Forbidden_Claude

by Elizabeth Rose

  Another rumble of thunder shook the building. Claude’s body became rigid. He hurried over to the window and secured the shutter.

  “You seem a little jumpy tonight,” she told him, skimming her fingers over the surface of the bath water, sinking down to sit on the edge of the tub. The water felt hot and inviting. A fire burned in a small hearth at the other side of the room making it very cozy. The room was small and plain. The only other furnishings were a pallet lying directly on the floor and one chair.

  “I don’t like storms,” he told her.

  “Why not?”

  “It doesn’t matter. Now use the bath before it gets cold. I will be sitting outside the room to make sure nobody enters.”

  He grabbed the chair and headed for the door, but she reached out and touched him. He stopped and looked over his shoulder.

  “Thank you, Claude,” she said, not using his title. Her eyes met his. She was alone with him and wanted to kiss him. Reaching up, she cupped his cheek in her hand. His eyes closed and he seemed to be holding his breath.

  Evelina was taking a chance but she no longer cared. Claude’s eyes were closed, and she used it to her advantage. Standing on her tiptoes, she reached up and gently kissed him on the lips.

  His eyes snapped open. He almost looked frightened for a split second. Then his gaze became hooded and he leaned forward, his face coming closer to hers. And just when she thought he was going to return the kiss, he stopped.

  “You are wasting hot water. Now use it before I throw you in the tub.” With that, he turned and left the room carrying the chair.

  Claude closed the door and sat on the chair, raking his hand through his hair in confusion. Evelina kissed him! And when she did, everything inside him came to life.

  Damn, he liked it. The touch of her hand on his face and the gentle way she’d caressed his lips with hers about drove him out of his mind. He wanted to kiss her back, but he didn’t. His feelings for her made him want to throw her down on the pallet, strip off her clothes and make love to her, but something made him stop.

  She was only a handmaid. He shouldn’t want her as much as he did. It was more than lust, and this is the part that scared him. He had a feeling deep down that somehow, some way they belonged together even if it didn’t make any sense. Claude was a noble, and she was only a servant. Nay, he couldn’t feel this way about her because love between a noble and a servant wasn’t right. It was forbidden.

  He also felt that by feeling this way he was somehow being disloyal to Rose. He understood that Rose was happily married to Toft, but a small part of him still held a flicker of hope that they would eventually end up together.

  That was why he’d never married. Rose had broken his heart years ago. If he became vulnerable by falling in love with a woman and then she said she didn’t want him, he wouldn’t be able to face the pain. Being rejected by Rose was bad enough. He didn’t need it to happen with another woman as well.

  “God’s eyes,” he spat, hating himself for feeling this way. Rose didn’t want him and made it very clear that they were only friends. So, why couldn’t he let go?

  He wanted Evelina, but the part of him that was still in love with Rose wouldn’t let him feel the same way for Evelina. He leaned his head back against the wall and groaned. His body ached to have Evelina, but something was different than with past servants. He cared for her in a different way. She wasn’t like any of the girls he’d bedded before. Something about her was special. Thinking about making love with her almost seemed sacred in his mind. When she looked into his eyes, he felt as if she could see into his very soul. She seemed to know him better than he knew himself. It wasn’t just feelings of lust filling his emotions anymore. He cared about her as well.

  However, she wasn’t honest, and that bothered him. She never answered his questions directly or made it clear why she was in England in the first place or where she’d lived in France. He couldn’t let down his guard and feel so strongly about a woman who was being deceitful. She might end up breaking his heart. He had to forget about Evelina. Nay, he had to forget about Rose. His head spun in confusion. The problem was he never wanted to forget either one of them, and that made him feel as if he were going mad.

  Evelina removed her wet clothes and shoes and laid them on the floor in front of the fire, then slipped into the hot tub. Resting her head back against the side of the tub, she let out a satisfied sigh and closed her eyes. The water warmed her cold body. It felt comforting not to be in the tavern downstairs with a room full of smelly, drunken men.

