by Tamara Gill
“I need to let you know, Lady Madeline, that I will be away for some weeks to London. I meant to discuss this with you after the meal but since we’re both here, it may as well be now. You may be aware I received a missive from the king via Sir Alex’s hand today.”
Maddie blanched. Had their monarch done as she asked? She didn’t want an annulment now. She loved William, wanted to stay with him. Even odder was her desire to stay in 1102, if that was what would keep her within her husband’s arms for all time.
“What did the letter say? Sir Alex said it came addressed to us both. Is it bad news?” Maddie asked, fear curdling her supper.
“’Twas bad news, for you at least. I’m sorry to inform you, my dear, but your request for an annulment has been denied. In fact, you are now requested to beget an heir within a year.” William chuckled. “Which I might add, a few weeks ago would have been a problem, but not so much these days.”
Maddie laughed at his wink.
“Very true, my lord, but why is it you need to travel to London?” She didn’t want him to go. The thought of weeks away from him troubled her.
He sighed. “Tedious court business pertaining to Kingston land, nothing you need worry about,” he added as he noted her concern. He cleared his throat. “I will also be escorting Lady Veronica back to London, to ensure her safety. Her family have been notified and are expecting her return.”
Maddie continued to look at him. She wanted to gauge his reaction to Lady Veronica’s forthcoming departure. She inwardly sighed in relief when she noted no remorse or regret etched on his features. But that wasn’t where her worries ended. Her stomach clenched in dread. She didn’t like the idea of William’s ex-lover in such close quarters with him and for weeks on end. The Lady Veronica was sly. There was no doubt about that. Maddie wouldn’t trust her as far as she could kick the woman.
No matter William’s actions or declarations to her, he still had a history with this lady. And from what she’d beheld in the castle hallway that very first night in 1102, it had once been a passionate one. Unease crept across her skin. Maddie cleared her throat and remembered to hold onto her trust.
“I suppose I will have to bid you farewell,” she said. “And hope for the best,” she added under her breath.
***
William frowned at Madeline, having not quite caught her last words. Although he had a good idea what they were. She was uncomfortable with him travelling with Lady Veronica. He threw his knife down and ran a hand through his hair. He wanted to comfort her, reassure her. The last thought on his mind was undertaking an illicit affair with his ex-mistress.
To be frank, they were hardly friends before he took her to his bed. He knew his words to Madeline upon her arrival into his life were cruel and hurtful. He shuddered as he remembered the lies he blurted, denigration that shamed him to his core.
It was no secret Lady Veronica had aimed for their relationship to proceed to marriage. Even now, she blamed Madeline for her loss. However, if anyone was to blame for Lady Veronica’s loss of dreams, it was him. Having come to know Madeline as he now did, no other could ever fill her place.
He hated to leave her even for a night, nevertheless weeks at a time. It made it doubly hard knowing she would worry about his faithfulness. He picked up her hand, kissed her delicate fingers, and captured her gaze. Let all the love he held for the marvellous woman shine from his eyes.
“Do not worry, ma chère. You are the only woman I want. There will be no other. As soon as my business is completed, naught will keep me away.” He should tell her he loved her. All but worshiped where she stepped. But he could not. He had other ideas as to when he would mention such sentiments. And London featured heavily in that grand scheme.
A half smile lifted her lips. “How will I get on without you around, my lord? I do believe I’ll be quite lonely. Certainly afternoons will be filled in an entirely different manner.”
“’Twould have to be,” William growled, making his wife laugh. She sighed, her breath warm against his neck when he pulled her into his chest and held her.
“I will miss you, ma chère,” he said, looking down.
She ran a finger upon his cheek and touched his lips. “I’ll miss you too.” She paused. “It’s going to be so boring here without you. I’ll have nothing to do other than household chores. And I don’t really even have them, as the servants carry out most tasks.” William smiled at her mulish tone.
“Running a castle is no minor chore, Madeline. You should know that better than most.”
“When do you leave?” she asked.
