When Alais was dry she allowed the cloth to fall to the floor and stood luxuriating in the warmth of the fire. She felt no embarrassment at being naked before him and enjoyed the pleasure that he seemed to be taking from looking at her. Hugh eventually stepped out of the bath and quickly dried himself off. When he dropped his own damp cloth to the floor they stood looking at one another, breathing quickly.
Alais did not move as Hugh lifted a hand and tenderly ran the back of his fingers down her cheek. She could barely tell if it was the fire that warmed her so or the heat that threatened to engulf her from the very centre of her being.
When he reached her mouth, he smoothed a finger over the uninjured part of her bottom lip, then, cupping her cheek in his palm, bent to kiss her.
Hugh’s tongue played in her mouth. No other part of their bodies touched and she longed to touch him, but dared not.
Hugh lifted his head from hers and took one of her hands in his. Wordlessly, he led her across the room to the bed. Releasing her, he drew back the curtains and pulled back the blankets, indicating that she should lie down. Nervously, she obeyed and Hugh knelt beside her on the bed. She wondered why he made no move to close the curtains. Her mother had told her that such things always took place in the dark.
As if he had read her mind, Hugh finally spoke. “I wish to look on you, my Alais. You are too beautiful to hide in the dark.”
And he did look at her, slowly from head to toe and back again. Holding her gaze he reached out and slowly ran a finger from her chin to her belly. She almost cried out from the pleasure of his touch.
“And are you my Alais?”
She swallowed, “Yes, my lord. I am yours, absolutely and completely. I love you.”
“And I tell you again, my lady, I love you with everything that I am.”
“Then, my lord,” she said more calmly than she felt, “you may take what belongs to you.”
Hugh nodded, but still hesitated. “I am afraid, my love, that there will be some pain for you.”
“I know,” she whispered and fear rose within her. She had heard many tales of the pain that came when women gave up their maidenhead.
“But I will try to make it as easy for you as possible.”
With that he stretched out beside her, the length of his body touching hers. With the utmost tenderness he kissed her and then began a slow exploration of her body, beginning with his hands, stroking and caressing, then placing slow, warm kisses where his hands had been. Many times she moaned at his touch, but could not move, did not want to move. New feelings flooded through her and she could not concentrate. All she knew was that Hugh loved her and that he was loving her now.
Hugh had turned his attention from her body to her thighs. His hand rested between them, slowly stroking her. It was the greatest pleasure and the greatest torture at the same time. She began to move with him and made way for him when he moved her thighs apart and settle himself between them. Then she felt a new, undreamt of sensation. The sudden pain that followed was over in a moment and she knew that the pleasure she had felt before had been nothing but a shadow of this. The pleasure that they shared was intense indeed and Alais’ body was still shuddering when she came back to herself. Hugh lay panting beside her. When he saw her looking at him, he pulled her to his side. She rested her head on her shoulder, gently kissing him as she did so. Her cheeks were still wet with tears of happiness when she fell into a deep, contented sleep, held tight in his arms.
It was light when Alais woke, still held securely in Hugh’s arms.
“Did you sleep well, my love?” Hugh stroked her back and pulled her closer.
“Very well, my lord.”
“Good. I also slept well.” He began to kiss and stroke her and Alais found herself raised almost instantly to the same height of excitement that she had felt before. Hugh was more urgent and more demanding and Alais began to cry out in her pleasure.
“Hugh! Hugh! Open the door!” The banging on the door brought Alais back to herself quickly. Hugh sighed and loosened his hold on her.
“Coming, Edmund.” Then he muttered, “Surely the French are not invading now.”
Alais giggled, then pulled the bed curtains shut around her as Hugh strode across the room and, still naked, unlocked the door and pulled it open. Edmund barged into the room and punched Hugh in the face. Hugh staggered back and fell down. Alais screamed.
“What do you think you’re doing, taking some kitchen wench to your bed?” shouted Edmund.
“I am no kitchen wench,” shouted Alais, poking her head out between the curtains making sure that he could not seek her nakedness. Edmund looked at her, then back at Hugh. His face darkened.
“You have despoiled Lady Alais.” He grabbed Hugh by the shoulder and pulled him to his feet.
“Yes, I have,” said Hugh, fingering his bruised face. “I think a scratch here would be appropriate.”
“What?”
“Scratch me here, on my face. My lady could not bring herself to ruin my face, but you will not worry.”
Edmund complied with relish and Alais screamed again. “Leave him be!”
“My lady, I am only defending your honour.”
“I did not, why should you.”
“My lady is confused,” shouted Hugh. “She fought me like a wild animal. See the bruises and scratches on my face.” He put his hand to the marks that Edmund had made. Edmund looked from one to the other. “You are right,” Hugh continued, “my lust got the better of me and I took Lady Alais, but I found that she was a virgin. Come, see the marks of her maidenhood.” He caught Edmund’s sleeve and began to pull him towards the bed.
“My lord! I am naked.” Alais pulled the curtains tightly around her.
