Strangclyf Secret (32 page)

Surprised, Bernon returned
her embrace and looked at her. “What are you doing?”

“
Comforting you,” she
mumbled against his chest.

“
Why?”

“
Because you are hurt and I
want you to feel better.” She leaned her head back, looking at him,
then patted his cheek. I know I told you I wanted you to hold me
still and I did, but I also wanted you to comfort me and you did.
You will see. The stitching will not be nearly so bad, because you
have someone to hold onto.”

~ * ~

Bernon felt a stirring in
his chest as he gazed down at her earnest face—still drawn with
pain from her own wound. ‘Twas the most unselfish thing anyone had
ever done for him. And she was looking at him like she loved him.
He decided she did love him but probably didn’t realize her heart’s
deed yet. He liked her comforting and was glad her heart belonged
to him.

She rested her cheek
against his chest, and he held her close, enjoying a rush of
contentment as her love and comfort infused into his soul. His wife
had turned out to be the one woman in the world he could learn to
cherish.

~ * ~

Cherishing his wife may
just kill him if he didn’t choke her or go daft first. She needed
rest, damn it! Did she not know how dainty and fragile she was?
Bernon stared down at his dirt-smudged, disobedient wife and wiped
an exasperated hand over his face. And if she didn’t lose that
submissive pose, he wouldn’t be responsible.

The first week after her
injury passed without incident. She dutifully rested in bed so her
shoulder could mend, or so he thought until the second week. He
entered their chamber before the nooning and found Barwolf on her
hands and knees, cutting material that she had spread out over the
floor. His little wife had not only repaired his tunic, she had
also made him two new under tunics, two new braies, and a jerkin.
He yelled. Her eyes brimmed and she complained of boredom. He broke
down and granted permission for her to leave the room for a brief
walk and meals every day. Why in perdition he didn’t know that was
a mistake at the time, he couldn’t imagine.

Striding down to the hall,
he met Aurick, who provided some interesting enlightenment and
confirmed his suspicions. The old rogue had a lot of explaining to
do, because Barwolf deserved the truth.

The next day he found her
in the ale room, supposedly helping the aleman count and rotate
kegs. To his overzealous wife that included getting down on her
knees and scrubbing the lower racks free of dust, cobwebs, and
spills before the aleman refilled the racks. He exploded. She said
she did not want critters or vermin attracted to the area. He tried
to explain what supervising meant. She claimed she understood and
would do better next time.

He found her in the woods
near the riverbank a day later banging a branch against a tree. The
noise that drew him also caught the attention of a boar that didn’t
understand his wife wasn’t big enough for a full meal. Barnon
arrived just in time. After killing the boar, he blistered her ears
for coming out alone when she knew he wanted one of his men with
her. She bowed her head and toed a piece of wood at her feet. That
was when he noticed the pile of branches beside her. She admitted
the wood was for repairing some of the weapons in the Roman armory.
He had to yell at her again, because she intended to carry the
weighty limbs home before her stitches were out.

After a vigorous training
session with one of the centuries the next afternoon, Bernon
entered the hall bare chested and glistening with sweat. Barwolf
sat at a table near the buttery screen, teaching Genius his
numbers. Genius lifted his chin and proudly squared his shoulders,
then he told Bernon that his mama was training him to take over as
steward someday, because he could never be a warrior with his lame
foot. As the boy proudly showed off his knowledge, Bernon glanced
at Barwolf. Her eyes devoured him like a carnal feast. He raised an
inquisitive brow. She colored up and became flustered. God’s bones!
He gritted his teeth. She wanted him as much as he wanted her and
he couldn’t do a damn thing about it until her stitches came out.
Bidding the pair a terse farewell, he left.

The next morning he found
her in a meadow picking flowers with Ravyn. Before he could even
open his mouth for a pleasant greeting, she pointed out that Ravyn
was carrying the flowers and Bowyn trailed them for protection. Her
expecting him to find fault with her immediately soured his
disposition and he snapped out an order for her to go rest then
stomped away.

Over the next two days he
found her sitting with Jerold, giving Betia a break from the chore
of caring for the soldier, who appeared well on his way toward
recovery, and behind the keep with about a dozen women, helping
them weave new rushes for the hall floor. On both occasions, he
picked her up, carried her to their chamber, deposited her on their
bed, and left her with an order to rest.

She had spent the last few
days sulking in their chamber. She also scooted as far from him as
possible after he came to bed in the early hours of the morning.
The past night she had the audacity to grumble that he obviously
preferred the king’s company so he ought to sleep with his monarch.
Honest to God, did she not know how she aroused him? That being
around her and not touching her was making him daft? He growled at
her to go to sleep. No need to torture himself by pulling her into
his arms and offering her comfort. He sure wasn’t getting
any.

This afternoon he returned
to the keep after a rigorous day of training young recruits. He was
covered with mud from a vicious storm that broke over the coast, so
took a quick bath and changed. Barwolf wasn’t in their chamber, so
he set off in search of her. Inquiries revealed no one had seen her
since midmorning and she had none of the men with her.

Aurick approached him near
the great hearth before he could work up a good rage. “There are
ways of leaving this keep, milord, and there are ways of leaving
without leaving.”

Bernon rolled his eyes and
grunted, placing his fists on his hips. “That sounds like a Padarn
riddle. Do you know where she is?”

“
Not exactly.” Aurick
smiled. “But the little lamb is upset, so she will seek a place and
task that brings her comfort. Seeing as you’ll not let her work up
here, my guess is she has gone down under and lost track of
time.”

Bernon snorted. “The damn
armory?”

