by Marie Hall
It took two days more before Io found the chance to make her apologies to Lord Balbroke, and it was more Lord Rigatos who expressed acceptance and understanding. After that, she did her best to avoid the group entirely, as the way Sir Whitby looked at her kept her longing for a tub of water and some hard soap.
Io growled in frustration and pulled the horse to a stop. She was done having her teeth knocking together. There was no reason for her to have to gallop, and Xavier's push to make her do so ended now.
"My lady?" Luther called.
"No," she said, knowing she needed to make a stand now or she'd be bouncing down the road again. Throwing the reins down, gathering her skirts, she jumped from the back of the animal. "I am done."
"My lady, you are supposed to ride. Brice said—"
"I know what he said, and I no longer care," she snapped at the man.
"Well, how do you think to travel to court then?" Sir Grant asked, catching the reins of the bay she abandoned.
"These," she said, lifting her skirts high and pointing at her feet. "These right here. The very things that have carried me, without fail, without knocking my teeth so hard, for years. And you want to know what else." She sat down hard in the road and pulled her skirts up past her knees so she could untie the garters and push the stockings down. Once she had that much, she unlaced the boots Xavier had gotten her for riding and pulled all of it off so her feet were bare.
Had she not looked up before she spoke, she might have missed how all the men had their heads turned, or they looked down so as not to see her so exposed. She almost laughed, as the entire time she'd been traveling to Bainsport, Xavier exposed her person to them in far more graphic manner. She'd not known them to have looked away then. But maybe they did and she'd not noticed. Climbing back to her feet, she walked over to Grant and shoved her shoes and stockings into the small pack on her horse. "I am going on these the way I like to best." Looking around to see if anyone was going to argue, she saw only some grins and a little bit of head shaking. Gesturing down the road, she gave them a firm nod, "Shall we go?"
Within ten steps, six men had dismounted and fallen in beside her. Stretching her legs and not having to hold her body so stiff felt good, and her steps didn't falter until they entered the small shire where Xavier and the others who rode way ahead of Io and her group stopped for midday.
She didn't have any expectation any of them, including Xavier, would remember this place, but Io did, and she didn't want to stop here. Turning to her escorts, she gave them the brightest smile she could. "I have been so long in the saddle, I think I will keep walking."
"Io, you need to eat," Roth told her with that same disapproving tone he used on every woman. Ann said he had no other tone and to ignore it if it suited her to do so.
"No, I am not yet ready. I will walk on, and when Xavier is ready to catch up, I can eat then." It did annoy her she rode so far behind Xavier. He rode up front with nine men, his five main knights and four others. Though, at any time during the day, one of the five, usually Ian or Gerald, would ride back to be with her for a time. Next, Lord Balbroke and Lord Rigatos, who some days rode and some days were inside their coach. Behind them was the first half of the men with Io. Then the three wagons filled with Xavier's supplies and equipment and the wagon Io slept and sometimes rode in. The last half of Io's men were broken up so some rode behind that wagon but further back, closer to Io, then the group riding with her and, finally, a small group riding behind them.
At any time, she was an hour to two hours behind Xavier, so he was usually done with his meal and back on the road before she stopped and he'd have camp set up before she rode in with time to eat and then climb in bed. If she'd ten minutes of his time at all, it was miraculous.
Looking around now, she could see Xavier's group was still in the shire, and she guessed, because she didn't see him resting beneath any of the trees or talking with any shop keepers, he was within that tavern.
"My lady, these other men need to rest and eat," Roth told her.
"Yes, do, I will get the others to come with me." She never stopped walking and barely looked back when she saw her current escort walking toward a small group of men who looked to have already eaten and rested. Within minutes, they were scrambling to their horses and coming up the road behind her. They dismounted, once close enough, and fell in step alongside her.
Io walked on but not for long, as she came up on the glen where Xavier dealt with her last desperate attempt to stop their marriage. She'd stepped off the road, crossing to the felled tree before she even realized she had.
