“It wasn’t appropriate for you to tell Maelgwn that he must choose between you and his sister. It’s your place to yield to him, not the other way around. Perhaps that is why he is so angry.”
“Why?” Aurora asked bitterly. “Why must I accept Esylt’s influence in Maelgwn’s life? She is evil! She is deliberately scheming to get rid of me.”
“Then you are playing right into her hands,” Gwenaseth noted grimly. “If you continue to make Maelgwn angry, she may well succeed in getting rid of you.”
Aurora looked troubled. “You do not think... that Maelgwn would disavow the marriage... set me aside?”
Gwenaseth shook her head. “I don’t know, but perhaps you had better consider that possibility and think of a way to make up with him.”
Aurora looked down at her hands. “I don’t know how to make things right with Maelgwn.”
“It’s easy. Just tell him that you are sorry and that you love him.”
“Love! How can I love him? He doesn’t care about me at all.”
“Perhaps you don’t know what love is. Many a young girl is disappointed when she discovers that marriage is different from the dreams and fancies she nurtured growing up.”
“I do know what love is!” Aurora said defensively. “It is trust... and tenderness... and companionship...” Her voice trailed off and she blushed.
Gwenaseth stared at Aurora suspiciously. “Who was he?”
Aurora could not meet Gwenaseth’s eyes. She had said too much already. “He was... no one. No one I could ever marry,” she answered with resignation.
“I had guessed there was someone else. How close were you? Did you and he...?”
“No!” Aurora answered emphatically. “We were more like children playing together than lovers. I was a maiden when I married Maelgwn.”
“Then there’s no reason you can’t come to care for Maelgwn. He is your husband, Aurora. You must try to be a good wife. It seems you have found much pleasure in bed together. That is more than many women have.”
“Perhaps I could care for him if it were not for Esylt. The sight of her burns like bile in my throat. Never will I forget that first day when she taunted me and ridiculed me and Maelgwn did nothing.”
Gwenaseth shook her head at Aurora’s flashing eyes and flushed face. “You cannot win your battle with Esylt by blaming Maelgwn. It’s only if you win his trust that he will finally see his sister for what she is and take your side.”
“But how do I do that?” Aurora asked imploringly. “He will barely even speak to me. It is humiliating to have everyone see how cold he is to me.”
“He may be cold to you, but it is also clear he has a real weakness for your beauty,” Gwenaseth said with a smile. “Leave it to me. We will find a way to get Maelgwn back in your bed.”
Maelgwn was tired and irritable. He had gone over the visit with the Brigantes with his council, dealing lightly with the incident of Aurora and the trophy head. It served no purpose for his men to hold Aurora’s mistake against her, and they might well question his judgment in choosing her as his wife.
Certainly he questioned his judgment. It was not just that Aurora was impulsive and emotional. He could forgive that in a woman. In many ways it was preferable to Esylt’s cleverness. No, it was the effect she had on him that was frightening. Since he had first taken Aurora as his wife, he was either distracted and lovesick, or so angry he wanted to kill someone. And this jealousy he felt—he had always considered jealousy a poison, a sickness—and yet something about Aurora made him mad with it. If he had any sense he would probably send her back to her father. But if he did that, he would be admitting he had made a mistake, that he was wrong to marry her. He didn’t want to give Esylt the satisfaction of gloating over his error in judgment.
Esylt. He still had to visit her today. Some of what Aurora said rang true. Esylt was certainly capable of the sort of mischief that Aurora had accused her of. It was unlikely that Esylt would ever admit to scheming against Aurora, but he had to question her.
Maelgwn rapped impatiently on Esylt’s chamber door and waited. After a moment, she answered and greeted him with a lazy, sloe-eyed smile as she motioned him in.
“I am honored. After a week of traveling together, my brother has not yet tired of my company.”
Maelgwn stepped into the room impatiently. “There is something I wish to discuss with you, and I could not talk freely with others around.”
Esylt gestured disdainfully, bidding him speak.
“It is regarding the incident with Ferdic and the trophy head.”
“Of course,” Esylt smiled gleefully. “I’m sure you will want to take Aurora on all your diplomatic visits, since she has shown herself to be so tactful and quick-witted.”
