Four Kings (The Rothhaven Trilogy Book 2)

by C. J. Pinard

  The whisperings amongst the other chambermaids and manservants hadn’t gone unnoticed by her. She knew Mariselle was the daughter of the sheriff who had once been King Edward’s right-hand man. She had remembered seeing Mariselle as a child visiting Castle Rothhaven and playing with Princess Eva and her young prince brothers. It was this thought that let Shawna know that she had to tread lightly when it came to the affairs of the royals.

  She continually pretended she didn’t know what was going on. That was what made her a good chambermaid. Keep your head low, and your mouth shut, Catherine, the chambermaid who had trained her all those years, had said. Although, Catherine rarely kept her own mouth shut. Those words echoed in Shawna’s ears as she stared at the beautiful young redhead she’d been assigned to look after as long as she was a guest in the North Haven.

  “Is everything okay, miss?” Shawna asked, already knowing the answer.

  Mariselle looked at Shawna and shook her head slightly. “I… I don’t know. I feel kinda lost.”

  Shawna set the basket of clean clothes aside and then sat down behind Mariselle, where she sat in front of the vanity. “For what reason do you feel lost, sweet Mariselle?” Shawna picked up the hairbrush, and, after unwinding her braids, began to comb out her long, red tresses.

  “I don’t know,” Mariselle replied with a sigh. “I have so much on my mind, and on my heart… and I have no one to talk to. My mom died a few years ago, and I have no siblings. My favorite Aunt Tilda is in my village back home, so I can’t talk to her…”

  “Miss, you can confide in me. I don’t have loose lips. What you say will stay with me.” Shawna pierced her with a serious stare in the mirror, and with a slight smile, she nodded. “I promise.”

  Mariselle visibly relaxed as Shawna continued to brush out her hair. “I’m not sure if you know this, but King Griffin brought me here to the North Haven so he could speak with his brothers about my… situation.”

  “Your promising fertility, you mean?” Shawna replied, grinning at her in the mirror.

  She nodded. “Yes, that. King Griffin tried to pawn me off on Alexander to try for the first heir, because of him being married and everything, but it didn’t turn out that way.” Mariselle seemed to pause, searching for the right words.

  “I know about Queen Georgina, and trust me when I say this, young Mariselle, nobody was surprised. All the staff at the East Haven castle knew about Serafina’s propensity for the same sex, and we suspected Georgina to be the same, so we knew it wouldn’t be long before that happened.”

  Mariselle blinked incredulously at her chambermaid. “Really? Well, I’m sure Griffin was blindsided. I mean, I felt horribly for him when I heard the news.”

  “Just out of curiosity, who told you?” Shawna asked, reaching for a small comb encrusted with a row of blue sapphires that lay on Mariselle’s dressing table.

  “I overheard Griffin reading the telegram to his brother. Griffin didn’t seem too upset. He probably had felt guilty for bedding me, and that just made him feel justified in doing so.”

  Shawna nodded. “I agree. Go on.”

  “Well, I didn’t want Griffin to leave. I wanted him to stay. He deserves the first heir, should I be able to have one. You know, since he’s the oldest. But he just left, and I felt a little heartbroken. Like he had just used me, or something.” Mariselle sighed and looked down.

  Shawna twisted the side of Mariselle’s hair to the top of her head and fastened the comb into it. “I’m sure that’s not the case. He has a castle to run, and after Georgina left to go back to Baristara, he knew he needed to head back to his haven with haste.”

  “I suppose,” Mariselle replied. “I just don’t understand how come I’m not pregnant now with Griffin’s child.”

  Shawna bit back a smile. “I think you know why.”

  Mariselle’s cheeks flushed red. “Of course I know it can take more than one time to get pregnant. I just feel like since I’ve been granted my monthlies, then it was for one reason.”

  “You know,” Shawna said, fussing with Mariselle’s curls, “if you are trying to conceive, there’s a way to time it. This works the same way if you are trying to avoid a pregnancy.”