  Yes, she missed her life as a lady and decided it was time to make her identity known. She had a feeling Rose already knew she was a noble even though it was never mentioned. Evelina didn’t think Rose or Isobel would blame her for taking on an alias trying to escape a betrothal and find love on her own. After all, both of them seemed to have found love with their husbands. Why couldn’t it happen to her as well?

  Even though she felt hurt that Claude hadn’t returned her kiss, in a way it was probably for the best. She didn’t want to deceive him anymore. It was time to tell him the truth. Evelina decided she would finish her bath and then tell Claude everything.

  She hadn’t meant to fall asleep. But she was so tired that when she awoke, the water in the tub was already cold. Climbing out of the tub, she dried herself with the towel that the servants left on the pallet. Finding a small vial next to it on the bed, she popped it open and took a sniff.

  “Rosewater,” she said with a smile, dabbing some behind her ears. The innkeeper must provide rosewater to the nobles who stayed there. She was about to see if her clothes were dry when she spotted the package on the bed.

  Needing to look at the gown again, she decided to open the package. It was a beautiful gown, made for a lady. She had been wearing the clothes of a peasant for weeks now and longed to feel silk and velvet next to her skin once again.

  With a quick glance back to the door, she checked to make sure no one was there. She would very quickly try on the gown to see if it fit. Hurriedly untying the twine, she opened the package and sighed when she laid eyes on the gown again.

  Evelina decided to try on the undergarments as well. She quickly dressed, loving the feel of the clean, new clothes against her skin. The gown fit perfectly, making her feel pretty for the first time since she had left France.

  Having no brush, she used her fingers to smooth and untangle her hair, quickly braiding it and throwing it over one shoulder. Now all she needed were the shoes Rose gave her, and she would feel like a lady once again. Happiness filled her being. She let out a squeal of delight.

  The door banged open behind her. Evelina spun around to see Claude standing there with his sword in his hand, looking bewildered. His hair was mussed, and his eyes were half-closed. She figured he’d fallen asleep in the corridor.

  “I heard you scream,” he said with intensity to his words. His eyes made a quick sweep of the room. “Is everything all right? Did another thief enter the room?”

  “I didn’t scream. I squealed,” she told him. His eyes settled on her, and he perused her from head to foot.

  “What are you wearing?” he asked.

  “It’s the gown I bought. Do you like it?”

  He took a moment to study her and then shook his head. “Take off Lady Rose’s clothes, anon.”

  “It is not Lady Rose’s gown,” she explained. “It is mine.”

  “Yours? I don’t understand.”

  “Come in and close the door, Claude.”

  “Sir Claude,” he corrected her, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him.

  “You see, Sir Claude,” she started, stressing the word Sir. “Lady Rose gave me money to buy a gown for myself.”

  “You shouldn’t be wearing that, Evie.” He slid his sword back into the scabbard.

  “What did you call me?” she asked, surprised by what she heard.

  He cleared his throat and ran a hand over the back of his neck, looking down to
the floor. “Evelina. That’s what I said. Evelina.”

  “No, it wasn’t,” she said with a smile. “You called me Evie.”

  “Mayhap I did, but I was half-asleep. It won’t happen again.”

  “Nay, I like it,” she said, walking toward him slowly. “You can call me Evie if you want. Or better yet, you can call me . . . Lady Evelina.”

  Chapter 12

  Claude heard what Evelina said, and shook his head. She had the nerve to lie about the gown, and now she was telling him to call her Lady. He didn’t like the games she played. He stormed over to her and was about to reprimand her until the scent of fresh rosewater drifted up from her body, filling his senses and about driving him mad with desire.

  “Don’t play games with me, Evie,” he told her, reaching out and lifting her chin with two fingers.

  “I am not playing games,” she told him. “Lady Rose told me to buy a gown for myself.”