“Next week. A carriage as we speak is on its way up from London to carry Lady Veronica home. We’ll leave in a day or two after its arrival.”
“Her family’s carriage?” Maddie frowned.
“Aye, I believe so.”
Maddie looked along the dais to the woman who sat not far away, a smirk of triumph on Lady Veronica’s face. Maddie gritted her teeth. She didn’t like the sound of that at all.
***
Two days later, Maddie sat playing a game of checkers with Mistress Rhode and enjoyed a companionable cup of tea while they competed. The afternoon was cool, and spring showers were often. The air smelled fresh and clean, cleaner than she could ever remember. It was a scent only a storm could bestow and reminded her oddly of her childhood.
A ruckus in the courtyard caught their attention.
Simultaneously they rose and made their way to the small window that overlooked the bailey. A carriage arrived, and a second one soon after, piled high with luggage.
Maddie frowned and looked to Mistress Rhode, who appeared as puzzled as herself to whom it could be. Of course, there were to be carriages arriving from London. But they were not due until next week. As far as she was aware, no one else was due to arrive. So who was it?
A woman in a dark blue cloak stepped out of the carriage, holding her back as if in pain. Maddie started as the woman screeched orders to her staff about the unpacking of her luggage, the sound a high pierced squeal. She winced at the voice and a worry started to work up her spine. There was something awfully familiar about the woman, but what, Maddie couldn’t place.
Couldn’t place that was, until Lady Veronica herself raced down the stairs yelling Mama like a child of five.
“Bloody hell,” Maddie muttered, and shrugged as Mistress Rhode chastised her language with a silent look.
“We have guests, m’lady.”
Maddie looked back to the sickening sight of Lady Veronica and her mother, no doubt who would be another thorn in her side.
“So it would seem.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Maddie sat and stared at flames that burned as hot as her temper. Lady Ribald not only had no manners, but was also as conniving and vicious as her daughter. The blood flowed thick and similar in that family.
Her Ladyship’s room was hastily prepared, but very comfortable for a woman of her stature. The room had a view, which overlooked the sea, a tranquil space with furniture well made from a dark wood. No sooner had the woman walked into the chamber had her nose lifted, a dismissive sniff sounded that proclaimed her distaste. She had then marched back out and declared the room, “unacceptable,” and demanded a chamber elsewhere within the keep.
Maddie allowed Her Ladyship to move into her late mother’s chamber. Adjacent to her own, the room was used sparingly when the castle housed guests. Situated as close as it was to William and her chamber, many thought it not a proper place to sleep visitors. And Maddie agreed. If only her troubles with the woman had ended with the one complaint.
But no. Lady Ribald had then waltzed within the solar, her tongue covered with barbs of disgust and contempt for the new Lady of Kingston. As the first words that dripped scorn flowed from the woman’s mouth, Maddie’s hackles rose.
Being discussed as if invisible was profoundly rude, no matter what century one occupied. Lady Ribald declared to her daughter—who basked in such censure of Maddie—that, �
�brunettes were the new flavour for Lord William. One of many, and easily discarded when the time came.”
Lady Ribald had sat herself down across from Maddie and decreed to her face she had neither looks nor figure to compete with her daughter. That, and quote, “She was utterly baffled by Lord William’s change of heart,” end quote.
Surprisingly to Maddie, she now couldn’t wait for William to depart, just to be free of the woman. She wondered what the time was, the hours seemed the longest she could ever remember. The days stretched endlessly ahead with such visitors.
“I hope your journey, Lady Ribald, was agreeable and without trouble?” Maddie asked, the taste of being polite bitter in her mouth.
Lady Ribald looked back at her, her features mocking. “Do not bother to be polite to me, Lady Madeline. Neither of us should endeavour to be friends. I’m here to collect my daughter, take her away from this evil place and have her marry a respectable gentleman. Something Northern England has lack of.”
