The rest of her was finding that increasingly impossible and control was becoming a distant dream; she was being seduced by light touches and tender kisses. And by his extraordinary ability to rouse her body into a frenzy. Fleetingly, it crossed Theodora’s mind that she had made something of an error, that she should have known Nikolaos would have this effect on her. Except—how could she have known when until this moment her only experience had been with Peter? When it came to seducing a woman, Peter and Nikolaos had nothing in common. This man, her new husband...
I cannot wait.
‘My princess...’ warm breath caressed her ear ‘...my beautiful princess.’
Her heart ached. When his lips fastened on her neck, the spark ran down her body all the way to her toes.
She wrapped a leg round his and was caressing his calf with her foot before she realised what she was about. Clearly, the sensible part of her, the wise part, was rapidly losing its command of her will. And when she felt the slight abrasion of masculine hair, another spark settled in her belly. She was on fire with want.
This is no way to prove my innocence! She dragged her foot away.
It didn’t help when a large hand tugged at her thigh, replacing her foot exactly where it had been a moment ago. ‘Mmm.’ Nikolaos shifted so he lay over her and that dark, spicy scent surrounded her. That didn’t help either.
I am a virgin. I must play the virgin. The thought became weaker with his every touch, until, no match against the clamour of her body’s needs and desires, it became the merest whisper...
‘With your permission, Princess...’
He entered her smoothly. Sweetly. So sweetly that he had done no more than rock once, twice, thrice...and a wave of pleasure swept through her. Her body clenched around his. ‘Nikolaos!’
‘Princess?’
His breath was loud in the midnight-black of the bedchamber. Startled? She could not say. He rocked in and out, in and out, and then froze and shuddered into her.
‘Theodora,’ he muttered.
‘Lord.’ So dazed she could barely move, Theodora stroked his hair and kissed his cheek. Her heart ached. If only she could have been completely honest with this man...he deserved complete honesty. The least she could do was confess how he made her feel. ‘That was...that was...wonderful.’
She stared blindly into the dark. What will he think of me? He thought he was marrying a virgin and one touch from him and all sense flies from my head. There is no way that he will believe I was a virgin after that. I can only hope I satisfied him.
Nikolaos laughed, it probably sounded cynical and he did not care. He had misread her from the first. She had not been nervous about meeting him, she had been hiding a guilty conscience. Still, he should have known better than to expect a woman to deal honourably with him. If his lady mother had taught anything, it was that women were not by nature honourable.
Nevertheless, he could not deny he and Theodora were physically compatible. And she was a princess, even if she had misled him.
His lips covered hers, and he ran his fingertips briefly over her hair before allowing them to come to rest on a breast. ‘Wonderful indeed. You are beautifully responsive, Princess. Next time, we shall try a slower pace.’
Nikolaos rolled to his side, the coolness of the sheets made an intriguing contrast with the warmth of his wife’s skin. She was not a virgin. He was not sure how to react, and was honest enough to recognise that his wife’s lack of virginity had brought him, and her, much pleasure. He hadn’t dared hope that the little princess would throw herself into his arms with such abandon and he hadn’t been looking forward to initiating her for one reason only...he had never liked the idea that a woman’s first time might be marred by pain. It was a relief not to have to tutor a nervous girl. And she did have a liking for the physical act of love, which was refreshing and unexpected in a princess.
In short, it had been a pleasant surprise to discover her so eager, even though it meant she had not been a virgin. He smoothed her hair, while his discovery sank in. Her hair was so soft, a joy to touch. Like the rest of her.
He cleared his throat. ‘You have done this before,’ he said, quietly.
Her breath stopped, an oppressive silence held the bedchamber. Then ‘Yes.’
‘Prince Peter?’ He heard her swallow and kept on stroking.
‘Yes.’
So, there were to be no denials, no pretence. Nikolaos liked that. It had to be hard for her, a princess of the Empire, to confess that she had not been innocent when she had come to her marriage bed. He respected her honesty, even though it left him with a bitter taste in his mouth. She must have loved Prince Peter very much to have given her virginity to him out of wedlock.
