A Dusting of Syn

by Melinda Barron

  "Yes, I know about that. The men-at-arms?"

  "Most of them came with her new lover, Nathaniel. I don't know from where. My father did not have many men-at-arms. He said there was no need during times of peace."

  He pulled up a chair next to her and sat down. “How long have they been here?"

  "A few months. She had another lover before him, a man named MacNutt. He came almost immediately after father's death."

  "Scottish?"

  "Yes.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Does that matter?"

  "It is possible. Did she take him to her bed?"

  "Yes, the night he arrived. They made a great deal of noise.” She giggled at the memory, looked away, then looked back at him. “Alma will be back tomorrow?"

  "I do not know, Syndra. To say yes would be a lie. We will know where she is tomorrow, and we will decide from there what to do. Elizabeth's men may have orders to kill her at the first sign of trouble, so it would be best not to rush into things."

  Fear gripped Syndra's stomach. “What if Elizabeth has already ... killed her?"

  Keran took her hands in his, holding them firmly. “That would serve her no purpose. If you found out, she would have nothing to hold over your head, and she knows it."

  His touch was warm and comforting, and she made no move to pull away from him this time. “Surely you cannot mean to marry me."

  "Why not? Not only am I following the king's order, but you are a beautiful woman who will make a wonderful wife."

  She laughed and shook her head. “Elizabeth saw to it that I received no gentile training. I know nothing of being a wife, or a mother. Only of cleaning a keep."

  "Then you know how to run a household, I am sure. You know how things work, and you will be able to take care of things while I labor on the outside business."

  "But I know nothing of pleasing you in...” her eyes darted to the large bed, then down at the floor.

  "I will teach you.” His thumbs stroked her hands and she shivered. “You have already aroused me, just by being here."

  Confusion passed through her, then she glanced down. She could see the outline of his manhood straining against his breeches. Her gaze fastened on him, and she wondered what it looked like, what it would feel like. She knew how things worked thanks to tales from Tillie and Alma, but she had never seen a man.

  The urge to touch him sizzled through her fingers. Would he allow that, or would he want her to do nothing? Tillie told her men enjoyed being touched, with hands and with lips and tongues. Would he expect her to do that? Could she do that?

  Syndra tried to pull her hands away, but he held her close, and she lifted her gaze to his. The look of desire that greeted her made her heart jump inside her chest. She imagined herself lying under him, his hardness buried in her soft center, his lips on hers.

  A strange feeling crept into her stomach and she moaned softly. Tillie had often told her how pleasurable it was to couple with a man, and looking at Keran, Syndra could imagine the truth of it.

  She managed to tug her hands away from him. Elizabeth would never allow it. This man might think he was in control, but Syndra knew better. Elizabeth had Syndra under her control, and there was no way she was letting go.

  "I need to go back upstairs."

  "Why? No one will find you here."

  "No, but she might find me gone from up there. I do not want punishments going to anyone else because I was hungry, or wanted to dream about being your wife.

  "It is more than a dream, Syndra. It will be a reality."

  Syndra shook her head. “It is a nice wish, but Elizabeth will find a way to keep me where I am. Or she will see me dead, I am sure."

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  Chapter Five

  Keran stood at the door to the main building, staring at the sun. Brody had been gone for more than half the day, and apprehension worked its way inside him. Given the speed Nathaniel had returned the day before, Keran had expected to see Brody back quickly. The longer he was gone, the more Keran worried something had gone wrong. Brody was his best scout, so he had no worries that he'd been discovered. But something was wrong.

  Pile that on top of his concern for Syndra, and things were looking bleak right now. Pulling her out of her shell and teaching her not to fear Elizabeth anymore would be hard. But he would manage it.

  He had wanted to kiss her last night, to reassure her things would be fine. But his unruly cock, hard and eager from the way she had stared at him, would not have allowed him to stop with one kiss. He would have wanted to kiss her again, several times, then caress her breasts before moving his hands, and his tongue, between her thighs.

