CHAPTER FOURTEEN
It was the middle of the night by the time Mathias and Cathlina reached Longtown, a berg near the Scots border that had seen more battles than most. It was a strict blend of Scots and English, a mixed bag of nationalities. It was also a wild and lawless town.
There was a small church just south of the town, built of stone and surrounded by a graveyard that was overflowing its perimeter. Decades of battles had seen to that. It was cold and misty as Mathias reined the weary charger up to the door and dismounted, pulling an exhausted Cathlina off behind him.
She was unsteady on her feet, yawning and sleepy, but she had never complained during their long ride north. The road hadn’t been particularly good and the horse excitable, making for slow going. As he tied the charger up near a heavy growth of grass and vines that the horse could feast on, he took Cathlina’s hand and led her to the ancient iron and wood door. The big iron knocker made the entire structure shake.
It took four separate tries on the knocker before someone attempted to answer the door. By that time, Mathias was irritated and when the timid, sleepy man opened the door, he shoved his way in and pulled Cathlina along with him. The man, very dirty with wild hair and missing teeth, hovered fearfully.
“Are you the priest here?” Mathias asked him. “My lady and I wish to be married immediately. Rouse who you must in order to accomplish this.”
The man shook his head and tried to run off, but Mathias would have no part of it. He grabbed the man by the neck and held him fast.
“Did you hear me?” he said, less friendly this time. “My lady and I wish to be married immediately. You will perform the ceremony.”
The priest shook his head again, yelping when Mathias squeezed. “I am not the priest,” the man said. “I must get him.”
Mathias was weary and brittle, translating into a harsh manner. With Cathlina tightly in-hand, he followed the man as he scurried back into the darkness and into the rather large church built of big blocks of brown stone. Cathlina clung tightly to Mathias, peering at her surroundings and thinking them to be dank and spooky. Everything smelled of the candles they used that were rendered from fat, a heavy and greasy smell that had the ambience of a burnt body. It was a rather sickening smell.
In fact, Cathlina put her fingers to her nose as she followed Mathias to the rear of the church. The frazzled man threw open a small oak door which ushered them into a sort of common room. There was a table and the remains of a meal on it, and old straw scattered about that had the smell of urine. As Cathlina and Mathias paused, the frightened man opened another small room and hissed at the occupants. They could hear voices on the other side, both irritated and curious. Eventually, a man in a stained nightshirt emerged, pulling on his brown woolen robes.
“I am Father Malachy,” he said, rubbing his red and crusty eyes. “What is it that you wish?”
Mathias pulled Cathlina against him. “I am Sir Mathias de Reyne,” he said. “My lady and I wish to be married immediately.”
The priest rubbed his eyes again to get a better look at them both. He seemed particularly interested in Cathlina. Wrapped in a dark blue cloak with a rabbit skin lining, she appeared rather small against Mathias’ bulk.
“This is most irregular,” the priest said. “One does not simply walk into a church and demand marriage. It is a process by which the couple is made ready to accept God as supreme creator of their lives. You must live for Him. Where is the lady’s family? Have they given consent?”
“I can pay you ten gold crowns,” Mathias said impatiently. “Can we dispense with this lecture and get on with it?”
The priest looked at him, shocked by the amount of money the man was willing to pay. His curious, apprehensive gaze passed between Mathias and Cathlina.
“Are you running from someone, child?” he asked Cathlina.
She shook her head. “Nay, Father.”
“Is he forcing you to marry him? Is he brutish?”
She giggled. She couldn’t help it. “Nay, Father, he is not forcing me and he is not brutish. We simply wish to be married.”
“If he is forcing you, you must tell me. You will be safe here, as I will protect you.”
Cathlina found the statement hysterical. The priest was about her size and Mathias was a giant by comparison, well over six feet in height and all manner of power about him. Mathias caught her mirth and merely rolled his eyes.
“Am I forcing you?” he asked.
