Chapter 8
Winter took out her frustration the next morning by hitting the hammer hard against the Damascus steel atop the anvil. She’d been able to sneak into her bedchamber while Nairnie was sleeping last night. The woman could sleep through anything, and Winter was thankful for that. Nairnie was sure to know what she did. Winter wasn’t ready to answer her questions. That’s why she arose before sunup and headed to the blacksmith shop while Nairnie was still asleep.
“Was it really necessary to start the forge this early?” asked Wallace with a yawn. He went over and stoked the coals in the hearth.
“It is better if I do as much work as possible while Lord de Grey is still in bed,” she told him. “As soon as we see him approach, you are going to have to take my place.”
“Can’t we just tell him the truth?” asked Wallace, putting down the poker and wiping his hands on a rag. “I don’t like lying to him, Lady Winter. He is nobility. It could mean repercussions for my son or me.”
“Remember never to call me Lady Winter around him,” she reminded him, putting down the hammer and shoving the metal back into the fire to heat it up. She’d been working on it since she got here and it was starting to take on the shape of a sword. “Don’t worry about yourself or Josef. I’ll make certain Lord de Grey does nothing to harm you.”
“Did you find out where he’s keeping Josef?” asked Wallace.
Winter shook her head, feeling sorry that she’d forgotten to get this information out of Martin. She’d let Wallace down. “Nay. I didn’t have a chance, but I will ask him soon.”
“Didn’t have a chance?” Wallace shook his head. “I saw you leave the great hall with him. And when I retired for the evening, Nairnie told me you had yet to return. What were you doing all that time?”
The metal glowed orange, so she used the tongs to pull it from the fire and lay it back on the anvil. Once again, she started to bang out the shape of the blade.
“That’s what I’d like to ken.” Nairnie stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips.
“Nairnie. Good morning,” said Winter, keeping her eyes on her work. She started to pound harder to drown out the sound of the barrage of questions that was sure to come.
“Dinna try to avoid me, lassie. I ken ye were up to no good with Lord de Grey last night. Please tell me ye dinna do anythin’ that ye shouldna have.”
“What I do is no concern of yours,” she told Nairnie, shaping the edges of the sword.
“Bid the devil, ye let him bed ye!” exclaimed Nairnie. “I told ye to tell him ye are a lady.”
“I did.” She stopped hammering and lowered the tool. “I told him, but he didn’t believe me.”
“Why not?” asked Wallace.
“Because he thought we were . . . playing a game.” She looked the other way, embarrassed.
The sound of whistling came from outside the shop. Winter looked up to see Martin heading toward the smithy, whistling a lively tune. He had a spring in his step if she wasn’t mistaken. His squire, Rock, was carrying something and following him.
“Wallace, quick, take my place.” She tore off the glove and gave it to the blacksmith, switching positions with him. “Just pretend to be working on the sword but don’t really do anything. With your bad eyesight, we don’t want the steel ruined.”
“Aye, my lady,” said Wallace, moving into position.
“Don’t call me, my lady,” she told him. Then she looked over to Nairnie’s scowling face. “Just keep calling me Winnie, both of you. I don’t want him to know my name is Winter or he might realize who my brothers are.”
“As he should,” said Nairnie, still giving her the evil eye.
“He will know, Nairnie, but later. After we’ve finished the sword and secured Josef.”
“I willna continue to be a part of this farce,” spat Nairnie.
“Please,” begged Winter. “If you won’t do it for me, then do it for Wallace and Josef.”
Martin entered the smithy, stopping the whistling as soon as he saw them. Rock walked into the room right behind him.
“Well, you are all up early today,” Martin said, taking in the fact three of them were there.
“I thought it best if I – we,” Winter corrected herself glancing over to Wallace, “got an early start on your sword.”
“Aye, I suppose that was a good idea. Hello, Nairnie,” he said, nodding his head to the old woman in greeting.
“Hrmph,” she said with a breath of air from her mouth. She turned and left the smithy without another word.
“What has rumpled her feathers this morning?” asked Martin, watching her go.
“I’m sure I don’t know, my lord,” said his squire.
“Never mind. I’d like to see the progress on my sword.” He headed over to inspect the work on the anvil, stopping to whisper to Winter along the way. “I’m looking forward to picking up where we left off, later tonight.”
“I’m afraid I’ll be too busy,” said Winter, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks just thinking about the ecstasy of last night. He reached out to touch her hair, but she quickly moved away from him and headed over to Wallace. “The shape of your sword and the length of it have been determined,” she said, pointing to the chunk of metal that was starting to look like an actual weapon.
“Aye, nice and long. Just how I like it.” He inspected the sword. “It has a fine tang also. Be sure to make the handgrip balanced with most the weight at the back for better control.”
“Aye, milord,” answered Wallace.
Winter’s thoughts returned to last night and Martin’s long sword she’d experienced personally. Heat engulfed her. She became so hot she felt as if she were going to combust.
“Wallace, go ahead and work. Don’t let me stop you,” he said. Winter’s eyes met the blacksmith’s and she shook her head slightly.
“What is that you have there, Rock?” She tried to change the conversation.
“This is Lord de Grey’s poker,” Rock told her, holding up the iron rod. She started to laugh but covered it up by clearing her throat as Rock continued. “It seems he used it too vigorously last night and now it needs to be repaired.”
