Fearsome Brides

by Kathryn Le Veque

  Lady du Bexley was also eating, having pulled a leg from a roasted swan, and bits of food were flying out of her mouth as she chewed. Some of it sprayed into Alessandria’s trencher and Alessandria looked at the mess in front of her, bits of half-chewed bird flesh, rather sadly.

  Chad, seeing what had happened and suspecting she wouldn’t eat from her trencher now that Lady du Bexley had blown her spittle all over it, tore some beef off the hunk before him and placed the un-spit upon meat on the corner of her trencher.

  “Here,” he said quietly. “I will share with you.”

  Alessandria looked at him gratefully, accepting the beef and pushing it into her mouth. “Thank you,” she said quietly, chewing politely, “but I am not quite sure how I am going to tell our hostess that I have no intention of eating where she has spit.”

  Chad grinned as he cut more meat for her, off the bone. “I am not entirely sure she will notice,” he said softly. “She seems to have the attention span of a sparrow.”

  Alessandria giggled. “She was very kind to allow us into her home.”

  “Very kind.”

  “But her manners….”

  “I know.”

  Alessandria grinned, taking another bite. “Where will we stay tomorrow night?”

  Chad thought on that as he handed her more meat. “We should be well north of London tomorrow,” he said. “There are many inns or taverns where we can find lodgings.”

  She pictured what adventures in accommodations tomorrow night might bring for them. “It has been a long time since I have stayed in an inn,” she said. “In fact, it has been a long time since I have slept in a bed. We slept on the floor at Newington. The Mother Prioress believed it made us strong to sleep in discomfort.”

  Chad shook his head. “I am not entirely sure I agree with that,” he said. “I have spent my share of nights sleeping on the ground, but it did not make me stronger. It made my back hurt.”

  Alessandria laughed softly. “Mine, too,” she said. “I have had an aching back for six years. I cannot imagine what it would feel like not to sleep on the hard earth.”

  “You will find out tonight.”

  Alessandria started to say something but Lady du Bexley suddenly let out a cry of delight as several servants flooded into the hall, bringing with them trays of sweets and other delights to conclude the meal. Alessandria watched, wide-eyed, as many delicacies were placed on the table – marzipan, which was an almond paste, shaped like a little castle with little cloth banners flying from the turrets while a tray of fried dough balls coated in honey and cinnamon sat nearby. A pudding of mashed apples and raisins was displayed in a lovely painted bowl while an entire tray of baked pears sat near the middle of the table.

  It was more food than Alessandria had ever seen in one sitting, decadence on a grand scale. Lady du Bexley was wealthy and not afraid to show it. The servants were dishing out the sweets to the diners and Chad made sure to get his trencher in there so they could serve him up some treats as well. When he drew his trencher back and set it between him and Alessandria, they both inspected the marzipan and the fried dough balls and the pudding. Chad cut the sweets into pieces so Alessandria could eat them more easily and she ended up gorging herself on nearly everything that was there.

  In truth, Chad was deriving a good deal of pleasure simply watching her eat, even if she was eating some of the things meant for him. He really didn’t care. It was clear that she was very hungry so he let her eat whatever she wished. He was happy to take her leavings. In fact, the more he sat with her and watched her, tossing around light conversation, the more enchanted he was becoming with her. She was sweet and beautiful and he liked to watch her laugh – she had a silly little giggle. She ate, they both drank, and the evening passed pleasantly and quickly.

  In fact, Chad had no idea how late it was by the time Lady du Bexley’s guests began to excuse themselves. All he knew was that he had enjoyed one of the more pleasurable evenings of his life, made far more pleasurable after the hell of the past several weeks. He and his army had been deployed a very long time before Evesham, and then after that horrific event, the days following had been full of trying to grasp the political situation in the wake of Simon’s death. It had all been so complex and unpleasant. But sitting here with Alessandria, in this warm and fragrant hall as the wine flowed freely, he felt truly at peace for the first time in months.