She put her hand over her mouth to stifle the uncontrollable giggles. “Well,” she said. “Mayhap. But I am going along with you happily.”
He shook his head at her. “Silly wench,” he grumbled affectionately. “Let us have him marry us before you condemn me further.”
Mathias was already digging out the coins. The priest could hear them jingling. With a shrug, because he couldn’t sincerely see any reason to deny them and it was clear that the lady wasn’t in distress, he herded them into the main part of the church and, with the frazzled man and another acolyte as a witness, joined Mathias de Reyne and Cathlina de Lara in marriage.
After paying the priest the promised coinage, Mathias mounted his wife on the skittish charger and in the dead of night, headed into Longtown and the Ladyseat Inn.
*
Cathlina awoke the next morning in a strange room, to strange sounds, and for a moment had no idea where she was. It was daylight outside but she could hear the gentle patter of rain on the windowsill. She lay there a moment, looking around the room without moving her head, struggling to orient herself. She could see her cloak and satchel over near the wall on a chair that had been made from twigs. It leaned heavily. As she stared at the chair and her possessions, gradually, it all came back to her.
Lady de Reyne. She was Mathias’ wife now. It didn’t seem real, not in the least, and the surge of joy and excitement she felt at the thought was palpable. After their hasty marriage at St. Michael’s Church, they had spent another hour in misty weather hunting down the Ladyseat Inn.
Once they finally found it, it was dead quiet and still except for a few drunken patrons, but they had managed to find Justus and Sebastian sleeping soundly in a small room. Since the inn was full, they vacated the room to give Cathlina a bed to sleep on. She’d tumbled into bed with hardly a word to either of them. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.
Propping herself up on an elbow, she looked around to see that she was quite alone in the very little room. She didn’t even know if Mathias had slept with her. It was cold, too, because the fire was out and the hearth was a big, sooty mess. Climbing out of bed, the first order of business was to get dressed and find her husband.
She was still in the dark green linen surcoat she had worn from the day before but her shoes and hose were off, indicating that Mathias must have removed them after she fell into an exhausted sleep. The floor was cold as she hopped over to the chair that contained her cloak and satchel, and the first thing she saw was her hose neatly rolled up on top of the bag. Her shoes were underneath the chair. Setting her hose and shoes on the bed, she opened up her satchel and began to dig around inside.
Given that Kenneth had afforded her ample time to pack a satchel before whisking her off to Mathias the day before, she had managed to pack everything that mattered to her although it had been tricky with her nosey sister around. Inside her satchel was an oil cloth bag, resistant to water, and she dumped the contents out on the bed. It contained a frayed reed toothbrush, a bag of soda mashed with lemon for her teeth, a big bar of lumpy soap that smelled of lavender and a phial of flax seed and lavender oil that kept her skin from drying out. She also had a comb and a variety of things for her hair. Her sanitary supplies were also tucked into the bag, linen and absorbent moss that were used during her woman’s time.
Her satchel contained four surcoats, hose, undergarments, shifts, and her boots. She pulled out a clean shift and a lovely pale gold surcoat of simplistic fashion with long belled sleeves, snug bodice, and a rounded neckline that showed off her slender neck and shoulders. She found herself wanting to dress for her new husband, wanting to please him so badly in appearance and manner. All of this was still so new and unreal to her, the adventure of a lifetime that she was more than ready to partake.
Taking her bar of soap and a small linen rag from her satchel, she found a small bucket of cold, stale water near the door. It was only half full and she had no idea how long it had been there, but it was clean water and that was all she cared about. Quickly, she stripped off the shift and surcoat she slept in, washing her face and body in the cold water. Drying off with her used shift, she donned the new shift and the gold surcoat. Her hair went into a thick braid that draped over one shoulder and hose and boots went on her feet. She was just packing everything back up when the door to the chamber creaked open.
Mathias stood there, hand on the door latch and a surprised look on his face when he saw that Cathlina was up and dressed. His expression of surprise quickly turned to one of appreciation.
