by Aston, Alexa
“You are a fount of knowledge, Lewis. Our talk has been fascinating.”
The steward smiled. “You father never seemed very interested in estate matters. He was all about war. That’s why I was pleased your mother took such an interest. Mayhap your own wife, when you marry, will follow in her footsteps.”
Nicholas could see Katelyn becoming captivated with how an estate ran. Her natural inquisitiveness would come in handy. He would enjoy pooling their knowledge at the end of the day in order to make Northmere flourish. While he knew the estate’s workers to be competent, Nicholas wanted more than that. He wanted his people to enjoy what they did.
“I think this is enough for me to take in for today. I am counting on you, Lewis, to guide me as I grow to learn all I can about my property.”
Nicholas excused himself and found they’d spoken so long, the noon meal was already in progress. He thought it might be a good idea to go upstairs and eat with Bethany. The last few days had been busy ones and he didn’t want to neglect her. Passing through the kitchen, he grabbed a small round of cheese and used his baselard to slice a few pieces. He tore off a hunk of bread and ate both as he made his way upstairs. It would hold him for now. Reaching Bethany’s chamber, he entered quietly so as not to disturb her. Sudden noise often distracted or frightened her so he was always careful not to surprise her.
Her eyes lit up when she saw him. “Nicholas! You came!” She set aside her apple and ran to him, hugging him tightly.
“How have you been?” he asked. “Has Kit been behaving?”
“Kit is good. A good cat. I love Kit.”
He grinned. “That’s very good, Bethany. You said a lot of words.”
“I should . . . talk more. I try. Hard.”
“You are doing very well.” He kissed the top of her head.
She smiled. “Thank you. I go play now. With Kit.”
Bethany returned to the kitten and picked up a length of yarn. She wiggled it in the air and the kitten danced around, her paws slapping at it.
Nicholas came to stand next to Mary. “She normally doesn’t put so many words together. I am pleased to hear not only that she’s speaking more but that she’s aware she is. That’s good progress, Mary.”
“It’s all thanks to Lady Katelyn,” the servant replied.
“Lady Katelyn knows Bethany?” Nicholas wondered when they had met.
“Aye. She spent hours with Lady Bethany. They played and talked. The countess drew her out unlike anyone ever has. Even you, my lord. After her visit, Lady Bethany has spoken more and strung more words together.”
It pleased him beyond measure that Katelyn had spent time with Bethany. His sister was precious to him.
“The countess told me she was going to stay at the manor house and asked if I could bring Lady Bethany to visit her. I told her it was too far for us to walk but that I would see if you might take your sister along with you.”
“I can do that, Mary. Not today. Though I am on my way to visit Lady Katelyn, I’d like to make sure she’s settled in before I bring Bethany along.”
“Of course, my lord. Please give her my best. The countess has a kind heart.”
“I will.”
Nicholas left the keep, his heart light. He saddled Sunset and walked the horse from the stables, encountering Bryce as he emerged into the sunshine.
“Off to visit your pretty new wife?” his brother asked.
He glanced around and saw no one within hearing distance. “Remember, I’m not ready to claim the marriage yet.”
Bryce snorted. “At least you had the good sense to send her away so none of the men would be sniffing around her. You should have seen how she drew them to her at court. Like flies to honey. Katelyn de Blays is quite the beauty. You are a fortunate man, Brother.”
“She is now Katelyn Mandeville,” Nicholas said evenly, containing his temper. Bryce always baited him. Too often, Nicholas allowed his brother to get under his skin.
“Of course. Please send her my best. Nay, on second thought? I think I will also visit her soon.”
“That isn’t necessary,” he quickly said. “Katelyn wants to spend some time in solitude. She’s had many changes in her life these past few days.”
Bryce smirked at him. “You mean you don’t want me to spend time with her. She preferred me to Father. She probably still prefers me—even to you.”
He clenched his hands but Nicholas didn’t raise one as he wished to. He wished Bryce would leave Northmere. It was in his power to exile him, now that he was the earl, but he refused to be petty.
But if his brother tried to pursue Katelyn in any way, Nicholas would make no promise as to what he might do to him, regardless of their shared blood.
“Good day, Bryce,” he said curtly.
He mounted Sunset and rode across the bailey, seething inside, though he kept his thoughts from his face. With a wave to the gatekeeper, Nicholas rode out, passing the workers harvesting the summer wheat. He would make sure to spend some time observing the winnowing and tying next month, having never seen the process before. After listening to Lewis, Nicholas knew he had much to learn in order to be the kind of earl he wanted to be for his people.
As he drew close to the manor house, he came across Albert on horseback and stopped.
“Just riding the perimeter, my lord. Gerald and I decided to alternate doing so on horse and on foot. Best to never fall into any kind of pattern.”
“Good. Did the move yesterday occur smoothly?”
“Aye. One wagon brought Lady Katelyn’s trunks, while another two brought provisions for the larder and some cleaning supplies. The manor hasn’t been used in many years and was dusty beyond belief.”
“All seems well on your patrols?”
Albert nodded. “Everything’s fine, my lord.”
“I’ll see you later.”
