Gem of Gravane (The Northern Knights) (19 page)

Aric watched her eyes fill. He did
not care who heard them at this point. He softened more, his tone came out
husky. “Nothing happened that night, Danielle.”  

“Well, maybe…maybe not
that
night.”   

He knew what she sought and needed.
“Not that night or any other night that she was under Gravane’s
roof. I was spurning her advances when you happened upon us. I would
have told you that night, had you not run from me.” Aric watched her and
wanted to take her into his arms.  He could see she struggled to believe
him. She’d indeed been deeply wounded by what she had seen. In that moment
watching the myriad of emotions flickering in her gaze, he realized that he’d
grown that tendre.

Danielle wiped hard at a fat tear
as it slid free. “Just because you sent her away does not mean ‘tis over
and I know that. But if I do not see her, I…I” she
swallowed.   She was relieved to hear his words and now she was
falling apart. More tears fell. “I can tell myself ‘tis not
happening. I may not be the beauty she is, but I am your wife. You order
my respect. Am I not entitled to the same from you?”  Danielle swiped her
hand hard across his chest on an anguished sob as he closed the gap
between them. “Must your dalliances be so blatant and on display in front of
all? I look the fool.”

 Her words lanced like a knife
through his chest. Placing a finger under her chin, Aric lifted her face back
up until her eyes met his. When he spoke, his voice was thick with passion in
his need to assure her. “She is never coming back.”  She tried to
pull away, but he held fast. “There will not be any others to take her place,
either. And there is no one more beautiful to me than you. Do you not know
that yet, Danielle?”

She had no time to respond for he
took her mouth in a blazing kiss as the light breeze whipped around them. His
hot mouth fused to hers and soon his tongue coaxed her lips apart and he
plundered her depths.  Her moan of pleasure drew a groan from him and
Aric pulled back, ending the kiss.  

She fell
against him breathless, whispering, “Aric.”

Gathering her into his arms, he
lifted her off her feet and rubbed his face in her hair and neck as he held her
tightly against his chest. She felt so good. “Come, I think we need to
have this discussion you so order me to have.” 

Her head came up so fast, she
bumped his chin hard. “Oh! I’m sorry.” Danielle blurted.

Aric planted a quick kiss on
her lips. “’Tis fine. Come, we ride back. Seeing that you feel
better, join me as I stop by the village before we return to the manor. We can
discuss whatever ‘tis you desire.”
She stiffened. “The village?”

He pulled her near her horse
with a smile on his face. “Aye, the village.” She lowered her
head. Aric smiled.  “And, Danielle,” he caressed her cheek with
the back of his fingers. “I’m so very sorry for what happened that night
and that you had to see that.” 

She smiled weakly, but a
sparkle of warmth blazed in her eyes. Aric grunted. He missed her and
wanted nothing more than to bury himself inside her heat. But, it had to wait.
Not for long, he hoped. He helped her mount.

They rode side by side. Balwain
and the soldiers met them halfway back and continued with them the rest of the
way to the village.

Chapter 21

Danielle’s heart
was full with mixed emotions over Aric’s actions and the sensations they had
stirred within her. As they neared the village the sight that greeted them cut
through her musings. Her husband’s men were dismantling the stone wall
that ended at the fire pit which had separated the villagers for the past few
years. Danielle held her breath as Aric dismounted and assisted her down
to stand next to him. 

The villagers continued to pour
forth out of their homes to line up and be seen by their new lord and to
welcome him. Aric left her side to walk slowly in front of the growing
group as Balwain and the soldiers waited. 

Aric’s gaze swept over the
serfs. 

They looked to be a healthy enough
lot. Aye, Gravane indeed was a prosperous land as William had
promised. The fields beyond, green and lush bore harvest tendered, plowed
fields and in abundance. Out by the common pasture, livestock was penned off to
one side. 

As the procession of tenants came
to an end, Aric went back to the middle where Balwain approached and called the
first family forward to swear fealty and so the process began. Aric tried
to keep his thoughts centered, but they kept wandering off to Danielle.  He
was distracted with her so near. The dark expression on his face caused
many of the serfs to shake with fear and coddle their children as they paid
their respects to him as their new overlord.