“You are awake,” he said, his voice soft. “I thought you might still be sleeping.”
She shook her head, feeling nervous at the sight of him. Was he glad they had married? Did he regret making such a life-changing decision? Her stomach was in knots with apprehension and excitement. She smiled timidly.
“I woke up a few minutes ago,” she said. “What time is it?”
“Mid-morning,” he said, coming into the room and shutting the door behind him. “Are you hungry?”
She nodded as she quickly finished packing. “Quite,” she said. “But I am ready to leave when you are. I am sorry I slept so long. You really should have awoken me earlier.”
He smiled, drinking in the sight of her, still in disbelief that he had actually married her. “You were exhausted,” he said understandingly. “Besides, it gave me time to purchase some things when the merchant stalls in town opened.”
She cocked her head curiously. “What did you purchase?”
He nodded, digging into a pocket in his tunic and pulling forth something small. Cathlina didn’t see what it was until he held it up into the light. Then, she could see that it was a golden band encircled with pale green stones. It was exquisite.
“I wanted to get you this,” he murmured, reaching out to take her left hand and making a point of sliding the ring onto the third finger. “I was ill-prepared with a wedding band last night when we were married so I wanted to make amends. My father picked this out, actually. He said you would like it.”
Cathlina looked at the ring, astonished. “It is the most beautiful ring I have ever seen,” she whispered. Then she looked up at him, her big brown eyes glittering. “For me? You would really give this to me?”
Mathias cupped her beautiful face in his big hands, swallowing up her head. He simply stared at her, drinking in every contour, every line of her face.
“I hardly slept last night,” he admitted, “because I found myself awake, watching everything about you. You slept like the dead, with hardly a move or sound, and the entire time all I could think was that it was difficult to believe that you finally belonged to me. Cathlina, I have not even known you for a full week. Do you realize that? But it does not matter because I cannot remember when I have not known or longed for you. You took a knight who was dishonored and resigned and ignited something in him again. I cannot explain it any more than that. You have made me want to live again.”
His words were so deep and so touching. Cathlina instinctively reached out to touch his face, feeling his flesh against her fingertips. When she came close to his mouth, he kissed her fingers gently but that was not enough. He wanted to taste her lips and he did, slanting over them tenderly at first but then hungrily. The more he kissed, the more he wanted. It was their first real, true kiss, better than all of the first real, true kisses in the history of the world because it was with her and she was the sweetest thing that had ever walked the earth. He knew that and he loved her for it.
Cathlina had never been kissed by a man in such a fashion. Their marriage last night had consisted of a chaste kiss to the cheek and any other kisses from Mathias had always been to her hand, so this roaring suckle of passion was something that sent her head spinning.
Caving against his heat, his maleness, she was completely under his control as he dominated her. His lips were warm and firm, and she mimicked him as he suckled her lips. When his tongue gently pried its way into her mouth, she experienced it curiously, then passionately, and tasted him as he was tasting her. When his mouth finally left hers, she nearly collapsed, breathless.
“If we keep going, we shall never leave this place,” he said hoarsely. “Unfortunately, we must leave immediately but rest assured that we shall take up where we left off tonight. I have a new wife and I intend to know her.”
Cathlina knew what he meant and, as she tried to catch her breath, managed to blush. Her mother had been frank with her and Roxane when they had crossed over into womanhood about what was expected from a husband and being extremely naïve and curious at that time, she had gone so far as to seek out an experience to find out what, exactly, her mother had meant.
He had been a young knight, no longer serving her father, and their tryst had been over before it began when he had spilled his seed over her shift in his excitement. After that, her curiosity had been sated and she never thought about such things again until this moment. Now, with a husband she was quickly coming to adore, she was rather apprehensive about the event and the fact that there more than likely wouldn’t be blood on the sheets. She wasn’t sure what to tell him.
“Then let us leave right away,” she said, going to gather her satchel. Mathias took it from her as she collected her cloak. “Do you suppose it would be all right for me to take a piece of bread with me while we travel?”