‘Thank you for your honesty.’ Nikolaos could not think why the idea of Theodora loving Prince Peter was so unpalatable. Theodora had spent several years in Rascia, she would have had time to get to know her prince. And it was clearly important to her to know a man, he thought, recalling one of her objections. ‘I hardly know you.’
He cupped her face with his palm. ‘You are renowned as being something of a horsewoman,’ he said. ‘You could have claimed to have lost your virginity that way.’
There was another brief silence. Her hand was lying on his waist, and she gave him a gentle squeeze.
‘I...I thought about it. I intended to try to deceive you.’ She gave a light laugh. ‘You know how it is, I am expected to be...untouched. However, I find I do not want our marriage to be founded on lies.’
‘You loved him—I recall you telling me.’ Settling on his back, Nikolaos drew her to his side, reaching down to arrange her leg so it lay over his. He liked the feel of that slight weight against him. He liked the way she had come trustingly into his arms, surrendering utterly.
‘In case you need reassurance, I will respect your secret. It will be our secret,’ he said. ‘No one shall know you anticipated your vows with Prince Peter.’
Our secret.
‘I thank you. Nikolaos?’
‘Mmm?’ His hand went on moving up and down, touching her skin, her hair. He was unable to stop caressing her.
‘I did love Peter, very much. But he...I...’ She inhaled deeply. ‘Despite the fact that you and I barely know each other, despite the fact that we should not have touched each other for eight days, I would have you know that I enjoyed...what we did. Very much.’
Her breast was pressing against his side. Her hand lay on his chest. She was stroking him in much the same way that he was stroking her, as though she could not lift her hand from his skin if she tried. His blood stirred. She desires me as much as I desire her.
Lifting his head from the pillow, he shifted to face her. He could not see her in the heavy darkness, but the scent of violets was all about them. Her skin was like velvet against his. And he heard a definite warmth in her voice. It had not been there when he had first stepped into the bedchamber. He wasn’t sure what he had expected from his wedding night—a shy virgin, pain, possibly even tears. Whilst this wedding night was not ideal, it did hold much promise...
Running his fingertips down her side, he pulled her hips to his, so she could feel him straining towards her and understand that his need for her had yet to be slaked.
‘I enjoyed our consummation, Princess.’
‘So did I,’ came the soft answer.
‘Enough to try again?’
She eased back, and a small hand closed firmly around him.
Lord. His blood heated. ‘We shall take it a little more slowly this time.’
He felt a kiss land on his nose.
‘Then, again, with your permission, Princess...’
Nikolaos had one last thought, before coherence fled. Thank God she hadn’t been a virgin.
* * *
Afterwards, Theodora lay awake, staring blindly towards the bed canopy. Her husband had satisfied her physically four times—and each time the ache in her heart had intensified. She had admitted the truth too soon—what had she
been thinking?
The man at her side—now sleeping—was affecting her reason. She wanted there to be truth between them, but that had been no reason to admit to her lack of virginity.
I have put Martina at risk. Because Nikolaos knows I was no virgin, the moment he sees a child in my entourage, he is bound to suspect she is mine. Sophia was in the right. Martina must be sent away. I was a stubborn fool not to have accepted this from the first.
If she could have brought herself to lie to Nikolaos, it might have been possible to keep Martina in the apartment. But the urge to give him a piece of the truth had been overwhelming. She liked him, she hated lying to him. Regret coiled inside her, cold and insidious as a serpent.
I couldn’t bear to tell him any more lies, and now Martina will have to be sent away! I cannot send her to a convent, she must be kept close, so that I may see her. Is there somewhere in the Palace? No, that will not be possible, word would get out.
Where? Where can I send her? Somewhere in the City?
No, no, I want her near. There must be somewhere...
* * *
In the quiet, grey reaches of the night, shortly before dawn, Theodora stirred and came slowly awake. While she was asleep, Nikolaos must have tucked her against him, she was lying in his arms. Even as her troubles flooded back, she found room to enjoy the sensation of being held so close. If it had not been for her fears, for the guilt she felt at continuing to deceive him, she might enjoy being married to this man.
