Seduced (29 page)

Servants carried bowls of stewed onions, peas
and beans and pale carrots cooked with cinnamon and honey. Wild
cherries, grapes and plums, alongside stewed apples and pears, and
large round wedges of sharp cheeses would fill out the meal. And,
of course, the women's favorite fruit pasties and puddings to
finish it off.

While cook and his helpers brought in the
food, Raik busied himself studying the room. Laid out as most great
halls were, trestle tables and benches lined the walls, except for
the dais where the lords table stood.

"What causes such interest in the room,
Raik?" Ranald murmured beside him.

"It's lack of color. The walls are bare
except for a sword or two. And tapestries here and there that cover
the alcoves where trestle tables are stored at night. Naught
else."

"'Tis to my liking."

"Huh, that doesn't surprise me. Ye were used
to naught else but black robes, bare walls and a thin pallet at the
monastery."

"Aye." He swung his head and studied the
room. "And ye are used to brightness in all things. The women have
a hard time of it trying to outshine yer splendid clothing
today."

"Why so? Letia's sea green and gold are
colorful. Elyne's red kirtle is striking as well."

"True. But nothing that compares to the blue
shirt and scarlet tunic you wear."

"Mine and de Mortimer's clothing were no
brighter than the men at court, but we seemed, um, very
different."

"Tis true they wear such pointed shoes that
strings are attached to the end of the toes and tied to their waist
so they willna trip?" Ranald snorted at such foolishness.

"They do. But that's not all. The men appear
as weak as lasses. They pose an ailment in their wrists, like they
have not the strength to lift their hands." Raik rolled his
eyes.

"Neither of you are like the palace
courtiers, but do not let their foppish clothing lull you into
believing them soft." Sir William's tone was thoughtful.

Raik nodded. "At first sight, I deemed them,
uh, lacking in ballocks. But when they put aside their finery, they
wielded swords and maces with strength and vigor."

Ranald studied Raik's face. "Did ye admire
them? It doesna seem likely to me."

"I did not. What I admired were the brightly
painted rooms at court and at de Mortimer's estates. Some even had
colorful birds painted on the walls and ceilings or scenes of
battles; others had striking designs in gold."

"Warin was much like me, choosing dark
clothing. He likely preferred simplicity." Ranald said.

"Tis probably the reason."

Letia enjoyed hearing Joneta and Elyne's news
of Catalin's children, but bits and pieces of the men's
conversation seeped through. When Raik as much as said Seton was
drab alongside the other British keeps, he caught her full
attention.

She looked up at the ceiling then studied the
room.

Yes, Sybilla had done a wonderful job with
what she had. But Letia had to admit the keep was not as it could
be. Raik did not know of the lovely tapestries or the rolled rugs
stored safely in a secret room in the cool cellar. Huh! He would be
surprised at the other beautiful pieces her father and Warin had
brought back from the crusades.

Years earlier when Julian first started
harrying Seton, they safely hid them from sight. Now that Raik and
his army were added to the castle's, along with the added
protection of having the Black Raptor as part of their family, it
was high time they brought them out of hiding.

For the first time in many sennights, she
felt a bubble of pleasure. She would have ample time to restore her
home to its former glory.

Letia was delighted when everyone
acknowledged the sumptuous feast Sybilla had provided. Ranald's
eyes rolled heavenward with his first taste of grilled salmon with
wine sauce and Raik exclaimed at the pork flavored with garlic.
Cormac smacked his lips and grinned when he took his third helping
of lamb. Even Sir William made a point to smile and tell Sybilla it
was the most flavorful meal he'd eaten in many a day.

Of all the compliments Sybilla received, she
blushed most when they came from Cormac. Fearing he might cause her
some disappointment if his was idle flattery, Letia paid particular
attention. Watching the warm gleam in his eye when he looked at her
sister, her worry lessened.

o0o

As night fell, she quietly left the banquet
so she could tend to Aubrey. Giles escorted her carrying a light so
she would not stumble on the stairwell. His last duties for the day
were to see his mistress safely to her bedchamber where Maud
awaited with Aubrey and to take out Freki to do his business and
then return him. Though it was not the custom for an animal to
share a bedchamber, he was not as other beasts. He came over to
meet her, his tail thumping against his sides when Giles opened the
door.