  His rod stiffened at the thought, and he turned away from the courtyard. He needed to take his mind off the tantalizing woman upstairs or every person in the keep would see his length pressed against his breeches.

  Think of something besides Syndra. He repeated the mantra to himself, hoping his cock would listen. Instead it just throbbed, seeking attention. Maybe he should go upstairs and take care of it. He had been far too long without a woman under him, more than a month and a half now, and his bullocks ached with need. Soon, his hand would not satisfy him; nothing more than Syndra would, lying sweetly under him, stroking his shoulders as he slide in and out of her wetness. His cock pulsed harder. He had to think of someway to get Syndra out of the tower and into his bed, and soon.

  Something besides Syndra. Most of his morning had been spent overlooking the household accounts. He had noticed some interesting areas that he wanted to discuss with Elizabeth, but he wanted to wait until he had heard from Brody, to see exactly what he was up against. But then again, perhaps questioning the witch would take his mind off waiting and wondering.

  He found her in the kitchens, her gaze shooting around the room as if in search of something. He wondered if she were looking for Syndra. When he had walked his future wife to her room last night, they had seen no one. But, when he had headed back to his own room, he thought he had heard a noise. He had listened, then decided it was a cat, or a dog maybe.

  He needed to send Tillie up to check on her again. He had sent her with food first thing in the morning, but he wanted to make sure things were still good.

  "Lady Elizabeth, a few words, please."

  She turned to him and her look of displeasure quickly turned to a fake smile. “Of course, milord. What is it you'd like to discuss?"

  "Not here, in the library, if you please.” He indicated she should go out before him, and the frown on her face returned. She swept out of the room, and he nodded at Tillie, who returned the acknowledgement with one of her own and began putting food on a plate.

  On the way to the library, he found Patrick and signaled for him to follow. Once the three of them were inside, Keran shut the door.

  "You should be spending time with your future wife, milord.” Elizabeth turned to him. “My daughter is anxious to fulfill her duties to you."

  He ignored her statement and crossed to the table. “I looked over the ledgers this morning. Seems three months after Lord Richard died, there was a nice influx of cash in the coffers."

  He did not mention that the fact she had recorded the amount at all had surprised him. He knew she had received the money from something other than to do with the rents or the sheep. Of course, hiding cash, and then being discovered by the king, would bring about a horrible fate, so she had to record it. She just never thought to be discovered.

  "The shearing, milord."

  "In June?” Keran cocked his eyebrows at her as Patrick sat down and stretched out, putting his feet on the table. “Forgive me, but I was under the impression shearing season was in autumn, not summer."

  "Of course, I meant, from the—the wool from the shearing. We had a good season last year."

  "I would say so. Five thousand pounds is quite a fortune.” He cleared his throat and pushed the book toward Patrick, who sat upright and perused the pages.

  "Another two thousand pounds tw
o months later,” Patrick said. “Very impressive. Your husband should have put you in charge long before. The keep would be rolling in money."

  "It seems it is,” Keran replied. “All the better for the king and the treasury. I take it all the appropriate taxes have been paid?"

  "Of course,” she said stiffly. “Anything else?"

  "No.” Keran leaned against the table. “The king wishes to know why you did not inform him of your husband's death."

  He could almost see her mind searching for an answer that would make sense. “I was in mourning,” she said softly.

  "So you, what, forgot to write and let the king know one of his most loyal subjects had died?” He fought down laughter as her cheeks reddened. He kept his gaze on her face, but out of the corner of his eye he could see her hands, clenching and unclenching.

  "What exactly are you implying?"

  "I am implying nothing. I am simply asking a question the king put to me. Why, he said, would a wife not inform the realm when her husband died? Do you have something to hide?"

  "Absolutely not. How dare you accuse me of such?"

