‘He has been here for a few weeks, my love. Waiting for us to complete our journey from Wessex.’ Ralf dropped a brief kiss onto the veil covering Elin’s hair. ‘Planning for what happens next.’
Elin lifted her head slightly, gazing into Ralf’s eyes for a moment, then resuming her comfortable position against his chest. ‘And what does happen next, Ralf?’
He thought for a moment, watching as the sun inexorably rose in the sky, chasing away the tendrils of mist and wisps of cloud with streaky fingers of pink and gold.
‘He is in contact with Prince Louis, who has advised that the King of Lorraine might be willing to offer shelter until Lord Baldwin can reconcile with King Charles. Baldwin doesn’t want to trail around the countryside with the Princess. He wants to find somewhere they can live properly.’ Ralf began to stroke a gentle finger against Elin’s cheek, and he felt her smile.
‘And he wants to recruit the guards as a war-band, just in case the King decides to send trouble our way. Do you think he might? You know him better than I.’
Ralf felt Elin’s shrug and heard her sigh. ‘The King will fight with words first, mon amour. Count Audacer will argue against sending soldiers, and the King will listen. But the Prince? If his brother Louis is in favour of the match, then Prince Charles will be against it, and he is of an age to be troublesome.’
‘A young hothead, then? He won’t prove much of an adversary, I’d hazard.’
Elin pushed herself upright and met Ralf’s gaze levelly. He felt her grip tighten on his fingers, and heard the urgency in her tone.
‘He is more than a hothead, Ralf. He is malveillant, méchant, vicieux.’ Ralf watched her mouth twist in disgust and she shook her head, trying to think of the word she wanted in a language he would understand. ‘Malevolent. He was a wicked, vicious boy, and he will be worse as he grows. We must all be careful, Ralf. All of us.’
***
Chapter 101
Baldwin lifted the latch of the door once he was sure Elin had gone outside. In his hand he held two goblets of beaten gold and a bottle of what Gozfrid had assured him was Sister Seraphina’s best wine. His friend had pressed the vessel and cups into his hands with a wink and a gentle shove, and Baldwin had needed no further encouragement.
He closed the door and pushed the bolt across with a whisper of metal on metal. The last thing they needed was the old harridan rushing in and shrieking about defilement and the vengeance of the Lord. The vengeance of the King would be felt soon enough.
Baldwin stood quietly at the doorway, gazing at Judith ensconced on the large bed, the sheet and heavy velvet comforter pulled up beneath her chin. She blinked at him silently, and he could see her lips trembling, but he was unsure if it was because she was afraid or because she wanted to laugh. Or cry.
He wanted to let out a whoop of triumph that would be heard twenty leagues away at the palace, but he pushed the urge aside and padded silently to the side of the bed. He placed the goblets on the small chest and poured them both a drink, holding out one of the vessels towards his bride.
Judith looked at the goblet and then up to Baldwin’s face, and her beautiful mouth tilted upwards at the corners. Tentatively, she loosened her hold on the sheet and reached out, taking the cup from him and tasting the wine. He swallowed some of his own, and set his goblet down before gently brushing a curl from her forehead.
‘Are you afraid, my love?’ Baldwin kept his voice low, and a chuckle threatened to bubble from his throat. He took the cup from her hand and set it beside the other, never taking his eyes from hers.
‘No,’ she whispered, her voice cracking with the effort to speak, ‘Yes.’ She cleared her throat and swallowed, her chin lifting and exposing the delightful column of her neck. ‘No.’
Baldwin twisted his lips ruefully at her indecision, and he watched in fascination as a bloom of colour traced up her white skin. ‘Not afraid of me, I hope?’
To his relief, Judith shook her head emphatically and beamed at him. Her face was still suffused with her blush, and he couldn’t help but wonder if the blush went all over her body. He pushed the thought away; he had to take his time with her, make sure she was ready.
‘No, Baldwin. I love you.’ He watched as she dropped her eyes shyly for a moment, then lifted her face again and seemed to straighten her shoulders. ‘But I am afraid. Afraid I don’t know what to do. Afraid that I will disappoint you somehow.’ She gave a little shrug and a shiver as he slid the back of his knuckles over her cheek.