"Thank you for guarding the babe," Letia said
as she always did when she returned to the room. She scratched the
dog's head as he leaned it against her thigh and gazed up at her
with his fathomless eyes. "See Cook afore you go out. She saved you
some scraps as a special treat."

As if he understood her, Freki straightened,
an eager look on his face, and trotted over to Giles. She heard the
young man laughing as he tried to keep up with a beast intent on
receiving his savory gifts.

Letia sighed with relief. She had ample milk,
but the breast bindings were bothersome. Especially when they
became damp as they did when she opened the bedchamber door and
heard her son's cries as Maud finished changing his wet
nappies.

"I'm coming, little one," she said as she
started pulling the green kirtle over her head. "Have you eaten
your own meal, Maud? I wish you had attended the banquet."

"You know I dislike a crowded room. It was
more pleasant here. I'm as full as that chicken stuffed with
breading."

As Maud poured water into the basin for her
to wash her breasts, Letia pulled off her smock. By the time her
head cleared the cloth, the woman was there to untie the damp
bindings. Aubrey, hearing his mother's voice, became impatient.

"If you would, please take him up while I
wash."

Letia hurried to cleanse herself before
throwing a robe about her body to ward off the chill. She pulled
back the bed covers and moved the pillows upright so she could rest
her back against the heavy wooden headboard, scrambled up onto the
feather mattress and sighed with pleasure when Maud handed the babe
to her. She kissed his fuzzy head while he nuzzled and latched on
to her flesh.

"Anyone would think you had not suckled the
entire day, much less a short time afore the banquet," she said and
grinned.

"It's amazing to see such a little sprite eat
so much," Maud said, a fond smile on her face. "You will have to
nourish yourself well to keep up with his demands in a sennight or
so."

Letia told Maud how proud she was of Sybilla
for providing fare that impressed even Sir William, who was used to
sumptuous meals while living with the de Mortimer's. She also
huffed a little when she mentioned her husband thought Seton Keep
was plain and colorless.

Raik was in for a surprise. She looked
forward to proving him wrong, for by the time she was done, Seton
would rival Symon de Mortimer's dwellings.

o0o

Once the women retired from the high table,
the men moved over to take their places on the benches. Raik
covered his cup when Cormac started to refill it. He didn't want
Sir William thinking he'd had too much wine and reporting to Symon
de Mortimer that his natural son could not hold his alcohol.

He frowned, remembering the courtly man's
expectant look when Letia left the table. Humpf! Perchance the king
demanded more than a consummation of the wedding vows? Or did his
father want to learn if Raik was man enough to plant his seed? Most
likely when he did, his sire would demand to see the bairn's ass to
prove it was Raik's own get.

Would it be a miniature brown birdie or no
more than a small blur on the tiny buttocks? Just how small was a
bairn's ass, anyway? With all their bundling, it was hard to
tell.

He yawned and stood. "Come the dawn, we must
begin training to prepare for Julian's next assault."

Ranald, Cormac and Sir William had rooms
above in the towers of the great hall and followed him up the
stairwell while the others retired to the warriors' barracks.

Raik made a show of stretching before he
extended his hand to open the bedchamber door. From the corner of
his eye, he saw Sir William continue down the corridor to the room
he shared with Leofwan. Only when the man entered to seek his own
bed did Raik ease his door open and slip inside, careful not to
awake Letia.

A wink of moonlight peered through the window
to the left, enough for him to avoid breaking his toes against the
hard edges of the bed. He undressed and carefully folded his
clothing, all the time watching his sleeping wife. She looked
unusually plump lying there, and it gave him pause until he
realized there were no pillows on his side of the bed.