So distracted was he, he didn’t
even realize that he kept sneaking peeks at her every now and then as she stood
there. His wife.

Aric sucked in a breath. These new
emotions were disturbing him and ‘twas bad enough he’d found his gaze returning
to her most of the way here as she'd ridden beside him.  

Her ample breasts were calling to
him and he was afraid for one moment to dismount for fear his aroused state
would be visible to everyone.  The smile plastered on her face was nearly
his undoing. 

And the way she watched him with
her heart in her eyes didn’t help.  What was he thinking bringing her here
with him?  

When his eyes met hers, her smile
faltered and Aric knew it probably was from the scowl on his face. But
then he saw that she was looking past him. Before he turned to see what caused
the look of upset on her pretty face, he caught the flash of sorrow, wariness
in her wide eyes and her smile disappeared completely. He would know the
cause of that look. 

He soon found it upon the faces of
a group of mean looking serfs that stood off to the far end of the line on the
other side of the wall. They quickly tried to mask their disgust, but not soon
enough. Aric’s rage boiled in him and without taking his gaze from the
group of three, he called out to Danielle.

“Come here, milady.”  Danielle
was at his side immediately.  He continued.  “Those of you that wish
ill will upon milady, you can take your leave now and know that you leave here
with naught but the clothes on your back.  Thomas Balfour has no authority
here and those of you that wish to stand with him, just and swift punishment
will be your reward.”  His warning fell over the crowd like the threat he
intended. The silence was eerie.  Aric continued.  “Furthermore, your
lack of respect for The Lady Danielle ends today and you will show nothing but
and then some at all times from this day forth.”  

His tone was like thunder. The trio
looked down and one broke away from the lot and stepped forward.  Danielle
recognized the blacksmith.  

He held his hand to his chest, bent
on one knee and said. “I swear fealty to you, milord and all you hold
dear. My family and I wish to remain on Gravane land and serve you and
milady, milord.”

Aric’s response was a long time in
coming and Danielle thought for a moment he was going to send the man away
despite his pledge. Finally, he nodded with a wave for the man to return
to the line.  The blacksmith moved to the other side where a woman crying
silently, held a child to her breast and another at her hip, hugged him to
her. 

The remaining two men turned away
and separated from the serfs.  Aric gave a look to Balwain that only he
seemed to understand.  Danielle watched as a handful of Aric’s men
standing behind the serfs, moved forward and surrounded the two men and then disappeared
with them behind the wall of people.  She wondered where they were
going. 

She waited until Aric turned to her
before she asked in a hushed whisper, “Where are they taking those men?”

“They are escorting them off
Gravane land with a warning never to return.” came Aric’s cool reply.  

Danielle knew he had not told her
all of it, yet she said no more.

The other half of the village
stepped forward to make their pledge. It was well past noon by the time it was
all done. Danielle was antsy when one woman looked her way with pleading
eyes as she tried to hide behind the man standing next to her.  The woman
held the little boy’s hand at her side and she turned to move away and return
to her hut. Danielle bit her lip, a gasp of relief leaving her lungs.
Aric surprised her when he gestured to the couple.  Danielle’s eyes
widened.  Nay!

 “Yea. You there, come forward
and bring the boy.”  Aric’s voice boomed again in the suddenly quiet
yard. Danielle held her breath. Bruce, Livvy and Little Jacob came to
bow and stand before him.   

“Bruce, Livvy and Jacob, am I
correct?”

“Aye, milord.”  Bruce
responded, nervously. His eyes on his lord while Livvy’s trained on Aric’s
feet. But, Little Jacob, he couldn’t help but gaze up at Danielle
smiling.  His young face of innocence showed his affection for her.

“You good with your hands Bruce
other than in the fields? With fashioning weapons and such?” Aric
asked the man.

Bruce nodded readily. “Aye,
milord.”

“Your new job will be to apprentice
as assistant to my blacksmith. With my other holdings, my man will need more
than just his hands to see to all that I and my troops will need. By the size
of you, I know you can handle it.”