A faint series of cries reached her, like those of a gull floating on the morning breeze.
Martina! Awake and crying. Dear Heaven...
Theodora eased out of her husband’s arms and fumbled for her gown. The marble was cool on her bare feet as she wound a shawl round her shoulders and slipped into the reception chamber. Martina was crying her heart out. Hurrying to the small chamber at the end of the apartment, Theodora pushed open the door.
‘Jelena?’ She took care to close the door behind her.
Lamp at her elbow, Jelena was holding Martina against her shoulder, rubbing her back. ‘Another tooth is on its way, despoina.’
Lifting her daughter out of the nurse’s arms, Theodora kissed Martina’s forehead. It was very hot. ‘Poor thing. Come, Martina, be at peace,’ she crooned. ‘Hush, Martina, please.’
What if Nikolaos wakes? Martina’s cheeks were flushed, her face was angry and her crying was surely loud enough to be heard in the Hippodrome.
‘Hush, my dove, hush.’ Rocking her daughter for all she was worth, Theodora glanced desperately at the nurse. ‘You have tried oil of cloves?’
‘Yes, my lady.’
* * *
Nikolaos woke with a start. The sheets were cool on the other half of the bed and a faint light was leaking under the door. She had flung back the covers and crept out. Apart from him, the bedchamber was empty.
Their wedding crowns lay on the side-table, gold gleaming quietly in the early morning light. By rights, Theodora should not have left the bedchamber without hers. Uncertain whether his bride wanted her ladies to know they had already taken their pleasure of each other, Nikolaos rolled out of bed and pulled on his tunic. Ramming on his crown, he scooped up Theodora’s and strode into the reception chamber.
‘Theodora?’
Purple curtains rippled in the morning breeze; at the opposite end of the chamber, dying embers glowed in a brazier. He heard rustling. Coals shifting in the brazier? He couldn’t be sure. In the harbour below, the seagulls were crying.
‘Theodora?’
A door opened and Theodora stepped into view, faintly outlined by a wedge of light. ‘Nikolaos!’ She came swiftly towards him, eyes huge and full of concern. ‘I hope I did not wake you.’
‘I missed you,’ he said simply, and held out her crown. ‘You forgot this.’
Hooking her arm through her crown, she glanced briefly up at him and nodded. ‘Thank you, I had forgotten.’
‘The Patriarch would not approve,’ he added, teasingly.
‘Indeed he would not, although I do feel that while we are in our apartment we should be allowed some respite from the protocols.’ Tucking her arm into his, an unexpected intimacy that warmed him deep inside, she drew him firmly past the chamber where he knew her ladies were sleeping in the direction of their own bedchamber. ‘Don’t you agree?’
Nikolaos halted. Her eyes had fixed on his mouth, her fingers were shifting gently on his arm in what could only be described as a caress. Yet something was out of place here...her voice was too bright. It sounded slightly forced.
‘What were you doing? Are you unwell? Do you need me to waken one of your ladies?’
She gave him a direct look. ‘That will not be necessary. I...I was looking for my shawl.’
It was a long shawl with a deep fringe that seemed to float out as she walked. Nikolaos could swear he had seen it last night, lying at the foot of their bed. ‘You were looking for your shawl?’
Her head lifted. ‘Yes, Nikolaos, my shawl.’
She is lying. Nikolaos held the door of their bedchamber open for her and said nothing as the warm feeling evaporated and his wife sailed back into their bedchamber with her wedding crown fast in her hand.
She is lying.
Chapter Ten
Nikolaos heeled the door of their bedchamber shut and folded his arms across his chest. The light was strengthening, which was a blessing—he needed to watch Theodora’s expression. Something was making her jumpy and, as he had so pleasurably discovered, wedding nerves were not at the root of it. His bride had not been a shy virgin.
She replaced her wedding crown on the table and sent a furtive glance his way; he caught another as she sat down on the edge of the bed and gave a pretty yawn.
‘You are tired, Princess?’