  Mariselle’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

  She nodded and grabbed the other comb on the dressing table. “Yes, really. I can tell you how. But I will say this—the curse Angelique put on Syracuse is a strange one. There may be factors in it that affect how normal life goes.”

  “You think so?”

  “Yes,” Shawna said, twisting the other side of Mariselle’s hair tight and then placing the comb into it. “May I ask you a question?”

  Mariselle lifted a shoulder and let it fall. “Sure.”

  “Had you ever met Angelique? I suppose you would have been a child when this all transpired. Any interactions with her?” Shawna’s heartbeat sped up, wondering if maybe she was on to something.

  “Yes,” she said, nodding. “I was very young, ten, I think. I had lost my kittens in the dark of night and was looking for them. She seemed to appear out of nowhere and helped me gather them up. I took them back to the barn and offered her refuge there for the night, as there was a wicked storm approaching. It wasn’t until the morning, when my parents caught me out in the barn with her, that I realized who she was. Of course, I’d heard my father speaking about her and Gaylen over dinner conversations with my mother, but I never knew what Angelique looked like. She also had told me her name was Anne, so I had no idea. I remember wondering why my father was so afraid for me when he saw her there. She had been nothing but kind to me, and didn’t harm me or my kittens in any way. I often think about that day, even now.”

  “I had no idea.”

  Shawna and Mariselle’s heads whipped up to see Alexander standing at the doorway to her chambers, his arms folded across his chest.

  Mariselle narrowed her eyes at the king. “How long have you been standing there?”

  “Long enough,” he replied, walking slowly into the room.

  Shawna immediately stood and bowed.

  Alexander eyed the chambermaid and said, “Leave us.”

  “Yes, sire.” She set the hairbrush down and left the chambers at once.

  Mariselle stood, and with her arms folded across her thin, gauzy white nightdress, she looked up at the handsome king. “You need to stop talking to the staff like that.”

  Alexander opened his mouth, and then shut it again, and smirked at her sass. “Like what?”

  “Barking orders. Dismissing them. Not saying please or thank-you. It’s rude.” Mariselle lifted her chin.

  Alexander chuckled. “I’ll work on it.”

  Her features softened as she looked up at him. “Really?”

  He nodded. “Yes, really. Now, tell me again about your encounter with Angelique.”

  Alexander remembered, right after it had happened, that she and her parents had come to Castle Rotthaven. He never got the full story, though. He began to wonder if the witch, who shared the same features and hair color, had formed some kind of bond with the young Mariselle.

  “I thought you said you’d been standing there eavesdropping ‘long enough’. Your Majesty.” Mariselle’s eyes were dancing in amusement.

  “Cute. Real cute. Just tell it to me again.”

  “All right then,” she replied, and then launched into the story.

  “So why would she curse all of Syracuse and not you? Hell, maybe you’re doubly cursed. Having that god-awful monthly visitor, but no fertility to show for it.”

  Mariselle stared at him in horror. Was that the case? While she despised having her monthly, what kept her from crawling into bed for the days it was here was the reason why she could be having it. To bear children. Now, having that thought planted into her mind upset her. Planted doubts. “You don’t think—”

  Alexander laughed softly. “No, I don’t think that at all. It was a poor attempt at a joke. I think you’re special, Mariselle. I think Angelique took favor on y
ou.”

  “Really?” She put her hands on her hips and stepped back. “So why, then, am I not carrying Griffin’s child at this very moment?”

  He glanced down and saw her pert, pink nipples poking through the thin, white gauzy nightshirt and tried to even out his breathing. The thought of her lying underneath his older brother, his sweaty body writhing on top of her virginal body, her legs spread wide for him, his mouth all over her, caused his blood to heat. With a stormy look in his eyes, he said, “I don’t know, perhaps the time wasn’t right. Perhaps my child is growing inside of you as we speak.”

  The thought excited Mariselle that she could be housing a tiny Rothhaven inside her. And much to her surprise, it caused her panties to dampen and a heat to stir low in her belly.

  “Maybe… we should try again, so we can be sure we put a baby inside of me.”