‘Elin has told me the….the…,’ her blush deepened and again he wanted to laugh, make a jest to relieve the pressure of her embarrassment, but she was so earnest, her eyes so intense, all he could do was stroke her cheek and listen. ‘the…. process, and I am not so innocent that I haven’t seen animals coupling, and even servants adjusting their clothing as I pass.’
She exhaled, the breath shuddering from her lungs. ‘But I am still afraid of what I don’t know.’ Her eyes met his again, and he was taken aback by the directness of her gaze. ‘Do you?’
Distracted by the texture of her skin beneath his fingers as he slid his hand down her jaw and onto her neck, Baldwin had lost the thread of what she was saying.
‘Do I what?’ he growled, wanting to push away the comforter she was still clutching and trace the pads of his fingertips along her delicate collar bone and the creamy skin of her shoulder.
‘Know what to do?’
This time he allowed himself a low chuckle, and he leaned forward to claim her lips in a brief kiss, the softest of blessings.
‘Yes, my love. I know what to do.’
He blew out the single candle on the night stand, and then slid beneath the covers. He had deliberately kept his leggings and linen shirt on, not wanting to frighten her any more than she was already. He slid down the bed until his head was propped on the pillow, and he drew her into his embrace, her cheek pillowed on his chest.
Although he could feel the soft skin of her bare arm, he was also aware of a whisper of silk beneath his touch. With his other hand he lifted her chin and claimed her lips in a passionate kiss, his mouth plundering hers as he had wanted to do since he entered the room. He heard a little groan in the back of her throat, and then felt her surrender her lips to his onslaught, returning his kiss with equal fervour.
For long moments they clung to one another, Baldwin sliding the tips of his fingers over her silk-veiled skin and feeling her small hands press into his chest and then into his hair. He trailed kisses along her jaw, nipping and kissing the skin of her neck and shoulder, brushing the narrow strap aside and following its path with his lips as Judith sighed and squirmed beneath his ministrations.
He brought his lips to her ear and momentarily stilled his hands until he knew she was paying attention. ‘My love, I won’t do anything to make you afraid, but we have to consummate the marriage; otherwise your father could have it annulled.’ He allowed himself another kiss to the tender skin beneath her ear, and she sighed in delight.
‘Baldwin, he wouldn’t.’ He felt her fingers tickle through his beard into his hair and she pulled his mouth urgently towards hers, nipping at his lips with tiny kisses and little moans. He shuddered out a breath.
‘Yes, he would. So I will make it as pleasurable and as gentle as I can, my love.’
Baldwin lifted himself slightly, tugging his shirt over his head. He felt Judith squirm briefly beneath him and then her fingers slide up his torso over his ribs, brushing the dusting of hair over his chest and then her arms were about his neck, clinging to him tightly.
Against his skin, he felt only the tender flesh of her breasts, the buds of her nipples unexpectedly abrading his chest, and he realised that the shimmy he had felt was her divesting
herself of her shift.
He deepened the kiss, supporting himself on one elbow as he pushed his leggings out of the way with his other hand. To his delight, he felt Judith clasp her legs around his thighs and he groaned his pleasure into her throat as he claimed her as his wife at last.
***
Chapter 102
Bonn jurr, Gozfrid. Commen ssavaa?’ Ghislaine beamed at the young warrior as she plonked a tray of bread, cheese and milk in front of him.
‘Ça va bien, merci, ma petite. Et tu?’ Gozfrid grinned up at her, unfolding his legs from where they had been propped as he slept. Ghislaine gazed at him blankly, knowing he had asked a question but failing to recognise the words. She sighed and dropped into the seat beside him.
‘French is so hard, Gozfrid. I really try, and sometimes I think I know what I want to say.’ She nodded sagely, ‘I do know what I want to say, but then I forget what comes next.’ Ghislaine whooshed out a breath and slouched in the chair, watching as Gozfrid cut into the cheese and spread it onto his bread.
