Ruby - Book 1 (Daughters of the Dagger Series) (20 page)

He’d felt bad about reprimanding her
yesterday for hiding from the guards, but he had to do it, to let
her know he feared for her safety. Yet, he knew it was in her
nature to act in that manner and he rather liked the spunky,
playful side of her and really didn’t want to change that. Still,
he felt uncomfortable that she’d refused to wear her dagger since
the day she’d used it in self-defense and killed the cook.

She’d proven to him that she could defend
herself in times of danger, but without a weapon, she’d have no
chance. There’d been no more attempts on her life since he’d
strengthened the security around the castle and also had her
followed every minute of the day. But he knew she was irritated by
it, and truthfully, so was he.

They’d only made love once since they’d been
married. And now that he had guards following her everywhere and
Tibbar slept between them in their bed every night for his own
protection, he’d had no time alone with her. It was torture to look
at her and not be able to touch her. She was his wife and he was a
man with needs, and he would do something about this little problem
today.

The mass ended and they all got up to leave.
He put his hand on Ruby’s back and guided her through the church
with the baby in her arms. They made their way down the steps and
headed for their horses. Locke was waiting for her with the reins
of her horse in his hand. Nyle took the baby from her as she
mounted. She held out her arms for Tibbar, but instead he gave the
baby to Locke.

“What are you doing?” she asked in
surprise.

“Ruby, I thought you and I should spend some
time alone today. I wanted to know if you would like to go for a
ride with me instead of heading back to the castle.”

“I would love to,” she said with a smile.
Then she looked over to the guards nearby and frowned. “Will they
be coming with?” she asked.

“Nay,” he said. “There is no need. I will be
there to protect you.”

She smiled. “Then aye, I would like to
go.”

“Have my sister or Oralie watch the baby,”
he told Locke. “No one else.” He had decided to agree to let Oralie
watch the baby as well, as it meant so much to Ruby. Besides, he
realized it was too much to ask that a lady of the castle raise her
own child. That is what they had servants for, and he would not
overwhelm Ruby or his sister with the care of an infant every hour
of the day.

“Aye, my lord,” Locke said with a nod. The
baby stuck his little finger into Locke’s eye and he grunted, but
still tried to maintain his composure. Both Ruby and Nyle laughed
at the site of Locke standing at attention with one eye closed.

“If you’re not careful you may end up with a
black eye the same as me,” he said looking over and winking at
Ruby.

Then in one motion he mounted his horse, and
took off over the countryside with Ruby right behind him.

* * *

Ruby loved the ride through the countryside
and the part she liked best was that she was able to spend time
with her new husband and not have guards right at her elbow
watching. They raced each other and then they rode slowly next to
each other, making their way over the grounds and along a bubbling
creek.

Nyle reached out and held out his hand and
they rode forward with hands clasped together.

“This is wonderful,” she told him, starting
to feel very relaxed. “I had wondered if we’d ever have time alone
together again.”

“I must say having a baby in our bed does
naught for building a man’s pride of his sexual prowess.”

“Well,” she said. “We have no baby now to
stop us.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

“What do you mean?”

“I want to show you something, Ruby. ’Tis a
special place I’d often go to by myself when I wanted to
think.”

They dismounted off the beaten path and near
a creek. Ruby could hear the water falling from somewhere up
ahead.

“This way,” he told her walking a small
distance. She followed right behind, leading her horse.

Then she broke through the clearing and
gasped at the most beautiful site. A waterfall rose up majestically
before them, and emptied into a secluded little pond just
below.

Nyle tied up their horses and put an arm
around her as they gazed upon the beautiful site.

“This is a special place,” she said.

“Indeed it is.” He reached over, obviously
no desire for talking, and kissed her. The sun warmed the top of
her head and she found herself melding her body into his as she
reached up and put her arms around his neck.

His tongue entered her mouth and she met his
with her own, in a sparring that only lovers used. His hands slid
down her back, settling on her waist. Then he cupped the cheeks of
her backside and playfully squeezed.

