Gem of Gravane (The Northern Knights) (15 page)

And he did seem to enjoy it as much
as she. 

But it was knowing that Lady Ella
was still there that caused her to cry herself quietly to sleep
afterwards. 

She wanted more. She deserved more.

She felt invisible outside their
chamber.  Everyone was being nicer to her, sure, and she knew this too was
because of him. 

One night, after reviewing
tomorrow’s chores with the servants and seeing to the meals to be made,
Danielle could not bring herself to return as she normally did back to their
chamber.

She was suffocating in her own
misery and needed to find a place to think anew again. Her garden, neglected in
this past week, drew her guilty conscious to it.  She made her way around
the manor via the kitchen alcoves so she would not chance a run in
with her cousins, Aric or his guests.  She even told Edie she would
not need her attendance this night. 

Dusk had settled its cool grip over
Gravane manor to match the feeling inside the walls and she slid through the
small tunnel leading to her garden and was out under the vine covered trellis
within seconds. 

After a few moments alone with her
thoughts, the upset in her stomach lessened, but still her sadness ate at her
and she felt a ride might be the final touch. A few soldiers, manor guards
walked the inner yard and near the stream. 

Danielle carefully made her way
across to the stables, pausing but once as she heard voices. 

 Rose and Harvey. 

Rose’s throaty moans reached her
ears.  Danielle shook her head and moved on inside.  The sound of the
lovers came from the far end of the large barn and Danielle moved to the right
away from it.  She cringed.  The entire manor was aware of what went
on between the two.
Sickened by the sounds, she quickly led her gray mare out of its stall and
looking over her shoulder once at the manor, she felt something crawl up her
spine.  

Yet, she shrugged the sense of
being watched off.  Aric would not even notice she was gone.  His
only concern was that of his guests.  He’d even forgotten about doing
something about Thomas, Danielle sighed, feeling the tears sting her
eyes.  She shoved the painful feelings aside and turning the mare, she
entered the forest.

Dismounting, Danielle’s gaze swept
over the village.  This side of it was lively tonight as all were happy
that Little Jacob’s fever had broken days ago and this night was the first he
was up and about.  She quickly visited the family, leaving a warm kiss
atop the little boy’s forehead and Jacob gushed over her affection, his eyes
wide with delight. 

After leaving their hut, Danielle
moved on to a group of village women gathered around a fire burning in the
center, it looked as though it separated this side of the village from the
other side, where neater and sturdier huts sat.   The women hid
what their lady gave them within the folds of their clothing, fresh bread
wrapped in cloth. 

By the time she had made her way
through this section, pressing slivers of more bread and extra coin into
calloused palms, an herb, an instruction or two in an ear, she was duly
tired. 

Danielle stretched out the
stiffness in her back and legs.  It was now quite dark and she’d stayed
longer than she’d intended.  She had to get back before Aric made his way
no doubt from Lady Ella’s embrace back to their chamber.

As she guided the mare into a trot
back through the forest she was overcome with her heartache. Her mind now
clear.  

Although Edie had said it was
commonplace for a man to have a mistress, it angered Danielle to no end knowing
this woman was there.

Under her own roof!

How could she allow Aric to think
she would want him to touch her after his hands had been on Ella?

She did not care if this was the
way of things, she could no longer bear it. It hurt too much.

Danielle told herself she did not
need his touch.  

Even as she thought it, her body
reacted at the memory of his hands last night on her skin and the pleasure he’d
brought to her flesh. 

She may not be able to deny him,
but she prayed that her body would not betray her and give in to the pleasure.
The ache in her thighs called her a liar. 

Harvey’s snores reached her ears
and Danielle easily returned the mare to its stall and made it back to the
manor and was closing the chamber door when she finally expelled the breath
that burned inside her chest. 

Tears of distress spilled over from
her lids as she washed with the water Edie had left for her and prepared
for bed.  She tried to convince herself that her tears were because the
day had simply been long…tiring and naught more.  But she knew she was
only fooling herself. She willed herself not to think any more on her heartless
Norman husband and her tender feelings.