  Alexander’s eyes widened momentarily at her brazen comment. Immediately, his cock stiffened behind his trousers, and it was growing painful, so he knew he had to do something.

  Without another thought, he grabbed Mariselle by the shoulders and held her still while he crushed his lips down onto hers. With a sexy groan, she thrust her tongue inside his mouth while pushing her whole body into his.

  As they kissed, their mouths sucking each other’s, and tongues dueling, he picked her up and walked to the bed that sat in the center of the room. Once she was on her back, he reached down and yanked the nightshirt from her body, its fabric tearing. He threw it to the floor with a growl. Gazing down at her sweet, pale body, glistening wet center, and soft pink nipples, he almost came right then and there.

  “Mariselle,” he panted as he reached down and tore his shirt off over his head.

  “Yes, Alexander. I need you,” she murmured, staring into his eyes. She reached up and pulled the clips out of her hair, throwing them across the room.

  As he unfastened his belt, he stared back into her green eyes. He dropped his trousers and then grasped his hard cock in his fist. He began stroking it slowly as he stared at her body. Her legs were wide open, waiting for him.

  “Please,” she whimpered. “Please.”

  The tip was glistening with moisture, and he used his fingers to rub it all along his head before he lined it up to her glossy pink opening. Before taking her, he leaned down and drew one of her nipples into his mouth. She screamed out and shoved her hands into his jet-black hair, pushing his head further onto her breast. The sensation of his hot mouth on such a sensitive area caused a bolt of pleasure to shoot right between her legs. She could feel herself gush more wetness, and was almost in physical pain, aching for his thick, throbbing hardness.

  “I need it,” she panted as he continued to suck and lick her sensitive nipple. “Please, Alex. Please.”

  Alexander didn’t know how long he could hold out. His cock throbbed hard, and he lifted his mouth from her breast. Standing tall, he reached down and ran the pad of his index finger over her other breast while he looked between her legs. With his other hand, he ran his finger up the wet slit and then tasted its juices. “Delicious.”

  Mariselle put her arms out. “I need you.”

  Nodding, Alexander lined up the head of his cock to her opening, but then rubbed it along her glistening parts.

  “Yes,” she groaned, her head tilted back. “More. Please.”

  After massaging her tender bud with his sensitive cock head, he pushed it inside of her, and they both cried out in pleasure.

  Still standing, Alexander pumped in and out of her slowly at first, then increased speed. The sensation of her tight, wet walls made him breathless. He had never felt such a pleasurable woman before. Then, when she tightened around him and cried out, he almost lost it himself.

  He smiled, looking down at the ecstasy coloring her face, her nipples hard and erect. Then, deciding to prolong the night, he pulled out suddenly.

  Mariselle’s eyes popped open, and she stared up at him, barely able to speak. “Why did you stop?”

  “Move up on the bed. I want to lie with you when we’re done.”

  Smiling, Mariselle did as she was told. As soon as they could both fit, he pushed her legs open and shoved himself deep inside her. Sliding one arm under her neck, and chest to chest, they writhed together, his cock buried deep inside her, their mouths and tongues mingling as one until he felt Mariselle tighten around him, her nails clawing at his back. She cried out with an earth-shattering orgasm he was sure the whole castle could hear.

  Unable to hold back any longer, he spilled every drop of his seed inside her with a groan, his entire body erupting into goosebumps.

  “That was… that was… I don’t have words,” Mariselle said from under him.

  Panting, he replied, “I agree.” He kissed her mouth ferociously and then rolled off of her, both of them breathless and sated.

  Chapter 11

  Mariselle woke up alone for the second day in a row. She frowned when she saw Alexander had gone. After their initial lovemaking, they had gone two more times during the night. They had skipped dinner to stay tangled in each other’s arms. She would have to ask him the reason for his disappearing act later on.

  She rose from bed, took care of business in the bathroom, and then found a bucket of clean water. After washing herself with a rag and a bar of soap, then scrubbing her teeth, she dressed in the most comfortable gown she could find, braided her hair, and then went down to get something to eat.

