Lords of Ireland II

by Le Veque, Kathryn

  “Look at me,” he whispered tightly, forcing her to open her eyes. “Look at me, Emllyn. I am Devlin de Bermingham, a man who has had to fight and kill for everything he has ever achieved in life. You called yourself the daughter of a mere knight; the truth is that I am the bastard of a great earl, his great son whom he acknowledges but wants little to do with. I have no family. I have no one but you. I am sorry you were so terrified of me that you felt you had to lie in order to save your life; I truly am. It is true that the Lady Emllyn Fitzgerald was a great prize at first but she soon became the love of my life. I don’t care if you are someone else; to me, you are my Emllyn, my love and soon to be my wife. Nothing else matters, do you hear? Nothing at all.”

  Emllyn gazed back at him, his words slowly dawning on her. Her tears came to an unsteady halt as she digested his meaning. “Nothing?” she repeated, surprised.

  He shook his head firmly. “Nothing,” he whispered. “Everything leads me to thee.”

  When Emllyn came to realize that Devlin didn’t hate her, that he still loved her as she loved him, she threw her arms around his neck and knocked him over backwards with the forced of the gesture.

  Devin ended up on his bum, holding Emllyn so tightly that he heard bones in her spine crack. And still, he squeezed harder. He couldn’t begin to describe the joy in his heart at the moment; all he knew was that it was brighter than the sun.

  “My sweet love,” he crooned, kissing the side of her head. “All is well now, I swear it.”

  Emllyn was weeping steadily, but this time from sheer joy. She had never been so happy in her entire life. “Oh, Devlin,” she breathed, releasing him from her embrace so that she could kiss him. Her kisses were fast and furious. “I adore you, my darling. I have missed you so very much.”

  He returned her kisses, his big hands on her face, feeling her soft cheek in his grasp. “You are all I have thought of, day and night,” he murmured, suckling her lower lips and listening to her gasp. “You are all to me, now more than ever.”

  Their clothes were coming off. The heat of passion, of joy, had overwhelmed them and all they could think of was joining their bodies, of completing an act that had once meant only fear and domination between them. Now it meant adoration, fulfilling the need to touch and be touched. Emllyn had hold of his rough tunic and she unfastened the belt that hung at his hips, tossing it aside as she grabbed the tunic and yanked it off his body, nearly yanking his head off with it.

  “Your son, Dev,” she whispered as she ran her hands over his soft, smooth chest, rippling with muscles and covered with a soft matting of red hair. “You promised to give me your son. I will hold you to it.”

  Devlin wrapped her up in his massive arms with a growl, picking her up and carrying her to the bed where Merradoc had so recently lain. The pillows were everywhere because of him and Devlin kicked them aside, laying Emllyn down and covering her with his naked torso. Kisses were heated and lusty, sensual and moist. Devlin managed to yank his shoes and breeches off, tossing everything haphazardly around the room in his haste.

  Emllyn already had her surcoat nearly off and Devlin finished the job by pulling it down her body. That, too, landed somewhere on the floor as Devlin’s lips came to bear on a tender nipple, suckling firmly.

  Emllyn gasped aloud with pure joy, writhing beneath him, daring to put her hand between their bodies and feel his erection against her thigh. His manhood was warm and soft, stiff with desire, and she shifted so her legs were parted. She could hear Devlin groan as she continued to touch him, and even as he buried himself deep into her wet and waiting flesh. The pleasure he felt went beyond words.

  His weight was atop her, his maleness filling her, and Emllyn’s hands moved to his buttocks, digging her nails into his flesh as she drew him into her body. Her legs, usually spread open to receive him, were now wrapped around him, holding the man fast against her. As he thrust into her, she couldn’t remember when this wasn’t something she hadn’t loved, the sheer pleasure of their bodies becoming one. The more he thrust into her, the more incoherent with need she became.

  Swiftly, Devlin stopped thrusting and grasped her around the waist, flipping her over and laying her flat on her belly as he settled in and entered her from behind. Emllyn had never experienced it like this before and she gasped as he pushed his way into her body, sliding in with ease, and then resuming the familiar mating ritual.