“Two can play that game,” she told him,
sliding her hands down his waist and to his backside for a squeeze
as well. She felt the hilt of his sword jab into her and reached
out to move it – but it wasn’t his sword.

“Keep that up, wife and we won’t get as far
as taking off our clothes.”

She looked down and realized just what she’d
grabbed and started to laugh. He stepped away and released his belt
and sword and tossed them to the ground. Then he reached over his
head to his back, pulling off his tunic in one smooth movement.

The sun glistening off his chest tempted
her, and she reached out and ran her hands down it, feeling his
muscles contract under her fingers.

“Two can play that game as well,” he told
her.

She knew just by his words that she had
started a lover’s game of which there was no turning back. Neither
did she want there to be.

His lithe fingers reached forward, unlacing
her bodice and slipping her gown off her shoulders, leaving them
bare. She felt the slight breeze against her skin and realized he
meant to undress her right there.

Part of her knew she shouldn’t be doing this
where roaming eyes may spot them. But another part of her found it
exciting and she felt her body awakening with every move he made.
He exposed her breasts to the summer air and his hands slid over
her mounds, causing a flit of excitement to course through her. She
pulled herself closer and once again their kisses turned to heated
passion.

He reached down and removed the rest of his
clothing and she didn’t wait for him to help, as she undressed
herself. Then they both stood there naked in front of a magical
waterfall, and it all seemed so romantic.

He scooped her off her feet causing her to
giggle. Then he kicked their clothes together to make a bed and lay
her gently atop them.

“I have waited so long for this,” he said,
his eyes closing slightly as if he was anticipating what was to
come.

“It hasn’t been that long,” she reminded
him.

“Well to a newly married man whose desire is
bigger than his sword, I’d say it feels like a lifetime.

“Bigger than your sword? Now that is your
manly pride boasting.”

“All right then, bigger than a dagger
anyway.”

“Don’t speak to me of daggers right now as I
don’t want to ruin the moment.”

She reached up to him and pulled him to her
and they kissed and rolled around atop their clothes on the grass.
Her hand reached out to fondle him and his hands both reached out
and did the same to her. It wasn’t long before they were both ready
to consummate their marriage yet again.

He mounted himself atop and entered her,
causing her emotions of passion to open like a blossoming flower.
Then he thrust into her and she raised her hips to meet him. And
she reached up her legs and wrapped them around his waist and clung
to him as he took one hand and lifted her off the ground. Together
they made love as man and wife, and she felt all her concerns and
tension leave her as they both found their release and dropped to
the ground in each other’s arms.

“I love you,” she blurted out in the midst
of passion, and she waited for him to return the endearment, but
instead he just calmed his breathing and reached over and kissed
her again. His long hair hung to his shoulders and brushed against
her. She wanted more than anything to ask if he loved her too, but
didn’t. If not, she didn’t want to ruin the moment. She knew he was
guarded with his emotions, and also a very private man. He’d come
in time to return her claim of love, she was sure. She just needed
to let it unfold naturally. He obviously had something holding him
back from loving her as well.

Still, the question persisted in her head,
and when he rolled to his side and looked up at the sky, she found
herself staring at the clouds but talking to him at the same
time.

“You are still in love with Jocelyn,” she
said, “I know that and accept it. But I hope someday you will be
able to love me as well.”

“What are saying?” He sat up and looked at
her, brushing his hair from his face. “I don’t love Jocelyn,” he
said.

“But you once did,” she countered back.

“You don’t know anything about this,
sweetheart, so don’t think you do.”

“Well if you told me, then I would
know.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You never want to talk. But I am your wife
and you need to start opening up to me. I told you I’ve already
accepted the fact you were in love with this girl so why can’t you
tell me what happened? Or do you want me to guess?”

“You couldn’t even begin to guess,” he
grumbled.

“Oh, but I think I can.” She sat up next to
him, pulling her knees up to her chest and hugging them as she
spoke. “You fell in love with one of the ladies while you were at
court.”

