Lords of the Kingdom

by Le Veque, Kathryn

  Colin decided to be direct. “In simple terms, you did not trust me.”

  “I was not certain whom I could trust.” She hesitated and then spoke as directly as he did. “I still do not know whom I can trust.”

  “Since I am to be your husband I would hope you would trust me.”

  While he sounded sincere and she wished that he was, there was always that charm of his that he used so easily. She wanted none of it. She simply wanted the real Colin, the one who cared for the lad’s safety and wellbeing and the one searching for a forever love.

  She spoke candidly. “Forcing someone to wed does not invoke trust.”

  “We shall wed.” He sounded as though he delivered an edict and no amount of debate would persuade him otherwise.

  “Since you command that we wed will you also command us to be happy?”

  He turned on his charm. “You will find happiness in my arms… that I promise.”

  Hope wanted happiness born of love—otherwise his arms would feel empty. She had four days to decide her own fate, and decide she would. If she felt this marriage was wrong then her decision would be a simple one. She would leave and take up residence at Croom Abbey.

  With a plan in mind she felt more confident and since time was sorely limited she needed to do as much discovering as possible. “Could we find a more private place to talk?”

  Colin obliged her without hesitation. “The healing cottage would afford us privacy.” He stood and offered his hand to her, confident she would not object.

  She placed her hand in his and rose to stand beside him. “A most welcoming and quiet place.”

  Colin excused them from their present company, explaining they intended to enjoy the cool night air.

  Hope directed Lady to remain beside Rook where she rested comfortably. Besides, she did not look the least bit interested in following.

  They walked in silence to the cottage, keeping a proper distance from each other though Hope’s thoughts were anything but proper. She wanted time alone with Colin. She wanted him to kiss her. She wanted to know if there was a possibility that he could love her.

  Hope entered the cottage first and walked over to stand in front of the fireplace, extending her nervous hands out to warm them. She heard the door shut and the slide of the latch effectively shutting all away from them and she shivered, realizing that she had thought of this moment many times. Now that it was here she was fearful, not of being kissed, but of what that kiss might bring.

  Colin moved up behind her and slowly slipped his arms around her waist. “We are strangers yet we are not.”

  She relaxed back against him. “Aye, that we are. I have come to know much about you through the eyes of the lad.”

  Laughter spilled gently from his lips. “The lad taught us both well, but it is the woman I wish to come to know now. Tell me about Hope.”

  A slight shudder raced over her, his warm breath tickling her sensitive neck. He tightened his arms around her waist and placed a tender kiss on her temple.

  She decided to be direct. “Hope often thought of how it would feel to kiss you.”

  Colin turned her around in his arms and one look in his smoldering dark eyes told her she was about to find out.

  He cupped her face in his hands and placed faint kisses to her forehead, her eyes, her nose and her chin.

  Each kiss sent a tingle racing through her and made her eager with anticipation to taste his lips on hers.

  He did not hurry the moment but continued at his own leisurely pace. “I cannot believe I never realized you were a woman. You have the softest skin, stunning eyes and lips.” He shook his head slowly. “Lips that beg to be kissed.”

  He was certainly right about begging, if he did not kiss her soon she was going to beg him to kiss her.

  With a faint brush of his lips across hers he began their first kiss and she moaned from the pleasure of the subtle taste and the promise of what was to come.

  Another brush of his lips over hers and she found herself reaching up to try and capture his elusive kiss, her moan growing with her desire.

  “Such passion,” he whispered, his mouth a mere breath away from hers. “We will do well together.”

  She looked in his eyes before his mouth claimed hers and she saw a heated passion there that surprised her. His lips took control, tempting, teasing and tormenting her until his tongue swiftly entered her mouth and soared her passion near out of control.

  She brought her arms up and around his neck and pressed her body against his without thought to her actions. And he welcomed her intimate gesture, holding her firmly to him and pressing his own body more intimately to hers.

  Hope never knew such a powerful emotion existed. It stormed her senses, leaving her to feel senseless. Nothing seemed important at that moment except being there in his arms with his mouth on hers.

  Nothing.

  Nothing, that is, but love.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Hope rose early the following morning, donned the lad’s garments and, with Lady and Rook as companions, left the keep and made her way to the herb garden. She had been forced in the nicest of possible ways to sleep in the keep. She had wanted to remain in the healing cottage, but it was not proper for a lady to remain unattended, so she had no choice.

  All her choices of late had been taken from her, though with good reason, as she was told. That did little good when she so missed the freedom she had enjoyed as the lad.

  Her time now was expected to be spent on her wedding preparations and her husband. It appeared that everyone expected her to pay Colin extra attention and focus on pleasing him. That she loved him she had no doubt.

  She wished to spend time with him, but the kind of time they had once spent on the road together, talking of interesting subjects and sharing similar interests. Now he treated her as a lady, courteous and attentive. And since their first kiss he had kissed her often, touched her gently and treated her as the charmer he was.

