Lowering her eyes, she shook her head, trying to dispel the sudden image that sprung to mind—of the awful violent fury her father had heaped on Andrew when he had learned of his support for the Lancastrians. As a witness to the scene and countless other before, she had kept her face void of expression during their exchange, but she had not forgotten.
‘Of course not,’ she said in answer to Guy’s question, for no matter what wrongs he had perpetrated as a warrior, she knew deep inside that he would never hurt her.
‘I know you’re not,’ he countered softly. ‘That’s one of the reasons I wanted you for my wife.’
She smiled thinly. ‘Aye, my lord, but I believe your desire for an heir was at the forefront of your mind.’
Drawing himself upright, he combed agitated fingers through his thick hair. ‘I do not deny that. To have an heir to carry on after I am gone is important to me. But I care about you, Jane. You know how I feel about you. Dear God, I’ve told you often enough. I want to look after you—see you come to no harm. And don’t look at me like that. God’s teeth, you look at me as though I’d offered you some insult.’
‘Which was precisely what you did when you suggested this latest mad scheme to the queen. Every time you come near me you do damage. Every time you try to repair what you have done you make it worse. Did it not enter that stubborn head of yours that I might not want to go to court? If tonight’s display of resentment is a sample of what I shall be forced to endure at Whitehall, then I do not want to be a part of it.’
‘It won’t always be so.’ Guy turned furiously away from her, leaning the palms of both hands flat on the top of the table. He was a man who was accustomed to having his own way in most things and, just recently, on making Jane his wife, he had become even more sure that his way was the right, the only way of doing things.
‘Stop this, Jane. Why do you fight me so?’
‘You know why,’ she cried. ‘I cannot help myself.’
‘Jane,’ he said, trying to control his impatience. How he wished that day he had stabbed Aniston had never happened. ‘We have been over this. Nothing can change what has happened, so let it be. I am sincere, I beg you to believe that.’
Jane was stirred despite her anger by the truth of his words. He was right—nothing could change what had happened. He stood still, but it seemed to her that his broad shoulders drooped, as if under the force of some strong feeling.
‘My God, you are not very complimentary to me—or to yourself,’ he said. ‘Can you not see that I am not your enemy? I want nothing more than for us to live in harmony.’
‘And how can we do that with me at court and you at Cherriot Vale?’
‘If it will calm your fears, I will tell you that we will not be apart. I have been summoned to court—to arrange a tourney at Windsor. So that we would not be parted, I suggested to the queen that you become one of her ladies. Was that so very wrong of me?’
Jane whirled away, touched to know that he had been thinking of her after all. ‘That’s the trouble,’ she answered on a less aggressive note. ‘Your meddling has cost me dear. When I decided to cast Richard out of my life, I did so because I wanted to make my own decisions, to be my own woman. Perhaps then I would be allowed to get on with my life—to be my own mistress. I now realise that it was an impossible dream. It is not possible for a married woman to exist without the interference of her husband, who believes he has the power to control her and to order her at his will—that she must know her place, to be a servile nonentity for the rest of her life.’
Savagely Guy turned to face her. ‘Did you actually believe you forfeited the right to make decisions when you married me? Is that what you thought?’
Jane paled visibly. She drew herself up straight. ‘What else was I to think?’
‘The last thing I want to do is control you. You are like a free spirit, a woman who blossoms under her own will. May God help me if I attempt to take that away from you.’
Jane was touched by his declaration, but apart from a softening in her eyes her expression was unchanged. She did not intend letting him off the hook altogether. ‘Very well. I will go to court and be whatever the queen wants me to be—and you. You are my husband and no matter what you say, you own me. I am the one without the right to hold myself from you. For you, it seems a wife requires the same qualities as needed when choosing a charger.’
Astonished, Guy stared at her. ‘You think that because you had a beautiful face and spirit you would suit my purposes admirably? As a bedmate, perhaps a brood mare for my children? Good God, woman, I did not marry you for that.’