They had not slept much last night. Last night Nikolaos had given himself up to pleasure. This morning in the cold dawn light he wondered that he could have been so easily distracted. She had deliberately deceived him over the matter of her virginity, and it followed that she might not be above using her body to lull him into complacency. Was she somehow involved with Župan Djuradj? Nikolaos had assumed that once their marriage had taken place, Prince Djuradj’s threats would stop. Djuradj must know that Nikolaos would not permit his wife to be bullied. There was another possibility...but, no...Theodora would never collaborate with the Župan of Zeta. Whenever his name had crossed her lips, her tone had been scathing.
‘Am I tired?’ She smiled, he could see it cost effort. ‘A little.’
Another of those uneasy glances had Nikolaos rolling his shoulders. Removing his wedding crown, he dropped it next to hers on the table, thinking ruefully that whatever she was hiding from him, at least she had not lied about the wearing of crowns. They did give one a headache. Thoughtfully, he turned towards her. He might not trust her, but she was an Imperial princess. Much as he might want to, he could hardly interrogate her in the same way that he would question a soldier, subtlety was needed. She tipped her head back and watched him approach. So wary.
‘What is it, Theodora?’ Gently, he lifted her hand from her lap. ‘Something is troubling you.’
She shook her head, far too quickly for his liking, and several dark skeins of hair tumbled about her. His gut clenched, Lord, she was pretty. Even when she was lying—something was troubling her—she quickened his blood. Nikolaos found himself looking at her mouth, watching as her tongue moistened her lips. Another nervous gesture. One that ignited a distracting response in him—he wanted to kiss her. Ruthlessly, he squashed any thought of kissing, he must keep his mind clear, he needed to think.
‘Is it Župan Djuradj?’
‘No.’ Her hair rippled about her.
Another lie. He could tell it was a lie because she was so vehement. She was afraid of Prince Djuradj. Why?
‘He will not harm you now you are my wife.’
Theodora is not a liar by nature. Nikolaos was coming to know her and—his spirits rose—she did
not want to lie to him. After they had bedded, she had confessed her lack of innocence readily enough, in circumstance when most women would have lied. Further, she had seemed happy to trust him with that particular secret.
What else is she hiding? Sensing that blunt questions would get him nowhere, Nikolaos decided that an oblique approach might lead him to a place where he might find his answers.
Smiling in a companionable manner, he seated himself at her side on the bed and ignored the flare of surprise in those beautiful brown eyes. ‘Princess, there is something I have been meaning to ask you—about a relative in Rascia.’
Her expression remained wary, her dark eyelashes lowered. ‘You have relatives in Rascia, Nikolaos?’
‘A cousin. You should know him, he was confessor to your prince.’ When her face went grey, his blood chilled.
‘You are Brother Leo’s cousin?’
‘Good, you do know him.’ Nikolaos spoke cheerfully, to mask his increasing concern. ‘I thought you would. Is he in good health? My cousin must have taken Župan Peter’s death hard—I know from the messages he sent my mother that he had a high regard for him.’
Theodora’s eyes had gone very wide, her breath was flurried. Tearing her gaze from his, she stared at her toes. ‘Prince Peter and Brother Leo were very close,’ she murmured.
‘And...? How is my cousin? My mother mentioned that it has been some time since she heard from him.’
Her foot moved, she was peculiarly intent on her toes. Nikolaos received the distinct impression she was choosing her words with care.
‘I...I have not seen Brother Leo since shortly after Peter’s death. I am afraid I could not say.’
Ice shivered down his spine—she was prevaricating. Saint Giorgos, help him, what was she hiding? It went against the grain to suspect an Imperial princess of involvement in anything that might jeopardise the security of the state, but he had to find some way of dragging the truth from her. And soon.
She married me for protection. It had been an unexpected delight to discover that he and his wife were a match in their marriage bed, but Nikolaos was not going to make the mistake of deluding himself that it was anything more than that. Princess Theodora, like Cleo, had accepted him into her bed because she needed him.
Betrothed to the Barbarian Page 16