Once again, her mind flashed to the pictures of the lovers painted on his bedchamber walls. Then she thought of the way he’d used his poker with her last night. Excitement coursed through her just thinking about the way she cried out when she climaxed. This wasn’t good. She had to get this off her mind or she was going to take him up on his invitation to join him again tonight. Reaching out, she took the poker from Rock and handed it to Wallace.
“My father will fix it for you, Lord de Grey. Excuse me. I would like to get some air.” Stepping around Martin and Rock, she ran out of the smithy into the courtyard.
Martin watched Winnie fleeing from him like a mouse avoiding a cat. What was the matter with her today? She was acting very strange. He’d had the best bedding of his life and was in high spirits today. There was no reason for her not to be happy, too. After all, he’d made sure she was more than satisfied before she left his chamber last night. Twice, to be exact. He had to find out what was troubling her.
“Keep up the good work, Blacksmith,” he said, following after the girl. “Rock, check on the men. I’ll be right with you.”
“Aye, my lord,” said Rock, heading away.
Once out in the daylight, it took Martin a moment to find her. She was leaning over the well, splashing water from the bucket onto her face. He smiled and quietly crept up behind her. Putting his hands on her waist, he leaned over and kissed her behind the ear.
“Oh!” She dropped the bucket and almost fell into the well. He laughed, pulling her up against him. “What are you doing?” she asked, pushing out of his hold.
“Now is no time to act coy,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “After all, we both know what a little wildcat you really are.”
“Don’t call me that.” She smoothed down her gown, glowering at him all the while.
“What’s the matter with you, Winnie? You act as if you don’t want to be near me.”
“I don’t.” She stormed away and he followed.
“Don’t walk away from me before you’ve been dismissed,” he said, becoming angry at the way she was acting. She kept walking and didn’t turn around. He lunged for her, gripping her by the arm and twirling her around. “Did you hear me?”
“I heard you just fine,” she told him. “You are the one who did not hear me. I said I don’t want to be with you anymore.” She broke out of his hold and darted for the keep. Martin stood there feeling befuddled. His squire approached from across the courtyard.
“Lord de Grey, the men are ready,” said his squire. “Should I tell them you are not yet prepared to leave?”
“Nay.” His eyes remained fastened to Winnie’s backside as she disappeared indoors. He was so confused and frustrated by her actions that he felt like strangling her. No commoner was going to act this way and not be reprimanded. He was about to go after her when he decided it might be best to blow off some steam first. Even as angry as he felt, he didn’t want to push her further away. What they had experienced between them last night was something special. She was different than anyone he’d ever bedded before. Nay, he would wait until tonight to deal with her. After he’d returned from patrolling the borders with his men.
* * *
Winter wiped away her tears, watching from the open window of her chamber as Martin rode with a group of soldiers over the drawbridge. The last thing she had wanted to do was to push him away, but she didn’t have a choice. She couldn’t go on coupling with the man without first telling him her true identity. It just wasn’t right. Part of her wanted him to know, yet another part of her wanted to keep it a secret. He’d been carefree and interesting when he thought she was just the daughter of a tradesman. If he knew she was really a lady, he would treat her like the other knights treated her. He wouldn’t touch her again because she was proper and that wasn’t the way a knight or lady would ever act.
The door to the room opened and she knew without turning around it was Nairnie. She could feel the old woman’s eyes burning a hole in the back of her head.
“Ye care for Martin, dinna ye?” Nairnie closed the door and headed across the room.
“I lost my virginity last night, Nairnie,” she admitted, still staring out the window. “He didn’t know I was a virgin or that I was a lady. If he had, I am sure he would have never touched me.”
“Did he force himself on ye, lassie?” Nairnie walked up behind her.
“Nay,” she said with a slight smile. “He seduced me, and I liked it. I was more than willing to couple with him. I wanted to know how it felt. And now that I do, I never want to be without it again.”
“Yer faither and brathairs would have Lord de Grey’s head if they kent what happened.”
“I know. That’s why we can never tell them.”
“Ye are different from yer sisters, Lady Winter. Ye are stubborn and strong-minded and want to experience everythin’ ye can in this lifetime.”
Winter turned to face her. “Does that make me a bad person, Nairnie? Will I go to hell for pretending I’m someone I am not and giving myself to Lord de Grey?”
“I dinna ken the answer to that, child. And there is no use frettin’ over somethin’ ye canna change. I feel I let down yer family. I came with ye from Ravenscar and promised to keep an eye on ye. I failed to do what I intended to do.”
“Nairnie, you didn’t let down my family because they don’t even know I’m here. And you are foolish if you honestly believe you could have stopped me. I would have done it no matter if you were here or not. I don’t understand how it happened so fast, but I am starting to have feelings for Lord de Grey. I am sure he has feelings for me as well.”
“Blethers, child, listen to yerself. Ye are a fool if ye believe Lord de Grey feels anythin’ toward ye but lust. He is a hardened man who loves to fight. His heart is made of steel, just like that sword you are forgin’ for him.”
“Nay, you’re wrong, Nairnie. He cares for me. I know he does.”
“Then prove it,” she said.
“What do you mean?”
“If he honestly cares for ye as ye say, stay out of his bed. That will prove to both of ye that what I say is true. Once ye turn him away, he’ll find someone else to sate his lust, faster than ye can imagine.”
Winter turned to watch the traveling party of men disappearing in the distance. Nairnie was wrong. The connection between her and Martin was more than just lust. Or was it?