Nicholas rode on and arrived at the manor. He greeted Gerald, who stood watch outside.
“Good to see you, my lord,” the knight greeted. “Thank you again for tasking Albert and me with guarding the countess. She is most delightful.”
He nodded, thinking that Katelyn seemed to be bewitching everyone from servants to soldiers to his family.
And him.
Nicholas entered the open door of the manor and inhaled the clean scent that permeated the air. Obviously, the servants his aunt sent had been hard at work. He turned to his right and entered what he thought of as the little great hall. It held half a dozen oak tables, each seating ten people. A woman near him hummed as she scrubbed the floor, down on her hands and knees. He walked toward her to ask where the countess might be. As he reached her, she righted herself and brushed an arm against her forehead.
It was Katelyn.
Chapter Twelve
“My lady, what on earth are you doing?” he admonished.
She gave him a stunning smile that made him grow weak in the knees. “I am almost finished cleaning the floors of my great hall, my lord. I cannot wait to spread the rushes across and sprinkle them with herbs.”
He latched on to her elbow and pulled her to her feet. “You are a countess, my lady. Not a servant.”
Her brow wrinkled in confusion. “I don’t understand. You seem put out with me. What have I done to displease you?”
“You are not meant to labor this way.” Without thinking, he rubbed his thumb against a smudge of dirt on her cheek.
Her small intake of breath and wide eyes caused him to freeze. Then his palm cupped her face. “You have servants for this kind of back-breaking work. I don’t mind you weaving tapestries or making candles but you aren’t meant—”
“I’ll do as I please, my lord.” She stepped back, throwing off his arm. “Is this not my house?” she demanded.
He saw anger sparking in her eyes. “It is.”
“Then I may do whatever I want in it. If I choose to clean my great hall or burn it down while I dance naked in it, it is my right to do so,” she said stubbornly, fisted hands going
to her waist.
Nicholas’ mouth went dry at the thought of her twirling in the midst of the burning flames, fire warming her bare skin as shadows played along her curves. His eyes must have betrayed his thoughts because she crossed her arms protectively in front of her and looked at him warily.
Pushing aside the erotic image in his head, he told her, “You are right, my lady. The manor house is yours, though I do hope your servants are working as hard as you.”
“They are,” she said grudgingly and then began to relax. “I think I will be most happy here.”
“Happier than when you return to the keep as my wife?” he asked, testing her.
“That is something we need to discuss, my lord.”
“Nicholas,” he urged. “We are wed, you know. You have my permission to call me by my Christian name.”
She swallowed. “Nicholas. About our marriage.” She hesitated.
“What about it?”
“I feel we should annul it.”
Her words gutted him as if someone had plunged a dagger deep into his belly. “Why?”
Katelyn began wringing her hands nervously. “I know you had no choice in the matter. Your Uncle Rafe seized the last moments of power he would have and tied you to me. You don’t have to live with what he did, Nicholas. You are now a powerful earl and can undo your uncle’s actions. We have not consummated our marriage. You can petition the bishop for an annulment and choose the wife you want by your side.”
“Do you still think I wish to wed Catherine?” he asked softly.
“I don’t know. But I do believe you are a strong man with a mind of his own. You shouldn’t be forced into a lifetime commitment by an inferior relative.”
“Do you not want a lifetime with me, Katelyn?”
Tears welled in her eyes. “In truth, I do. You seem very kind and are well respected by your people. Catherine thinks the world of you and I already trust her opinion beyond measure. I simply believe you shouldn’t accept being forced into a marriage not of your own making.” She gave him a wistful smile. “You could have any woman in England, Nicholas. One far more suited to be your countess than I ever could be. You don’t even know me.”
Nicholas placed his hands on her shoulders and felt her trembling. “I am beginning to learn something about you. Your kindness toward Bethany would be enough for me to know what a good person you are. The fact that you want to give me a way out of our marriage shows you are selfless.”
“You are being noble, Nicholas.”
“Well, I am a titled nobleman now,” he teased. “Why don’t we compromise?”
Katelyn sniffed. “How? We’re either wed or we’re not. There is no in-between.”
“Give us a month. The month I’d asked for to see if you carry my father’s child. We can get to know one another in the weeks ahead. If at the end of the month, you still want to seek an annulment, I will grant you one.”
“Will you seek one if I am already with child?” she asked, an odd look in her eyes.
“Nay. I would welcome the child and treat him or her well.” He tightened his fingers on her, afraid she was about to flee and be forever lost to him. “I would still stay wed to you, Katelyn. I have already made my decision. The choice now lies with you.”
She licked her lips nervously, causing him to want to do the same.
“You want us to get to know one another.”
“Aye.”
“And if I don’t like you—or you change your mind and don’t like me—we can end the marriage with no hard feelings.”
“Aye.”
“All right. I agree.”
“Then I promise to visit you each day so we can spend time together,” Nicholas said. “We can walk. Ride. Play chess.”
“I like to walk.”
“So do I.”
“I don’t have a horse,” she pointed out.
“Then I’ll get you one. Or you can ride with me.” The thought of wrapping his arms about Katelyn made his heart race.
