by Sarah Winn
Esmeralda urged her closer and when their bodies were almost touching, she crooned, “Why do you hesitate? Am I not more beautiful than your hairy husband?” She reached out and lightly stroked the side of Isabel’s torso. “Isn’t my touch softer, more pleasing?”
She slipped an arm around Isabel’s waist and drew her nearer until one of her breasts pressed against one of Isabel’s. “Touch me,” she whispered and guided Isabel’s hand against her midriff and up toward her other breast.
The soft globe pressed against the side of Isabel’s hand, reminding her how it felt when she touched herself. She wondered if squeezing Esmeralda’s nipple would give her the same tingle Isabel got and moved her hand up. As her thumb passed over and then clamped against the nipple, Esmeralda moaned softly. Her hips began to undulate.
She seemed to be enjoying what Isabel was doing, so Isabel increased her efforts and Esmeralda moved closer until her belly bounced against Isabel’s and the two breasts massaged each other.
Esmeralda murmured praises, telling Isabel how wonderful her touch felt; how smooth her skin was; how firm her buttocks; how beautiful her body and her face. She lightly kissed Isabel’s cheeks, her eyelids and finally her lips.
She easily coaxed Isabel into lying on the bed and knew just where to touch with her fingers or tongue. She traveled along Isabel’s body at a leisurely pace, giving each stop lavish attention. Isabel found Esmeralda’s gentle touches strangely arousing.
And always Esmeralda told her how good and beautiful and wonderful she was. After months of Kendrick’s criticism, this soft praise made Isabel think her feelings mattered and so she forgot to be embarrassed or frightened and let herself truly feel. Finally, Esmeralda reached the apex between Isabel’s legs and her tongue and lips worked miracles that caused Isabel’s body to arch. She clenched her fists and cried out her excitement until she collapsed into a pool of contentment.
But the bed jiggled and Isabel opened her eyes and saw Kendrick leering down at them, his hairy belly bare, his manroot jutting out. She wanted to scream at him to go away and leave her alone, but Esmeralda smiled and welcomed him to the bed like a gracious hostess. She positioned Kendrick in the middle with Isabel nestled against his side. She placed Isabel’s hand on his chest and said, “Stroke your husband’s manly chest, Isabel. We want him to feel as good as we do, don’t we?”
Then Esmeralda moved down, leaned over, and took Kendrick into her mouth. In seconds he was grunting like an old boar. In a few minutes, Esmeralda had drained him dry and he drifted toward sleep with a silly smile on his face.
Esmeralda lay still until Kendrick’s breathing echoed deep sleep. Then she rose from the bed, and picked up her robe. Isabel got up and covered Kendrick’s body, not because she worried he might get cold, but to hide his white corpulence. As she retrieved her robe, she saw Esmeralda pick up a small cloth bag and jiggle the coin inside it. She didn’t bother to open the drawstrings, evidently able to judge the amount from feel and sound.
After Isabel had her robe on, she stared at Esmeralda, knowing the woman was leaving the next morning, but not sure if she should bid her farewell or not. Esmeralda made sure all of her hair was free of her robe by slipping one hand under the long auburn tresses and then pulling them over one shoulder. She took a step toward the secret door but stopped and looked back at Isabel.
“Men have the power to rule worlds. Women have the power to rule men. Learn to use your power, Isabel.” Then she had stepped behind the tapestry.
Isabel realized Chloe was no longer nursing and was about to fall asleep. She lifted Chloe to her shoulder and patted and rubbed until a large burp escaped the babe’s mouth. Then she put her daughter back in her cradle. But she was barely aware of what she did because her mind was fixed on Esmeralda’s last words to her. Is it possible for a woman to rule a man? Can I use seduction to persuade Daniel not to send Chloe away? During their first time together, he’d almost said he loved her. Can I use the skills Esmarelda taught me to make him care again?
What choice do I have, other than to meekly sit back and let Daniel send my baby daughter away? He intended to make Isabel his leman, whether she wanted it or not. Perhaps if she used all the weapons nature and Esmeralda had given her, she could once again enthrall him so he’d let her keep Chloe, at least until the babe was a proper age to foster.