Mathias smiled as he ushered her out of the door and into a very narrow corridor that led directly to an uneven flight of stairs leading to the main room of the inn.
“Better than that,” he said, “I have had the innkeeper pack a basket with food for us.”
Cathlina turned to look at him, gratefully, as they descended the stairs. “You have thought of everything,”
“I have a wife to tend to. I must see to her comfort.”
She smiled sweet at him once they reached the bottom of the steps. Mathias set her satchel down and helped her on with the heavy cloak, politely securing the stays around her neck. The activity brought out the innkeeper and his wife, who had a big basket packed with bread and cheese and other things. As Cathlina took the basket and peered into it, hungrily, Justus and Sebastian entered the structure from the street. They approached Mathias but their focus was mostly on his new wife, whom they only saw fleetingly the night before.
“The horses are ready,” Justus said. He dipped his head at Cathlina when their eyes met, smiling hesitantly. “My lady.”
Cathlina grinned at the man. “That seems rather formal considering I am now your daughter.”
“I have never had a daughter. I am not sure how to behave.”
She laughed softly. “Pretend I am one of your sons, only prettier and nicer.”
He chuckled along with her. “I will try to remember that,” he said. “Welcome to our family. I pray you find us agreeable.”
Cathlina cocked an eyebrow. “Agreeable or not, we are all going to get to know each other very, very well over the next few days, I would suspect. I will tell you now that I like flowers and hate the taste of fish, that I can cook somewhat, and that I demand a clean and orderly existence. My mother taught me to be a frugal chatelaine so I do not like to spend money unless it is absolutely necessary. Is there anything else you wish to know?”
By this time, all three of them were looking at her with varied degrees of amusement. Sebastian was even snorting.
“I did not even know those things about you and I am your husband,” Mathias finally said.
She shrugged flippantly, although it was in good humor. “That is the risk you take when you marry someone after having only known them a week. Now, you will tell me something about you that I do not know so I can see what I have gotten myself into.”
Sebastian burst out laughing as Mathias fought off a grin. “I like to spend money, I love the taste of fish, I hate flowers, and I demand everything around me be as disorderly and smelly as possible.” His grin broke through when he saw her laughing. “Sebastian has a temper and fists of steel, my father likes to complain, and I believe we are all a big, bloody mess. Will you help right us, my lady?”
Cathlina shook her head at him. “It sounds as if you are all quite hopeless.”
“That is true.”
Mathias winked at her, took her elbow and, with his brother and father, escorted her to the door of the tavern. It was raining outside, turning the road into a great boggy mess. The humor faded from Cathlina’s face when she saw the state of the weather but she didn’t say a word. She simply pulled her hood over her head and allowed Mathias to lead her out into the rain.
Two steps into the soupy avenue and Mathias handed her satchel over to Sebastian so he could pick her up. He swung her into his arms and carried her across the road to where the horses stood, tethered beneath the shelter of a big oak. He placed her on his saddle as Sebastian and Justus went to their horses to prepare them for departure. As Cathlina pulled her cloak more closely around her, Mathias dug around in his saddle bags and came up with a length of oiled cloth, a rain cloak, which he wrapped tightly around his wife. Then he mounted behind her and collected his reins, motioning for his father and brother to follow.
And so they were off, riding north into Scotland as the gentle rain fell and the soft wind blew. The roads were in fair to poor condition because of the rain so it was slow going as they went. The road had a few travelers on it, mostly farmers moving their stock or wagons, but they stayed well away from the party of three big men and one small lady. With the cold gray mist over the landscape, it was a quiet and lonely journey.
Early on in the ride when the rain had turned to mist that was far wetter than the rain, Cathlina had covered her head up with the oil cloth in a vain attempt to stay dry while she dug around in the basket that the innkeeper had given her.