  More guests left the table but Chad remained, still drinking wine and sitting beside Alessandria, who was so full of sweets and food that she could barely move. But the wine was delicious and warming, and soon enough they were having their own giggling conversation over how Stefan and Perrin would react to Eloise du Bexley showing up at Canterbury Castle. Mostly, it was Chad making faces when he imagined what his brothers would do to him and Alessandria was laughing uncontrollably. He must have been quite entertaining because Lady du Bexley soon realized that her new friends were having a marvelous time and she sought to capture Chad’s attention.

  “What are you and your wife laughing about?” she demanded to know. “You must tell the rest of us so that we may laugh with you!”

  Chad’s eyes widened. He had been making great sport of Lady du Bexley’s daughter and knew he couldn’t tell his hostess that, so quickly, he scrambled for an excuse.

  “I…I was singing a song, my lady,” he lied. “It is a very humorous song.”

  “Then you must tell us!”

  Chad shook his head. “Nay, my lady,” he said, trying not to sound as if he were lying. “It… well, it is not meant for ladies’ ears.”

  Lady du Bexley was incensed. “But you told your wife!”

  Chad looked at Alessandria, who was silently laughing at the fact that he’d wedged himself into a corner. She’d had far too much to drink and soon couldn’t hold back her laughter at all.

  “Tell her,” she said impishly. “Oh, do tell her what we have been laughing at.”

  His eyes narrowed at her threateningly, although it was in jest. “Cheeky wench,” he muttered. “You shall not have the last laugh.”

  “Is that so?”

  “It is!”

  Taking a deep breath, Chad stood up and set his wine cup down, which was empty. It had been his fifth or sixth cup; he wasn’t entirely sure, but he did know that he was quite drunk. He was up to having some fun, now with too much alcohol flowing through his veins.

  “Very well, Lady du Bexley,” he said with some exaggeration. “If you wish to hear my song, here it is.”

  With that, he climbed right up onto the cluttered table, much to the delight of the diners, and began belting out the first naughty song that came to mind.

  “A young man came to Tilly Nodden,

  His heart so full and pure.

  Upon the step of Tilly Nodden,

  His wants would find no cure.”

  Chad had a remarkable baritone singing voice, quite lovely, and the women at the table sighed with delight while the men, who recognized the song, cheered for the bawdy tune. Encouraged, Chad began to dance across the table, kicking dishes out of the way and listening to everyone laugh at him. He was being quite dramatic and entertaining as he continued.

  “Aye! Tilly, Tilly, my goddess near,

  Can ye spare me a glance from those eyes?

  My Tilly, sweet Tilly, be my lover so dear,

  I’m a-wantin’ a slap of those thighs!

  Then our young man, his life less grand,

  Since the day he met our Tilly.

  His love for her nearly drove him daft,

  When he discovered not a puss, but a shaft!”

  With that, he untied his breeches and exposed his bare buttocks to the diners as they screamed in laughter. Lady du Bexley nearly fainted because she was laughing so hard and as everyone else screamed and cheered, Alessandria sat there with her eyes wide at the sight of Chad’s white, naked arse. The man was stripping down before her very eyes and her mouth popped open in shock when she heard Lady du Bexley beside he
r.

  “Now we see what you see in your young man, my dear,” she laughed. “His buttocks are as plump and perfect as two unbaked loaves of bread. Your husband has a bread-dough arse and I want to sink my teeth into it!”

  The few people that heard her comment roared with laughter as Chad pulled up his pants, tied them off, and then took a tremendous bow for the room. Every movement had flourish. Even the minstrels in the corner, who had been playing quite beautifully all evening, cheered and clapped for him.

  Quite pleased with his drunken display, Chad leapt off the table and staggered his way over to Alessandria, who was sitting there with her mouth still hanging open. Reaching down, he pulled her to her feet and dragged her over towards the musicians.

  “Play!” he commanded the quartet. “Play something that my lady and I can dance to!”

