Touch of Gold: (Rumpelstiltskin) (Tangled Tales Series Book 4) (13 page)

“I can’t –” She stopped in midsentence as he reached out two fingers and touched the wool twisting into yarn just inches from her hand. It turned to gold as it went through his fingers and wrapped around the bobbin on the way to the spinning wheel itself.

“Isn’t that dangerous to me?” she asked breathlessly, feeling her thumping heart against her ribs as her foot slowed on the pedal.

“Not unless you stop.”

She frantically continued to feed the wool to the bobbin, moving her foot up and down on the pedal even faster.

“That’s enough,” he said, and they both stopped.

“How did you know I wouldn’t be turned to gold by touching something that you’re touching at the same time? Or didn’t you?”

“Now, now, Lady Olivia, do you honestly think I’d risk it before thinking of your own safety?”

“So you knew I’d be safe?”

“Of course, I did. I tested out the theory on my squire before I came up here.”

She felt sorry for Quaid and wondered why the boy would let Kin do it. “So they buried your horse then?”

“Aye, they did. Quaid and your father did as I asked and Lightning is resting hidden underground. Now I just hope they keep it to themselves. I wouldn’t want anyone digging up the mare and dividing her up amongst them.”

“It’s getting late,” she said sliding off the bench. “There is much to do, so you’d better get started.”

His blue eyes drank her in, but he did nothing to start working on the spinning.

“What’s the matter?” she asked. “Why aren’t you spinning?” She had hoped he would give her a word of endearment now, and say he felt something for her. But he didn’t. He had something entirely different on his mind.

“I think you’ve forgotten about our fee.”

“Our fee? You want more from me?”

“What is it worth to you?”

“You know it means my life,” she told him.

“Then I want something worthy of spinning a dozen and a half barrels of wool into gold by morning.”

“I don’t have anything more to give you.” Her hand went protectively to the pearls around her neck.

“Don’t play with me, Olivia. You must pay, or I won’t work.”

“Please, you must do it! My life as well as my father’s is at stake.”

“Then pay up.” Where had the gentle caresses gone, or the soft whispers in her ear? That was all gone now as he only worried about money and gold.

Her hand trembled when she reached for her necklace, but she knew she had no other choice. She quickly removed the long strand from around her neck and threw it at his feet. “There is your treasure, you greedy cur. You knew how much that meant to me, yet you still insisted I give it to you. That was the last remembrance of my dear, departed mother and now it’s gone.”

He watched her rant without reacting, and then slowly bent down and scooped up the pearl necklace. It turned to gold with his touch. He tossed it to her, and she caught it.

“I just gave you a gift,” he told her softly. “Now your remembrance of your mother is worth ten times the price.”

“Are you giving this back to me?” She didn’t understand. “I have nothing else to give you.”

“I never asked for the necklace, but you just assumed I’d want it. I’m not that heartless of a man, no matter what you think. I would never insist you give me your last remembrance of your mother.”

“Oh, thank you,” she said feeling grateful, putting it back around her neck.

“I want your baby instead.”

Her eyes shot upward. “Pardon me?” She couldn’t have heard his words correctly. “What did you say?” she asked. “I thought you said in payment for spinning the wool into gold you wanted my . . . baby.”

“That is what I said.”

“But I don’t have a baby.”

“Not yet. However, once I finish this last chore, you will lay with me, and we will couple. And you will give me a baby.”

“I’m to marry the baron in the morning, or did you forget? How do you expect me to lay with you when I’m promised to him?”

“Lots of men have mistresses. Even the king himself.”

“Well, I don’t want to be anyone’s mistress. Besides, if you’ve forgotten the punishment for a woman in such a position – it is death. So are you saying you want me to die?”

“Nay. You’re not listening. I told you I wouldn’t let you marry the baron, and I won’t. I will protect you with my life and not allow that to happen.”

“And?” she asked with her jaw set firm. “You just expect me to act no different than one of the castle whores?”

“Nay again. I’ve had most the whores in many of the neighboring castles. I’m tired of them. I want a lady.”

“Then you’d better look elsewhere. I’m a spinster, not a lady, and you know that.”

“Then marry me and you’ll be a lady. My lady.”

“M-marry you? Do you mean it?” Her heart fluttered in her chest as she watched him nod his head. Her mouth turned so dry she had to lick her lips, and when she did, she saw him staring at her mouth.

“Will you do it?” he asked. This was a lot to consider. She’d just told him she loved him and he ignored it and hadn’t responded in the same way. He’d also told her earlier he wanted her, but not in marriage. She felt confused as how she should answer.

“Mayhap,” she said.

