“Chloe says it is you the woman truly wants to hurt,” Penelope said to Primrose.
“Actually, she wants me dead and she wants my brother dead, too,” Primrose said. “That way her husband, my uncle, will become the baron and she will be the lady of the manor.” She looked at Argus. “Did she have anything to say about my brother?”
“Only that he is in danger. Bened being with you made what she saw concerning him more clear. She has no connection to your brother, although she thinks that will be changing. Something about one of us we have missed.”
“Another surprise child?” asked Bened.
“I think she would have said so. She knows us all well enough not to be too shy of saying it bluntly.” Argus shrugged and fixed his gaze on Bened. “You know we lost some of our connections when we had to destroy so many of our own records just to keep people out of the hands of the witch hunters or the church.” Bened nodded. “Well, from time to time another pops up. Could be that is what it is. Another lost connection appearing.”
Lorelei appeared with several maids who efficiently served everyone tea or coffee and set out all manner of little sandwiches and cakes to eat. She then sat down next to Argus whose harsh features softened into a manly beauty when he looked at her. Primrose suffered a pang of jealousy and worked to kill it.
“So one of us is already helping?” asked Penelope.
“Chloe said one of us would lead him to safety so that we should be ready for her. Said she has been alone too long which I take to mean that she has a gift she cannot really share with anyone or has trouble from those who see what she is. But all this trouble will, in the end, lead her to the rest of us.”
“But whoever this is will lead Simeon, my brother, to safety?” Primrose asked, needing to be sure that good news was really what she had heard.
“That is what Chloe said and she has never failed us yet. Now, one cannot just sit back and think it will happen just like that. Chloe does not see everything that happens or everyone who is involved. She sees a possibility and might see one step that is very important for things to change. So, we respond as if someone has just delivered us some information and we act on it.”
Primrose slowly nodded. “Which is probably what is already known and that is why she sees what she does. For you not to help would be out of character and thus change the fate she saw.”
Argus glanced at Bened and grinned before nodding in agreement with Primrose. “Precisely. It does make life difficult, though. She sends out a warning and then you have to think carefully so that you know you are acting as you would normally and not as you think you ought to, which could change the whole. Our cousin Alethea sees things more precisely but also just small parts of the whole. Chloe implied that the one helping your brother is one of them but more. Not sure what that means.”
“I sometimes think our Chloe likes to play at being mysterious,” said Penelope.
“Could be,” agreed Argus. “She can have a puckish sense of humor. But I believe what she does is try to be far too careful about putting her own interpretation on what she sees. We get a perfect description of what she saw. She doesn’t want us to know what she thinks because it could change what she saw.”
“So Simeon is still alive and will be safe,” Primrose whispered.
“He obviously does not have people shooting at him from the roadside,” said Bened.
“Why is your aunt trying so hard to see you dead?” asked Penelope. “You cannot inherit anything, can you?”
“No. But I think she realizes I might have guessed what she is up to and she will not allow that. Bened believes that, too. She will be rid of anyone who helped her or who she believes has guessed what game she played. I am still finding it difficult to understand how none of us saw this in her in all the years she has been lurking around.”
“The closer it is the harder it can be to see,” said Lorelei.
“I suppose.” Primrose helped herself to one of the small cakes and immediately her puppy popped its head out of the basket she had carried in with her, causing both of the other women to gasp and then laugh.
“I am sorry. I did not even ask if it was permissible to bring her in. I have just gotten so used to carrying the basket with me everywhere. Is it allowed or do you have a place for dogs?”
“No, it is fine,” said Lorelei, and she elbowed Argus when he muttered something. “A tiny dog like that will be no bother. What happened to its eye?”
“Does not have one. Born that way.”
Lorelei moved closer and patted the dog. “Even with that mar it is quite a beautiful little dog.”
“It is a man-eater,” said Bened, and he grinned when Primrose protested.
“No, she is not. She was protecting me and went for the man’s throat.”
“She must have been feeling a bit peckish because she missed that and ate the man’s ear.”
“Stop it. If the fool had not yanked her off before she let go of him, she would not have taken a piece off.”
“If one wished to, I suspect you could sew the piece back on,” said Penelope.
Bened shook his head. “Dog ate it. That is what I am saying—a man-eater.”
Primrose shook her head. “She is just a puppy. Put anything in a puppy’s mouth and it will try to eat it.”
Penelope was laughing so hard she had to hold her stomach and Bened grinned at her. “Think that funny, Pen, you should have seen her expression when the puppy, fresh from her mangling of the man, licked her face.” He nodded when Penelope laughed even harder.
“You will have to excuse our Pen,” said Lorelei, even though she was grinning. “She has spent much of her life surrounded by young lads. Her humor sometimes reflects that influence.”
“Poor puppy,” Primrose said, scratching the dog’s ears. “I need to give her a name. Cannot keep calling her Puppy.”
“What were you thinking of? Anything in particular?”
“I was thinking of Boudicca or Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons.”
“Very impressive names.”
“Bigger than the dog,” murmured Bened.