Surprisingly, there was a nice variety of food and she nibbled at the brown bread with currants, oatmeal pies that had some kind of meat mixed in with them, cheese, small apples and several pears. She ate until she could eat no more, offering Mathias something to eat and having the pleasure of feeding him because he had both hands on the reins because the charger was still rather skittish. He would eat whatever she fed him and try to steal kisses in between.
Unused to games played by men, or anything having to do with romance, Cathlina was rather embarrassed at his affectionate attempts in front of his father and brother, so she ended up burying her head under the oil cloth so he couldn’t get at her. Mathias laughed long about that antic.
It was near sunset when the rain finally let up and the waning afternoon produced deep blue skies. The sun came out and, although cool, shed light upon brilliant green fields that glistened with moisture. The River Esk ran off to the east, a wide expanse of watery ribbon that snaked its way through the landscape and just as the sun went down, they passed through a small berg that sat on the river’s edge.
The temperature had dropped with the clear sky and it had turned very cold as they came to a halt in front of one of the many taverns that lined the river. Cathlina could see at least three others down the avenue with laughter and drunken people spilling out of their glowing innards. Mathias handed her down to Sebastian, who carried her to the threshold so she wouldn’t get her boots muddy in the puddles that smelled like urine. She thanked the redheaded brother, her basket of half-eaten food from the morning still in her hand as he put her on the ground.
Justus and Sebastian escorted her inside as Mathias went to see about securing two rooms for the night. The inn wasn’t very busy, at least not like the other ones in town, and Mathias soon realized it was because the man’s prices were fairly high. Moreover, the inn was one-storied and fairly small, and they didn’t have rooms to let for the night. They did, however, have small cottages down by the river’s edge that cost a decent amount of money for just one night’s lodging. Mathias didn’t care at that point. He paid for two cottages and four meals.
The inn was on a slight rise and the cottages tucked down below next to the water. They were constructed of sod and rock, which made them little more than a cave, but Mathias quickly discovered that they were dry and surprisingly comfortable. The innkeeper and a serving wench brought down buckets of wood and peat for the fires and soon enough, Sebastian had two blazing fires smoking in the hearths.
It was warm in the little caves quickly. Both of the cottages had one rather small bed and a small table with stools instead of chairs. Dried grass and straw were thick on the mud floor to provide some insulation. Not strangely, Cathlina was very comfortable inside the little cottage because anything was better than being on the back of the skittish charger, so she very happily settled in, checking the bedding and making sure there was water in the basin and a chamber pot under the bed. When the meal was finally delivered by two serving wenches, she had them set it upon the table in her cottage.
The smells of beef drew the men into the small cottage as Mathias, Justus and Sebastian crowded in to eat. Just as if they were back home in their smithy shack, Justus and Sebastian grabbed the stools and settled in around the table where huge knuckles of beef awaited them. There were also an abundance of carrots boiled in brine, turnips, and big hunks of warm brown bread. It was a feast and they dug into it with gusto as Mathias pulled off big pieces of steaming beef for his wife so she wouldn’t be left out. She had been crowded out by the hungry men.
Cathlina giggled as he handed her a slab of bread with the beef piled on top because he was rolling his eyes at the manners of his brother and father and even went so far as to smack his brother on the side of the head because he was eating like a barbarian. Food was flying everywhere. Mathias took his own meat and bread, sitting down beside Cathlina on the bed.
“How far do you plan to take us tomorrow, Mat?” Sebastian asked as he stuffed meat in his mouth. “If I recall this road, there isn’t a tremendous amount of civilization until we reach Edinburgh.”
Mathias nodded as he chewed on his meal. “A positive aspect,” he said. “Hopefully it means less Scots to question us and wonder what we are doing in their lands.”
“What will we tell them if we run across any?” Justus wanted to know. “With a woman along, I do not suppose you would be inclined to fight your way out of a confrontation.”
Mathias looked at Cathlina, shoving bits of bread in her mouth. “That would not be my first choice,” he said, his gaze lingering on her sweet beauty. “The armor and mail we have is limited from what we could scavenge. Sebastian and I split the armor I used for the tournament and you have an old mail coat that hardly fits. It will make a fight even more dangerous.”
