Chapter 17
Juliana blinked her eyes open. Not dead, then. This chamber made no sense, with its rich details. A massive fireplace across the room crackled and blazed. Under her, a feather mattress. A real feather mattress! She snuggled down into the warmth of the covers again, aware of something else. A heavy arm around her weighed her down. A soft snoring came from behind her.
When she turned over, Will woke with a start. “She wakes,” he said, with his mischievous smile as he pulled her in closer.
“Are you naked?”
“I always sleep naked. Do you want me to put my shirt on? It’s under the pillow.”
She let her bold gaze travel over his bare torso. “No.” She snuggled into his shoulder and put her hand on his strong arm. “I like you like this. But why are you here?”
“Oh, well, ’twas Sister Ursula’s idea, really. You were like ice. She ordered me to hold you against my body ’til the heat came back to you.” He shrugged. “I didn’t mind.”
“Sister Ursula? Is she here? Is this your home? Where’s Lettice?”
He laid a finger on her nose and ran it down to her lips. “So, many questions mon petit bijou. Yes, this is my home, and Lettice is recovering. Sister Ursula is tending to her.”
“But—”
“Shhh,” he said, laying his warm lips tenderly against hers. “Let me tell this tale my own way. Starting with what happened after you rejected me.”
She laid her hand against his cheek. “I didn’t want to do that, but—”
“I know. I knew what you were up to, of course. I thought I’d better find out if there was anything to your story, as you weren’t going to let the matter go. I went to see how Lettice’s husband was coping with his wife’s death.”
“What did you find out?”
“First, I nosed around the village for rumors. At the time of the fire, a household serving girl went missing, too. It was also observed that the lord married again as soon as he decently could. When I confronted him…”
She sat up on her elbow. “You didn’t!”
“I did. I was able to...persuade Sir Ralph to talk to me.” He pulled her down again. “Turns out when he married Lettice, he was in love with another. But they were both poor. It was an unsuitable match, and he prepared himself for a loveless marriage. He secretly pined for the other, but he tried to be a good husband. Then, one day, an opportunity dropped into his lap.”
At that moment, a twitching from his lap against her thigh caused a melting sensation in her belly. Instinctively, she twined her legs with his.
“A fire. A serving girl dies,” she said in a whispery voice.
“Yes. He had Lettice secreted away and claimed the charred body found was hers.”
“And she’s been in the nunnery ever since?”
“There’ve been a couple of moves apparently, but this last one seemed the most promising...until someone started sticking her pretty little nose in where it didn’t belong.” He tweaked the tip of her nose gently. “When he got word that you were snooping around, her husband decided he had to act. He claimed he hired a knight to remove her to the safety of another location.”
“You say he claimed as if you don’t believe him.”
“I don’t. The man he hired, Simon Devereux, isn’t the kind of man you hire for that kind of operation. He’s only interested in destroying life. He’s who you pay if you want someone disposed of but are afraid to do it yourself.” He shuddered and rested his forehead against hers. “When I heard he was coming your way, I made for home as fast as I could.”
“What happened to him?”
“He’s dead now, and no, you didn’t kill him. That blow to the head you delivered must have sent him reeling, but it wasn’t fatal.”
“I didn’t! ’Twas Lettice!”
He grinned at her while wiggling his eyebrows. “All right. We’ll have it your way. Lettice, the woman who cannot speak for herself, hit him over the head.”
“She did! Really! I’d be dead if she hadn’t come to my aid. He was squeezing the life out of me.”
“As you say.” he ran his fingertips gently over her neck. “Bruises. The bastard.”
When he put his lips to that spot on her throat, Juliana quivered with delight.
“How did he die, then? I heard him bellowing as if he were going to come after us…a beast from hell.”
Will shrugged his shoulder. “He toppled down the stairs and broke his neck. Sister Ursula was right behind. She saw it happen. He reached the top of the stairs and pitched forward, head first.”
“That seems strange.”
He narrowed his eyes and gave her a piercing look. “’Tis how it happened. Without question.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I’m glad it happened that way. The thing is...The thing is, I don’t know if I could have protected you from him. The man was an ogre. I’ve never felt so helpless when I heard he was on his way to the nunnery.”
She grabbed his hand and touched it to her lips. “I’m sure you would have.”
“I didn’t have to. It seems the ladies were able to take care of themselves.”
“But, Sister Ursula? How did she get here?”
“After the ogre fell, she decided she’d been at the nunnery long enough and knew you didn’t know where you were headed. She followed on horseback and got here shortly after I found you on the road.”
“But, she’s so...frail; and the snow storm…”
“My mother is a remarkable woman. Much like someone else I know.” His mouth came down on hers. Then, he lifted his head and looked her in the eye. “She’ll be living here with us. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Us?”
“Yes, we’ll marry, of course.” He pushed her down on the mattress, rolling on top of her. When he nuzzled her neck, the bristle of his beard on her tender skin made her shiver. She felt his hand brush aside her shirt as he moved his mouth to her breast. “First, I’ll make you my wife in the truest sense of the word.”
Juliana’s breath caught in her chest. When she remembered to let it out, a low moan escaped with it. Her body called out to her with an unfamiliar need. A thirst needing quenching.
When his hand sought the place between her legs, Juliana fought her own impulse and held him back. “Before we go further, there’s something you need to know.”