“Oh, I’m sure your mistaken, Your Ladyship,” Maddie replied, placing her cup of mead on a side table. “For I believe there are plenty of gentlemen.” Her eyes took in Lady Veronica, her gaze a study of the woman before her. “As for ladies in these parts, now, I do believe they are scarce on the ground.” Silence ensued, but sadly, Maddie reflected, not long enough.
“I will not pretend to misunderstand your meaning. You will not again insinuate another such accusation against my daughter,” Lady Ribald replied, her attention flicking about the room.
Maddie looked over to Lady Veronica, who had an air of mock innocence. “I do believe, Lady Ribald, we should not talk of barbs.” Maddie held Veronica’s eyes as she uttered the last and was pleased to see the woman’s face drain of colour. Steeling herself, Maddie turned back to the unwelcome guest and refused to say anymore, lest the conversation turn nastier than it already was.
The ensuing silence was deafening.
“Pray, where is Lord William?” Lady Ribald queried. “’Tis most decidedly rude for him to be absent when guests arrive.”
Maddie clamped down the urge to tell Lady Ribald she could go to Hades for all she cared of her opinion. Instead, Maddie said, “Had he known of any, I’m sure he would have been here, Your Ladyship. As it happens, he will be back by nightfall. They are out hunting game today. I’m sure you would look forward to a hearty meal after such wearisome travels.”
“In that, you are correct, Lady Madeline.”
Maddie sighed and looked over to Mistress Rhode for help. Surely she could escape this lion’s den. She realized with a sinking heart she would get no help from that quarter, as her maid shook her head in denial. Lady Ribald flicked an invisible piece of lint from her gown, her face a mask of distaste. Maddie wondered what next to expect from the woman.
Something about Lady Ribald made her skin crawl. What, Maddie couldn’t put her finger on. And quite frankly, at this point in time, she didn’t want to.
As she lay under the many blankets alone that night, her mind turned to William. She missed him tonight. It worried her that he had not returned home after his day of hunting. She also reflected that since she had been unable to hold her temper in check, all of Aimecourt now knew of the animosity that flowed between herself and Veronica’s family.
Maddie rolled over and touched the place where William’s head should be. She pulled the feathered pillow toward her and inhaled his scent and an ache settled in her chest. She hoped he was okay and didn’t leave her alone in this medieval world. It was many hours later that sleep finally claimed her.
***
Sometime after dawn, Maddie woke up with a gasp of shock as a man as cold as the arctic ice caps, cuddled her under the blankets. She relaxed as the familiar sound of his voice soothed the worry that she was about to be raped by an iceberg.
“Mmmm, you’re warm,” William mumbled against her neck, making her shiver from the chill of his lips.
Maddie puffed out a gulp of air when his frozen feet wound around her own. “And you’re freezing! Did you only now get home? What happened to keep you away?” she asked.
“Hunting too far a field and knowing we wouldn’t make it back before nightfall. We decided to set up camp.” His arms pulled her into his side. It seemed he had missed her as much as she did him. A sigh of contentment brushed her neck and his body slowly warmed against hers.
“When the sky started to light, I proceeded home. My men will arrive later this morn with our varied and good hunting.”
Maddie rolled over and kissed his chest, revelled in his now familiar scent. “I’m glad you’re home. Although, after I tell you something, I’m not sure you will be.”
William made an unintelligible sound but didn’t answer. Maddie stole a look up at him and noticed his almost comatose state. His eyes closed and shadowed with grey sleepless circles. She sighed and left the news of their guests for later. He deserved some rest. As much as she wanted to confide in him the happenings at home since his leaving, she allowed sleep to take them both. Sleep, much easier now that she lay where she belonged, in the arms of her husband, cold as they were.
Waking some hours later, Maddie was happy to feel arms made of steel still banded around her waist. They were crispy warm under the blankets. The sun had burnt away the cold frosty morn and she could hear the birds twittering outside.
She rolled and faced William, then smiled when she noticed him awake. A shiver of expectation ran through her as his eyes burned with an entirely new heat.
“Good morning, husband.”
“It is that, wife,” he replied before he rolled her onto her back and pulled up her chemise.