  Keran crossed his arms over his chest and waited. Beside him, Patrick sat back, moving his legs under the table. Both of them focused on Elizabeth, and Keran imagined he could see steam coming out of her ears. When she did not reply further, he nodded.

  "So, what I should tell the king is that you were in such pain from your husband's death that you forgot to tell him. For eight months.” He lifted his eyebrows in question, then hid a smile as tears coated her cheeks.

  "It was painful. I loved Richard so much."

  Yes, enough that you took another man to your bed weeks later, and then another man after him. “I am sure you did."

  He waited for her to speak, but instead she just stood there and cried. A knock at the door drew his attention. “Come."

  Brody stepped inside and bowed. “Milord, a word?"

  "Of course. Lady Elizabeth, you may go.” She whirled around, pushing past Brody who had tried, and failed, to step out of her way.

  He grabbed the door to stay upright, then laughed. “She seems angry."

  "As well she should,” Patrick replied. “She is up to something."

  Brody closed the door and hurried across the room. “You are very right, Patrick. I found the girl, a little more than a half-hour ride from here. She seems well, seeing as how she is the only woman in a camp of men."

  "Men?” Keran frowned. “How many men?"

  "Three dozen, at least. Training, my lord."

  "Training? For battle?"

  "Yes. Most of them looked fairly young and inexperienced."

  Keran crossed to the window and looked out. Brody's report sent him reeling. It made sense, though, with the information Syndra gave him last night. A Scotsman was Lady Elizabeth's first lover after her husband's death. And Henry had fled to Scotland after his defeat at Edward's hands and was still hiding there. If he were preparing an army, an out of the way place like Mardoon would be a good place to gather supporters. Many people in this area had Lancastrian ties.

  "She has rented out Mardoon lands for Edward's enemies to use as a training ground.” His words were soft, menacing. “The traitorous bitch."

  "Let us attack them,” Patrick said. “We will catch them off guard and destroy them."

  "With two-dozen men? Our men may have more experience, but their numbers are higher. And, there is no telling whether there are other bands of men nearby."

  "The surprise will work in our favor,” Patrick said. “Or better yet, let us question Nathaniel, the witch's lover. He will know what is happening."

  Keran considered what to do next. He needed to send an immediate message to the king, but he needed to be sure of his facts. He wanted to see the encampment for himself.

  "I will take you there.” He turned to Brody, who grinned. “I figured you would want to see it. That is what took me so long. I backtracked, then took another route and came out from a different area from which Nathaniel would. That way, no one would think I followed him. I can take you that way."

  "Excellent,” Keran said. “You are far too intelligent, Brody."

  "Thank you, milord. Just allow me more time for wenching and I will be happy."

  Keran returned his grin. “Let us go, then. I can come back and draft a message for the king, asking for instructions on where to go next."

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  Chapter Six

  Syndra's heart fell as she watched Keran and three of his friends ride out of the keep and across the glen, heading for the trees. She wondered how long he would be gone, and where he was going. It was likely he was inspecting his new lands. Those lands were plentiful, and that might keep him away for a while, a thought that hurt her insides. She had hoped he would come to see her sometime today. He had sent Tillie up twice, which meant a great deal to her. Still, she wished it had been him.

  Last night had been like a dream come true. When she had heard his voice in the kitchen, she had been scared to death. Then he had captured her in his arms, and a different sort of anxiety had taken over, one that caused pleasure to soar through her veins despite the fear. She had made the decision to trust him knowing it could be the worst, or the best thing she had ever done.

  She hoped it would be the latter.

  A ruckus from the courtyard drew her back to the window. Nathaniel and two of his men were mounting their horses. Nathaniel was yelling at them to hurry, and people scurried about. Elizabeth stood off to the side, watching. The men took off in the opposite direction from which Keran had gone and Syndra frowned.

  What was happening? Why were they all going out in groups, and so late in the afternoon, too? The evening meal was just a few hours away. There was nothing nearby to get to in that amount of time, unless Keran was going out to examine his lands. Then he would be back. But, why had Nathaniel left in such a hurry?

