Knight's Caress (20 page)

“She is the one brought low, not Lord Tedric.”

“Aye. Not to receive a morning gift from her husband is the greatest of humiliations. Poor man,” Runa lamented, “how terrible it is to be wed to a cold woman, and Lord Tedric is such a fine strapping man. Lady Amberlie will lose him for certain. Glenna will see he doesn’t lack for warmth.”

Gundred mumbled something which Amberlie couldn’t hear. In fact, the blood pounded so hard in her ears that she was temporarily deaf as she quickly retreated from Gundred’s small cottage. Pain and humiliation flushed her cheeks. Tedric had never intended to give her the circlet, she realized that now. But to cause her such embarrassment with Woodrose’s own people was unforgivable. Did he hate her so much that he delighted in humiliating her?

Apparently, he did. She now knew without a doubt that Tedric had married her only as a means to an end, and had quickly consummated the marriage as a way of retaining the lands. He’d done the king’s bidding—and made a fool of her in the bargain.

She found a small wooded path, away from the keep, and found sanctuary beneath a sheltering oak tree. Tears formed in her eyes and spilled freely down her cheeks. She didn’t bother to wipe them away.

Never had she expected such treachery from Tedric, not after the night they’d spent together. She’d freely given of her body, had taken more than her share of pleasure and given him pleasure in return. Maybe she’d originally thought the morning custom was silly, but no longer. She’d wanted the circlet as proof that she’d pleased Tedric as only a dutiful wife could. But he’d betrayed her with her own weakness for him, using that weakness to gain vengeance upon her family for what they’d taken from his.

She’d never forgive him, never.

He’d suffer for her humiliation. When he came to her again, as she knew he would, she’d treat him with coldness and would find no pleasure in their mating. He had used her strange, ungovernable attraction for him to gain power over her, reducing her to a mewling, writhing plaything. But no longer. Her flesh was weak, but her spirit was not, and to punish him, she’d not respond to him, even if it meant her own physical needs wouldn’t be satisfied.

It was the only way to make him suffer.

With a heavy heart, Amberlie wiped away her tears. The sun rode high in the sky, and she realized it was well past midday and time she returned to the keep. The day had grown warmer, and she was glad she’d removed her headdress at the keep and now went bareheaded. A slight breeze ruffled her dark curls as she entered the meadow which served as a buffer between the forest and Woodrose Keep. She glanced toward the stone structure, and her heart leapt in her chest for Tedric was fast approaching on a large, black gelding.

The sun gilded his blond hair, and highlighted the ruby brooch on his mantle which twinkled like rosefire. Tedric looked quite impressive and very large as he reined in the horse. But she kept walking, not about to stop, and forced him to canter alongside her.

“Sir Christophe told me he saw you leave the keep some time ago. ‘Tisn’t safe to be abroad, my lady.”

“Oh? Perhaps that was true some weeks past when a renegade Saxon prowled the area, but no more, my lord, as you well know. I’ve nothing to fear in the woods.”

Tedric laughed down at her, instantly understanding. “Mayhaps you should still be fearful since you gaze upon the renegade leader.”

“I fear no one, especially not you, my lord.” Amberlie stalled in her steps and shot him a frosty look, which caused Tedric to frown.

“I’ve never wanted you to fear me, Amberlie.”

There was something in the way he said her name which sent a frisson of heat down her legs. He bent down, grasped her around the waist with one strong arm, and pulled her up beside him. “Come, I’ve had food prepared and we will eat in the meadow.”

“Is that an order, my lord? I’ve duties which must be performed.”

“Hmm, so cold you sound for such a warm-blooded wench, but aye, this is an order. And if it’s a duty you wish to perform, well, I can think of one that needs doing.” He grinned at her, and positioned her so that her backside contacted the spot between his legs to feel his arousal. Her heart lurched madly, the magnetism of him so potent that she felt herself weakening, even as she determined not to respond to him.

“I’m mistress of the keep now. I cannot be away for long.”

Tedric’s lips touched her earlobe in a whisper-soft kiss that sent delightful shivers down her spine. “You’ll be gone for as long as I wish, my love.”

Her every sense was on the alert, knowing full well what he meant. She took a deep breath, fortifying herself for the battle of wills to come.

Stopping near an ancient elm tree at the edge of the meadow, Tedric slid from the horse to help her down, careful to place her body close against his when he lowered her to the ground. A lecherous but devastatingly handsome smile curled up the corners of his mouth, immediately turning her legs to liquid. For a moment longer than necessary she held onto his broad shoulders to steady herself. “I’m really not hungry,” she said inanely, unable to think of anything else to say as a telltale blush consumed her cheeks.