After making sure Chloe was truly asleep, Isabel turned her efforts toward helping Tess and Berta repack. Berta, a simple village woman, hired because she had a young baby and therefore plenty of milk, was unfamiliar with the ways of the castle, plus she had her own babe to care for, so she was of little use. Nevertheless, by the time Chloe had roused from her nap, Isabel was ready to lead a parade of servants carrying chests and baby furnishings out of the residence hall, across the ward and up the flight of stairs leading to the great hall.
She considered using the hidden door that led directly from the second floor of the guests’ quarters into the solar, but didn’t want to make the doorway common knowledge. For all she knew, she might someday want to flee through it.
Chapter 9
In the solar, she found Father Clemens perched on a stool beside a table stacked with parchment scrolls. He looked up from his work, his eyes magnified by the eyeglasses he wore when working over manuscripts. For a second he appeared irritated by the interruption, but his expression quickly changed to concern when he saw Isabel with Chloe in her arms. He looked from her to the servants laden with her possessions and his frown grew deeper.
“So it’s true. You are moving back to the tower.”
Not wanting to have this scene play out in front of the others, Isabel stepped closer to the priest and waved the servants on. “Take everything up to the nursery and I’ll be there shortly to tell you where to place things.”
Then she turned back to the priest. “Yes, Father. I’m moving back to the tower.”
“Do you think this is wise, my child?”
She looked at him with amazement that quickly turned to anger. “I am obeying Lord Daniel’s orders. What else can I do?”
Father Clemens placed a hand against his cheek as if he felt a sudden toothache.
Chloe, who had been resting quietly in her mother’s arms, lunged with lightning reflexes for the eyeglasses. One of her chubby hands wrapped around the wire frames that held the thick pieces of glass in place. Isabel grabbed Chloe’s wrist and Father Clemens delicately pried her fingers away from his glasses. As he checked to see how badly the frames were bent, Isabel decided it was time to put an end to this uncomfortable conversation.
“Excuse me, Father, but the others are waiting for me.” She hurried on not at all sorry for her rudeness to the old priest. How dare he hold me responsible for Daniel’s actions. But if I explained the matter more fully to him, would he help me?
She couldn’t remember the good father ever criticizing Kendrick when he ruled Tewsbarrow, so she doubted he would do anything other than continue to blame her.
* * * *
Daniel had decided to exercise his warhorse that afternoon. When Sir Robert learned Daniel was going to put the horse through his paces, the knight asked to join him. They met Sir Alfred on the way to the gate and he too expressed an interest in the training of warhorses, so they all went to a meadow outside the walls. Daniel demonstrated how his great horse would follow commands to rear and kick and charge. Many of the castle’s men-at-arms gathered along the walls to watch.
It pleased Daniel to be back in the company of other soldiers and doing work he was familiar with and good at. He returned to the stable a happy man, telling the stable boy to give Jasper a good rubdown and extra feed. He entered the gate of the inner ward and saw Father Clemens hurrying toward him. The little man’s uncommon speed caused his brown robe to swish against the ground.
As he grew near, Daniel could almost feel his agitation. “Is something amiss with the scrolls, Father?”
The priest seemed taken aback. “The scrolls? No, no, all’s wel
l, except my work was disturbed by people moving Lady Chloe and Lady Isabel into the tower.”
Is this timid man of God about to chastise me? Daniel was getting tired of the people here not respecting his authority. “I’m sorry if you were distracted, but they should finish quickly.”
“It wasn’t just the distraction that disturbed me. Perhaps we could go into the chapel for a private talk.”
Daniel planted his fists on his hips and stared down at the shorter man, determined to draw the line here and now as to who ruled Tewsbarrow. “I’m hot and tired. If you have something to say, say it now.”
The father blinked up at him, and for a moment Daniel thought he wouldn’t continue, but then he said, “You are a young man who has had great power thrust upon him. Do not lose sight of the fact that great responsibility comes with great power. Not only are you charged to protect the people here, but also to set an example they can gauge their own behavior against.”