‘I’m so pleased you can speak Latin, Gozfrid, even if your accent is a little bit strange. It would be awful if we couldn’t understand you.’ Ghislaine blinked at him as he chewed, smiling behind his beard.
She pouted her lips and looked around the meagre room as he ate the bread and drank some of the milk. She would have brought him some ale, but she hadn’t been able to find the sister who had the key to the ale-house. The dairy was never locked, so she thought to bring him some food to break his fast while they waited.
‘What happens now, Gozfrid?’ Ghislaine rolled her head over the back of the chair to look at him, watching as he chewed and swallowed and feeling herself begin to flush. She straightened her posture and tilted her head to wait for his reply.
‘Baldwin wants to speak to the sentries. Once that has happened, I can unlock the cells of the nuns and let them go about their business. Within the convent walls at least.’
Ghislaine screeched a laugh. ‘You’ve locked them in? Even Sister Blessankeepim?’
Gozfrid frowned and met her gaze. ‘Who?’
The girl collapsed in giggles, pressing her hand over her mouth as she laughed. Gozfrid couldn’t help but smile at her mirth, and it was a long moment before Ghislaine could find the breath to reply. ‘Sister Seraphina. Every time she mentions the King, she says ‘God bless and keep him’, so that’s what we call her. Sister Blessankeepim.’
‘Then yes, even her. Baldwin doesn’t want a message sent to the King until he has an escape route planned. If King Charles sends troops, we don’t want to give them a sitting target. Once we are away, the old poulet can do what she wishes.’
‘Where will we go?’ Ghislaine couldn’t keep the excitement out of her voice. To be a runaway bride was so romantic, and although it wasn’t she who was the bride, it might be one day. She wasn’t that much younger than the Princess, and Gozfrid was very dashing, with his long fair hair and golden lashes. And she was sure Ralf liked him, so it wouldn’t be her brother’s wrath they would run away from. She blinked again, realising that Gozfrid was answering her question, and she searched her mind to recall what she had asked.
‘……so if the Prince is correct, we might find safe sojourn there, for a while at least.’
‘Where?’ asked Ghislaine blankly. It wouldn’t make any difference where he said, she thought, watching his lips as he spoke. She didn’t know where anywhere was in Frankia. As long as Ralf was there she would be safe. And if Gozfrid was there too, she would be happy.
‘Lorraine,’ answered the young warrior, draining his tankard of milk. ‘It is to the south of here, where the Princess’ cousin rules.’
‘So will we have to wait long?’
Gozfrid shook his head. ‘A few days at the most, I would think, ma petite. Then Baldwin will want to be gone.’
‘Noooo,’ Ghislaine impatiently rolled her eyes at him in disgust that he had misunderstood. ‘For them to come out, I meant. They’ve been in there ages. Hours.’
Gozfrid chuckled, and Ghislaine felt herself blushing all the way to the top of her head. Thinking about what she had said, she realised it had been less than tactful, but it was too late; she couldn’t un-say it.
‘Baldwin has waited years, ma petite. It will take as long as it takes.’ Gozfrid twisted his mouth in a suggestive smile, and rolled his eyes at her. Ghislaine jumped to her feet and grabbed the tray with the remnants of the meal.
‘Well, when you finally unlock the cells of those nuns,’ she announced tartly as she got to the door, ‘don’t come and find me for bucket duty.’
Gozfrid’s yelp of laughter echoing down the cloister made her giggle at her own temerity for discussing such a subject with a man she hardly knew. But, if they were travelling together to Lorraine, wherever that might be, almost running away together in fact, then they would get to know each other much better very quickly.
Ghislaine grinned as she took the tray back into the still-room.
***
Chapter 103
Judith spread the fingers of her hand over her husband’s chest, delighting in the prickle of hair against her palm. It hadn’t occurred to her that his body would feel like this, a hard musculature covered by the softest skin and a tantalising dusting of hair. She tapped her fingers on his torso one at a time, as if counting, feeling the sensations snake along her bones into the pit of her stomach. It gave a delightful clench and she snuggled into him even more closely.