  She inched away from the window when Elizabeth looked up. She prayed her stepmother had not seen her. Today had been quiet, and for that Syndra was grateful. She'd had enough to think about with meeting Keran, and the possibility that he might actually figure out a way for her to escape from her stepmother's rule. The more she thought about it; the more she thought he could.

  He had already proven that he was a strong man, challenging Elizabeth in front of everyone. She chuckle at the memory and went back to the window, looking down, ready to pull back if need be. But, her stepmother was gone, and the courtyard was again quiet, with nothing going on but normal activity.

  Syndra stepped away from the window and sat down on her bed, her feet tapping against the paving stones. She wanted to go downstairs. Keran's words gave her courage and she wanted to join castle life again, wanted to do more than sit up here in a tower.

  Maybe she could go down, just to the kitchens. Elizabeth was probably in her rooms now, resting. Leora had been strangely silent for the past day, as had Leticia. If the three of them were not around, then Syndra had the opportunity to be among people. She hated being alone.

  Thinking about going downstairs made her wonder about running the castle once Elizabeth was gone, and she and Keran were married. She had seen the heavy hand Elizabeth had used. Syndra would not do that. She would be kind to everyone, no matter what. And she would defer to her husband for the major decisions.

  Tired of sitting she started to pace, thinking about wearing colorful gowns that would please her husband. They would be cut just low enough for him to enjoy the view of her bosom. The warm, tingly feeling she'd had last night when he had caressed her hands came back, starting in her stomach and moving down.

  Her core quivered as she thought about him touching her, his strong fingers buried in her soft flesh. Wetness seeped through her folds, and she remembered Tillie telling her how it made it easier for a man's cock to slide inside.

  Syndra stepped up to the window and looked to see whether Keran had returned. He had not. By the set of the sun, she could tell he woul
d be gone for at least two hours.

  Where was he?

  A heavy sigh escaped her, and she ran her hands under her breasts and down her ribcage. She had to get out of here, or she might go mad. She wanted to see him, to talk to him. Barring that, she wanted to talk to anyone. Sitting here was no longer an option.

  She pulled open the door and crept down the narrow, uneven steps. At the bottom, she pushed the door open. If Elizabeth or Leora were nearby, they would order her back upstairs. When no sound came, Syndra stepped into the hallway and closed the door. She took the back steps to the kitchen, stopping at the top to look around.

  "Come in.” Susan, one of the cooks, motioned to her. “She is upstairs, resting."

  "And Leora?"

  "Well, that one has been absent most of the day."

  Tillie bustled over, laughing. “Tell her why. No wait, let me."

  "Tell me what?"

  "She is with a man, one of Nathaniel's men,” Tillie said. “Last night, Patrick asked me to meet him near the brook outside the gate. So I took the entrance on the south, and there she was, rutting with him."

  Syndra's eyes widened. “Her mother will whip her if she finds out."

  "Let us hope so,” Tillie said before putting her hand over her mouth and asking the heavens for forgiveness. “I should not say that, but it is very funny, is it not?"

  Susan held out some cheese and Syndra took it, eating heartily while fighting back laughter. “It is funny,” she said, swallowing hard. “Which one?"

  "The dark-haired one, the younger one who sits at the back. When Nathaniel rode off, the young man went searching for Leora, and finally found her in the great hall. When her mother went upstairs, they hurried outside. I am sure they are, um, making good use of their time."

  Laughter filled the kitchen and Syndra wondered about her stepsister's actions. Never mind if her mother saw her, if Keran saw her, it would all be over for her, surely she should know that. Of course, it was over anyway, but she did not know it yet.

  "What is going on in here?"

  They froze at the sound of Elizabeth's voice. Syndra wanted to melt into the floor. Then she remembered Keran's words from last night . The king had sent him to marry her, not Leora. He would make that come true, she just knew it. She no longer had to fear her stepmother.