the source of the noise, Erik lowered himself through a hole he had made in the thatched roof.

He landed on his feet, reached up with his sword and moved the roofing back in place before turning to smile at her.

"Did you miss me?"

Christine could not help but notice that Erik had bathed. His hair was damp around his face. She said nothing, but turned back to combing her hair. "Were you gone?"

He came up behind her and took the comb from her hand. "Allow me."

In less than a dozen tugs, Erik stopped. He nudged her up from the bench and pulled a short stool in front of the bench. "You sit there."

She complied and he took the seat on the bench right behind her. His legs that stretched out on either side of her made the perfect resting place for her arms. He said nothing when she took advantage of the position. He carefully combed her hair.

She drew lazy circles on his knees. "This is quite sinful."

"It is."

"My family would be horrified."

"They would."

"But I do appreciate your help."

"I know."

"And your hands in my hair feel so… so…" She searched for the right word. "So delightful."

"Delightful?"

She ignored the choked sound of his voice and softly moaned before leaning her head back to rest against him. Christine froze at finding the hard length of him resting between her shoulder blades. Now his short answers and choked tone made perfect sense.

She quickly sat up and pulled the cloth tighter around her. Now what? She was certain this would be the perfect time to try her seduction tactic but suddenly found herself at a loss.

Erik rested a hand on her bare shoulders. His touch nearly burned her skin. "Christine, I do not deny that I want you. But I am not a brute to take what I want by force."

She rose and walked away. Her legs trembled. The fire from her shoulders had worked its way down her body. Just the thought of being naked and alone with him made her head spin. If his kisses stole the breath from her body, she couldn't begin to imagine what his touch could do.

He cleared his throat, tossed the comb into the basket and rose. After drawing a hand through his hair, he nodded towards the bed. "You sleep there. I will place a blanket on the floor."

He turned to grab a blanket from the bed and Christine knew it was a chance she could not pass up.

With all the longing and need she could muster, she turned around and whispered"Erik."

As he turned back to face her, she released the cloth and let it slowly slip down the length of her body to pool on the floor.

...


A/N: *in a sing song voice* how ba-a-a-a-ad can I be? I'm just doing what comes naturally... How bad can I possibly be? *coughs*enough-with-the-childish-behaviour*coughs*
*ahem* Sorry but the Lorax was on TV earlier and I'm a sucker for cartoons xP.

Sooooo... until the next time, folks ;), and this time you won't have to wait long.