Sebastian shrugged. “At least the weapons we have are superior.”
Justus sighed faintly. “There is an old baron somewhere who will wonder what became of the sword I was making for him.”
Sebastian snorted. “We have more weapons on us than a small army,” he said. “We stripped the stall of anything valuable before we left it – hammers, blades, or tools. Woe betides the idiot foolish enough to attack us.”
“Cathlina, can you use a weapon, lass?” Justus asked, half in jest. “We are speaking of battles and not including you in the conversation. Mayhap you can fight as well.”
Hearing her name, Cathlina’s head came up from her bread and she appeared thoughtful. “I have never tried,” she said with a glimmer in her eye, “but I have great aim with an open palm.”
Mathias grinned. “That means someone would have to get close enough to you for you to slap their face. I hope that is never the case.”
“I can pull hair, too. And punch.”
“Let us hope it does not come to that.”
They shared a small laugh as they finished up the remainder of their meal. Sebastian, having inhaled his fill of the beef, belched loudly and began collecting the rubbish to throw outside. Now with the meal dwindling, fatigue was overtaking him.
“You did not answer my question, Mat,” he said as he got up and opened the cottage door. “Where do you plan on taking us tomorrow?”
Mathias finished the last of the ale in his wood cup, cheap liquor but satisfactory considering it was all they had. Already, he could feel the warmth in his veins, soothing his weary body.
“It will be a long day,” he said. “It is at least a day’s ride on a swift horse to reach Hawick. I would like to try and make it there tomorrow night. But I think our first priority must be commissioning armor that fits us but I do not suspect we will find such a smithy until we reach a larger town like Edinburgh. Until then, we will have to be careful and make do.”
Sebastian tossed the stripped bone outside. “Then we will leave early,” he said, wiping his hands off on his dirty breeches. “Come along, old man. Let us leave the lovers alone.”
Justus was still chewing on a piece of bread, looking rather surprised when Sebastian pulled him to his feet. But he just as quickly realized what the man was saying. Mathias had a new wife, something he was still unused to. It had been just the three of them for years since his wife passed away. Now, there was a new female added to the mix and in all honesty, he still wasn’t sure how he felt about any of it. Times were changing and he was forced to accept it. He looked at Cathlina with a grin.
“I apologize,” he said. “I am a dense old fool. Good sleep to you, my lady.”
Cathlina fought off a smile as she pointed a stern finger at him. “You must call me Cathlina. You did it once before.”
He nodded, still grinning. “Cathlina, then.”
As Justus quit the cottage, Sebastian came up, his dark green eyes working her over for the moment. He, too, was fighting off a smile.
“Good night to you, sister,” he said. Then he pointed at Mathias. “Come bang on my door if he is too brutish with you and I will put him in his place.”
Cathlina laughed, blushing furiously. “You are a beast,” she said, pointing at the door. “Out with you.”
Sebastian chuckled and did as he was told, leaving the cottage and following his father out into the night. When they were gone, Cathlina went to shut the door behind them but noted that the water bucket near the door was nearly empty. They would need water for the morning. She picked it up by the rope handle.
“I would collect some water before we retire,” she told Mathias. “I shall be right back.”
He shook his head as he moved for her, extending a hand. “I will get it for you.”
Cathlina was already moving out of the door. “I will get it,” she insisted. “You have done all of the work all day and I have done nothing. Let me do something.”
He simply lifted his shoulders as she made her way outside to the riverbank barely twenty feet away. The moon was just starting to rise, making the gently flowing waters of the river look like streams of diamonds. Everything was glittering, cold and bright.
He could hear his father and brother in the cottage next door, arguing over something, and the faint noise from the tavern behind them wafted upon the cold air. He watched Cathlina go to the edge of the river and crouch down, splashing the water with her hand before dipping the bucket into it.