“She tried to save my life. She deserves the name of a strong woman.”
“Boudicca then,” said Argus. “She hurled herself at a much larger foe and somehow came out of the fight the victor.”
“Boudicca then. I had best take her for an airing and, if there is a place where I may do so, I would really like to wash off the road dust and the rock dust from the fall.”
“What fall?” asked Argus.
Bened explained what happened and Primrose suddenly found both women escorting her off to a bedchamber. Sir Argus told his wife to put her and Bened at the far end of the guest wing, which caused Lorelei to give him an odd look, but Primrose was quickly distracted by the chatter of the two women as they led her away. They gave her a thorough look-over, putting some healing cream on her scrapes and bruises, and showing the dog a tiny walled-in area where it could go outside. Boudicca rushed out, did her business, and raced back in to sit at Primrose’s feet so fast both women laughed.
“She is very attached to you,” said Lorelei.
“I suspect it is because I saved her from drowning.” At their encouragement she told them the whole story and realized she had been a little reckless. “I suppose Bened calling her a man-eater is a bit better than having him continue to call her a rat.”
Before Primrose knew it she was chatting freely with her new friends as they led her outside to meet some of the others. The first thing she noticed was that there were a lot of boys. One little girl with thick black curls and dark blue eyes took it all in her stride, doing as she pleased, and facing down any boy who tried to stop her.
It was overwhelming. She was so jealous she felt guilty. This is what she had always wanted. A huge, boisterous family one could always turn to for help, comfort, or a little bit of loving madness. When they returned to the house she excused herself and went back to the bedchamber they had said was her
s. She needed to do something to smother these little bouts of jealousy before she said something to give herself away. Settling down on the bed, she welcomed Boudicca into her arms and soon fell asleep.
“Penelope, have you seen Primrose?” asked Bened.
“In the rooms we gave you. I have a feeling she is sleeping. After the adventure you had earlier and then the way we can so completely overwhelm someone, I suspect she was badly in need of a rest.”
“Thank you. Any new blessings?” he asked, referring to the stray children the bachelors in the family produced at regular intervals.
“Three since I last saw you. No gifts that require announcement or investigation. Just the usual. Although Gawain, who is Cousin Morris’s boy, can not only see and talk to ghosts but, if he touches you, can help you to see and hear them too.”
“Ah, and therein lies the tale of why his mother left him to you.”
“I fear so. Tell me, Bened, is this Primrose the one?”
“The one what?”
“The one you always said you would keep.”
“I do not know. I am waiting for all this run-away, fight, hide, and run-away-some-more business to fade so we can look at it all in the normal light.”
Penelope nodded. “That might be wise but watch closely, Bened. You might see at some point that it would be better to speak up or you could lose.”
Bened felt the weight of those words as he slipped into the bedchamber they had taken Primrose to. It took only one glance around to see why Lorelei had given Argus an odd look. This was a suite of rooms meant for a married couple. There was another bed in an attached room here, which meant he could sleep with Primrose or he could sleep alone. On the other hand, they would still be together to talk, to see each other, to occasionally kiss, and to keep whatever was between them still growing. Crafty Argus, he thought as he went to sit on the bed next to Primrose, then to carefully stretch out on his side next to her.
Primrose stretched and felt her leg brush against something. Thinking it was Boudicca, she opened her eyes and had to swallow a screech of surprise. It was Bened lying right next to her and calmly watching her sleep.
“What are you doing in my bedchamber? Someone could see you.”
“No need to worry about them seeing me, they know.” He got up, walked to the door to the other bedchamber, and opened it, nodding when she gasped and blushed. “A suite for a married couple or, as in our case, ones who may or may not be lovers so they may have the need of an extra bed. A room with a choice.”
“That is just a little embarrassing.”
“Do not let it trouble you. All those children out there? Most of them are by-blows. But my family is very strict on the duty of any man who breeds a child. He will see to their care and make certain that child does not suffer for who he is or, in our case, what he can do. It was the mothers who tossed them into our Pen’s lap and she was not much more than a child herself. There was a lot of trouble with her stepfamily but we sorted that out. She is very good at teaching them how to deal with their gifts and so she still takes them in when needed.”
“But their fathers do not do it?”
“Most of them would make poor parents since they are more gone than home and Penelope loves it,” he said as he returned to the bed and took her into his arms. “She has all the support she needs and when the fathers can be with their children they come and stay.”
“But she becomes the mother for them all.”
“Exactly and they do need that. We are very fortunate that she found a man who, along with his own family, accepts that completely.” He looked around for the dog and frowned. “Where is Boudicca?”
“Out in the little garden. The doors to it were left slightly open,” she said even as the dog stuck its head inside, looked at her, and then went back out. “She keeps doing that as if she fears I will disappear but appears to enjoy the garden too much to give it up completely.”
Primrose quickly forgot what she was talking about as he kissed her neck. He slid one big hand around to begin undoing her gown and even the thought of protesting that left her mind when he kissed her. She was faintly aware of how he was removing her gown as he kept her drugged with his kisses, but she did not care so long as he did keep kissing her, keep stirring up the thrilling desire he brought to life inside her.