The wind lifted the scent of pine and earth from the ground, but it wasn't strong enough to overpower Xavier's as he stepped up behind her. His hands settled on her shoulders and drew her back against his chest. She reached out and touched the decaying trunk.
"Io," he whispered in her ear.
"You did not hate me. As much as I wanted you to, you did not hate me."
"I was angry. What you did terrified me. It made me feel betrayed."
"But you did not hate me." It amazed her, the overwhelming feeling of relief and security she'd felt when Xavier entered the tavern. She'd known she'd made a mistake the moment she sat down in the packed building. She'd tried to leave when the men grabbed her.
"It was a mistake, Io. One caused by my carelessness." He turned her around, and she leaned against him. "No, I did not hate you. I have never hated you. I could never hate you."
"I have hated you," she said, ashamed of the fact.
"Have you? I am not so sure. You have said you hate me, but…" She felt his chest shake a bit. "I am not sure you are capable of actual hate. And if you are, you are so graciously forgiving." His hands rubbed up and down her back. "Io? Is there something else?"
"I was so uncertain; we did not speak often, once we turned along this road." She again turned to look at the tree. He'd chopped it down rather than strike at her while he was so angry.
"Io?" Xavier called, stepping around her so she faced him again. "Do you speak of then or—"
"We travel so quickly," Io said, taking a few steps away. "It took forever to travel to your lands, but we move from them like the wind."
"We travel without wagons loaded with equipment, tents, booty. And we travel in good weather, not in pouring rains that turn the roads into bogs." He stepped up beside her.
"I suppose," she muttered.
"Io." He'd that tone and, unlike Roth, Io didn't ignore it.
"It is too fast, or maybe…" She started walking down the length of the tree. "Maybe it is too slow. I do not know; all I know is I do not know, and you are not speaking to me again. I hardly see you, most days. I do not want to think you do not want to be with me, but…" She could only hang her head with the guilt she felt not trusting her husband more.
"Come on," he said, taking her hand and leading her to the stump. It wasn't the smooth, even kind left when a man used a crosscut, but one side made for a comfortable enough seat, and Xavier took it then pulled Io down on his lap. Forcing her to lean against him, he took a deep breath and sighed. "It might be, Io," he started then pulled her even closer. "I might have fallen into old habits."
"What do you mean?" Lifting her arms, she placed them around his neck and rested her cheek on his shoulder.
"I sometimes distance myself from important people, people I care about, when someone I do not trust or like is around." He sighed again. "I have been keeping my distance from you. I see this now."
"You do not like Lord Balbroke?"
"The man is an idiot." He reached up and brushed the hair from her face. His thumb trailed over her cheek.
"I did apologize to him for what I said." She shifted closer.
He chuckled. "Yes, he told me. Thanked me very much for making you do so. Had to tell him I did not make you, I would not make you." She snorted, and again, he chuckled. "He was clearly confused, but that is normal for him."
"I do not like Whitby," she admitted. "He looks at me
like he wants to push me down or hit me."
"Does he?" His palm cupped her face. She nodded, pressing into the touch.
"I do not fear him, but I do not know why he should look at me like that."
"I have no idea. I can say something to him, should you like."
"No," she sighed. "Not yet. Sometimes, if I wait, I can find out the reason and then the intent," she said before sliding so her lips were in the crook of his neck.
"Yes, I have tried to follow you in this, but I like when I can… choke them."
Io giggled; he sounded serious but silly at the same time. "It will be all right. It is not like I am not surrounded by hundreds of other men who also like to go straight to choking people."
He almost toppled them both from the stump with his laughing. "Then, I think," he paused to laugh more, "you might be kept busy trying to show them how to be patient."