Both men stopped. “You can see the signs later,” mumbled Hugh.
“You must marry her to redeem her honour.” Edmund was stern and Hugh blanched as his friend raised his fist again.
Alais giggled, seeing that Edmund struggled with a smile, but Hugh looked at her sternly. “Of course, whatever is necessary. I would not want my lady’s reputation to suffer.”
“Then you must dress and we will go to Father Alonso.” Edmund had regained control of himself and his face was stern.
Hugh hesitated. “You should see the sheets before we go.”
Edmund bit his lip and looked at Alais. He bowed to her. “My lady, if you will permit, I will wait outside while you dress. Please call for me if Hugh should do anything inappropriate. I will not close the door.”
“Thank you Edmund. Your support is greatly appreciated.” Alais also had control of herself. This was not quite how she had imagined her first night with Hugh would end.
Edmund left them alone and Hugh began to pull on his clothes, muttering to himself. Alais searched through the clothes she had removed the night before to find her pot of salve. When she found it, she tried to work it into Hugh’s wounds, but he turned his head away. “Not until people have seen the scratches.”
She reached up and kissed his wounded cheek, then dressed herself. Hugh must have had her saddle bag brought up to his chamber last night, for her own clothes had been laid out neatly on Hugh’s wooden chest. She struggled with her hair and settled for covering it with her veil. Transferring the keys to her own belt, she was ready to face whatever the day would bring, including marriage to Hugh.
“You may enter,” Hugh called out and Edmund returned. He bowed to Alais and approached the bed. He pulled back the curtains and Alais thought she saw his body relax and he was smiling when he turned back to Hugh. Hugh moved to stand beside him. “Are you satisfied that I took Lady Alais’ maidenhead?”
“Yes, it seems that you were most thorough.”
Edmund took a step back and bowed again to Alais. “My lady, please be assured that I shall not rest until my lord marries you. I am greatly ashamed of him for what he has done and I put myself at your disposal.” He looked at Hugh. “I am a free man and I choose Lady Alais as my lord.”
Hugh grunted. “I thought you did that many weeks ago.”
Alais stepped between them. “My lord, I will go with Edmund to the priest and make the arrangements. I am sure you have much to do after last night. I trust that you will not try to escape your obligation to me.”
Edmund opened his mouth, but Alais took hold of his sleeve and led him from the room.
“That was cruel,” she said when they were in the passageway.
“Which bit?”
“All of it, but especially saying that you thought I was a kitchen wench.”
Edmund blushed. “That part was true. I was coming to rouse Hugh and I truly thought he had someone else in there. I thought he was taking out his grief at losing you on … Well, I did not think he would…. well….I am truly sorry, my lady.”
“He has abducted me,” Alais explained, as she started to walk, “so that the king must permit us to marry.”
“That was what I understood, eventually.” Edmund stopped and Alais turned back to him.
“What is it?”
“I was not jesting about serving you, if you will have me.”
“Why would you leave Hugh?”
“He doesn’t need me any longer. I have feared these many months that he would throw his life away and now I know that he will not.”
Alais considered. “And how would you serve me, Edmund? I do not need someone to protect me. Hugh will do that. I do not go to battle, so you cannot ride beside me. You no longer need to protect me from Hugh.” Then she smiled. “There is one way. My steward is old and has no son. I need someone that I can trust at Leigh. It will be Hugh’s when we are married, but I doubt he will argue against my choice.”
Edmund smiled. “I would be honoured to be your steward and no, I do not think Hugh will argue with you, at least, not until the king calls us to war.”
Alais frowned at the thought of Hugh going to war. It would soon be spring and the war with France might start in earnest. “Would you go with him?”
“If you would permit me. Joan would make the better steward, anyway. I could teach her to read as you taught me.”
Alais smiled. “Then we will speak to him about it later. For now, let us deal with our more immediate problem.”
There was little activity in the hall as they passed through. The dirty rushes still covered the floor and the tables had not been washed down. Alais sighed, she was certain that she had ordered the room to be put to rights before she went to Hugh. He was right; it would be a hard fight to turn Liss around.
It was cold when they went into the yard and neither Alais nor Edmund had a cloak. They hurried to the priest’s house, where Edmund berated his lord loudly and fluently and Alais stood by demurely. Father Alonso frowned and looked doubtful. Alais remembered that he had been in the hall the night before and had heard Sir William name her as his son’s whore. Edmund obviously remembered, too, for he grabbed the priest’s arm and dragged him up to Hugh’s bedchamber. Alais stayed behind in the hall and set the servants to work on cleaning it. Then she went to look at the men who were too badly injured to return to their own beds. Eventually she went to visit the mercenaries, locked away securely. One had died in the night and she asked the guards to arrange for his removal and burial.
Ready to eat, she returned to the hall. It was not much improved and Hugh was making his displeasure known. Marguerite and her children were brought downstairs and she tried again to persuade her brother to let her stay at the manor house, but Hugh was unmoved by her begging. She was finally dragged screaming from the house, her month-old baby carried by a servant behind her.
