“Aye,” Jordan replied. “I hope I am a good student.”
Aloria nodded shortly before eyeing Deinwald again. “I am sure you will be, my lady. And as a first lesson, if I may, a proper countess does not allow any man other than her husband in her chambers. The knight must leave.”
Jordan turned to look at Deinwald. His face was hard and glaring.
“You’ll not tell me to leave, wench,” he growled.
Aloria didn’t back down as Jordan knew she would not. “Lady Jordan is entrusted to me now and anything that directly affects her well-being is my concern. If I say you will leave, you will leave, or I shall have you removed.”
“And just who will remove me?” Deinwald flared.
“I will, if I must,” Aloria replied calmly.
As big as she was, she could probably do it. Jordan cringed, although she was actually quite amused to see Deinwald so ruffled.
“Try it, wench, and you’ll be sorry,” Deinwald’s eyes narrowed in a challenge.
“Deinwald,” Jordan stepped in. “Dunna call Lady Aloria wench, ever. I dunna like that term. And please do as she says.”
He looked at Jordan uncertainly, not wanting to leave her with a strange woman knowing how protective William was for his wife.
“Aye, my lady,” he agreed reluctantly, but not before shooting Aloria a deadly glare.
Jordan closed the door behind him and smiled sheepishly at Aloria. “The knights are very protective of me,” she explained. “But I do apologize for his rudeness. He can be rather surly.”
“I understand, my lady,” Aloria said. “But from now on, you must conduct yourself properly and if it offends the knights who have grown accustomed to being your escorts, then so be it.”
Jordan realized that this woman meant all of the knights. “But…Sir William is my fiancé’s captain. In fact, the earl has entrusted him with my safety always and he has had free access to me since before my arrival. What of him?”
Aloria cocked an eyebrow. “I will have a talk with Sir William, my lady, have no doubt.”
Jordan almost laughed; she would like to be a fly on the wall when that conversation took place.
“Well,” Aloria said briskly after a moment. “Since I have already settled myself, I will help you prepare for the feast this evening.”
There wasn’t much to prepare for, simply a bath and to be dressed, and all of that could be accomplished in a couple of hours. There was plenty of time for Jordan to find out everything she could about her new lady-in-waiting.
“There is time for that later,” Jordan told her, moving for the high-back chair. “Tell me of yerself, Lady Aloria.”
Aloria’s brisk manner faltered a bit. “There is not much to tell, my lady. My father is the Earl of Devon and I have two older brothers. I have served our gracious queen for four years, since I was eighteen.”
“Did she order ye to serve me?” Jordan asked.
“Aye, but I consider it an honor, my lady,” she replied correctly.
Jordan looked at her a moment. “But ye are displeased at leaving court.”
Aloria met her gaze for the first time and cleared her throat before answering. “I like Windsor, my lady.”
Jordan cocked her eyebrow. “And now ye find yerself in the wilds of northern England, far away from court life.” She shook her head apologetically. “I am sorry if ye dinna want to come, Lady Aloria. Having one of the queen’s women here was not my idea.”
For the first time, Aloria looked less than the proper English court lady. Her eyes took on a sort of soft, sad reflection. Jordan immediately was alerted to the change in mood and was aware of the most human side of the stiff woman.
“Yet I have come, my lady,” she said softly. “And I will serve you well, I vow it.”
“Of that I have no doubt,” Jordan looked intensely at the woman. “Why would I think otherwise?”
Aloria swallowed and squared her shoulders, the stiffness returning. “I thank you for the opportunity, my lady.”
She deliberately avoided answering the question and Jordan could see that it was because she didn’t want to, but in that brief second that she had let her guard down there had been something there, something painful. Jordan felt there was a reason why she was here at Northwood other than the fact that the queen had ordered it.
But she would not pursue that now. She shifted the subject as she rose from her seat. “I wish to take a walk now,” she said. “Will you accompany me, Lady Aloria? ’Twould be a chance to get a look at Northwood.”
Aloria nodded shortly. “Of course. I am your lady and I will go where you go.”