Mathias’ gaze lingered on her a moment, thinking of the night to come, before turning around and moving to the fire to stoke it. He wanted it warm when his wife took off her clothes. He was in the process of working it into a rolling blaze when he heard Cathlina scream.
Mathias was up and out of the cottage faster than he had ever moved in his life. Even as he was running at her, he could see that she was quite alone. There were no threats that he could see. Sebastian and Justus were running towards her as well, all three men descending on her, preparing to do what was necessary in order to protect her. But by the time they reached her, she was giggling uncontrollably and splashing her hands in the water. She seemed to be having a marvelous time.
“What is the matter?” Mathias demanded. “Why did you scream?”
Cathlina looked up at the three edgy men behind her and stood up, apologetic. “I did not scream,” she said, bewildered, but then her features relaxed with understanding. She put a wet hand on Mathias’s arm. “I am sorry. I suppose I did scream but it was not one of fright. I was startled when the otter came out of the water and nibbled on me.”
“Otter?” Mathias repeated. “What otter?”
Cathlina was crouching down again, splashing her hands in the water. She was calling to something, something they couldn’t see in the darkness, but suddenly a flash of black wet fur shot out of the water and into the bucket next to Cathlina. She squealed with laughter as an otter about the size of a large fish, perhaps ten or twelve pounds, played around in the bucket, dumping it over and then slithering back into the river. Cathlina was delighted.
“See?” she pointed to the river. “An otter. He seems to be quite tame.”
Sebastian crouched down next to her, watching the otter frolic in the moonlight. “I have seen them around in the burns and lakes,” he said. “They are little thieves. They will steal your meal if you don’t watch out.”
“I think he is wonderful,” Cathlina said as the otter came back on shore and scooted right up to her. She was able to pet it but when Sebastian tried, it barked at him. She looked at her brother-in-law apologetically. “Mayhap he only likes girls.”
Sebastian made a face and stood up, watching the otter play and wriggle at Cathlina’s feet. “It’s to bed for me,” he said, yanking his father by the arm. “Come along, old man. Back to bed.”
Justus was fairly intrigued by the otter but allowed Sebastian to pull him along. As they moved back to their cottage, Cathlina remained crouched on the river’s bank, giggling at the otter that was very playful. He would slither out of the water and rise on his hind legs, making grunting sounds at her as she pet it. But he thought she had something to eat for him and would grab and nibble at her fingers, much to her delight. Soon enough, the otter was back in the bucket, rolling around in it.
Mathias stood over the pair, hands on his hips as he watched the fun. In truth, it was very sweet to watch. Cathlina had such a glow about her, such beauty and innocence, that he wasn’t surprised that creatures sensed it. The otter was being very playful and affectionate with her. He finally reached down and put a hand on her dark head.
“As much as I would like to stand here all night and watch you play with the otter, I really think we need to get some sleep,” he said. “Get your water and let us return inside.”
Cathlina knew he was right. She tried to coax the otter from the bucket and when he finally slithered out and back into the river, she rinsed the bucket out a couple of times before finally collecting the cool, sweet water. Mathias took the bucket from her and they made their way back up to the cottage. They were about to enter it when a flash of wet fur bolted past them as the otter ran into the cottage. Both Cathlina and Mathias watched with surprise as the otter leapt onto the small bed and began burrowing in the covers.
“Oh!” Cathlina cried. “He will get everything wet!”
Mathias was much calmer than his wife. Shaking his head at the antics, he set the bucket down as Cathlina went to the bed, trying to remove the happy otter. The animal didn’t want to come out, however, and she spent a good deal of time trying to coax the furry creature forth. Finally, she simply trapped him in the coverlet and wrapped him up, carrying him like a swaddled baby to the door. Setting the blanket on the ground, she gently unraveled it until the otter rolled out.
“Now, you stay out here,” she scolded as she backed into the cottage. “You cannot sleep with us. Good night to you, my little friend. I will see you on the morrow.”
Even after she closed the door, she could hear the otter grunting outside and scratching at the wood. Mathias threw the old iron bolt and pulled her away from the door.