  But she did not want Colin the charmer. She wanted Colin the deeply caring man, who had befriended Harold. Somehow she had a feeling that that man would kiss her differently than would Colin the charmer.

  Prickly with agitation, she decided digging in the garden would be good for her, and she set herself to work thinning the young seedlings that had sprouted and needed dividing for optimum growth potential.

  Lady could not be bothered helping her or getting her paws dirty in the rich dark soil, but Rook would fetch a tool when asked while remaining attentive to his ladylove.

  She had but three days to make a decision and she realized it would not be an easy one. At the present moment she wanted nothing more than to think about her digging in the earth, feeling its rich life and knowing it would create abundant blossoms in the near future.

  She intended to dwell on this good thought.

  The morning meal was being served in the great hall and all were present but Hope.

  Eric and Borg enjoyed watching their friend have to deal with a woman who obviously could not be easily charmed. Over the years they had seen him successfully work his charm on every woman that he met.

  Not so his future wife.

  Their smiles grew broader.

  “Not one word,” Colin said to them both and looked at Shamus. “Hope obviously lacks proper behavior.”

  Shamus nodded with a wide grin that brought a laugh from Eric and Borg. “That my niece does. I am afraid her aunt and I spoiled her, but she was such an intelligent young girl and had such a passion to learn about life, we simply could not deny her. Her pleasant and caring personality made it all the easier to indulge her.”

  “Now I, as her soon-to-be husband, am stuck with the consequences of your actions,” Colin said, though his thoughts did not reflect his remark. He actually admired Hope’s audacity. He had dared to hope that Hope the woman would retain some of the lad’s qualities and he was learning that she most certainly did. The idea fascinated him.

  A boring wife who p
erformed womanly tasks all day did not at all interest him. A woman, however, who possessed a zest for life and wished to live it differently, was more to his appeal.

  He had even been surprised when he had kissed her and she responded so willingly. He had worried that perhaps she would be uptight and rigid when it came to intimacy but he was beginning to realize that Hope faced all of life’s challenges with gusto. And he was suddenly interested in finding out how much gusto she possessed in bed.

  Presently he wondered where she was and what she was up to. He did not for once think that she sat sulking in her room; that was not her way. Nay, she was off somewhere, not caring for the time or her obligations.

  Lord, but this woman appealed to him.

  With a broad smile on his face, he stood. “I am going to find Hope.”

  Eric kept his grin from spreading. “I think you are going to need some hope to find Hope.”

  Borg chuckled. “Aye, he is hopeless right now.”

  Shamus was the one to give a hardy laugh. Even Faith giggled quietly.

  Colin spoke with confidence. “I will use my charm and have her here in time to share the morning fare with us.

  “I wager you cannot do that,” Borg said with just as much confidence.

  “A foolish wager since I know the outcome, but I will take your coin as usual, Borg.” And with that he left the hall, his strides as confident as his words.

  Hope finished a row of seedlings and wiped at her perspiring brow, leaving a streak of dirt across her forehead. It felt good to dig in the earth and see the rewards of her chore. The tiny seedlings stood straight and proud, their small green leaves stretched out as if in thanks for a job well done.

  She scratched at an itch on her cheek, leaving another bit of dirt to mar her soft complexion, and sat back on her haunches to inspect her endeavors and bask in her partially completed task.

  That was when Colin saw her and stopped where he was. He remained near the corner of the cottage so that he could watch her without her being aware of his presence. She looked like a forest nymph; her skin and garments sprinkled with the earth’s essence, her cheeks flushed from her busy chore and the pure delight on her face filled him with an intense passion that he had never experienced before in his life.

  It was as if his heart and soul ached and for a brief second the strange thought frightened the hell out of him.

  Damn, but he wanted her at that moment. He wanted to rush over to her, lay her down in the earth and make love to her with a rushing need that bordered on pure undeniable lust. He could not remember ever wanting a woman with such an overpowering intensity and he fought the odd urge with great difficulty.

  She moved forward, her hands busy in the dirt, and he watched.

  He had always thought of the lad as scrawny but viewing her now as a woman he thought of her as petite. Dressed as she was, it was hard to see curves and such, but thinking back to yesterday when her body was pressed firmly to his he realized just how shapely she was.

  Her breasts were small, but then he never cared about size; he much preferred the nub that capped the soft mounds. Some hardened more than others and he liked the feel of a hard nipple in his mouth. It seemed that Hope hardened quite nicely from what he remembered of yesterday.

  Her waist was slim and her hips rounded just right. There was also that petite, firm backside of hers that he enjoyed seeing in the lad’s garments. And there was the thought of removing the garments from her body and seeing for himself what lay hidden beneath.

  Hope groaned and stretched her arms out, her muscles obviously beginning to pain her. The tunic stretched across her chest and gave him reason to smile. Her nipples were hard and ready for a man’s tongue.

  It was his turn to groan and he kept it low as he moved from his hiding spot, realizing his spying had done him little good. Actually it had made him most uncomfortable.

  “Hope,” he called out more abruptly than he intended.

  She looked up at him, startled by his appearance.