"That would take all my time." Io giggled and twisted so she straddled Xavier's lap. "But there are others who also think patience is a better way to go about things." Scooting forward, she rocked her hips until she felt his breath catch. "I will leave it to them to make your men patient enough. That way, I might have any time you might give me to enjoy it."
"Ah," Xavier cooed, putting his hands flat on her arse and pulling her against him so she couldn't move. "I believe I will have to give you more of my… time."
It was her turn to laugh out loud. "Oh, yes, as much of your time as I might get." A sharp whistle turned them both to look at the road. Several men stood waiting. "But no more today,"
He swept his hand down her face then set her out of his lap and stood. "Stay here," he told her when she started towards the road. He didn't wait, making his way quickly to those waiting.
She couldn't hear what was said, but she knew they found something amusing. Xavier took the reins of two horses and the others mounted and rode off.
"Xavier?" Io stepped up and took the reins of the pack horse while he tied and unsaddled his.
"I think, for both of us, we will return to the way we had things at home." He burst out laughing at the look she gave him. "There is no reason to have allowed our routine to be so disrupted, other than I allowed it. We will do what worked for us as much as possible." She could only shake her head, because he didn't make sense. "Io," he sighed. "Starting now, we will again take time for ourselves. To speak on things not important. We will again take time to discuss concerns, both in private and with a council. You will again be acknowledged as an equal. This keeping you traveling behind the main party ends now." He paused and gave her a smile. "Unless you have a want to be back there."
"Might we again take meals together? Share a bed?" Breathing became a bit easier seeing him nodding at her.
He pulled off the packs and set them down before reaching into one and pulling out a book. "Read together?"
"Oh, yes," she gasped. She'd not really known what was missing ever since they left the house. She thought it was just the house and people, but it was this. It was this life she shared with Xavier. The common things they did, the time they spent with each other. With his announcement these things were to be done again, Io felt an ease settle on her. He held the book out to her and lifted the packs.
"We can start that once we set up camp," he said, carrying the packs toward the tree.
"Here?" Io ran to catch up with him. "Why do we stop here? Do you not need to stay with Lord Balbroke?"
"He has his own guards. And I need to give you a better memory for this place." He sighed. "When we pass back this way, I want you to think of today, not that day."
She could only nod and smile. She wouldn't forget, either, but she understood what he was attempting to give her. Following him to the spot he intended to make camp, she did what she could to help, and once they were settled, Xavier took up the book and they spent a good long time reading and discussing Donna di Scalotta. As night fell, they cuddled under a blanket and Xavier teased her without mercy about how she didn't share. Sometime late in the night, he woke her with kisses and touches, assuring her she was wanted and needed by this man. And while he didn't seem to consider it as an indulgence, Io was made well aware others in the party did, and they didn't approve.
Chapter 22
"Well, that makes absolutely no sense." Xavier heard Io exclaim from her place behind Ian. Her incredulous response to Gerald's poor explanation of how to perform a flanking movement in battle sent everyone who listened laughing hysterically.
He shook his head and decided to leave it to Ian to better explain. When Io started asking questions as the men around her discussed past battles, he didn't discourage her, and now she was taking lessons on defensive measures and conduct during a battle, often starting while they rode and then picking up once camp was made, using sticks and rocks, even rabbit bones, to show Io better the best strategies to use. He knew her interest was born from boredom, but he also knew she'd remember everything she was taught, and while he could hope not, she'd be able to use these lessons if she needed to.
"Oh, that is madness," Io cried but then laughed. Xavier hadn't heard any of the conversation so he wasn't sure to what she was remarking.
"Well, what would you do?" Jon asked.
"Run away," was Io's quick answer, which again had everyone nearly falling off their horse with laughter.
"Your wife, my lord, has no heart for battles," Ian said, working his horse closer to Xavier's.
"It is true," Xavier admitted as he reached and pulled Io off Ian's horse and settled her safely in front of him. "Both her heart and mind are only for negotiation." Leaning in, he placed a kiss on her check. "Try as I have to make her more willing to simply choke those who dissatisfy her, she refuses."