Even as he spoke his mind and senses were drawn to how she looked—the fine creamy smoothness of her skin, the firelight playing on her hair that hung gloriously down her back, picking out the gold lights. He noted how her dark eyebrows swept upwards and the dark green of her eyes blazed at him from across the room. Like a doe poised to run from him, she watched him as he closed the distance between them. When he was close she whirled about and headed for the bed, only to find him right behind her. His tone ominous, he said,
‘Don’t walk away from me, Jane.’
‘Why not?’ She flared, nearly sizzling with indignation. ‘I’ve said all I have to say for one night.’
‘But I haven’t,’ he murmured, pressing himself close to her back. A throbbing pressure grew in his loins. He had played out his hand with patience, but now it was waning before the tumult of his passions. His concern for her timidity dwindled apace with his growing need. Drawing aside the sweet-scented tresses from her face, he placed his mouth close to the ear of the virgin-minded temptress. He would see that she understood the full weight of what she had started.
‘I have plenty to say, but it can wait. You ought to be nicer to me, Jane. A position with the queen is an enviable one, even if you don’t deem it so.’’
Furious, she spun round. Her clothes hid nothing from him and she saw the hard flint of passion strike sparks in the deep-blue eyes as they moved over her. Her full, ripe breasts swelled against the fabric that moulded itself to her and to the delicate peaks which thrust forwards impudently and lured him with their eagerness to be out. Guy’s breath caught in his throat. He was already familiar with the delectable body concealed beneath her nightdress. She was what every man dreamed of, a vision of incomparable beauty. His eyes revelled in their freedom as they feasted hungrily on her body, seeking out every charm hidden from him.
Jane felt devoured and it took an effort of her will to remain pliant beneath his probing eyes. ‘Don’t you dare touch me,’ she hissed. ‘I do not intend for you to molest me. If that is what you want, then I am sure there are women you can buy cheap down by the river, my lord, but I’m not for sale.’
He laughed in derision. ‘It is not a matter of cost, Jane. More a matter of need—and you suit my need better than any woman I know.’
His taunt was too much! When she raised her arms to push him away, it seemed to Guy that she meant to vent her rage in a more physical manner. He caught her slim waist and snatched her to him to prevent her from striking him.
Jane’s breath left her in a sudden gasp. ‘Release me. You press yourself beyond the bounds of decency.’
‘Aye, Jane, that I do. But listen, my love, and mark my words well.’ He drew her closer. ‘The playing is over.’
His voice was low and husky in her ears, and Jane had to dip deeply into her reservoir of will to dispel the slow numbing of her defences. Suddenly nervous of him, she glanced about the room, unable to bear his attention he so freely gave her. The pressure of his touch was light, but to her it felt like a trap of steel. She began to seriously doubt her wisdom in confronting him tonight. She should have stayed asleep and waited until morning.
She was aware of his naked chest beneath the white shirt and the manly feel of his lean, muscular body pressed to hers, while he was made totally conscious of her meagrely clad form. Her eyes lifted slowly to regard his face and her body quivered as she remember
ed his lips upon her breasts, his hands upon her naked flesh.
Why do I hold myself back? she asked herself suddenly. This was what she’d wanted and yearned for. Must her pride tear them apart?
They stared at each other for a second of suspended time, which could as well have been an hour or more. Then slowly, almost haltingly, Guy lowered his mouth to hers.
It seemed like an eternity since he had last tasted her lips. The lengthy separation certainly wasn’t because he didn’t want her. On the contrary, he had often found himself pacing the floor as he tried to remind himself of his goals and bolster his will against an almost overwhelming need to have her back within his embrace. From the very first, it had been his plan to keep his distance for extended periods of time, in so doing allowing her to come to an awareness of his innocence and of what her true feelings were towards him, yet knowing all the while that he was playing a dangerous game of chance wherein he could lose her for ever. By dint of will, he had held to his resolve, but the lengthy wait had made him unwilling to accept the situation.