Once naked, he padded over to get into bed.
Rising on his elbow, he surveyed the bed. Pillows surrounded Letia.
He eased the two on either side of her and placed them where he
would lay his head.

When he straddled her hips and his feet
became tangled in her woolen robe, he kicked them free only to
expose her breasts to the cold air. The sliver of light disappeared
behind a cloud, leaving them in total darkness. The way he
preferred it. He would make love, not to his wife, but to the woman
in his memory.

He leaned forward, his forearms beside her
head, bearing his weight. Letia murmured, awakening. His lips
nuzzled against hers, his tongue following the outline, tasting,
probing until the tip found an opening to reach her warmth. Her
breath sighed through, sweet and innocent.

As he caressed her, he thought of that
unknown woman who had seduced him and felt a pang of regret. He
slid from Letia's lips down her body to plunge his tongue into that
small hollow in her soft stomach. She shivered and arched her hips.
He marveled that she caught fire with such a slight caress. A groan
of pleasure murmured from his throat when his hand searched between
her legs. He found the dampness he expected, the fiery heat, the
quivering of her thighs and stomach. His cock was more than ready,
for it stirred and grew to such fullness the skin burned and felt
close to bursting.

Without words or further need to coax her
flesh, he entered. Her hips rose to meet his, bringing him further
into her until their stomachs met, then retreated to dance away.
Their rhythm quickened to an urgent demand, both clinging to the
other's body to keep the violent rocking from separating them.

He prayed she found her release soon, for if
she did not, he could not wait for her. When she climaxed, she did
not make a sound but bit her lips to keep from crying out. His
frenzied thrusts caused him to stiffen and release his seed. As he
whispered in her ear, he groaned his pleasure. He raised his head
and stared down at her, though he could not see her. As her rapid
breathing slowed, he caught his own breath and slid to her
side.

Neither spoke. Once he caught his breath, he
pulled the tangled covers up over them and heaved a sigh. Afore two
breaths, sleep overcame him.

The bed no sooner stilled it's rocking than
Letia heard soft snores coming from her new husband. All sleep fell
from her as she laid there, her heart sinking.

Remembering. Hearing.

"My Lily."

Amidst the throes of passion in the utter
darkness with naught to distract his mind, his soul had sensed her.
When he stared down at her afterward, she had felt his probing
eyes. After he awoke and the wine haze was gone, would he remember?
Would he be pleased that his Lily and Letia were the same?

'Twas not likely. He would not forgive her
silence about it.

She chewed her lip and worried. If he felt
some affection for her, would he become reconciled to wedding her?
Tears slid down her face. She had been lying to herself; she did
not hate Raik. Far from it. She knew now why his scorn of her hurt
so much. She had feelings for him but fought it. It seemed a
rejection of Warin and everything he had done for her. Like she
cuckolded him, even though it was at his demand.

Warin had sensed that Raik would fulfill
Letia's desires, would protect her, would do all the things he
could no longer do.

For Aubrey's sake and for her own, she would
try to be the wife Raik needed in his new position as baron.

And when she found the right time, the right
place, she would tell him of his son.

o0o

When the sun came up and Freki's master rose
from the bed later than usual, the dog made more noise than the man
did. The beast let out a long, throaty yawn, stood and shook as if
he would chase sleep from his body as easily as he would rain that
fell. Had that alone not awakened her, his big paws on the wooden
floor clicked loud enough to finish the job.

Letia peered through the lashes of her near
closed eyes to see her husband splashing water on his face. He
stilled, frowned at the dog and glanced toward Letia. She pretended
to be still slumbering. This was the first time she had seen her
husband as he prepared for his day.

You would think a naked man would look
vulnerable. Though he had no clothing, no weapons, his tall,
muscular body exuded power. From his broad shoulders to his
sizeable feet, he had not a whit of fat on him. No wonder he felt
hard as the wood that formed the large bedposts. Water dripped from
his hair where he had splashed over it to awaken himself. Shivers
danced down her back, just thinking of the cold water dripping on
his chest.