“You can’t answer like that. It’s one or the other.”

“No, it’s not,” she said with a smile. “I’ll marry you and have your baby, but I won’t do it in payment for a service. If I do, I’m nothing more than a whore.”

“I told you – you won’t be.”

“I don’t even know anything about you, nor do you know anything about me.”

“What is there to know?”

“Well, we can start with our names.”

“You are Olivia Miller, but pretend to be Lady Olivia de Mil. You are the daughter of Monroe Miller, a commoner who grinds grain for a living, and your mother is dead. However, you might not really be the miller’s daughter. You might be the daughter of a sheik. How’s that?”

“That’s correct,” she murmured, wondering how he knew so much about her. Especially the part about her real father possibly being a sheik. “I still know nothing about you other than you have four brothers and two sisters, and you are all being cursed by a witch named Hecuba who your father angered years ago.”

“That’s all you need to know.”

“All I need to know? I would think if you’re going to be my husband, I’d at least know your real name.”

His head jerked upward, and he looked at her from the corner of his eye. “My name is Kin de Bar.”

“Yes, but what is your real name? Your full name? I’ve heard gossip that it is a secret that you won’t even tell your own squire. Is this true?”

“It doesn’t matter.” He sat down on the stool.

“It matters to me. I’ll marry you and have your baby, but not unless you tell me your real name first.”

“Forget it. The deal is off.”

“So you won’t spin the wool then?”

“I’ll do it only so your head won’t end up on a spike. But I’ve changed my mind about stopping your marriage to the baron.”

“You can’t do that! You promised.”

“I promised to stop the marriage only if you’d marry me instead.”

“That’s not quite the way I remember it, but I want to point out that I did say yes – as soon as you tell me your real name.”

“Leave me alone, Olivia. I have work to do. And the only way I’ll marry you now is if you do tell me my real name, which you’ll never find out.”

“Then how will I know the answer? Did you want me to guess?”

“You can’t, so just face it.” He spun wool quickly, with his head down in concentration. “You’ll never guess a name like mine, so I suppose we will never be wed.”

Olivia didn’t understand why Kin was so adamant about not telling her his name, nor why he’d changed things around and now told her the only way he’d marry her is if she guessed his name. She figured the curse was taking control of him again and confusing his mind. Sure enough, he chuckled and hummed an odd tune as his foot pumped the pedal of the spinning wheel faster and faster. The wheel whirred, and Kin’s hands flew in all directions as he pulled and pushed and twisted the wool as it wrapped around the bobbin as pure wisps of gold.

She decided it couldn’t be that hard to figure out a name. She would just guess every name she could think of, and one of them would have to be right. Now that she’d upset him, this would be the only way for her to get out of her betrothal with the baron. She wanted to marry Kin, not Baron Pettigrew, and now regretted her antics with the cursed man.

“Is your name Henry?” she asked.

“Nay.”

“Hubert, Roger, or Leo?”

“Not even close.” He continued to work without looking up. “It’s not such a common name at all.”

“It’s not?” she asked. “Well, perhaps it is Octavio or Nereus? Or how about Pontifex or Quartis?”

“Nay, nay, nay. Not at all. It’s an odd name, and you’ll never guess it.” He laughed, and it unnerved her since he almost cackled like that old witch. She could see a transformation in him and didn’t like it at all.

“How about Longshanks or Twiddletads or Bullfrog?” she said, making up crazy names that she knew couldn’t be true.

It only made him laugh harder. She quickly tired of his addlepated games.

Instead of guessing more names, she decided she needed to get away from him, because what she needed was someone to help her.

Chapter 17

Olivia slipped out of the solar, covering her head with the hood of a cloak. Kin busily spun wool into gold, singing and chanting and acting very odd. Every so often he stopped and touched items around the room, and then held them up as if he were fascinated that they’d turned to gold.

Something about his curse was addling his mind. He liked his ability to turn items to gold. He liked it so much that it scared Olivia. She wanted to help him end his curse, but wasn’t sure he’d want to break it now that he was obsessed by it. She needed to find help by morning because that is when everything would change.

She sneaked down the stairs, staying hidden in the shadows, and made her way toward the great hall. It was late and servants were sleeping by the fire, and a few knights were still drinking and conversing in low tones.

She spotted her father passed out over a trestle table, and keeping her head low; she made her way toward him. “Father,” she whispered, shaking his shoulder, but he only moaned and rolled over and kept sleeping. He would be of no help to her tonight.

She spied Kin’s squire leaving the great hall and followed him. He made his way to the stables, and once inside when she was sure no one was listening, she called out to him.