Jordan moved for the door and yanked it open, jumping back in surprise to find Deinwald, Michael, and Marc standing in the doorway. They were as surprised as she was and she saw immediately that they had been listening at the door.
Aloria suddenly jammed herself forward, putting herself between Jordan and the knights.
“There will be no more of this!” she boomed. “Lady Jordan is not a young maiden to be gaped and leered at, and you will cease this moment. If I find any of you loitering at her door again, then your punishment will be swift.”
The three knights looked taken aback, if not irritated. Deinwald rolled his eyes and muttered a quiet curse. Michael cleared his throat.
“M-my lady, we do neither gape nor leer at Lady Jordan,” he said. “ ’Tis our sworn duty to protect her; always.”
Aloria glared at him when Marc took a step forward. “Whether or not you like it, my fine court lady, we are Lady Jordan’s shadows,” he said quietly. He had a very deep and authoritative voice. “You cannot get rid of us, so you might as well become accustomed to our presence.”
Aloria’s chin jutted up. “We’ll just see about that.”
He nodded readily. “Aye, we will,” he countered with equal firmness. Marc could rile very quickly. “Obviously, you have not been advised that there have been attempts on Lady Jordan’s life or you would not make such a ridiculous statement.”
Aloria looked at Jordan in surprise. No, she had not been told, and now she felt a bit embarrassed. Swallowing, she turned back to the knights.
“Then I stand corrected,” she said with forced humility. “I will not demand that my lady be rid of you, but I will ask that you keep a proper distance. Now, if you would like to accompany us, my lady wishes to go for a walk.”
The knights silently fell in behind the two women and made it to the stairs when they were confronted by Jemma and Kieran. Jemma’s amber eyes immediately flashed malevolently at Aloria.
“Ah, so this is yer court wench, is it?” Jemma was in Aloria’s face, daring her to respond to the insult. She was always particularly brave with Kieran behind her.
Aloria cocked a blond eyebrow. “I am her lady-in-waiting if that is what you were trying to say.”
Jemma. Sassy Jemma. She put her hands on her hips and looked Aloria over as if inspecting a side of beef.
“Ye’re a big one,” she observed, not at all nicely. “Why did the queen pick ye? Is it because if Jordan has trouble learning English customs, ye can beat the lesson into her?”
The knights didn’t know whether to pull them apart or laugh at the whole thing. They were, for once, glad of Jemma’s aggressive behavior. She went after the new English wench like a bulldog. They didn’t like Aloria, either, and it bothered them that she was to be so close to Jordan.
“I have no intention of laying a hand on Lady Jordan,” Aloria stated, eyeing Jemma. “You, however, are another matter.”
Jordan’s eyes widened. It was a challenge, and Jemma never backed down from a challenge.
Jemma laughed loudly. “Ye think so, do ye? For yer information, court wench, I am Lady Jordan’s cousin and her first lady-in-waiting. We dunna need ye, nor do we want ye here, so ye can just go back to yer precious queen and tell her so.”
She was bordering on blasphemy. Jordan passed a glance at the ever cool Kieran, and saw that even he looked c
oncerned with Jemma’s body language. She wondered if he were going to intervene.
Aloria put her hands on her big hips. She was finished being tolerant. “You little bug,” she snarled. “Somebody should have squashed you long ago. What you want or need is of no concern to me, and if you want to get rid of me, then you’ll have to tell the queen yourself.”
Jemma matched her frown. “Dunna call me a bug, ye big cow.”
“Cow?” Aloria raged.
“Aye.” Jemma yelled. “Ye’re as fat as one and just as ugly.”
Aloria’s mouth went into a flat angry line and she clenched her fists. Just as she took a step, Kieran went between the two women and fixed his hard stare on Aloria. Jordan was shocked; she’d never seen that particular expression on Kieran’s face and he suddenly looked most frightening to her.
“I do not think that would be a wise move,” he said, taking the top step as Aloria stepped back. He had been standing two stairs below Jemma, and now that he was on level ground, Aloria could see that he was absolutely massive.