Katherine had followed Marguerite into the hall, still maintaining her detachment from the previous night. She watched Marguerite’s dismissal calmly and no emotion showed on her face. Then Hugh turned to her and Alais realised that her appearance in the hall was no accident; Hugh had had her brought by the servants.
Hugh was disturbed by his encounter with his sister. Alais hoped that she was the only one to see the slight tremor in his hand. She took a step closer to him, meaning to take his hand, then remembered that he had to make his place here and she could not make him appear weak. He had noticed her move, however, and a small smile lifted his lips as she stopped.
“Lady Katherine, you were my father’s guest…”
“I will be your wife.”
Hugh stopped, his mouth still open. He drew himself up to his full height and Katherine was forced to look up to him.
“Lady Alais will be my wife. You, however…”
“What! You would defy your father?”
“My father is dead and I am lord here. I choose not to marry you. I have sent a messenger to your father to send an escort for you. If he does not, I will send a few men with you. Either way, you will be gone from here by the end of the month.”
Katherine was red with anger; she finally understood that she was not to be lady at Liss.
“Prepare the escort. I will not stay here another moment to be humiliated in this way.”
Hugh opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. He nodded, “As you wish.” Turning away from her, he caught Alais’ hand in his own.
“Now, you must be famished. Shall we have something to eat before we are married?”
Hugh was busy with estate business for most of what was left of the morning and Alais set herself to teaching the servants what was required to run the estate of Sir Hugh de Liss. It was a thankless task and she quickly found an excuse to visit Hugh in his solar.
He was talking to Edmund, but invited her in. Edmund seemed bolstered by her presence and said boldly, “Now that you know how much I miss Joan, will you let me go for her tomorrow?”
“Yes, go and fetch her home.”
“My lord,” said Alais, guiltily, “perhaps Edmund might like to take Agnes with him. And perhaps Agnes might like to stay on at Leigh for a while.”
Hugh stared at her.
“She might enjoy being somewhere else for a while,” she explained.
Hugh looked at Edmund, who shrugged his shoulders.
“Do you think she would want to go?” asked Hugh. “Let us go and find her. I have not seen her since our return.”
Alais was not sure that this was a good idea, but did not care to tell Hugh why they should not find Agnes together. He took her arm possessively in his and they left to find Agnes.
She was not in the solar with the other ladies, gossiping over the fates of Marguerite and Katherine, nor was she in the still-room making potions for the injured, nor was she in the large bedchamber where the injured were being tended. They finally found her in the room that she had formerly shared with Elizabeth, but which, following Elizabeth’s marriage, she now occupied alone.
“Agnes.” Hugh smiled when he saw her. When Agnes lifted a tear-stained face to him, Alais knew that she had already heard what had happened.
“My lord,” the words seemed wrenched from her, painfully.
“You are unwell, Agnes.”
“No, my lord, just weary from caring for the sick.”
Hugh looked to Alais for encouragement and Alais wished again that she had come to do this on her own.
“My lady tells me you were a great friend to her when she was here and I am grateful for it. You were always a friend to me.”
“Thank you, my lord.” Agnes could not look at Alais, who in turn could not look away from Agnes.
“Edmund goes to Leigh tomorrow,” said Hugh, frowning slightly as he realised he did not understand what was happening. “He goes to bring Joan home and we thought you might like to go with him and stay a while.”
“Are you are sending me away, my lord?” asked Agnes and Alais saw huge tears fall down her cheeks and into her lap.
“No, of course not,” said Hugh, finally aware that he was treading on dangerous ground. “You can stay if you wish. We thought you might enjoy the journey. Edmund could stop at Winchester so that you could see the cathedral,” he finished lamely.
�
�I would rather stay here, my lord.” Agnes did not say ‘with you’, but from the way his eyes widened, Alais could tell that Hugh had heard it, as she had.
“Well,” said Hugh, falsely cheerful, “if you are not to go, I must tell Edmund. My lady?”
Alais smiled at him. “If you do not need me for the moment, my lord, I would rather stay with Agnes.”
He nodded gratefully and left them alone.
“So you are to be married,” said Agnes bitterly when the door had closed behind him.”
“I truly did not know he loved me when we spoke.”
“He loved you even then?” Agnes was horrified.
Alais nodded.
“There never was any hope for me, was there?” she sighed.
“Not really,” agreed Alais, sitting beside her and taking her hand in her own. “He will always esteem you greatly.”
“But that is not the same as love.”
“I think it is a kind of love,” said Alais, “to be esteemed by a man like Hugh, that is something worth having. He does not give his affections easily and does not change once he has given them. I truly thought it would do you good to go with Edmund. It will be painful for you here.”
Agnes nodded. “He does not know?”
Alais shook her head. “And never will, not from me,” although she thought it too late for such a promise. Agnes had given herself away and Hugh would avoid her company if he could.
Agnes reflected for a moment. “Then I will go.”
Alais struggled not to show her immense relief at Agnes’ decision and left her alone while she went to tell Edmund that the situation had changed again.
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