“Quaid,” she said softly, but he didn’t seem to hear her. “Quaid,” she said a little louder and finally he turned around.

“Lady Olivia?” he asked in surprise. “What are you doing out here this time of night?”

“Shhhh,” she said looking around and then pulling him to the side. “I’m worried about Kin.”

“Is he feeling ill?”

“Nay. He’s acting odd. And I think he’s enjoying his ability to turn things into gold a little too much.”

“Aye, I know what you mean. He already turned my sword as well as my saddle to gold. If he doesn’t stop it soon, I’ll have nothing left I can use in front of anyone. Do you know he even made me touch the end of his sword while he was holding it without his gloves, just to see if the curse would travel down the blade and turn me to gold as well?”

“I know. He told me. He is getting much too reckless. We need to find a way to stop him. How can we possibly break the curse?”

“I don’t know, but Kin’s brothers should be back soon with their father. Lucio will know something.”

“I’m not sure we can wait. Come morning; Kin will finish the chore, and I will have to marry the wretched baron.”

“I’m sure Lord Kin will stop that marriage from happening. Won’t he?”

“Quaid, I think I’ve fallen in love with Kin, and he is fond of me as well.”

“Then mayhap he can marry you!”

“He said he would. But I feel as if I don’t know him well enough.”

“You don’t know the baron at all, and yet you were going to marry him.”

“I suppose that’s true. But everything’s changed now. I told Kin I wouldn’t marry him unless he told me his real name. I was angry at the time and now wish I hadn’t said it.”

“Did he tell you?” asked Quaid, sounding very interested.

“Nay. I was hoping you would know.”

“Lord Kin has kept that a well-guarded secret. Only his family knows the answer, and he’s threatened them all not to tell anyone.”

There was a noise in the stable, and they turned to see someone emerging from the hay. “His family isn’t the only one. I know the answer to that as well.”

“Hecuba!” said Olivia, surprised to see the witch in the stable with them.

“Get back,” said Quaid, going for his sword to protect Olivia, but finding it gone. “Damn, I forgot I had to hide it since Lord Kin turned it to gold.” He unsheathed his dagger instead and held that in front of him.

“Don’t make me laugh,” said Hecuba with a swish of her hand through the air. The dagger flew out of his grip and embedded into the wood of the stall next to them. “I’m here to tell you Kin’s real name.”

“Why would you do that?” asked Olivia suspiciously.

“Because I want to see what he will do once he finds out someone knows his real name. He’s kept it a secret all these years because he hates it and is embarrassed by it.”

“No name can be that bad,” said Olivia. “I’m sure you’re wrong about that.”

“Am I? I know Rumpelstiltskin better than you, my dear. I assure you, I am not wrong.”

“Rumpelstiltskin?” asked Olivia with a smile on her face. She had to keep herself from laughing.

“Now I can see why it was a secret,” said his squire. “If I’d been saddled with a name like that, I wouldn’t tell anyone either.”

“He won’t stop his obsession with his ability to turn things into gold,” said the witch. “It will eventually destroy him.”

“He’s not obsessed,” said Olivia. “If so, he wouldn’t have left his horse and other objects behind. He would have taken them with him.”

“Give him time. You’ll see,” said the witch. “You think you don’t know him now – but just wait. It’ll get even more amusing.” She cackled and held up her hand mirror. “I’ll be watching. Now go and tell him you know his name. I can’t wait to see his reaction.”

The witch started to disappear in a green mist, but Olivia shouted out to stop her.

“Wait! Tell me. Is there a way to break his curse?”

“There might be, but I won’t tell you,” said the witch. “I rather like the lucky de Bar brother turning everything to gold. And once everything and everyone around him turns to gold, he’ll be so lonely he’ll want to turn himself to gold as well.”

“Can that happen?” asked the squire.

“I don’t know,” admitted the witch. “But I’m hoping to find out soon.” She raised a hand in the air and disappeared, leaving Olivia and Quaid staring at each other in silence.

“What do we do?” asked Quaid.

“I’m not sure,” answered Olivia. “Kin said Stefan’s curse of becoming a beast was broken when Bonnibel told him she loved him.”

“That’s right,” said Quaid. “Mayhap that will work with Lord Kin as well.”

“I don’t think so,” she said sadly. “I’ve already tried it, and it didn’t work. I have a feeling it’ll take more than that since his curse seems to keep getting worse. Perhaps it’s more than just words this time. If he feels the love between us instead, mayhap that would break the curse.”

“It’s worth a try. But how are you going to manage that?”

“I have to get him to marry me. Then things will be different; I know they will. And now that I know his real name, I have the means to do it.”