“The doors to the garden are open,” she said when he finally gave her a moment to breathe and clear some of passion’s haze from her mind. “Someone could come in.”
Bened got up and went to close the door. As he did so he removed his coat, then his neckcloth, and finally his shirt. Once the door was shut and latched he turned to come back to the bed only to pause. He cocked his head as if listening to something, reopened the door, and, with a heavy sigh, allowed Boudicca back into the room before latching the door again.
Primrose laughed softly as the dog went to curl up in her basket near the fireplace. She welcomed Bened back to bed with open arms, holding him close and enjoying the feel of his warm skin beneath her hands. The fact that, by giving them such a room for their stay, his family indicated they knew she and Bened were lovers troubled her but as Bened began to make love to her, she cared about that less and less. She would, she decided as he tugged off her shift and their flesh touched, worry about that later.
Bened felt her soften in his arms as he stroked her high, firm breasts, the hard nipples teasing his palms. He found it difficult to believe that such a delicate, pretty gentry lady was allowing him into her bed, into her body, with such a warm welcome. Too many had taken one look at him and thought he was just some farmer, too beneath their touch to be even considered as a choice to share their well-used beds. It was why he had kept his few lovers to the ranks of eager country girls and courtesans.
When he took her nipple deep into his mouth, her whole body shivered from pleasure and that only added to his soaring desire. Bened happily feasted on her breasts as he slid his hand down between her strong, slender thighs to find a warm, damp welcome. It was not until her small hands ran over his backside that his delight in simply giving her pleasure took an abrupt turn toward his own desires and what he needed.
Primrose was surprised by the groan that escaped the big man in her arms when she stroked her hands over his taut backside. That her touch could move him so astonished her, she almost stopped what she was doing. She clung to the delightful knowledge that she could actively stir Bened’s passion, adding to the desire he revealed for her. So involved was she in seeing which touches he responded best to she was shocked when the kisses he had been spreading over her stomach moved lower.
She gripped the sheets so tightly Primrose was astonished they did not rip. Shock warred with the passion roaring through her. Her body tightened until she thought she would break. Although what he was doing was still fueling her passion, it was also making her frantic to have him inside her.
“Bened. Now,” she demanded.
Bened almost grinned. She sounded so forceful. He kissed his way up her lithe body and began to slowly join their bodies. He trembled as her tight heat slowly swallowed him up. When she lightly dragged her nails down his sides as she wrapped her beautiful legs around him, he knew he could no longer go slowly, gently.
When Primrose felt Bened begin to move harder and faster, she almost laughed, a tickle of joy joining with her rising passion. Bened was thrusting into her so forcefully, her body was sliding up the bed. Her clenching desire abruptly snapped and flooded her with delight. Bened thrust hard once, twice, and then his whole body tautened over her. She felt the warmth of his seed and then, with a faint tremor and a sigh, he settled over her, careful to keep his full weight off her.
He kissed her gently. “I was here to tell you that dinner would be ready in an hour. There will be a bell rung.”
He laughed when what sounded like a massive gong sounded through the house and Primrose bounded out of bed. As she hurried to get ready he stayed sprawled on top of the bed and enjoyed the glimpse of that sma
ll, slender yet womanly body he knew he could not get enough of. From her slim legs to her full round breasts he savored very inch of her, few that there were.
When she came back to the bed to frown down at him, he curled his arm around her waist and yanked her into his arms. She was just opening her mouth to complain when he kissed her. To his delight she quickly melted into his kiss, eagerly returning it. The moment the kiss ended, however, she wriggled free of his hold, got off the bed, and stepped out of his reach.
“No more of that. I am hungry,” she said.
He thought about that for a minute, nodded, and got out of bed. It pleased him more than he could say when her gaze followed him as he walked into the privacy room to wash up. It was difficult not to strut like some vain peacock. Having the woman he desired like his looks as Primrose did, making no secret of her appreciation, was a feeling unlike any other he had ever enjoyed.
“Do you know if there is any help to be had here?” she asked as he dressed.
“Well, I believe we will leave here alone but we shall see,” he replied. “We do not really need a guard. It would be nice but we can manage without it. We have thus far.”
“I know and I did appreciate hearing what that woman Chloe had said.”
“Chloe may be hard to understand at times and leave you wanting so much more, but she has never been wrong in what she has told us.”
“I know. I did hear that when it was said. I just wanted someone to tell me that Simeon was fine. He is. That is more than worth the journey here.”
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and started to walk her out of the room. Before he could shut the door behind them, Boudicca raced through and stood by Primrose. “Will she stay away from the table?”
“She has so far, has she not? But I will ask Lorelei if she needs Boudicca set in another room or the like. I have eaten at homes where there are dogs right in the room, just well behaved. I am hoping that, to stay near me, Boudicca will remain well behaved despite all those children.”
If He's Noble (Wherlocke Book 7) (Paranormal Historical Romance) Page 13