  Before Alessandria could utter a word of protest, Chad pulled her into his arms, her body pressed against his, and the music began to play. His mouth was on her temple as he spoke, their bodies indecently close.

  “I want to feel you against me,” he murmured. “I have been struggling for the better part of the day with thoughts of you and I cannot deny them any longer. Let me feel your breasts against my body, even though the damnable clothing stands between us.”

  Chills raced up Alessandria’s spine as his heated voice filled her brain. The music was playing but they weren’t really dancing; they were simply standing there as Chad held her close, running his hands up and down her back, up into her hair, cupping her head as his lips nibbled on her forehead.

  Alessandria was so startled and consumed by his actions that her knees were growing weak. Her breath began to come in pants, her body rubbing against his in a manner that was both terribly inappropriate and overwhelmingly alluring.

  “Chad…,” she whispered, trying to pull away. “What… what are you doing?”

  “What I have wanted to do from nearly the beginning of our association.”

  She gasped as a roaming hand found her buttocks, caressing them lewdly through the traveling dress. “Please… there are people watching….”

  Chad had her pulled so tightly against him that she was bent backwards as he held her. “Let them watch,” he said, nuzzling her. “We are married, are we not? I can do whatever I wish. I am your husband, Aless. God help me, I wish I really was. I would take you upstairs and ravage you until you could no longer walk.”

  They were shocking, bold words that he spoke, words that should have sent Alessandria cowering. She should have run from him at the very least. But no amount of righteousness could force her to pull away from him now. God help me, I wish we were really married. Was it possible he really said that? Did he really speak of the hope that was in her heart?

  Clearly, he was drunk – there was no denying that. And if she was to be truthful, she was drunk as well. It was the drink that was preventing her from running away. It was the drink that was begging her to give in to the sins of the flesh, to know the touch of a man. It was as wicked as it could possibly be, but Alessandria didn’t care. She was deeply enamored with Chad; nay, it was more than that. Was it possible to love someone after only knowing them for no more than a day? Alessandria couldn’t imagine that what she was feeling for Chad wasn’t love and she couldn’t imagine that she would ever feel any other way about him. He said that he wished they could be married. She wished the same thing, as well.

  Surely, that mean the man loved her.

  Chad was still nuzzling her face, simply standing there as the music played around them. Alessandria could feel his seeking lips moving across her cheek and she turned her head so that his path would bring him to her mouth. When he claimed her lips with his own, it was as if everything else in the world suddenly faded away and it was only the two of them, becoming acquainted on a level that was beyond Alessandria’s comprehension.

  The only stories of sexual contact she had ever heard had been from foolish servants at Orford or from the frigid sisters at the priory. What they had described was not what Alessandria was experiencing. She was experiencing the taste and scent and feel of a man that was causing her heart to race and her head to swim. She could taste him and she loved it. It was the most exciting thing she had ever experienced.

  “Sir Chad!” Lady du Bexley’s admonishing voice filled their ears and Chad pulled away from Alessandria to see that the frizzy-haired old woman was heading in his direction. “Such a lusty display, my fine lad. You have given every woman in this hall something to dream about tonight. For now, take your wife to your chamber and I will see you come the morning. Sleep well… that is, if you sleep at all.”

  With that, she giggled knowingly and turned back for the table, leaving the bald-headed man in her wake, who was evidently the majordomo of Bexley Manor. He seemed to have some measure of authority for Lady du Bexley. Silently, he motioned for the panting pair to follow him.

  Dazed from his kiss with Alessandria, Chad quickly moved back to the feasting table to collect their possessions before returning to Alessandria’s side and following the bald man to a staircase that led to the upper floor.

  It was darker in the house now that they were away from the hall and the hard-packed earth floors were covered with straw, not rushes. As the bald man led them up the mural stairs, neither one of them seemed to be too observant of their surroundings; Alessandria was looking rather dreamily at Chad and Chad was struggling to keep his balance as he moved up the stairs. Had they looked around, they would have noticed a beautiful two-storied window of precious glass overlooking the stairwell and a large and expensive tapestry hanging on the wall.