  His hands moved underneath her, fingers slipping in between her legs to touch her as he continued his thrusts. He seemed to hit a spot that made her entire body tremble and soon enough, she was biting off screams of release in the nearest pillow. It had been a wild and beautiful awakening. But still, Devlin continued to move, his hands now moving to her breasts, holding them fast and toying with her nipples as he made love to her.

  But Devlin couldn’t maintain his control much longer. As much as he adored bedding her and as much as he had waited for this moment to be reunited with her, he was greatly anticipating the moment of his ultimate release. When it came, it came hard, and he grunted as he filled her womb with his seed. He found himself praying for a healthy son from her. It would be the greatest thing he could imagine. For a man who never gave much credit to thoughts of sons or family or even wives, the past few weeks had seen his opinion of that change dramatically. Now, he could imagine a future.

  Exhausted and spent, he collapsed forward, collecting her in his arms and holding her close as he lay down beside her. He gently kissed her neck, her shoulders, and her hair, reacquainting himself with the taste and smell of her. It was like a drug, one that flowed through his veins and flooded his senses. Shoving his face into the back of her now-mussed hairstyle, he closed his eyes and sighed contentedly.

  “I am taking you back to Black Castle,” he muttered. “We will be leaving this place tomorrow, early. I have a feeling it will be difficult to remove you, however, because I suspect that de Noble and his daughter have taken a great liking to you.”

  Emllyn had been snuggled up in his arms, dozing lightly, but her eyes opened when she thought of the implications his words brought forth.

  “More than you think,” she murmured. “De Noble has been trying to court me since nearly the day you left. I have been beating the man off at every turn and he keeps close watch on me. Removing me may be more difficult than you think.”

  Devlin’s eyes opened as she spoke, processing her words. “I suspected as much,” he said. He did not sound pleased. “When I spoke of you to him, I could see his demeanor change. The man is jealous.”

  “I know,” she said softly. She twisted in his arms so she could look him in the face. “What will you do?”

  Devlin lifted a red eyebrow, reaching down to push a stray lock of hair from her face. She was such a glorious creature and he studied her features for a moment.

  “We will have to be very secretive,” he said. “De Noble mentioned something about an evening meal tonight, which you and I will undoubtedly attend. When we see one another, we must be polite but nothing more. I have a feeling if he believes we are attracted to each other, he will watch you far more closely than he already does.”

  Emllyn agreed. “Usually he tries to have me sit on his right hand,” she said with some disgust. “I have refused so far. I sit on Elyse’s right hand, well away from her father.”

  Devlin’s gaze lingered on her a moment. “Has he been bold with you?”

  She could hear hazard in the question but she was honest. “It started out quite sweetly, in truth,” she said. “He sent me notes, anonymously. But then it escalated to inviting me to walks or sitting next to him at sup. Earlier today, he tried to kiss me. I slapped him so hard I believe I left a mark.”

  Devlin was fully prepared to rage at the attempted kiss until she mentioned the slap. That had him grinning. He sighed heavily, fighting down his natural jealousy. He’d never experienced the emotion in his life so it was something new, and uneasy, to deal with.

  “Better you to slap him than me,�
� he mumbled. “I would most definitely leave a mark.”

  Emllyn grinned at him. “And so you would protect me, my beauteous lad?”

  “Upon my honor, I would do all that and more.”

  She reached a hand up, rubbing his bearded cheek. He kissed the palm of her hand sweetly but as he did so, he caught sight of something over by the door. He paused in his kisses, his gaze glued to whatever had his attention.

  “God’s Blood,” he finally hissed.

  Emllyn could see that something had his focus. Lifting her head so she could see over his big arm, she could see that Eefha was seated over in the corner by the door, in the shadows. She had something in her finger she seemed to be toying with, the unlit shite pipe between her lips. She was so quiet that she had blended in with the shadows, and the two lovers had utterly neglected to remember her.