Chapter 15

Tonight Danielle
had not waited to escape under the guise of the mist.  Her garb that
consisted of a tunic, breeches, a cloak and a sack was all she’d taken. 
Her fearlessness of not getting caught brought forth a smile of admiration from
Aric.  His men outside did not pick up on her movements until she was near
the stables. 

But Aric was on her as soon as
she’d taken to the tunnel inside the manor and he’d stealthily once again
followed each and every one of her movements.   Seeing to the sick,
returning payments, giving bread and of herself.  

No wonder Gravane was as prosperous
as it was, even with Thomas raping her pockets and the
tenants.   

Arica admitted he’d been partially
wrong that day in the study. Not all were against her. Although, he thought,
he’d yet himself to discover and rectify the reason why she only kept to
one side of the village and he would, when he dealt with Thomas.  

His earlier thought that Thomas
might be aware of her trips in the night came back to him.

Thomas knew something, Aric knew,
but not this. The peacock was totally unaware of his cousin’s true self or the
loyalty that ran deep for her on that side of the village.
Aric snorted. 

So too had he.  His eyes had
been opened much in the short time since he’d met her and he had resisted all
that he’d seen. 

Even now, he still resisted because
of what she stirred in him and it scared him like no battle he’d ever fought
and today’s events were no different. 

Pain lanced his chest at the rift
between them these past few days. Her withdrawal from him and her stubbornness
had angered him at first, but now he was in hell.  His brows furrowed as
he brooded over his thoughts. He was angry at himself because he knew he was
the cause.
God’s wounds!  He was fighting a losing battle. 

Yet, he refused to relent.  He
would not yield.  It was not in him to do so. 

He shoved aside the ridiculous
thought and scoffed at such musings as his eyes slid over her form in their
bed.
She slept on her side with, her back to him.  He did not know how long
he’d sat there just staring.  Just watching her sleep. 

The coverlets were bunched around
her hips, a creamy globe peeked out from the open neckline of her shift and the
call for him to touch it was screaming at him.

He’d stripped a while ago, sat at
the hearth and had finished off a cup of wine.  Still, he’d grown thick and
hard.  It pulsed and ached for the feel of her softness tonight like it
had each night this week.
Not for the mistress that he had thought was the closest match to him in every
way in bed.  Aye, he’d been wrong again.

‘Twas the woman with those lush curves
who lay in their bed that seemed to have ensnared him so.  The images of
her fulfilling her curiosity the other morn had filled him all week. Things had
been good.  Had Balwain not knocked when he had, his innocent and sweet
Danielle, he was sure, would have taken him into her hot mouth. A soft
moan escaped his lips at the image forming in his head.

Aric rose, shook the image away and
got into bed beside her.  Immediately she moaned and rolled over against
his body.  She did not wake, but threw one curvy limb over his, her
breasts pressed against his chest and her hands slid down between them to rest
against his belly. 

The groan in his chest escaped him
as she settled herself.  She made a small noise, then moved closer and
finally found the right spot.  She felt so good pressed against him. 
Her body fit so well as if it’d always belonged right here. 

Tonight he would not wake her to
lose himself inside her as he’d done all week, telling himself it was his right
and duty to get his heir on her. He’d been lying to himself even on that. He’d
done it because he believed it would slake his desire for her, but it hadn’t.

Even though he wanted her now in
the worst way, he vowed to not do it again until things were right, if ever
between them again. She had not denied him once, but it bothered him that
something was missing. Her cries of pleasure she kept muffled in the side of
his neck. He missed the loud sound of them and her willingness.  Aric’s
chaotic thoughts of his wife kept him awake until close to dawn.  Before
sleep claimed him, his last thought was this was not good.