  Once they reached the second floor, the bald man took them to another smaller staircase that led to the top floor. On this level, there were several chambers that had a central corridor connecting them, which was an unusual architectural feature. Usually, rooms connected to each other, but with a central corridor, every room had only one entry and exit for maximum privacy.

  This level was low-ceilinged and as the bald man opened the door to their chamber, Chad nearly hit his head crossing over the threshold. He staggered in, pulling Alessandria in behind him, as the bald-headed man stood at the door.

  “Lady du Bexley will have a morning meal served three hours after dawn,” he said. “She should like all of her guests to attend.”

  Chad dropped the baggage near the door. “We shall be gone before dawn,” he informed the man, rubbing at his eyes because everything in the room was swimming. “We should like to have our morning meal brought to us an hour before dawn and I should also request food to take with us, if that will not be too much trouble.”

  The bald-headed man shook his head. “No trouble, my lord,” he said. “I shall ensure that you are fed accordingly. Is there anything else you require this night?”

  Chad looked at Alessandria. “Is there anything you wish?”

  Alessandria nodded. “Water to wash with.”

  Chad turned to the bald man, who had heard her request and was already nodding. “I shall have warmed water sent up,” he said. “I shall also send wine for you. Good eve, my lord.”

  He shut the door softly and Chad rubbed at his eyes again. “Great Lucifer’s Ghost,” he hissed. “Just what we need. More wine. I can hardly stand as it is.”

  Alessandria felt much the same way, only with her, she was particularly fatigued. Too much wine always made her terribly sleepy. She looked over at the bed in the chamber, which was a lavish piece of work, well off the floor, with a silk coverlet and curtains that attached to an overhead canopy.

  “I am so weary that I could sleep for a week,” she muttered, still eyeing the bed. “Well, what are the sleeping arrangements to be tonight? Will you take the floor or will I?”

  Chad looked at her, standing there in her dark green traveling garment that clung to her so indecently. His heated gaze moved to her breasts, lovely perky things. He had very much liked the feel of her in his arms and the taste of her upon his lips. He hadn’t
forgotten any of that. In fact, his lust for her, fed by the wine, was stronger than he was. He couldn’t resist his attraction to her, like the moth to the flame. He couldn’t even think that being alone with her, being as drunk as he was, wasn’t an entirely good idea.

  All he knew was that he needed to have her.

  Without a word, he moved to her, swiftly, and took her in his arms, pulling her against him as his lips slanted over hers. He could hear her gasp and, for a split second, feel her stiffen in surprise. But just as quickly that stiffness turned to pliability and she became a soft, warm mass in his arms. He could taste the wine on her just as he knew she could taste the wine on him, but neither one of them cared.

  Now, the alcohol was in charge.

  Chad had to have her. It was blinding, this lust he felt, and as he undid the fastens on her dress, Alessandria didn’t resist. She was too busy being overwhelmed with her first serious kiss, her first experience with a man that was already bleeding her dry of her sanity and reason. Everything about it was wrong, so very wrong, but they had no choice in the matter. No one was resisting or begging for pause. Chad, already aroused, yanked the green traveling dress off of her shoulders, tore it down her body, and dumped it on the floor.

  Clad only in a shift, hose, and shoes, Alessandria gasped as he picked her up and carried her over to the bed. His mouth had left her lips and was now forging a blazing trail down her neck, to the soft cleavage of her chest, as he lay her down upon the feather-stuffed mattress.

  She sank down into it, unable to effectively move; it was like lying in mud. There was nowhere for her to go and although a little voice in her head screamed at the impropriety of the situation, the drunken part of her pretended not to hear it. Chad loved her, of that she was certain, and she had come to the conclusion that she loved him as well. It was a sin to demonstrate that love outside of marriage but she didn’t care. Everything he was doing to her was making her body tingle and her heart jump. She wanted to experience all of it, whatever Chad wanted to show her, and propriety be damned.