Aloria eyed him but she was far from backing down. “And just who are you, sir knight?”
“Sir Kieran Hage, third-in-command of Northwood’s army,” he said evenly, his eyes glittering with rare temper. “And this woman you were about to advance on belongs to me.”
Aloria took a calming breath, realizing that she was in a no-win situation. “Then she should learn to control her mouth, my lord,” she said as respectfully as she could manage.
“As you should learn to control your temper, speaking from one large-boned person to another,” he replied. “Now, continue with Lady Jordan and I do not want to hear that you have so much as spit in Lady Jemma’s direction or my retribution will be swift. Is that clear?”
Aloria swallowed and moved around him. Jordan, surprised to see Kieran’s anger and furthermore thinking he had been a bit harsh on her new lady-in-waiting, eyed Jemma reprovingly as she moved down the stairs. The knights followed the two women, leaving Kieran and Jemma alone in the hall.
Jemma frowned at Kieran. “Why did ye do that? I can handle myself.”
He focused on her and she was surprised to see his eyes dark and angry. “She was right, Jemma. You need to learn to control your mouth, for I will not always be around to get you out of trouble.”
Jemma blinked at the reprimand and lowered her gaze. She wanted to say something, anything, but she could not think of the proper words. She didn’t want to fight with him, mostly because she knew he was right. With a frustrated shrug, she moved to a small window seat and sat.
Kieran watched her tiny, graceful movements. Lord, she was a sweet, caring woman when she wanted to be, but she was as feisty as a cornered fox. She was the epitome of female temperament.
“Go away, Kieran, and leave me be,” she said after a moment.
“Nay, I will not,” he said firmly. “And do not start feeling sorry for yourself. You always do this when I scold you.”
“I canna change who I am.” Her head came up. “I have always been this way and I canna change. I am not the calm, sweet, gentle girl my cousin is so quit trying to mold me into an image of Jordan. I am what you see….me.”
He went over to her. “I would not change you into Jordan.”
Her eyes narrowed at him. “I heard that when ye were traveling with Jordan from Northwood, ye and the captain were in love with her. So William married her and ye had to take the second prize.”
His eyebrows rose and he sat on the seat next to her. “Who told you such lies?”
“It doesna matter who told me,” she looked away, “but I know it’s true. It has always been true with Jordan. She’s always been the most beautiful, and I have always been second.”
“That is the biggest cock and bull story I have yet to hear you utter,” he said bluntly. “You are not, nor ever have you been, second to me. I knew the first minute I saw you that you were special.”
Jemma turned back to him. “But were ye ever in love with my cousin?”
If he admitted it to himself, he had been. But that would be his secret and his alone and he was sorry he would have to lie to Jemma. But he could not have that cloud hanging between them, or between Jordan and Jemma.
“I think she is very beautiful, but I love you,” he said softly. “And I think you are more beautiful.”
She smiled a little, her cheeks flushing at his look. “I am not.”
“Aye, you are,” he reached out and grabbed a fistful of raven’s-wing colored hair. “Your hair is silkier, your eyes purer, your smile brighter. Aye, you are more beautiful than your cousin.”
She smiled broadly as his hand caressed her cheek. “Then I thank ye, sir knight. I had no idea ye felt that way.”
“Aye, you did,” he corrected her. “I have been telling you that for weeks now. You were never my second choice, Jemma. Always my first.”
She threw her small arms around his neck and kissed him with all of the passion and force her luscious red lips could muster. He wrapped his massive arms around her, swallowing up her entire torso as he pulled her against him. Their tongues met and probed, suckled and licked at each other until Jemma was gasping with excitement. Without another word, Kieran picked her up and carried her into the ladies’ apartments.
He took her into her small bedchamber and laid her upon the bed, removing his armor and clothing between hot kisses. He had tried before to bed her, but she had always balked. This time, however, she had stripped herself nude before he was done undressing and his eyes raked over her small, perfect form appreciatively.
“Jesus, you are beautiful,” he said, running his hand lightly over her full breasts.