  “Oh… goodness,” Emllyn muttered, looking at Devlin, horrified. “I completely forgotten she was here.”

  Devlin looked at her, giving her a resigned expression. “Hopefully she will not talk and spread rumors about what she saw.”

  The humor in that statement was obvious and Emllyn giggled. “She will sing out the praises of Black Sword’s prowess as he bedded the English maiden,” she said. Then her giggling increased. “She was here one day when de Noble came to call. Like a wraith, she came out of the shadows and snuck up behind him with a dirk in her hand and surely would have stabbed him had I not called her off. Truthfully, Dev, I’ve heard of protectors and guards, but I have never heard of an old woman who goes around protecting young women as Eefha does.”

  He grinned, glancing affectionately over at the old woman who acted as if she had no idea that anyone else was in the room. She was truly in her own world.

  “She is the best protection there is,” he said. “I am not surprised she chose to follow you here. When I returned to Black Castle and she was nowhere to be found, I suppose I always knew that she had come to Glenteige to be with you. It brought me some comfort to hope for that.”

  “She has been my protector since the beginning.”

  “So she has. Mayhap… mayhap she sees a bit of herself in you as she was when she was young. She was quite beautiful, I was told. Mayhap she simply wants to take care of you.”

  “And so she has,” Emllyn said softly, arching her head up to kiss Devlin’s cheek. “But so have you. Now, about tomorrow; we should make our plans now because we may not have the opportunity later.”

  Devlin nodded, thinking on the course that the morrow would take. “It should be simple enough,” he said. “Does this complex have a postern gate? I am not yet familiar with it enough to know.”

  Emllyn thought on the layout of the inner wall and the keep. After a moment, she nodded “There is a small man gate near the kitchen,” she said. “I have seen servants passing between it.”

  “It would more than likely be locked in the morning.”

  She shook her head. “That may be, but I know the cook,” she insisted. “I am sure she will open it for me.”

  “Good,” Devlin said, relieved that he had one less detail to worry over. “I will leave through the main gate and meet you somewhere outside. There is a well towards the center of town.”

  “I know it.”

  “You will meet me there just before sunrise.”

  Emllyn grinned. “I will be there.”

  “Swear it?”

  “Of course. But if I am not, know that somehow I was detained. Wait for me, however; I may have to climb the inner walls to get out of this place, but know I will be there.”

  “I will wait as long as it takes for you to join me.”

  Emllyn knew he would. But as she thought on that, another idea struck her. “What about Eefha?” she wanted to know. “Should I bring her with me?”

  He shook his head. “Do not worry over her,” he said, glancing over at the old woman. “Eefha does as Eefha wants. If she wants to come with us back to Black Castle, she will.”

  Emllyn smiled in agreement. She’d heard that from him many times before. Yet there was one more thing on her mind, something she was hesitant to bring up but something that had to be spoken of. It was important to them both.

  “And… Victor,” she finally said. “If we are to marry, then….”

  “He has already given his consent.”

  Her eyes widened. “He has?”

  “Aye.”

  “Even though he knows who you are?”

  “Even though.”

  Emllyn was surprised. Pleased, but surprised. As she mulled over what surely must have been Victor’s reaction to Black Sword’s proposal of marriage, Devlin interrupted her thoughts.

  “There is something more you should know,” he said quietly. “Trevor le Mon is among the prisoners. I am sure he will be at the feast tonight. I did not want you to be surprised.”

  Emllyn’s eyes widened. “Trevor?” she gasped. “He… he survived after all?”

  Devlin nodded, watching her reaction. She was surprised but that was all. He saw no longing nor pleasure in her expression. Simply surprise. “Well and good for him,” she said. She meant it. “But I suppose I should thank him.”

  “For what?”

  She grinned. “For rejecting me,” she said, rather exaggeratedly. “If he had not rejected me, I would have never followed him aboard ship. Had I not followed him, I would have never had the joy of knowing you. We both owe him our thanks.”

  Devlin grinned, thinking of the last thing le Mon said to him – you are the bravest man I know! He shook his head and kissed the tip of her nose.