Chapter 16

Another sennight
passed by slowly and still Aric had not exercised his husbandly rights upon her
and Danielle’s grief grew stronger with each passing day. He still came to
their bed long after she’d fallen asleep.  His warm embrace made her
skin tingle and her heart soar.  Being wrapped, held in his strong
arms, Danielle felt closer to him even though he did little else.  And she
knew the moment he would leave before the first break of light, for the heat
from his warm embrace would be replaced by the light chill in the room.  

It was all they had for he did not
speak to her other than a grunt here or there. She had stopped her
self-imprisonment after that night in the village. Still things were tense
between them.

Whenever she did catch sight of him
other than feeling his body heat next to hers, he was out and about the manor
with Balwain on some matter or another.  The people of the manor and
village were adjusting to their new lord and master at a clipped pace. 
Albeit, Danielle knew he still had yet to visit the other part of the village.

 She wondered when and if he
would get around to asking her about it or if he’d even noticed.

Yea, a man like Aric missed nothing
nor hid anything. 

On three occasions to date, she’d
witnessed him leaving a dark alcove with Lady Ella emerging a few moments
afterwards.  Neither had been aware of her presence. 

 Danielle knew her home better
than her husband. 

With those three times Danielle
found herself filled to near rage.  To make matters worse, his mood was no
better.  It was downright foul.  His indifference only made her
heartache and grief all that more unbearable and her days more miserable. 

Her servants were suddenly acting
peculiar too.

They were cordial enough to their
lord as expected of them and his guests, but word soon reached her that plenty
of drinks had found their way spilled in laps as did an accidental filled
trencher or two at nearly every meal. 

At her first eve back in the hall
to take a full meal with Lady Ella present, Aric had  grumbled on about
her instructing the kitchen servants that they were using way too much salt to
flavor and scent the meat.  Danielle had found his request rather
odd. 

No extra salt or spice was in her
food. 

He complained until she accepted
and tasted a bite from his trencher. 

 She nearly spat the bite of
stew back out.  She took a long drink of water.  He gave her a
blistering look when he reached for his chalice and found it empty.  She’d
downed his too.

Guilty, feeling her cheeks redden,
Danielle wiped the droplet of water from her lips.  Aric’s eyes darkened
as he watched her.  Then abruptly, he turned from her to Balwain.

She frowned, stung.  Irritated
by his action, she stared at the back of his dark head.  She had only
drunk his water.  She did not deserve a look like that. 

She waved to Edie who sent the
young page forward who came and refilled their cups with drink.  

She also told Edie to bring the
lord another trencher and to make sure there was nothing extra in it. 
Edie frowned, yet nodded and went off to do as ordered.  Danielle tapped
his broad shoulder. 

He turned to her, saw the proffered
drink and gave her a suspicious long look before he took it and drank it down
in a single gulp. 

At the first bite from his replaced
meal, he did something unexpected.  He looked at her and gave her a smile,
brief it was, but a smile nonetheless and proceeded to eat heartily. 

Danielle flushed to her feet and
finally remembered his guests at their table.  Lord Jamison’s eyes were
locked on her breasts.  Lady Ella met her gaze dead on and those dark orbs
were filled with something that made Danielle’s skin crawl.  Then the
beauty smiled a tight grin.  Danielle nodded.  The lady looked
away. 

Not knowing she did it, Danielle
moved closer to Aric and to her surprise, although he continued to chat with
Balwain when her thigh bumped his, he pressed his own harder against hers and
left it there for the remainder of the meal.  

****

Danielle
entered the study.   The place looked like it had before Thomas had
filled it with all his garbage.  When he had come here, he had tried to
take over her home room by room.  He would never have Gravane. 

Danielle moved across the room and
pulled back the window coverings and opened the wooden shutters.  Morning
light flooded the room and stone floor. Fresh marsh plant covered one side,
scented with rosemary, the aroma filled the room.  Her soft slippers
crossed over the tapestry she had laid down under the large table and
wooden bench.  Aric had yet to see the room again. 
Something niggled at the back of her neck and turning, Danielle inhaled
sharply.  Thomas’s thin frame filled the archway, a sneer on his wet lips
and those beady eyes full of anger.