Daniel felt his irritation growing. “As my uncle did?”
The priest visibly reddened. “Lord Kendrick may have taken advantage of Isabel’s family situation, but he did give her the protection of his name. If you openly abuse a lady such as Isabel what woman will be safe from abuse in your domain?”
“What makes you so sure Isabel is a lady?”
The question startled the father and then seemed to outrage him. “I’ve known her since she was a small child. Until she married Lord Kendrick, she always lived in the bosom of a loving family. Her father was a knight.”
“People aren’t always what they seem to be.”
“Yes, your actions prove that.”
“If you don’t like the way I rule Tewsbarrow, feel free to leave.” Daniel stalked away without giving the priest a chance to reply.
His cheerfulness gone, he strode into the hall, making it a point to return the sly glances of the servants with angry glares. He met Tess as he approached the solar door, and she had the nerve to glare back. He resisted the temptation to ask her how she’d like to work in the washhouse and marched up the tower’s circular staircase, fully expecting to find more mutiny in his chamber.
He opened the door and found a dream. Isabel stood near a large wooden tub and smiled in welcome. “I heard you’d been working with horses this afternoon, so I thought you might appreciate a relaxing bath.”
Buckets had been placed near the fireplace and a kettle warmed over the fire. Isabel was dressed in a plain white gown with a white cloth wrapped around her head, not to hide her hair, but rather to keep it away from her face and neck. He could see long raven curls touching the middle of her back. Her cheeks were flushed, probably from working to heat water, but the color made her look younger and happier.
This was the woman he’d so often dreamed about. He stepped toward her and then forced himself to stop. He couldn’t let her know how much he still desired her. “Thank you. I could use a bath.”
She immediately moved to help him undress. After removing his mantle and tunic, she motioned for him to sit in a chair near the fireplace and removed his boots. She acted as though kneeling at his feet and pulling off his muddy boots was an honor. When he stood, she helped him remove his hose and braies without hesitation.
Seeming in no way affected by his naked body, she took his hand and led him over to the tub as if she were a good wife dutifully serving her husband. Anger over her calmness damped his raging urge to throw her on the bed and plunder her body. He gritted his teeth and let her steady him as he stepped inside the tub and seated himself on the low stool there. He couldn’t let such a devious woman know how she fired his blood or she’d quickly have him dancing like a trained bear on her leash.
She brought a bucket of water from the fireside, dipped a sponge into it and then began to wash him, using soap that smelled of lavender. When his back was thoroughly soaped, she poured dippers of water to rinse him. Then she started on his arms. Her work was quick and efficient as if she frequently bathed men. Perhaps she did. But even knowing what she was, her attentions soothed him. When her sponge moved to his neck, he held his head back and closed his eyes savoring the rough texture of the sponge made slick by the soap.
When she swabbed his chest and moved down to his belly his heart began to hammer and his cock twitched. In a soft voice, she asked him to stand. Then she washed his legs, coming ever closer to his upper thighs. He had given up trying to keep himself from hardening but took the sponge from her hand before she could wash that part of him, lest he disgrace himself by losing all control. He hadn’t realized how badly he wanted her until this moment.
After she had dried his back with pats and swipes of a soft cloth, he stepped out of the tub and took the cloth from her. “I’ll finish.”
She smiled sweetly. “I’ll be glad to do it for you.”
He shook his head and she turned away and began to gather clean clothing for him. He didn’t know why she was being so agreeable but decided he might as well make the most of it. When she came back carrying fresh braies and hose, he said, “Why redress?”
“Don’t you want to go down for the evening meal? If not, I’ll have the servants bring food up here.”
Just a few hours ago she was arguing against sharing this room with him. Why is she now eager to stay with me? Of course. She doesn’t want our liaison paraded in front of the other residents of Tewsbarrow. Too bad. This was the perfect opportunity to proclaim Isabel’s true nature. It would also let everyone, like that young jackanapes Robert, know the lord of the manor had claimed her for his own.
“You’re right,” he said. “Bring on the clothes.”
After attempting to get the folds of his braies over his still-erect cock, she said, “Would you like for me to help you relax with a massage?”