She shuddered at his touch, forgetting her fear and reservation, only wanting him to touch her and love her. He laid on the bed next to her, half-covering her with his big body while his hand roamed freely about her silken skin. He was so pleased to see the way she responded to him and for a brief moment their eyes met.
“I love you, Jemma,” he whispered. “I always will.”
She put her tiny hands to his face softly. “I know what a bitch I can be,” she said. “I pray ye can forgive me my indiscretions. Sometimes I act before I think. But know that I would never do anything in the world to embarrass ye intentionally.”
He grinned and kissed her cheek. “Jemma, you bring fire into my life. I would not have you change for the world. With you, I know my days will never be dull.”
She smiled at his words and he descended on her mouth, kissing her until she could not catch her breath. His huge hands completely covered her full, round breasts as he teased her nipples into hard little peaks. She ran her fingers through his close-cropped hair as he suckled the hard pellets, wondering if there was anything more wonderful on earth than his hot mouth.
His hands parted her thighs and he moved in between them, being ever so mindful that she was the smallest woman he had ever made love to, yet by far the most perfect. Even so, she was easily less than half his size and it excited him greatly.
“How tall are ye, Kieran?” she breathed out of the blue.
His head came up to look at her. “Three inches over six feet. Why? How tall are you?”
She shoved his face back into her abdomen. “Almost five feet exactly.”
She had asked because it suddenly excited her terribly to have this huge man possessing her. Her mind was full of silly, irrational thoughts. She smiled and closed her eyes as he returned his attentions to her belly and thighs. Then her eyes opened again and she gazed dreamily up at the ceiling, feeling the newness of his intimate touch.
“How tall is William?” she asked.
Kieran didn’t care how tall William was. He only cared about the fragrant blossom he was about to unfold. His kisses were delicate and sweet on her inner thighs and about her groin.
“Five inches over six feet,” he whispered between kisses. Why was she so damn curious about height, anyway? But he remembered, too, that this was her first time and sh
e was probably trying to distract herself from her natural nervousness. But, so she could not ask anymore dumb questions, he anticipated her thoughts. “And Michael is seven inches over six feet, and Deinwald is one inch over six feet, and Jason is not quite six feet, and Ranulf is exactly six feet, and Paris is my height, and Marc is four inches over six feet, and….”
She put her hand over his mouth. “All right already,” she whispered with a smile. “Quit talking so much.”
He grinned and suckled each one of her fingers as she closed her eyes with pleasure. After a moment, he lifted himself back over her, gazing into her liquid amber eyes as his fingers began probing her.
Jemma’s thighs parted wider as he inserted a finger into her, feeling the proof of her virginity immediately. He’d never bedded a virgin before and wondered if all virginal barriers felt as thick and tough as hers did. He was going to have to thrust hard to move past it and his heart sank a little; she was so tiny that he knew the pain was going to be excruciating.
She pressed into his hand as his finger moved in and out, making her wet and slick for his entry. He was nearly going mad with her response but he had to gauge himself and slow down, waiting until he was sure she was ready for him. He inserted two fingers, and then three, and her eyes came open in distant alarm.
“ ’Twill be easier this way, sweetheart,” he promised, kissing her face. “You know that there will be some pain.”
She nodded, feeling his thick fingers in her. “I know, but I dunna care. Come to me, Kieran.”
His composure slipped and he put both huge legs between her thighs, parting her own legs wide. He removed his fingers and began to apply pressure with his thick organ, firm and constant. She was so slippery that it was no time before he had gained about an inch or more of headway, her barrier the only thing standing in between him and heavenly pleasure.
Jemma, however, felt far too much pressure. There was no pleasure. Her fear was beginning to grow as he filled her full.
“Kieran….” she began fearfully.
He kissed her to shut off her protests. He had stopped his onslaught for the moment and when he felt her relax again and respond to his kisses, he drew back thrust hard into her, breaking through and nearly driving himself to the hilt.
The Original de Wolfe Pack Complete Set: Including Sons of de Wolfe Page 86