Bruce thanked him, beaming and
still did not look at Danielle.  All three bowed and then Aric called
Little Jacob forward.

“You feeling better, lad?” 

Little Jacob brought a smile to
Danielle’s face when he puffed out his little chest and answered his lord like
a brave little knight. “Aye, milord, I am.”  His round eyes slid to her
and Danielle melted. 

Aric straightened and ruffled the
top of Little Jacob’s head. “Good. How would you like to come to the manor
one of these days and watch the knight’s train?”

Little Jacob screeched with joy,
before settling down. His young face red and beaming with the honor. “Aye,
milord. I would like it.” Bruce swelled with pride over the special
attention his lord was favoring upon his son.

 “You will need to be strong
and healed. You can visit the manor before that with the Lady Danielle so that
she may see to your wound.” Aric continued over Danielle’s gasp as he
moved away to instruct the men further about the village separation and that
all tenant homes would be reinforced and new ones built if necessary. He would
have none better than the next. Each man worked just as hard as the other,
paid the same and deserved no less. 

Danielle watched Aric with tears in
her eyes.  He’d not lied. He did know everything and had not been blind to
what was going on. 

As he walked back toward her now,
she knew from the look in his eyes that he had more to say, but he held his
tongue and she was glad for she did not want to cry in front of her people.
Nay, their people.

He surprised her again when he
mounted his great destrier, Thunder and plucked her up and placed her in front
of him as if she were light as a feather. He gave orders to a soldier to
return with her mare, before he turned to Balwain and she saw them share one of
those looks again that only the two of them understood. 

Danielle remained silent as Aric
rode over the grounds.  He spoke not a word either. They came to
the stream on the other side of the manor. He dismounted and helped her down,
and then he led Thunder down to the bank to drink. 

Then as though he’d suddenly
remembered that she was there, he strode back to her and Danielle backed
up.  His eyes blazed with passion and something else as he walked up to
her. He cupped her face and took her mouth in a long, deep kiss that left her
breathless and panting. 

He kissed her whole face, planting
kisses all over, trailing a blazing path with his tongue down her throat to her
chest. Danielle shivered in his embrace. Something hard bit into her back.
It was a tree.  The man moved like a ghost, she could only feel him.

“Danielle.” He whispered
against her ear. Aric pulled her gown up around her waist and slid his hands
over her goose bump flesh to cup her bottom in his grasp.

“Oh” Danielle sagged against him as
he ground his body into hers.  She was on fire.  It was real. 
He had demanded respect for her and now he was kissing her so sweetly she
almost cried with the tenderness of it. 

She cried out when his fingers
caressed her breasts.  He had bared them to his mouth without her even
knowing it and began to suckle. Danielle wrapped her legs around his hard
waist and held on as he lavished her breasts with kisses and drove her mad with
the want of him inside her.  She missed him, his touch and the longing in
her had her pulling at his shoulders.

Aric pressed his hardness against
her heat causing her to cry out again.  He tore aside the rest of her
clothing and pulled away.  She protested but he undid the strings of his
braies, freeing his burgeoning member and sought her core.

“Danielle- oh God
, Danielle
.” 
Aric breathed hoarsely against the side of her neck as he slid his shaft along
her wet cleft and a gush of moisture slid over his pulsing flesh. “I will have
none wish you ill. Those that do commit a crime short of treason and have no
place here. They swear fealty to us both or they die.”  He joined
their bodies with a single hard thrust.

“Oh!” Danielle exclaimed and rested
her head on his shoulder. 

At first Aric thought that he had
hurt her, she was so tight, but he soon felt her tremors and smiled. She
was already coming.

“That’s it, sweet
Danielle. Let go and come to me.”  Aric thrust and ground his hips
against hers as she screamed her passion and convulsed around him.  How he
missed her throaty screams. Her hot sheath flooded with liquid heat. He pumped
in and out, deeper, harder and still he could not get enough of her. He
wanted to be inside of her deeper and deeper, especially after what had
happened. Including the pain he had inflicted upon her in the past weeks. He
wanted to erase it and the sorrow from her.