His silver eyes shot over to her and then
the other way. But not before she saw his secrets revealed.

“You did love her,” she said, feeling like
she understood everything now. “But you didn’t want someone to
know, did you?”

“Ruby, mayhap we should go.” He motioned to
leave, but her hand shot out and stilled him.

“I’m not done yet,” she said, causing his
eyebrows to arch in surprise.

“Is my untamed gem back again?” he
asked.

“She never left and never will, she’s just
been on good behavior.”

“Aye,” he said. “I guess so.”

“My guess is that you bedded the girl and
the king did too,” she said.

“Ruby, I didn’t know she was the king’s
mistress. She didn’t tell me, or I never would have done such a
thing.”

“Ah ha, so I am right!”

“I can’t hide anything from you my little
busybody. He reached out and kissed her on the head.

“You think Tibbar is your child, don’t you?
That’s why you’ve taken such an interest in him.”

“I don’t know,” he said, and she felt the
sincerity in his words.

“And the king doesn’t know either?”

“Obviously not. If so, I would be executed
right now like the last man he found in his lover’s bed.”

“But you have a strong alliance with the
king,” she said. “He entrusted you with his bastard, so you don’t
have to worry.”

“That’s what worries me the most. I really
don’t want to disappoint him.”

“You can tell him what you told me. That you
didn’t know.”

“Oh, Ruby, I don’t want to talk about this
anymore. Please.”

“I understand,” she said. “But just tell me
one thing. Can’t you find out from this Jocelyn if you are truly
the father of the baby?”

“I don’t know where she is since the king
banished her,” he told her. “And even if I did, she proved to be
naught more than a trollop so I doubt that she would even know the
answer to that.”

“Nyle, do you think Ascilia would know where
to find her?”

“I don’t care, Ruby. Now like I told you
before, I don’t want to hear another word about it. This is our
time together as husband and wife and I want us to enjoy it.”

“You are right. Me too.” She got up and
looked over to the waterfall. “Last one there changes Tibbar’s
swaddling for a sennight.” She pushed him back down as he tried to
rise and ran laughing to the water’s edge and dived in. She swam as
hard as she could, hearing Nyle right behind her.

“You cheat,” he said, diving under the water
and when she looked back he was gone. Then when she felt his
fingers slip between her thighs she knew exactly where he was.

She stopped swimming and dove beneath the
water, reaching out to do the same to him, but he just smiled and
backed away quickly and disappeared.

She popped up from the water and her eyes
scanned the area, and then she saw him standing naked like a sea
god in the midst of the waterfall as it crashed down around
him.

“Who cheats?” she said, swimming to join
him.

“Have fun with the dirty swaddling,” he
said, jumping in the water to join her. He wrapped his arms around
her and the water rained down over them as they once more made love
right there in nature. Ruby enjoyed their time together so much
that she almost dreaded going back to the castle where as soon as
she stepped foot inside the walls she would once again be shadowed
by guards and have to also fear for her life.

It had been nearly a week since their little
trip to the waterfall, and Ruby had almost forgotten about the
guards posted outside her door or following her everywhere she
went.

She’d spent much time with Linette and
Oralie in the ladies solar. And since Tibbar had yet to walk, they
were able to keep an eye on him as they sewed and wove tapestries
while he crawled around the floor. She’d even asked Ascilia where
to find the Lady Jocelyn, but the handmaiden seemed upset by the
question and told her that she didn’t know. Ascilia had seemed
distant since the day Ruby plopped the baby in her arms. The woman
had something deeply troubling her, but Ruby was yet to discover
what.

Linette shared her handmaid with Ruby, but
truth was that neither of them really needed her. If Ruby had been
as helpless at taking care of herself as most ladies, she would
have gotten a replacement for her own handmaiden Oralie. But things
were working out fine. Still, she knew Oralie was far from being
healed and Linette had announced that she would be leaving and
going back to Scotland soon.