“But I am. Please indulge me, my lady.”

Tedric unhooked his mantle and gallantly laid it upon the grass for her to sit upon beneath the shade of the leafy bowers, which hadn’t yet succumbed to the autumn chill. He retrieved a woolen bag from the horse’s neck, and opened it to bring forth a wedge of cheese, a hunk of bread, an apple and a pear, plus a leather pouch containing mead. “I trust this is to your liking,” he said, and waited until she’d chosen first before making his decision.

Suddenly she was quite hungry, and she broke a piece of bread and waited while he cut into the cheese with his hunting knife and offered a thick slice to her. It tasted delicious, more so as she dined outside beneath the vibrantly blue sky with the sparrows winging from the tree to the grass, where they feasted upon the crumbs of bread which Tedric threw to them. Even a shy squirrel advanced near to clasp an offering within its tiny grasp.

Amberlie giggled at the adorable creature and tried to coax it closer, but the little animal would have none of her and soon scampered up the tree with its booty. Her laughter died in her throat when she discovered that Tedric was no longer smiling but watching her in all seriousness. “You shall be a kind mother,” he told her. “Our children shall be much loved.”

Children! She’d barely contemplated having a child, but her face blazed with the memory of the previous night as she realized she could already be carrying Tedric’s child. If she wasn’t already with child, it wasn’t from a lack of trying. But she’d been married for nearly five years when Henri died, and she hadn’t conceived. Tedric might have made a bad bargain by marrying her after all. “I … I may very well be … barren,” she forthrightly told him. “Henri and I were unable…”

“My seed shall take,” he declared softly.

“‘Tis confident you are, my lord.”

He smiled smugly. “Aye, for I know you shall bear me sons and daughters who will do me proud.”

“Is there reason for your belief in this matter, my lord? Have many women born your bastards?”

“Ouch, there’s a thorn within your softness, my lady, but I take no offense at your question. No, I have no bastards.”

“None that you know of.”

“None to speak of.”

“How know you this? How is it that Lady Glenna never conceived your bastard? Were you not man enough to get her with child?” She was going too far, she knew it, but she couldn’t help herself. Something drove her to probe him mercilessly, to wound him for his humiliation of her.

With a quick and agile movement, Tedric pulled her toward him and pinned her to the ground. His face was scant inches from hers, his body pressed intimately against her heaving bosom. “Your pretty mouth asks too many questions, sweet, and I refuse to be baited. ‘Tis only by God’s power that I have no child to claim as my own—and certain twists of lovemaking which do not require the spilling of seed within the woman, but give pleasure as well.” He lifted the hem of her deep blue kirtle and found the spot between her legs. “Mayhap you’d like that now.”

“Nooo,” she moaned, and would have pushed away except Tedric was heavy upon her and she was no match for him physically.

“Aye, my heart, you’re more than ready for a bit of pleasuring.” His fingers traced the folds of her flesh, parting them and easily slipping inside to torment and delight her at the same time. “How warm and wet you are.”

“Oh, stop, please, please, no,” she begged in a breathless voice which sounded nothing like her own.

“Admit that you don’t want me to stop, Amberlie, tell me you want my fingers inside you.” His lips settled upon hers in a warm, moist kiss before he parted them with his tongue to invade the recesses of her sweet mouth.

She moaned against his lips, she couldn’t help herself. No matter her resolve, Tedric always undid her with but a touch. “Surrender to me, give all to me,” he hotly whispered against her mouth, “and I will give you paradise.”

“Nay, nay,” she protested, but her voice was low and trembling as she was already losing herself to his skillful manipulation of her weak flesh.

“Part your legs wider, sweet,” he gently urged, and as in a dream, she did. Tedric groaned, his hand leaving her only to wrap with the other one around the voluptuous curve of her buttocks. His head moved lower upon her body until his mouth found its mark, and he tasted her with low, leisurely flicks of his tongue until Amberlie thought she would die from the intense sensations. A fire burned within her, singeing her very core, lapping at her resolve until nothing remained but her own primitive yearnings.

Her hands tangled within his hair, drawing him nearer to her molten center. She imagined she heard Tedric give a small sound of triumph as he pushed her nearer and nearer to the edge of madness, the fiery bliss she craved. Her body arched instinctively to meet each tongue thrust, and soon she moaned in wanton abandon, not caring that they were in a meadow beneath the golden sun.