Maddie grinned and allowed him his way. “And what, pray tell, do you think you’re doing?” she asked, amused.
He kissed her, his mouth paying homage to her plump bottom lip. “Seducing you.”
Maddie ran her hands up his neck and bit her lip as he moved against her, moisture pooling between her legs. Eager, Maddie wrapped them around his waist. She pushed a lock of hair from his eyes, her heart thumping erratically in her chest. “You’ve already done that,” Maddie said on a gasp when he rubbed against her.
William moaned and thrust, deep and hard into her core. His jaw clenched. “You’re everything to me, Madeline,” he said holding her gaze.
Maddie pulled him down for a kiss and revelled in the urgency she could feel emanating from him. His lips moved to her chin, her neck, her breasts. The corded muscles along his spine flexed under her palms.
“Madeline...”
Maddie heard his hearts plea in his whisper. His hair fell over his face and shrouded his eyes. But she didn’t need to see the windows of his soul to know what she meant to him. In every touch, kiss and look he bestowed, he proclaimed a love that would last for all time.
Not yet ready to end this delightful interlude, Maddie pushed hard against his chest. William’s eyes blazed when he guessed her intention. A contented sigh escaped Madeline when he settled beneath her. The tough Baron of Kingston, hers to do with as she pleased; she liked the idea of that.
A moan tore free as she lowered herself upon his swollen phallus. His hands, urgent and rough upon her breasts, sent a wild thrill through her blood. His thumbs grazed the peaked buds, as he thrust into her, filling her. Maddie felt the rough hair on his chest, the muscles on his abdomen hard and chiselled to perfection. It didn’t take long for a strong and delicious climax to flow throughout her body. William groaned as she tightened and convulsed about him, his gaze holding her captive.
Satiated and sleepy, William flipped her over to lie on her stomach and anticipation ran throughout every fibre of her being. His manhood slid against her bottom and sparked electric waves to her core. A need to reach that delicious pinnacle again blossomed. William kissed her back, nibbling along her spine until Maddie couldn’t stand it any longer.
“William, please,” she whispered into the bedding.
He claimed her, showed her how truly medieval and domi
nant a man could be in this time. It probably should have scared her; instead, Maddie revelled in his desire. Welcomed the frantic pace that left her shattered in pleasure and her husband’s seed deep in her womb.
Her lungs fought for breath, matched the breathing of William’s sweat-covered body. He shifted and came to lie beside her while Maddie dozed in absolute contentment. William pulled her into his embrace and wrapped her in his arms. The smell of sex and William met her senses. No sweeter perfume she knew or would ever know.
***
“Do not tell me, Veronica, that you have allowed that trollop of Aimecourt to get her claws into Lord William?”
Veronica held her mother’s furious stare. That was a temper she was loath to spark. The woman could be cruel and callous at will. Years of court life may have camouflaged her mother’s vindictive nature. But only to a point. Any who worked for Her Ladyship or carried the same blood in their veins knew not to overstep the bounds when the woman’s displeasure was roused.
Veronica pushed down her nerves and stood silent as her mother tried to leash her anger. She swallowed, tried to remember her own irritation at her parent’s lack of help with the matter.
“It would have been fine, had you convinced the king the marriage should not have proceeded in the first place,” she whispered heatedly.
“Do not try me any more than you already have, daughter. I’m far past caring.” Her mother’s gaze darted around the solar. Her fists, clenching and unclenching in her lap, spoke of a woman who tried to hold her temper in check. Veronica took a step back.
“You know what it means to me to see this family crushed. I have not spent the last fifteen years at court raising a daughter of another man, allowed my peers to look at me with disdain and censure for it all to come apart now.”
Veronica frowned. Her mother’s anger ran deep. And all because of the man who had spurned her all those years ago.
“I understand, mother, and there are still things we can do,” she pleaded. “I know my first strike did not succeed as we’d hoped, but I have news. A man who is in service here knows of a woman who may be able to help us.” Veronica smirked. “Without his knowing it, of course.”