“Come along to bed, now,” he said. “We will be up before dawn and you must get some sleep.”
Cathlina nodded as she moved to her satchel and began removing her clothing. It occurred to her that their marriage would be consummated very shortly and she struggled not to feel nervous about it. Now, the travel of the day had passed and the evening meal was finished, and all that was left to do was settle down for sleep. She could hear the otter scratching at the door as she began to unfasten her surcoat.
“I do hope he will go away and settle down,” she said, eyeing the door.
Mathias pulled his mail hood off. “He will,” he said, turning to face her and holding out his arms. “Help me with this, please.”
Cathlina went to him, dutiful and eager, but really didn’t know what he meant. She’d never undressed a man before. Mathias indicated his arms.
“Pull on the mail,” he said.
Cathlina took hold and pulled, nearly falling over with the weight of the mail when it came off. Mathias had to grab hold of her so she wouldn’t end up on the floor. She grinned at him.
“I suppose I am not very good at that,” she said.
He winked at her. “You will get better. As the wife of a knight, you’ll have to.”
She watched him drape the mail over the table to dry it out. He then began to pull off his other clothing; tunic and then undershirt, revealing his naked and magnificent chest. He was very broad in the shoulders, neck and chest, with heavily muscled arms. His torso was trim, with a fine matting of dark hair from his neck to his belly. Cathlina stared at him, absorbing the sight, digesting it, and realizing that it made her very excited simply to gaze on the man. Her cheeks were flushing madly and she lowered her gaze to focus on her own clothing.
Nervous fingers fumbled with the ties on her surcoat. She could hear Mathias moving around, no doubt removing the rest of his clothing. The mere thought made her fearful and excited at the same time. She was just moving to unfasten the back of the dress when Mathias came up behind her.
His body was big and warm against her back. “Here,” he said huskily. “Allow me to assist you.”
Cathlina merely nodded, removing her hands and feeling him deftly undo the stays. She lifted her arms and he pulled the dress up over her head, leaving her clad only in her shift, hose and boots. Mathias pulled up a stool and sat her on it. Carefully, he lifted her shift to her knees and began untying her boots.
“I realize we have only known each other a very short amount of time,” he said softly, “and in essence, you married a stranger. Nothing is more nerve wracking, I am sure, than being a bride on her wedding night. But did you stop to consider it is fairly nerve wracking for the groom as well?”
She smiled timidly, watching him as he pulled her right boot off. “I had not thought on it.”
“You should,” he said, setting her boot aside and moving to remove the other. “I have never had a wife before.”
“But you have had… a woman before?”
He paused slightly in removing the boot, thinking carefully on her question, before continuing. “Well,” he murmured, “I suppose if we are to establish honesty in our marriage, I cannot lie to you about such things.”
Cathlina grew serious. “You do not have to tell me if you do not want to,” she said. “I should not have asked.”
He looked up at her. “As my wife, it is your right to know about me, even the personal things. Aye, I have been with a woman before.”
Cathlina expected that answer. She tried to imagine the women he might have been with, wondering if she could compare with their beauty. Surely they must have been the most beautiful women in England. But she didn’t want him to suspect her thoughts so she lowered her gaze, trying to think of something to say, when he interrupted.
“This concerns you,” he ventured gently. “I assure you I have not spread myself around like some men have. I have no bastards that I am aware of. I do not carry diseases of any kind.”
She looked up at him as if horrified by the thought but wasn’t fast enough to mask her shock. Mathias, seeing the expression on her face, looked rather stricken himself.
“I do not believe I am doing myself any favors by running off at the mouth,” he said. “I am sorry. I did not mean to disgust you. I simply meant to ease your mind.”
Cathlina nodded faintly, thinking on his words and trying to figure out how to explain her thoughts. “I must agree that there should be complete honesty in our marriage,” she said. “Therefore, I must confess my own.”
“What is that?”
“I am not virgin.”