"How fortunate for you, my lord," Io muttered, giving him such a look.
Xavier did his best to give an insulted look. "When have I ever not satisfied you?" He saw her take a breath and open her mouth and quickly covered it with his hand. "Do not answer that." Again, laughter filled the air. Io only chuckled and leaned against him.
"I have no complaints, my lord," Io cooed.
"I should think not," Xavier boasted only, to get an elbow in his gut. "But, should you have one, you might tell me that I can correct myself." Io tipped her head back to smile at him, setting her hand on his cheek. He shifted in his saddle to ease the pressure he felt as his cock strained. Her smile, even now so freely given, sparked his desire. "We have a few more hours ahead of us, but we will stop for the night outside a good size shire, might you want anything while we are there?"
"A bath," Io sighed, her palm rubbing at the growth of facial hair she so despised. "A shave and some more cider."
"I should think two of the three will not be so hard to have," he said with a chuckle and watched her eyes narrow.
"Which two?"
"Can you not just like my—"
"No," Io cut him off, and again, those closest laughed.
"It is more fashion—"
"Shave," she insisted and tugged at the hairs on his chin.
"Then I suppose we can see to all three of those needs," he sighed, nuzzling her hand.
"You are far more accommodating than I remember," Balbroke said as he allowed his mount to bump Xavier's. Io's smile fell away, her hand dropped to her lap, and the horse's sudden movement caused her to stiffen.
"In what manner?" Xavier replied without emotion, even as he set a hand over Io's to stop her picking at her nails. The man only shrugged at Xavier.
"I have never heard you so easily convinced to do what you care not to do," Whitby stated as he, too, rode closer.
Io shifted again, this time to lean away. Xavier drew her back, but she remained stiff. "And what is it you think I care not to do, that I have agreed to do?" When the man gave him a hard look, Xavier returned it. "What, you think this banter about shaving is some disagreement? It isn't. And that my lady prefers no whiskers is hardly a matter."
"Seems to me a man wants a beard, he should have one,"
Balbroke stated.
"Seems to me if a wife can be made happy with so little effort, she should be," Gerald said, riding up and between Xavier and Whitby.
"What woman is ever satisfied with so little?" Whitby asked, and Xavier watched as he again tried to place his horse closer to Xavier's. Gerald wasn't allowing it, though.
"Mine," Xavier said and put his arm around Io. "Mine is satisfied with so little."
The man's harsh bark of laughter made Io shudder, and Xavier gave her a squeeze. "What nonsense. No woman—"
"This woman," Xavier cut in. "This woman. This one right here. This woman who doesn't allow me to do hardly anything for her. This woman, who unless I force it on her, takes nothing, requests nothing. All these weeks now, what have you heard her ask for, other than to be returned home? All the shires we have passed through. What has she asked for? Not anything. Not even better fare for her supper. That she asks me now for cider surprises; a shave will not even cost me."
"A man who gives his wife all she asks for is asking for a spoiled and unpleasant woman," Balbroke remarked.
"If only she would let me spoil her," Xavier said, leaning down and trying to catch Io's eye. "I would gladly, but again, she asks for nothing beyond such basics as food and drink."
"Sometimes not even that," Gerald grumbled.
"Truth," Xavier exclaimed. "Perhaps it is the poor quality of women you choose that lends to a spoiled, unpleasant woman. As for me, I have a wife who has, not once, been ungrateful or ungracious for anything or toward anyone." He squeezed her again and this time held her against him. "Even in her worst moods, she is a great joy." And with that, he put his heels down a bit firmer and sent his horse trotting ahead. Lucas, Gerald, Mark and Jon were quick to fall in behind him.
"They think I make you weak," Io whispered.
"I care not what they think, and I know you make me stronger. You give me a purpose I did not have," Xavier told her and pressed his lips on the crown of her head.