And then it seemed as if the very sky above her exploded into a million suns as did her body. Her lusty moans of completion echoed back to her, the exquisite throbbing so wonderful that she clasped him to her to keep it from ending. But eventually it did, and Amberlie lay spent and dazed.

Her gaze focused upon Tedric when his face came into view. He dropped beside her to cradle her in his arms, then took her hand and planted a tender kiss upon it. “You’re more woman than I dared to dream, sweet Amberlie.”

She didn’t know how to respond to that statement for if it were true, wouldn’t he have given her the circlet? But the circlet made no difference now. Once again, she’d surrendered herself to him and detested herself for doing so—and in the middle of the day and outside too. Why must he bring out her wanton nature? Why did she let him?

“I—I must return to the keep. My chores await,” she insisted and managed to break away from his embrace.

“So, you’ve had your pleasure and now you’re through with me. How fickle you are, but I, on the other hand, am still very much aroused,” Tedric moved to nibble upon her neck, and she noticed the large bulge between his legs which his tunic barely concealed. She swallowed hard and looked away, but perversely she wanted to touch him and have him bury his length inside of her—right here, right now, in the middle of the day. Heaven help her, but she was a wanton creature!

“The king is still in residence,” she said shakily, grabbing at any straw to put distance between them. “He might have need of me.”

“His need isn’t as great as mine, my love, but for the moment, I will set you free. Tonight, however, you belong only to me—and no chore or king shall take you from me.”

He let her go, and she scampered away like a frightened field mouse, very much aware of the lust shining in his eyes. She must get away from him, she must stop the desire which soared through her each time the infernal man as much as looked at her.

Amberlie straightened her clothes, her embarrassment more than obvious when Tedric stood and plucked a tiny wild rose and placed it behind her ear. His warm fingers brushed against her lobe and entangled in her hair. “A remembrance of our afternoon together, my lady, so you never forget your pleasure.”

“Oh, why must you remind me!” she cried, and turned away to run back to the keep.

“Wait, I shall take you!” he called after her, but Amberlie didn’t stop to look back.

When she arrived home, disheveled and out of breath, she found Runa waiting for her to plead illness. Amberlie didn’t wait to hear her entire tale of woe, but quickly sent her to bed. Magda immediately informed her that Julianne and Lady Mabel had had another nasty altercation, this one over who had suffered the most during childbirth. A serf had been caught pilfering precious sugar from the larder.

Amberlie dealt with the minor problems, but constantly she was distracted by what had happened in the meadow. What made her discomfort greater was that as she supervised the serfs in the great hall who were readying the evening meal, she was conscious of Tedric, hovering near with the king.

Each time she caught his eye, she blushed with embarrassment and felt a deep sense of despair. Her body had defeated her mind again, and Tedric didn’t seem the least bit disturbed. But the next time he came to her, she’d be less responsive and would wipe that smug smile off his face for good!

After partaking of the evening meal, Amberlie rushed away from the table and went to her chamber. She considered locking the door, but decided against it. She knew Tedric, and he’d probably just break it down if she attempted to keep him at bay. Throughout the supper he’d watched her, and the desire in his hot blue gaze had been unmistakable. No doubt he’d assert his husbandly rights, and as his dutiful wife, she’d give him access to her body. “But I won’t enjoy it,” she mumbled.

“Pardon, my lady?” Magda asked, and picked up Amberlie’s discarded bliaut to lay in the chest. “Did you say something?”

“Nothing, I said nothing.”

Magda went about her chores, barely glancing at Amberlie. Amberlie thought the woman was acting oddly. She knew Magda didn’t entirely trust her yet, but the woman had seemed to be warming toward her. Now, however, she perfunctorily performed her duties, all semblance of warmth having dissipated—and Amberlie knew this change had occurred that morning. Magda was cold because Tedric hadn’t presented his wife with her morning gift.

Tedric arrived, his face wreathed in a sensual smile as he shooed Magda from the room. Amberlie stood beside the bed, wearing an older shift which was thin in spots and had seen better days. Tedric critically examined her. “I think you need new clothes. Mayhaps in London, we shall find a weaver who deals in silk and the finest of velvets. Winter will be upon us soon, and from what I’ve seen of your wardrobe, you need warmer things, as do I. I’m ungodly tired of wearing other men’s leavings.” Tedric stretched and nearly ripped apart the tunic, which had belonged to Sir Christophe, who was a big man, but not as large as Tedric. “Would you like that?” he asked, and placed his arms around her waist and drew her to him.