Maelgwn ignored her sarcasm. “I wish to know your part in that unfortunate event.”
“My part?” Esylt’s eyes were opaque and guileless.
“Aye, Aurora suggested that you put Ferdic up to presenting her with that gruesome gift to embarrass her.”
“Why would I do that? I have no desire to make an enemy of Ferdic.”
“Yet you joined Cunedda in laughing at Ferdic’s humiliation.”
Esylt shrugged. “It was funny. Aurora looked as if her eyes would pop out of her head. I don’t think it was such bad manners to join our host in a joke. Cunedda rules the Brigantes; Ferdic will have to earn the kingship in his own time.”
Maelgwn moved restlessly to the other side of Esylt’s chamber. There was an odor here that always annoyed him, some sharp perfume that made his head ache and reminded him unhappily of his mother. If it had not been for Aurora, he would never have come here when he was already tired and short-tempered.
“Aurora also said that while I was visiting the coastal forts this past moon cycle, you followed her and threatened her.”
Esylt snorted derisively. “I have made no secret of my dislike for her. If she considers that a threat...”
Maelgwn broke in impatiently: “She said that you threatened to tell me lies about her if she didn’t return to Viroconium. Explain that to me.”
Esylt’s face was composed and serious for once. “It would not be a lie to tell you that I saw her and Elwyn laughing and embracing alone by Lyn Fenydd, but the conclusions you draw from that are your own affair. It would not be a lie to tell you that Aurora was eyeing poor Ferdic quite eagerly that night while you talked with Cunedda. Has it ever occurred to you why Ferdic chose to give your wife such a costly gift? Can you honestly say you trust your wife when you are away from her?”
Maelgwn struggled visibly to maintain his composure. He turned away from Esylt, trying to breathe normally. He did not want to give Esylt any more weapons for her cutting accusations.
He turned and spoke scornfully.
“You and Aurora are two of a kind. You both slyly seek to make me doubt the other, until I am trapped in your webs of deceit and malice and cannot find the truth. I am sick of you—both of you!”
Esylt laughed. “I’m glad that you at last begin to see Aurora for what she is. Beware, Maelgwn. Your wife’s pretty face hides a devious little mind, and her lush, young body is just a trap to make you weak and stupid.”
Maelgwn walked up close to his sister and glared at her threateningly.
“I have had enough. I’m not going to listen to this anymore. I’ll warn you again—leave Aurora alone!”
Maelgwn breathed a sigh of relief as he left Esylt’s room. His head seemed to be spinning, and he took deep breaths of the fresh night air, trying to focus his thoughts. He walked impatiently, rather aimlessly in the fortress courtyard, struggling to work off the tension in his body.
Why had Esylt’s words made him so angry? He was used to his sister’s taunts. Usually he ignored her, but tonight her words had stung with the bite of truth. Could he, indeed, trust Aurora? There was something about her—a secretiveness and rebelliousness—that both tantalized him and frightened him.
“Maelgwn, my lord.”
Maelgwn whirled violently at the sound of the soft voice behind him.
“Gwenaseth! By the light,” he said, reverting to an old soldier’s oath. “What is it?”
“It’s Aurora,” she answered shyly. “She bids you come to her. It’s important.”
“Is she ill?”
“Nay, it is not that, but she does have need of you.”
Maelgwn stared doubtfully at the pale oval of Gwenaseth’s face, half visible in the growing darkness. She was a sweet thing—his friend’s daughter—and he suspected her of no scheming or manipulation.
“All right, I’ll go to her,” he said quickly. “Just give me time to have something to eat.”
Maelgwn finished eating hurriedly, and washed the last bites down with some old sour wine. Then he took off at a brisk walk toward the tower. He was troubled by this summons from his wife. What could she want? He certainly hoped that she was not going to complain to him about Esylt again.
Maelgwn climbed the tower stairs and pushed open the door without knocking. Then he stopped and stared dumbly at the sight that met him.