  “Take it off. You can’t wear the gown of a lady. Take it off now!”

  Lightning flashed through the crack of the shutter and the rain pelted against it in the wind, making a loud hammering noise. Then the wind whistled through the shutter, blowing it open.

  “God’s eyes, enough with this storm.” Claude hurried over and secured the shutter, feeling his body shake because of the storm. It was a storm just like this that frightened him as a child. It was the night his grandfather took his own life and Claude had almost lost his life, and so had his father. It brought back horrible memories of his father’s castle falling into the sea. Even to this day, he couldn’t get the terrifying images out of his mind.

  “You’re shaking,” said Evelina, coming up behind him and placing her warm hand on his shoulder. He was faced toward the window and didn’t turn around. “What’s wrong, Claude? What has you so frightened? Is it the storm?”

  It wasn’t only the storm that frightened him. His desire for wanting a forbidden woman was scaring him as well. “I want you, Evelina,” he spoke into the shutter rather than to turn and have to face her.

  “What did you say?”

  “You heard me. Don’t ask me to repeat it.”

  “I want you, too, Claude.”

  He thought he’d heard her wrong, but when he turned around to face her, she was staring at him with want in her eyes.

  “You asked me what scares me, well I’ll tell you. You scare me.”

  “Me?” she giggled, filling the room with the sweet sound of her voice. “I am not going to slap you again if you try to kiss me, if that is what you are thinking.”

  That was all he had to hear. He lifted her chin and leaned forward, kissing her full lips. He was already becoming heady. To him, she tasted like sweet ambrosia, the nectar of the gods, and he couldn’t get his fill. This wasn’t right. He had too many feelings for her that were more than lust, so he should just stop now. He envisioned them married with children, living in Stonebury Castle back in France, and shook his head to make the thought go away.

  She tried to kiss him again, but he pulled back.

  “Claude? What’s the matter? Didn’t you like the kiss?”

  “Too much,” he told her, letting out a sigh. “Evie, I can’t do this right now.”

  “Why not?” Her brows dipped in disappointment. “Is it because you are still in love with Rose and refuse to accept that she is happily married to Toft? You need to let go of her, Claude. You are not children anymore. Rose is happy. Now, you need to be happy as well. If you don’t release the past, you will never find happiness in the future. These thoughts will haunt you for the rest of your life.”

  Claude realized she was right. He had been holding on to the hope that someday he could be with Rose. But Rose told him they were just friends. Who was he to try to steal her happiness only to gain his? And would he even be happy if he did end up marrying Rose? Or would she consider him a friend and nothing more? He didn’t want to waste his life mourning over what he could not have. He needed to love a woman – but one who was not forbidden to him.

  “You are right,” he told her. “I have been lying to myself, thinking I was still in love with Rose but, actually, I don’t think I am.”

  “There is no shame in going after what you want,” she told him. “Just be sure it is really what you want because you might end up getting it.”

  “I want you, Evelina,” he told her again, pulling her into his embrace, and kissing the top of her head. He rubbed his cheek against her soft, silken hair and groaned. The scent of rosewater filled his senses, bringing his lust to life. “I want you, but I don’t want you to play games with me anymore.”

  “I – I don’t know what you mean.”

  He buried his nose against her neck, kissing her and using his tongue to taste her skin. She smelled fresh from her bath. It made him want to explore her body further.

  “You do know what I mean. You’ve been lying to me, and I won’t take it anymore.”

  “That’s what I am trying to tell you, Claude. I don’t want to lie to you anymore.”

  “I won’t have you wearing the gown of a lady because it makes me want you even more.”

  “It does?” she asked.

  “Remove it,” he told her.

  “I need to talk to you first, Claude.”

  “Either you remove it or I’ll rip it off. But when I make love to you, I promise you it will be real and not pretend.”