‘My love,’ he growled, voice rumbling in his chest and echoing in her ear. Judith chuckled softly.
‘My love.’ She slid one satiny leg up over his naked thigh and sighed. ‘My only love.’ She stroked her hand over his chest and down across his belly, beaming at the reaction her touch brought to his body.
‘And I am glad for it, my love. I wondered if ….. I didn’t know whether your husband would have found the….’ His words trailed away, and she smoothed her hand over his ribs, feeling the bones move under her hand as he raised his arm and rested it behind his neck. Judith shook her head.
‘No, he didn’t. It wasn’t worth his time, he said.’ She shrugged, feeling Baldwin’s fingers splayed across her own rib-cage beneath her breast. The warmth of his hand was distracting. ‘I wasn’t worth his time.’
Judith heard a sharp intake of breath, and an impatient snort. ‘What?’
She stilled her hand, unsure whether her constant stroking and touching was becoming tiresome. But she had so longed to touch him in reality, thought about it, dreamed about it. Now he was here and she was naked in his arms, she hardly thought her touch unwelcome. Judith sighed, pushing her hand over his chest once more, and feeling him tremble from the sensation; no, not unwelcome at all.
‘Because I was too young to give him an heir when he first married me, he refused to share my bed. He had Lady Emer watching my linens, to tell him when the time was right. Then he said he would return and,’ she stopped, unwilling to picture what might have happened to her had Ӕthelbald ever taken her to his bed, ‘…….claim me.’
Baldwin growled deep in his throat, shifting a little beneath her hand, and she hugged a smile deep within herself that she could so easily make him want her again. ‘He was an idiot, my love. And I am pleased you didn’t have to endure that, from such as him.’
‘As am I.’ Judith giggled softly, moving her hand further over his belly, brushing the hair there with her fingers and listening for his breathing to quicken slightly. ‘And now you have ‘claimed’ me.’ She beamed, knowing he would feel the apples of her cheeks against his chest, and she hooked her leg higher on his thigh. ‘Will you claim me again, Baldwin? Soon, I mean.’ Ducking her hot face into his side, she chuckled shyly, shoulders
shivering with amusement.
‘Every time the opportunity presents itself, my love.’ She felt his chest move as he brought his arm from behind his head, his hand pushing the tendrils of hair away from her forehead and then his thumb brushing her bottom lip. ‘And I am sure that we shall have more opportunity before we summon your ladies.’
Judith beamed at him, offering her lips for a kiss. ‘And afterwards?’ she whispered, as his hand ghosted over the skin of her back and he pressed her buttocks into his side. He paused, and she saw a dangerous glitter come into his eyes.
‘Afterwards, my love, I have to go and tell Sister Seraphina that she and her associates will remain locked behind these walls until we have gone to Lorraine. After that, she can write as many letters to your father as she wishes; we will be safe. And I have to convince the set of useless connards that Gaston left behind to join us.’
Judith rolled on top of Baldwin, making him chuckle in delight and splay both hands on her bottom as he raised a surprised eyebrow at her daring. The knowing look beneath the eyebrow made her blush; she was only being daring because she loved him so much, and had waited for him so long.
‘You go and speak to the sentries, Baldwin, and I shall speak to Sister Seraphina.’ She began to nip and nibble at his lips, sliding her mouth along his jawline to his ear. ‘I shall enjoy that.’
He clasped her in his arms and rolled with her until she was beneath him once more, a deep chuckle vibrating in his chest.
‘Whatever you desire, Princess,’ he laughed, and Judith slid her hands into his hair and gazed deeply into his eyes.
‘You. I desire you.’
***
Chapter 104
Baldwin unlocked the large studded door and stepped into the foul air of the shuttered barn, closely followed by Gozfrid. The stench of urine emanated from the far corner, and vomit stains were spattered up the wall. Some of the guards were laid on their pallets, eyes open but mouths slack. A couple were seated with their backs against the wall, heads resting on knees, and Sigram gazed at the doorway with a jaundiced expression.
Judith, Twice Queen of Wessex Page 33