Aurora was lying naked on the bed. Her wavy hair was splayed out on the soft purple of the blanket like a mist around her face, and her skin glowed pink and smooth in the lamplight. He could see the graceful arch of her ribs below the soft mounds of her breasts. Her nipples were rosy and taut, and her slightly parted legs revealed the tantalizing pink moistness between them. Maelgwn had always thought Aurora was an exquisite woman, but tonight her beauty was heightened by the warm radiance of the lamplight and the unexpected thrill of her obvious readiness for him. As he watched, she ran her tongue over her parted lips and stared at him with a bold, seductive expression.
He moved toward her, drawn to her despite his fatigue.
“What is this?” he asked, abruptly motioning toward her enticing position, her obvious seductiveness.
“I want to make up for all the trouble I’ve caused you,” she said, purring like a jewel-eyed cat. “You are my husband, and it is my responsibility to make you happy, not to burden you with my problems.”
Maelgwn stood a few feet from the bed, undecided. He feared she was playing some game with him, but he was too aroused and confused to care.
He walked the few steps left to the bed, and Aurora moved smoothly to meet him. He stopped, and she reached up with fingers that trembled slightly and began to unfasten his scabbard. It dropped to the floor. She fumbled with the drawstring of his trousers until she had released them. She slid her cool, smooth hands down along his bare flesh.
Maelgwn groaned with desire. In all their time in bed, Aurora had never sought to touch him so boldly. At first, she stroked him clumsily, with an erratic, tentative touch. Gradually she responded to the feel of him, and her caresses became more sensual and rhythmic. Maelgwn watched her, enchanted by the sight of her rapt, lovely face as she caressed him. His arousal was intense, almost painful. Overcome, he leaned back and sighed; his mind was empty, his thoughts vacant swirls of pleasure.
He had grown used to the delicate stroke of her fingers when Aurora abruptly stopped. Maelgwn opened his eyes, ready to protest, but as he watched, Aurora moved her face toward him. He stared, fascinated, as she took him in her mouth, swallowing him with a quiver of her dainty chin. She had never looked so beautiful. Her eyes were closed in concentration and her hair streamed backward over the bed. He could watch no more; her ministrations left him blinded with rapture. As he neared climax, he pushed into her mouth roughly, and Aurora struggled for breath. Impatiently, Maelgwn raised her up and then pushed her down on the bed beneath him. He did not try to be gentle, but forced himself into her with brutal urgency. With only a few extravagant lunges, he found sweet release and collapsed, sweaty and spent, onto Aurora’s cushioning flesh.
Maelgwn opened his eyes as Aurora twined her fingers in his hair with a luxuriant sigh. He was dull-headed and drowsy as if after too much wine, and he struggled against the grogginess that was overtaking him as he rolled off Aurora and stretched out next to her. Something nagged at him, despite his lethargy. He looked over at Aurora and pulled a tendril of curling hair away from her face, studying her closely. Her face was soft and blurred with sex and contentment, but her eyes watched him with a sharp, appraising look.
Maelgwn remembered Esylt’s warning words. She had said something about Aurora using her body to make him weak and stupid. Ah, he thought—it was true. How skillfully his wife had manipulated him. She knew how much he desired her, and she had cleverly exploited his lust.
The delicious flush of relaxation moving through Maelgwn’s body changed to irritation. Did Aurora think that anytime she angered him, she could win him back with her expert, thrilling touch? For a moment Maelgwn stared at Aurora with narrowed eyes. Then he stood up brusquely and began to dress.
“What is it?” Aurora asked.
Maelgwn didn’t answer her but continued to pull on his clothes. He didn’t want to look at her. He knew her face would be confused and fearful, and he was afraid he would weaken and not be able to leave her. The power she had over him was terrifying. She was like a sorceress who could change her form to manipulate his pathetic heart He had to get away. Now! While he still could!
Aurora stared in disbelief as the door to the tower chamber swung shut after Maelgwn. What had happened? A few moments ago Maelgwn had been sighing with satisfaction in her arms. The bed was still warm from his body, and her own body ached with the dull throb of gratified passion. But now he was gone, and without a word of farewell or tenderness.
Aurora pulled the blankets up protectively around her body, trying to figure out what had gone wrong. Maelgwn had wanted her; he had enjoyed their lovemaking. He had even reached out to stroke her hair when it was over. But then he had stared at her, hard, and a change had come over his face. For a moment he had looked as if he hated her.