“I don’t know how to play chess.”
“I can teach you.”
“You have an answer for everything, Nicholas.”
“See, I would make you an excellent husband. You could come to me for anything and I would solve your problems.”
She smiled playfully. “What if I wished to solve yours?”
He laughed. “I would let you.”
Katelyn expelled a long breath. “Then I will grant you this month so we can become better acquainted.”
“I know one way we can get to know each other.” He began to lower his mouth to hers, tired of fighting the urge to kiss her.
“Nay!” she cried and he backed away, still clutching her shoulders.
“You do not wish to kiss me?”
“I don’t wish for you to remain wed to me merely because you lust after me,” she said, sadness filling her eyes. “I have discovered that others think I am beautiful. I’ve only seen myself once in a hand mirror, many years ago. I know I have changed since then. Several men at court paid me attention, though. They all had the same look in their eyes as you do now. I don’t want to stay wed to you because of desire. I want more than that.”
“Love?” he asked.
“Nay. I don’t believe in love,” Katelyn said firmly. “I want you to want to be with me because of me. Who I am. And I need your respect.”
“I already like what I know of you,” Nicholas said truthfully, “but physical desire is also part of a good, strong marriage. Wouldn’t you like to see if we are compatible?”
He realized that she had been a very innocent young woman on her wedding night. Knowing his father’s reputation, their coupling had been not only painful but distasteful as her virgin blood was spilled. It would explain her reluctance.
“You are thinking about your wedding night. Did my father kiss you?”
She shuddered. “He slobbered all over me. He . . . did other things, none of them pleasurable.”
“Let me try to change your mind about kissing, Katelyn,” he said huskily.
Nicholas skimmed his fingers up her long, elegant neck until he cupped her face. “I promise. No slobbering.”
She bit back a smile. “All right. One kiss. To become more familiar with each other.”
He lowered his mouth and pressed his lips against hers.
Katelyn tamped down the fear that rippled through her, though she craved his touch. The tender way he cradled her face made her yearn for things she had never known and yet now understood she’d always longed for. His lips brushed against hers, feather light, causing her scalp to tingle deliciously. Feeling her knees about to buckle, she gripped his broad shoulders, her nails digging in, suddenly aware of a possessiveness she felt toward him as she marked him.
Slowly, his tongue began outlining the shape of her mouth, making the tingles intensify and an odd sensation burn in her belly. Then his tongue lingered at the corner of her mouth before it slid along the seam between her lips, urging her to open to him.
She did.
Leisurely, Nicholas explored her mouth, his hands releasing her face only to hold her close in an embrace. A thousand thoughts flew through Katelyn’s head and yet she couldn’t have put words to any of them. She suddenly wanted to please him and allowed her tongue to glide along his playfully. He shuddered, a low groan escaping, and yanked her roughly against him as their tongues began to mate feverishly. Katelyn found her breasts now pressed against his rock-hard chest. They grew heavy, the nipples aching for his touch. She remembered Lord Cedric licking her breasts. Though she had wished to push him away, more than anything she wanted Nicholas to do the same to her, knowing the experience would prove vastly different from before.
Her body burned as time stood still. She hoped to remain lost in his embrace forever. Then Nicholas broke the kiss, his brow resting against hers as his lips hovered just above her own.
“My sweet, sweet Kate,” he murmured. He kissed the tip of her nose and worked his lips up it to her
brow. Pressing a fervent kiss upon it, he lifted his mouth away and released her.
“Has anyone ever called you Kate?” he asked, his voice rough and low.
“No one,” she assured him. “Though I was only called Katelyn again two years ago. I’d been known as Judith.”
“Judith? You look nothing like a Judith.”
“I felt nothing like a Judith,” she agreed. “I knew my name had been Katelyn before I came to the convent. Mother insisted the nuns call me Judith, probably to keep my identity a secret in case anyone came looking for me. I finally demanded two years ago that Mother and everyone at the nunnery call me Katelyn.”
“I didn’t know your mother was taken to the convent with you. You introduced yourself to me as the daughter of Lord Adelard de Blays. I assumed your mother was dead.”
Her mouth grew hard. “My mother is dead. ’Twas the abbess of the Convent of the Charitable Sisters that I referred to.”
“You were brave to stand up to her. I’ve heard an abbess can be fiercer than England’s finest warriors.”
“I’m not sure about brave. Mother called me stubborn.”
Nicholas laughed. “That, too.” He studied her a moment. “Do you think we are more familiar with one another after our kiss, Kate?”
“Aye. Mayhap we can have another one sometime,” she suggested.
“I think we should share a kiss once a day to further our acquaintance.”
“You would come each day to kiss me?” she asked, thinking she would go to the ends of the earth to share a single kiss with him.
“I pledge to you that I will visit each day,” Nicholas said solemnly. “And I will never break my word to you, Kate. Never.” He entwined his fingers with hers and lifted their joined hands so he could brush a kiss against her knuckles.
They stared at one another for a long moment, their fingers still locked together. Katelyn fought the urge to fling herself into his arms again, hoping he would kiss her senseless.