  When she saw the dining hall was empty, she found one of the kitchen servants and asked, “Is there not breakfast?”

  He wrung his hands together and smiled sheepishly. “We are preparing for supper, miss. Do you have any requests?”

  “What is the time?” she asked him.

  He furrowed his brow and then smiled again. “It is one hour until noon, milady.”

  Eleven a.m.! How had I slept so long? she pondered.

  “I’m terribly hungry. Do you have a piece of bread or some soup I could eat to tide me over… uh…?”

  He nodded. “Percy. And yes, miss. I will fetch it for you right away!” He bowed slightly and scurried off behind the doors of the kitchen.

  Mariselle didn’t like to be treated like one of the royals. Deep down, she felt like just a regular ol’ peasant girl and wished the staff would treat her like one of their own. But she knew they regarded her like a princess, especially after what Shawna had told her about the whole damn country knowing she got periods… and that it would never change.

  When Percy brought her out some broth with shredded chicken meat and a hunk of crusty buttered bread, she sat, alone, and ate the meal as quickly as she could. And as she sipped her soup, she contemplated her dilemma, for the hundredth time.

  These boys… these Rothhaven brothers… they all desired her. Well, she didn’t know about the youngest, Mathias, because she hadn’t seen him since they were children. And he had been small then, like eleven years old. But something told her he would be no different than his three brothers… gorgeous, built, and attracted to her as much as she was to them.

  Mariselle felt so conflicted when she thought about Alexander, because she still had strong feelings for Griffin. He had taken her virginity, and it was the best night she could remember. It had been perfect. He had been an absolute gentleman, and she couldn’t have wished for a better deflowering. She missed Griffin; ached for him. She longed to talk to him, to find out if he missed her, too, and how he was doing after losing his wife to another woman. She wondered if he had quickly found a replacement for Georgina, and the thought made her sad. She didn’t want that. She wanted Griffin all for herself.

  She chuckled at the ludicrousness of that thought.

  But the nights she’d just spent with Alexander swirled around in her mind, too. Her body erupted into goosebumps when she remembered all the ways the black-haired, icy-blue-eyed prince had touched her. How he had made her feel. The way he had looked at her so tenderly, which defied his usual scowl and quiet authority. She had only ever seen
him look that way at her, and nobody else. And especially not the whores who passed them in the halls and passageways inside the castle. She knew of Alexander’s reputation long before she had decided to crawl into his bed, and she couldn’t let it bother her.

  Finally, her thoughts drifted to the tall, tanned, handsome blond brother, Zackary. He was aggressively flirty, and the way he looked at her made his stomach do summersaults. She let her mind drift to what he must be like in the bedroom. How aggressive was he between the sheets if he was kind of in-your-face and commanding outside of it? She imagined he carried a thick, heavy weapon between his legs in which to punish her with. She bet he could…

  “Miss, are you finished?”

  Jerked from her lascivious thoughts, she saw see Percy standing at the end of the table.

  Nodding, she pushed the empty bowl of soup and the spoon toward him.

  Percy bowed slightly as she made her way out of the dining area. She was headed to the stables. She longed for a ride to clear her mind.

  As she crossed the large greenway that led to the stables, her mind could not shut off. It replayed her night with Alexander over and over in a continuous loop. It wasn’t until she reached the stables that she realized she had to stop obsessing.

  “Well, hello, Miss Langer. Would you like to take Midnight for a ride? He’s been a little anxious today. I think he could use a run,” Richard said, inclining his head toward the horse.

  “Well, he’s the king’s horse, isn’t he? Perhaps I should have my own assigned to me?”

  Richard removed his straw hat, and his brow furrowed together. “I am not sure I have an unassigned horse which you could ride.”

  “Hogwash,” she heard a deep, booming voice echo across the stables.

  Richard, Emily, and Mariselle all looked in the direction of the stable entrance to see King Zackary standing in the doorway. His hulking and imposing figure blocked any light coming from the outside.