A cold sweat was forming on Aurora’s rapidly chilling skin, and her stomach churned with dread. She got up. She must find Maelgwn and speak to him. She must beg him—this time with words instead of caresses—to change his mind, to give her another chance.
Aurora groped for her clothes. As usual, they were strewn carelessly on the floor. She could not find one sandal, and she had to crawl awkwardly on the floor to look for it. At last she found everything and dressed with clumsy, shaking fingers. The clasp to her brooch eluded her, so she threw her cloak aside and left the room wearing only her loose gown.
The night was cloudy, and without a torch, the mazelike pathways of the fortress were dark and confusing. There were so many buildings past the great hall—the harness shop, the smithy, the stables, the kennels. Aurora was running, darting from one dark shape to the next. Surely the barracks were here, but no, she was too far, a freeman’s hut showed its squat roundness to her right. She backtracked again, glancing up helplessly at the eerie starless sky that begrudged her any light.
At last she found the solid, square shape of the barracks and turned the corner, looking for the light of a lamp in the part of the building that Maelgwn used as an office and council room. Everything seemed black and formless, and Aurora felt the panic rising in her chest. It was not the damp, dark night which frightened her, but something else. It seemed somehow very urgent that she find Maelgwn and talk to him tonight.
In her confusion, Aurora nearly ran into Balyn as he stepped out of a doorway in front of her. Aurora gave a little yelp of fright, and Balyn reached out instinctively to steady her. He held the torch up to her face.
“My lady, what is it?” he asked worriedly.
“Maelgwn. I must find Maelgwn,” she said breathlessly. “Where is he?”
“I’m sorry, he is gone,” Balyn answered gently. “He left but a few minutes ago.”
Aurora let out a small moan of dismay, and Balyn held the torch closer to see that she was all right. He noticed that her hair was unbound and disheveled, and she wore only a light gown with no jewelry or ornament.
“What is it?”
Aurora shook her head and looked away. After a moment she asked dully, “Where has he gone?”
“To the coast, to escort Abelgirth back for the wedding. I thought him crazed to set off so soon, with only Rhys to escort him, but he seemed determined, and I do not argue with Maelgwn when he is in that mood...”
Balyn’s voice trailed off slightly, and he looked at Aurora in embarrassment. It seemed clear that Maelgwn and his wife had quarreled, and Maelgwn had been angry enough to ride off foolishly into the night, even though his legs were still stiff from his last journey. It must have been some fight, Balyn thought grimly. Aurora looked pale and anguished, and she trembled at his touch.
“Here, let me find Lady Gwenaseth,” he suggested sympathetically. “She can help you to bed.”
“Don’t worry,” he added after a moment. “Maelgwn will be back soon—Lughnasa is only six days away—he will be home by then.”
Chapter 20
As the sound of his horse’s footfalls fell into a steady rhythm, Maelgwn leaned back and inhaled the damp night air deeply. He felt better with Caer Eryri behind him, but he could not relax completely yet. Riding at night was treacherous. No matter how well he knew the country there were always hidden bogs and sharp ravines that could be deadly in the dark. Still, this was the kind of danger he had been trained to deal with since childhood, and it did not unsettle him. In fact, he relished the fear that cleared his mind and honed his senses to a keen edge.
Beside him rode Rhys, sleepily struggling to sit upright in the saddle. Maelgwn squinted in the darkness to see his companion’s face. No doubt Rhys was confused and irritable to have been rousted out of a comfortable bed for this journey. Maelgwn had abruptly ordered him to dress and be ready to ride, offering no explanation for their sudden departure.
How could he explain the panic that had risen in him—as if the very nearness of Aurora was enough to weaken and enslave him? He had been foolish to let Aurora get so close to him. Surely he should have learned from his mother and his sister that all women were trouble. For a while he had thought Aurora was different, but now he knew that her soft loveliness made her even more dangerous. She would use him just as Esylt had, and the more he indulged himself in the pleasures of her body, the weaker and more helpless he would become. He needed to get away from her before her evil beguilement took hold completely and robbed him of his manhood forever.
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