  Rook ran up to him and received a generous pat on the head. “The morning meal is being served.” He kept his tone more neutral and his smile pleasant.

  With a shake of her head she said, “I am not hungry.”

  While extra weight would not hurt her it was not a matter of her hunger he was concerned with. He wished her presence beside him for the meal. He liked talking with her. They never shared boring conversation. She always managed to stimulate his mind and now she stimulated him in other ways as well.

  “A light fare, then,” he said with a bit of firmness.

  She shook her head again. “Nay, nothing. I am busy.”

  “Digging,” he said as if her task was unimportant.

  She did not seem to take offense. She smiled at him. “Helping life to flourish.”

  He came to stand beside her, looking down to watch her hands carefully separate the abundant seedlings and gently replant them.

  “Now they will grow hardy and flourish,” she said with a sense of excitement that he could almost feel himself.

  His skin prickled with the intensity of her passion and it heightened his own senses and desires. He silently cursed his own flourishing and went down on bended knees beside her. She was much too happy for him to force her to leave her chore, though it most certainly was not a chore to her. He did not wish to partake of the morning meal without her so he decided to join her right where she was.

  “Can I help?”

  She gave him a glowing smile and his heart melted. The way he reacted to her was not at all good. He did not understand it, know how to deal with it, or know how to control it. And as a seasoned warrior, that was frightening.

  “Your hands are gentle; this I know from watching you and how you administer to those more vulnerable. It is a caring side you have, Colin, but seldom allow others to see.”

  She was certainly astute in her observations. And damned if those streaks of dirt did not make her more attractive. Then there was the smell of the rich earth, so natural to the senses that it only made him more aware of her.

  “Show me what to do,” he said, though he really wanted to kiss her, touch her and … “Show me.”

  “It is dirty work,” she said with a smile, squeezing a handful of dark earth.

  “Dirt has never bothered me and I have had my share of being dirty.”

  “How so?” she asked and demonstrated what he was to do.

  He followed her lead. “During battle it was not so easy to keep one’s self clean. There were many times when I was covered in dirt and blood for days on end, wanting nothing more than to cleanse myself in a river or lake.”

  She placed a tender hand to his arm. “That is dirt, this is soil, and it gives life not takes it.”

  “You are much too intelligent for a woman,” he said with a smile that complimented not charmed.

  Her hand returned to digging and she gave him a wide grin. “I am unique.”

  He had to laugh, she said it with such conviction. “You are that.”

  Her smile faded and she looked at him with serious concern. “I am not like other women, nor do I wish to be.”

  Colin stopped digging. “I know this, Hope.”

  “But can you accept this in me?” Her voice seemed to plead for understanding as though his response would make a difference.

  “Aye,” he said without hesitation.

  She beamed, feeling there was hope for them. Now all she needed to discover was that he could love her as much as she did him. “It is a good start.”

  “A good start,” he repeated and gave her lips a quick kiss.

  The kiss ignited a passion in them both; it sprang to life in their eyes and their hearts, and even Rook and Lady felt the surge of feelings for they both raised their heads where they lay beneath the tree and stared at the two humans with compassion.

  Hope felt her breath catch and her heart race wildly and she watched his eyes heat with a passion that could not be denied.

 
; Colin looked to the healing cottage that was a few feet away, then back at Hope. She understood his silent question, but how did she answer it?

  She wanted him—that was obvious—and he her, but there was still love to consider and if she lay with him there would be the possibility of a child. She had yet to decide if she wished this marriage to take place.

  “Hope?” He placed a firm soil-covered hand on her arm.

  What did she do? She wanted him… lord how she wanted him.

  Stuart rounded the corner of the cottage and smiled. “I have been sent to find you, sir, and Lady Hope. They hold the morning meal for you and everyone grows impatient.”

  “We will be there shortly,” Colin told him and Stuart, understanding, nodded and retreated in haste.

  “We have our duties, but later this evening the time is ours,” Colin said, making his intentions clear. “Come.” He stood and extended his hand to her. “Eat what you wish or not at all, but make your presence known.”

  Hope took his soil-covered hand. “I will clean up in the cottage, change my clothes and join you.”

  He nodded, though he wished her to remain as she was, in the lad’s garments. “As you wish, but do not be long.”

  “I will hurry,” she said and slipped her hand out of his to rush toward the cottage, not looking back at him.

  Colin walked to the great hall, wishing her hand was in his. Eric and Borg smiled at him as he approached the dais and before words could be exchanged Faith intervened.

  “Have you seen Rook, Colin?”

  “He is with Lady. He was helping Hope in the garden while Lady rested.”

  Faith laughed softly and eased herself from her chair.

  Her husband stood to help and she gratefully accepted his assistance, her stomach having rounded considerably in the last couple of weeks.

  “I think I will go join Hope.”

  Eric looked about to object when Colin spoke. “She will be here soon.”

  Eric looked relieved, though it was short-lived.

  “Then I will walk back with her. I feel the need for fresh air and I am not that hungry.”