  “Indeed we do,” he said. “But I will do whatever thanking needs to be done. If I see you anywhere near him, I will kill him. Remember that. You belong to me now and I will not tolerate competition of any kind.”

  Emllyn snorted; she wasn’t entirely sure he wasn’t serious so she thought it would be the safe thing to obey him. Even though her feelings for Trevor were long gone, still, she didn’t want to cause the death of the man. So she giggled and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

  Devlin squeezed in return. She felt so soft and warm against him that he could feel his loins grow hard almost instantly. As he began to nibble her silky white shoulder, there was a loud knock at the door.

  Emllyn and Devlin froze, staring at the panel with apprehension. Emllyn called out.

  “Who comes?” she asked, hoping she didn’t sound breathless.

  “Sir Raymond, my lady,” de Noble said, his voice muffled through the door. “May I have a word?”

  Emllyn looked at Devlin with complete, utter fear. He was quite calm and nodded at her, encouraging her to respond. As he bolted off the bed in silence and went for his clothing, Emllyn sat up.

  “Of course,” she called in return, accepting the surcoat that Devlin handed her. “A moment, please. I was resting.”

  “At your leisure, my lady,” de Noble replied.

  She knew he didn’t mean it. He wasn’t a patient man in the least. In a panic, she threw on the surcoat and had Devlin fasten her up the back. The bed was a mess and her shift was still on the floor; she’d dressed without it. As Devlin finished dressing, Emllyn pulled on her slippers and straightened her hair as she headed for the door. She eyed Devlin as the man came up behind her, to be positioned behind the door should she open it. Taking a deep breath, she struggled for calm.

  “Are you alone, my lord?” she asked politely.

  “I am, my lady.”

  “Then you know it is not proper for me to open my door to you without a chaperone or an escort to stand with me,” she said firmly. “What did you wish to speak to me of?”

  De Noble went from sounding polite to sounding frustrated. “I came to ask you if you would grace us with your presence at sup tonight,” he said. “We are having a rather large meal in honor of our English prisoners. De Ferrer and his men went hunting this morning and killed a three point buck. I know that you usually take your meals in your room, but I a
m asking if you will attend us as a special favor.”

  Emllyn leaned up against the door, her hand on the iron bolt. She was very thankful that Eefha had locked the door once Devlin had entered the chamber.

  “Aye,” she said. “I would be happy to attend.”

  De Noble’s tone went back to a pleasant cast. “Thank you, my lady,” he said. “We are most honored. May… may I escort you to the meal?”

  Emllyn turned to look at Devlin, who looked mightily displeased. After a moment, however, he reluctantly nodded. Emllyn looked at him with great disappointment but obeyed.

  “You may,” she said, making a face at Devlin as she did so. “I will be ready at the appropriate time.”

  “Thank you, my lady.”

  They could hear the man’s footfalls fade away. Emllyn looked at Devlin with disgust. “I do not want to touch the man,” she said petulantly. “Why did you tell me to allow him to escort me to the meal?”

  Devlin was patient with her, rather amused at her tantrum. “Because it will keep his mind off of me and any thoughts of attraction between you and I,” he said. “A spurned suitor is not what you want tonight. You want a man who is not suspicious and therefore will more than likely let his guard down, allowing you more freedom of movement.”

  She paused over by the wardrobe, fumbling with the stays on her dress. “You mean more freedom when I flee the keep tomorrow morning?”

  “Exactly. Mayhap he will not be watching you so closely, making it easier for you to get away.”

  It made sense. Pacified, Emllyn opened up the wardrobe to a gallery of borrowed dresses from Elyse; the woman had so many clothes that to loan several to Emllyn had been no hardship at all. Consequently, she had inherited a beautiful new wardrobe.

  Devlin watched her as she began to rummage through the clothing, pulling out belts and surcoats and girdles. He had all of his clothes on but not his shoes. As he finished pulling on his worn peasant boots, Emllyn turned around holding up a pink satin surcoat in front of her.