“No,” he snapped, taking the tapes from her hands and tying them himself. She stooped to slip one of his hose over his foot. “Why are you doing this? Where is my squire?”
“I told him his services wouldn’t be needed tonight.”
“Why?”
She looked up at him, her eyes wide with false innocence. “I thought you wanted to be alone with me tonight. Was I wrong?”
“I got the impression earlier that you weren’t happy with my plan.”
She dipped her head as if embarrassed. “Well—” She raised her eyelids just enough to look up at him. “There are so many reasons we shouldn’t be together that I felt compelled to object, but the memories of what we had before made it hard for me to say no.”
“So, you haven’t forgotten what we had before?”
She smoothed one of his hose, bringing her hand to a stop on the inside of this thigh, just above his knee, causing a new surge of excitement in his cock. “No woman could forget you,” she said in a husky voice.
“Why not?”
“You’re like a raging stallion.” She stared up at him with an invitation in her eyes.
He remembered an old saying, “Rule the woman or she rules you,” and fought against his attraction for her, knowing this was the perfect time to establish his mastery over their relationship. “I fear my supper is growing cold.”
She shrugged and turned to fetch his tunic. Once he was dressed, she covered her undergown with a bright blue tunic with gold embroidery around the neck and sleeves. After removing the cloth from her hair, she placed a white linen wimple under her chin and started to pin it to her hair.
“Don’t wear that,” he said.
She cast it aside and placed a simple veil over her hair.
* * * *
Isabel had found playing the adoring strumpet in the privacy of Daniel’s bedchamber relatively easy. Strolling into the hall with her hand lightly resting on his arm and everyone watching was another matter. She felt heat flow to her cheeks and found it difficult to keep her head up. When they reached the head table, and Daniel led her to the chair beside his, she finally dared to glance about her.
Some of the soldiers from the lower tables leered at her. Father Clemen
s would not meet her gaze. Lady Lavinia looked at her with a small smile of pity. Isabel sat motionless as servants served the food. Of course, she and Daniel shared a trencher, and she should have continued to play the courtesan by seeing he had the best of everything, but she couldn’t make herself do it. So he took on the role of selecting choice bits of meat and signaling the servant for more wine.
Lady Lavinia finally included Isabel in the stilted conversation about the table by asking how Lady Chloe liked her new nursery. Isabel forced herself to reply with inane comments about the child adjusting well. She even sipped her wine and accepted a bite of mutton Daniel offered her. The small degree of relaxation this introduced disappeared when Daniel asked Sir Robert if he had attempted to teach his horse any of the maneuvers Daniel had demonstrated that afternoon.
“No,” echoed along the table. Not no, my lord or even no, sir, but a simple, harsh, no.
One look at the young man’s twisted features told Isabel he was furious. Had he just learned of the living arrangements in the tower? Poor Sir Robert took his knighthood seriously and looked upon her as a fragile woman who must be protected. She feared he might challenge Daniel to a duel, one that would forever brand him an outlaw even if he succeeded in defeating Daniel, which was highly unlikely.
Wanting to distraction attention from Sir Robert, she turned toward Daniel and laid her hand on his wrist. “So you were playing with horses this afternoon rather than helping me move.” She patted his wrist lightly. “You naughty man.”
Daniel turned his full attention to her. “I am a soldier and do not consider training my warhorse play.”
“And what do you consider play?” she asked with a teasing air.
He followed her lead and smiled wickedly. “I shall discuss that matter with you at a later time, my lady.”
She heard rustling of the floor rushes as someone hurriedly pushed away from the table and stomped out of the hall. Isabel breathed a sign of relief. Sir Robert was safe, at least for the moment.
Daniel took an apple from a bowl on the table and began to peel it, casting occasional glances at Isabel. She’d been subdued in front of the people in the hall but had roused herself to protect the young knight from, at the very least, a serious humiliation. Young Robert was evidently enamored of her. What had she done to encourage his feelings? While Daniel liked the knight, he might be forced to banish Sir Robert from Tewsbarrow. If Isabel has been as promiscuous as I suspect, how many other men will I lose?