“’
Twould be my guess.”
Aurick nodded then turned a shrewd eye on Bernon. “The lamb is
thinking you’re not happy with her anymore. I tried explaining how
things are for a man when he is around a woman that he wants but
cannot have. I don’t think she understood what I was getting at and
I didn’t want to damage her sensibilities by being too
blunt.”

Bernon wiped a hand over
his face and cast Aurick a sheepish expression. “Am I that
obvious?”

Aurick grinned. “To me
maybe, not to most. There is one thing you can do if you want to
slow her down.”

Bernon raised a
brow.

“
The old lord promised her
a woman’s name if she ever proved worthy. She took on more and more
through the years, trying to please him, and that is the reason she
feels such a need to work. I doubt if she will feel secure slowing
down until you give her a new name.”

Bernon sighed. Aurick was
right. A name would boost her confidence, but he wanted her name to
be perfect for her. “I’ll give her one soon. Did you speak with
Claud about that other matter?”

“
Aye,” Aurick said,
watching Ardith cross the hall out of the corner of his eye. “He is
planning on leaving next week. Says he will find what you want and
have it back here by the beginning of June like you
said.”

“
Good. Have you seen
Genius? He said he would never make a warrior, which is true, but
I’ve a mind to teach him how to ride a horse. ‘Tis a necessary
skill for a steward on a holding this size.”

“’
Tis a good plan and the
boy could use more of a man’s influence. Genius is probably with
the other children playing on the sun.” Aurick shook his head and
chuckled. “Manuel was chagrined earlier, because he couldn’t go
with them.”

Bernon furrowed his brow.
“What do you mean by playing on the sun?”

“’
Tis a place where they go
with their mother on rainy days.” Aurick shrugged. “’Tis all I
know.

Bernon remembered the
unusual design on the floor in Jupiter’s Hall. “They must be down
under with her then.”

“
Has she shown you the way
to the bath below the lord’s tower?”

Bernon nodded.

“
I do not know the way
around the maze, but I do know there is a door behind a pillar in
one corner of the bath. ‘Tis set back in an alcove and leads into
the rest of the ruins.”

“
I’ll find them and see you
later.” Bernon left Aurick, headed to the bath, and found the door.
He easily negotiated the ruins and soon entered the main hall,
which was lit by several bronze oil lamps. The children were in
stocking feet, running across the floor, and sliding.

Sapphire spotted him and
ran toward him with her arms flung wide then slid to a stop against
his feet. “Papa, you came to play with us!”

“
I can slide farther than
Sapphire,” Topaz boasted, slamming into his leg and almost knocking
him over. Then she smiled up at him. “But I do not because I am
gracious.”

“
Did you come to play,
Papa?” Genius asked with excitement sparkling in his gray eyes.
“You can be on my side.”

“
Papa! Papa! Papa!” little
Karl cried, running, then he wrapped his arms around one of
Bernon’s legs and smiled up at him.

Bernon grinned at the
grubby disheveled lot. “Where did all of you get so
filthy?”

“
In the armory,” Sapphire
volunteered. “But Mama sent us out, so the dust she’s stirring up
won’t choke our little throats.”

“
We get to bathe in the fun
bath after we play,” Genius added.

“
How is your mama stirring
up dust?” Bernon asked, keeping his irritation under control. He
would wring her neck.

“
Cleaning the walls, but I
am too dainty to help,” Topaz replied, lifting her nose.

Bernon sighed. He could
never complain of a lazy wife. “Ravyn, can you manage them in the
bath then take them for dinner or do you need help?”

“
I can handle them,” Ravyn
assured him with a warm smile. “Do you want me to get Mama
first?”

“
I’ll get her. The rest of
you, go with Ravyn and do as she says,” Bernon ordered.

“
Papa, can you come with us
after the rain stops?” Genius asked.

“
Come where?” he asked,
raising a brow.

“
Mama says after the grass
dries, she will take us and sneak away from all the court people
for a day outside with food and everything, so we’ll not have to
come home until the sun gets ready to set.”

“
And you want me to come?”
Warmth settled in Bernon’s chest that they wanted to include him.
Had he not been jealous when he was a young boy and saw other
youngsters receiving attention from fathers? He couldn’t allow
these children to feel the same desolation.

“
Aye. You’ll be fun.”
Genius flashed him a happy grin. “And if you’re on my side, they’ll
not win against me even if I’m slow.”

Bernon smiled. “Maybe I
can arrange to bring along a pony, so you can learn to ride
too.”

“
You mean you would let me
ride with my twisted foot?” Genius gaped at him.

“’
Tis in my best interest.”
Bernon ruffled the boy’s hair. “If you are going to be steward here
someday, you will have to be able to ride, or you’ll not make it
from one end of the holding to the other in a week even on a
straight foot. Now go with Ravyn and I’ll get your
mother.”

The children skipped out
of the hall toward the bath, and Bernon went to the armory. He
spotted Barwolf at once. She stood perched on the ladder against
the wall, scrubbing away the thick grime with a stiff brush. He
watched her put the brush in a pale of water hanging from the
ladder, pull a knife from her pocket, and chip away some of the
caked-on dirt covering the wall.

“
You obviously lied when
you said you wanted to please me.”

Barwolf jerked at Bernon’s
clipped words, twisted too fast, and slipped backward from the
ladder, her arms flailing. Bernon caught her before she hit the
ground, and set her on her feet. She nervously swiped her hands
over the apron covering her kirtle then dabbed at her cheek,
leaving behind trails of grime.

“
Thank you for catching
me,” she said, refusing to look at him. “You um...startled
me.”

“
Truly?” he asked through
clenched teeth as he folded his arms across his chest and glowered
down at her. “And did I startle you enough to scare some sense into
your tiny head?”

She peeked up at him
through her lashes and expelled a weary sigh. Clasping her hands in
front of her, she bowed her head. “I am sorry I displeased you
again.”