  Evelina’s jaw dropped. Did he just say he was going to make love to her? She should have tried harder to tell him she was a lady, but when he reached for her gown, she had to act quickly. “Please, don’t rip the gown,” she told him, liking it too much to see it ruined. “I will remove it, if that is what you want.”

  His eyes fastened to her as she slipped the gown down her shoulders and dropped it. It fell into a purple pool of velvet around her feet.

  “My God, you are beautiful,” he whispered, causing her to forget what she wanted to say. The firelight filled the room with an orange glow, and the sound of the snapping logs on the fire added romance to his seductive stare.

  “Will you make love to me, Evie?”

  Her body trembled at his request. She wanted this more than she had ever wanted anything in her entire life.

  “Don’t you want to know who I really am first?” she asked in a whisper, wanting to tell him but not wanting to ruin the moment.

  “Nay. I don’t want to talk about lies at this moment. I don’t want to hear anything that will make me want to stop from giving you pleasure as you’ve never felt before.”

  It was a promise she wanted him to keep. The heat of desire spiraled through her. She wanted – needed to know how it felt to make love to Sir Claude Montague if it was the last thing she ever did in her life.

  She nodded slowly. “I would like that, my lord.”

  His hands grabbed for his waist and, in one motion, he’d unfastened his weapon belt and laid it on the floor. Then he kicked off his shoes and removed his doublet and tunic. “Come to me, Evelina,” he said, holding out his hand.

  If there was a voice in her head warning her not to do this, she didn’t hear it over the loud pounding of her heart reverberating in her ears. She flung herself into his embrace. Claude smothered her with hungry kisses, sweeping her off her feet.

  She wrapped her legs around his waist, kissing him long and hard. This felt right. She was safe and protected in his strong arms. And when he slipped his tongue into her mouth, she felt a tingling between her thighs. His hardened form pressed up against her womanhood right through their clothes.

  He fell to the pallet with her atop him, cradling her in his arms. Pushing her shift up and over her head, it left her bare breasts exposed. “You are even lovelier than I’d envisioned,” he said, staring at her breasts. Bringing his mouth to one nipple, he used his tongue and lips to bring her to a rigid peak.

  “Oh, Claude,” she cried out, arching her back, feeling so wanton. Like a dirty little secret, acting this way only excited her, making her want him
even more. His hands slid down her back, slipping under the top of her braies. His nimble fingers quickly untied them, and he pushed them down her legs, filling his hands with her rounded cheeks.

  “God’s eyes, Evie, you are perfect.”

  The sound of their heavy breathing filled the room. Evelina felt so hot she thought she was going to combust. Hurriedly slipping her hands around him, she managed to remove his braies as well.

  The sight of his engorged manhood made her gasp. Shadows from the firelight danced on his body, and all she could think of was that he was the man she wanted in her life. He was the man she chose to marry and spend the rest of her life with from now on.

  “Take me, Claude,” she begged him. “Make me feel the pleasure you promised and do not stop until I cry out in ecstasy.”

  That turned his gentle touch to one of urgent, needed passion. He flipped her onto her back, bringing one leg around her, pressing his erection into her and making her cry out in need. As he leaned over, kissing her, his hand slid down her stomach ever so slowly. His fingers found and played with her nether hair and then he slipped one finger between her womanly folds.

  “Oh, Claude,” she moaned, lifting her hips to help his finger slide in and out guided by her liquid passion. Her breasts ached to have him suckle her again, so she pulled him to her and thrust her breast into his mouth.

  His fingers moved faster as he suckled her nipple, bringing her closer and closer to reaching completion. And then he pulled back, spreading her legs apart, slipping in between them, watching her with hooded eyes.

  “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “You could never hurt me, Claude. I am ready for you so please don’t deny me what I have waited for my entire life.”

  He slid his weapon of love into her, filling her completely like a sword slipping into a sheath. She heard him moan. When she looked at him, his eyes were closed, and his mouth was partially open. Evelina watched the rise and fall of her breasts as she tried to catch her breath.