And so he kissed her with all the passion he had been holding in check since she had turned her back on him. Only he knew the agony he had suffered during their separation. His mouth moved on hers with tender fierceness and, when she began kissing him back, his kiss became more insistent. He parted her lips with his tongue, urging her to respond. Jane trembled at the intimacy of his touch, but instead of pulling away, as Guy expected her to do, she fitted her body tightly against his rigid arousal, as lost in the passionate kiss as he was. She curled her tongue into his consuming mouth, sliding it around and under his in a slow, sensual dance, tasting the essence of the wine he had consumed earlier.
When her nightdress got in the way of his questing hands, she pulled it up, whisked it over her head and, with an outward sweep of her arm, tossed it away.
‘That’s much better,’ her husband muttered against her throat after thrusting her back on to the soft covers. He divested himself of his clothes and, from the edge of the bed where he stood tall and naked, slowly perused the curving form now illuminated by the whimsical radiance of the candles. It was just like considering a lavish feast—he didn’t know exactly where to begin.
Bending a knee upon the edge of the mattress, he leaned across the bed until he lay braced on an elbow beside his wife, who was watching him from beneath her lowered lashes, her breathing quickening the closer he came. For a long moment, he made no effort to touch her, only admire her features and softly parted lips, but the temptation to do more than just look proved stronger than his power to resist. As lightly as the brush of a feather, his mouth caressed hers with fleeting kissing, parting her gently curving lips until they began to respond.
Her fingers threaded through the hair at his nape as his lips traced downwards and he heard her gasp in delight as his open mouth found a nipple. Hungrily he devoured the soft peak, tasting its sweet nectar, teasing, evoking small, quickening tremors that seemed to shake her whole body. She arched her back to receive the best of his attention, which he gave eagerly and continued on with fervent dedication until she was all but writhing beneath his delicious assault.
‘Don’t ask me to stop, Jane, for I fear I cannot,’ he murmured, raising his head momentarily. ‘I’ve wanted you for so long, hungered for you. I couldn’t wait a moment longer.’
‘Please don’t stop,’ she whispered emphatically, as she abandoned her now-vulnerable softness against him. ‘I want you …’
Guy sucked the words from her lips, his mouth eagerly taking hers as their bodies strained together. She moaned softly under the exploring, practised hands and clung to him as she gave herself wholly to his passion. She thought she was still dreaming until her thighs were gently urged apart and the exploration deepened. Her heart soared with joyful relief as gentle fingers moved with tantalising slowness over her softly swelling flesh, eliciting within her womanly being a quickening excitement. She felt his manhood questing against her, finding its place and entering deep within her. She gasped at the sensations she was experiencing, sliding her arms about his neck and pressing her soft breasts in the mat of hair that covered his chest, pulling his head down to hers. Her kiss was full and inviting, without reserve. He held her close and began to move, gently at first, but the violence of their passion consumed them both and they forgot themselves in its mounting storm. They gloried in it as they were dissolved in a mutual fire which faded slowly.
Chapter Nine
The candle flame flickered in the gentle breeze that stirred the curtains at the windows and bounced eerie shadows across the walls and ceiling. Jane lay back against the pillows, wrapped in Guy’s arms, their legs entwined. Her face burned where his lips had caressed her tender flesh. Her mind dwelt on how he looked, his long, lean body stretched out on the huge bed, and when he had reached for her again, it was impossible to hide the sudden naked desire that shone in her eyes. She had felt her body heating up, her heart rate quickened once more.
Saturated in this renewed passion, she knew she could not pretend, because she wanted to remember everything that they did together. She wanted to think about it, linger on it, close her eyes and squirm with pleasure at the thought of those hot, blissful moments they had made love. She wanted to dwell on each and every glorious detail.
Feeling strangely disembodied, as if she floated on a cloud, her eyes flickered open and a contented smile shaped her lips as Guy lightly traced his finger down her thigh.
On a sigh she tilted her head to look at him, looking deep into his eyes. It was strange, but even now she still felt that there was an inherent part of him she could not reach, that there was a part of him he was holding from her—as if his heart was elsewhere.
‘What a lot of time we’ve wasted,’ she murmured, thrusting the intrusive thoughts away, hoping that whatever was holding him back would resolve itself in time.
He half-smiled as his finger left her thigh and found her breast, lightly running it around the pink peak thrusting forwards impudently. ‘You hated me, remember.’
‘No, I didn’t. I just know your actions frightened me more than I could stand.’
‘I admit I was at my most cruel that day. But it happened and I cannot retract what I did, much as I would like to. I should not have allowed you to alienate me, but I thought after what happened you couldn’t bear my touch, that you would fight me if I tried to have you. Strange, how our minds played against us. We should have followed our instincts.’ He pressed his lips against her white throat. ‘We’d have found each other much sooner.’
Jane warmed to his words and knew as long as she had breath in her body she would thrill to his touch. She could summon no resistance when he caressed her. Her very soul seemed to be his and her body responded more to his will than her own. But until the issue of Richard and what had happened that day could be resolved in her mind, could she say she was his without reservation?
Until she was summoned to court, Jane was to stay at Rosemead. With its privilege and luxury, she imagined that most people would dream of being at court, but as the daughter of a lowly cloth merchant, she had thought such privileges beyond her. Her parents were delighted with her sudden elevation to a lady of the royal household, and since her father’s business had suffered in the past and showed improvement since her marriage to the illustrious Earl of Sinnington, she began to understand how much more he might gain by her royal connections.
Wanting his wife to look at her best for her new appointment, Guy purchased an assortment of her father’s finest fabrics to be made into gowns. With the help of two of Lady Cecilia’s most accomplished maids, Jane began to sew. To make sure that she was prepared for her new life, for there was so much she had to learn about life at court, while they worked her mother-in-law talked about what would be expected of her, the routine and social functions she would have to attend, and how much her life would change.
Jane wanted so much to learn of this world she was about to enter, but the more she learne
d the more overwhelmed she became and realised she was woefully inadequate and unprepared for court life. When she was finally summoned to the queen at the Palace of Westminster, Lady Cecilia kissed her and wished her every happiness, despite her servitude, and told her that she must be guided by others.
Jane rode away from Rosemead with an armed escort provided by the queen. Guy would have accompanied her, but he had left for Windsor a week earlier to begin preparing for the forthcoming tourney. The day was cold and she shivered as they travelled along the Strand towards Charing Cross, and on to the sprawling Palace of Westminster, which housed the king’s court and government.
Already the life ahead of her had taken on a whole new meaning. She was filled with anxiety as she was about to enter a life that was completely alien to her. There was another matter that concerned her, something she had kept to herself since coming to Rosemead. She had reason to believe she was with child, a child conceived on their wedding night. She would tell Guy when next they met, and she knew how happy this would make him. But without him by her side as she rode to Westminster Palace, never had she felt so alone.
The palace was a busy, bustling place. Jane was overawed by its sheer size and opulence. Men-at-arms, servants and heads of state were everywhere, and she wondered if she would ever find her way around the bewildering maze of corridors and chambers.
She shared a room high up in the palace with a young lady by the name of Ann Rowland. An attractive, pleasant girl, she was the daughter of an earl. On seeing Jane’s nervousness among the queen’s other ladies—despite being a countess, some of them considered her an inferior commoner who did not know her place—she took her hand and smiled.
‘Don’t look so worried. You’ll be all right. I’ll take care of you,’ Ann assured her, and Jane’s nerves calmed on hearing the soothing sincerity of her tone. ‘You will find it a little bewildering at first, meeting so many people whom you do not know, but you will soon get used to it.’
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