urke!”urke!”
Burke spun in the shadows of Crevy’s familiar stables to find Alys silhouetted in the portal. She was slightly out of breath and her cheeks were flushed, her hood cast back.
“Again I owe you an apology,” she said with a fleeting smile. “But this I hope will be the last. I am sorry that I did not trust the fullness of your intent, I am sorry that I feared you would lose interest in me over time, I am sorry that I have always heeded the endorsement of others before your own pledge, and I am sorry that I doubted your fidelity.”
Burke blinked, astonished by this confession.
“I have not trusted you fully, Burke, and that is no way to begin our match.” Alys stepped closer, her eyes gleaming. “And I would seal my apology with a kiss.”
Burke’s pulse pounded at the prospect. Alys smiled as if she read his very thoughts, casting her arms around his neck and lifting her lips to his. Burke pulled her to her toes, slanted his lips across hers, and kissed her fully.
Alys trusted him fully. ’Twas all the more of a marvel for its unexpectedness—and perhaps worth the embarrassment Guillaume had extracted.
Their kiss quickly became incendiary, the tangling of their tongues setting a fire in Burke’s blood that threatened to burn out of control. Alys pressed against him, her hands gripping his hair as if she would urge him to eat her whole.
And Burke was sorely tempted to do that. Ye gods, but Alys learned quickly! Everything within him clamored that he claim a stall in this very stable and bolt the door until they had had their fill of each other.
But ’twould be a dishonor to her.
Instead, Burke dragged his lips from hers and took an unsteady breath. Alys too was out of breath. Her eyes were wide and dark, her lips were swollen. More of her hair than usual hung in tendrils against her neck.
She was the most beguiling woman he had ever seen.
And she would be his bride.
“What is amiss?” she asked unevenly. “Why did you halt?”
“All is aright, Alys.” Burke lifted a hand to her jaw, struck anew by her mingled softness and strength. “But as before, I would not dishonor you. We will wait for our nuptial night.”
To Burke’s surprise, his lady shook her head with vehemence. “Nay, Burke. We have waited long enough, you and I.” She stretched to brush her lips across his. “I do not want to wait any longer.”
Burke caught his breath. “But, Alys …”
“But, Burke, I trust you to do as you say in this,” she insisted, her eyes filled with conviction. “I trust you to wed me as you have vowed, and I would give you evidence of that trust. Indeed, I have doubted you too long.”
“But, Alys, there could be a child.”
She smiled up at him, confidence lighting her features. “Then you have best keep your pledge soon.”
Burke could not refuse her. He captured her hand within his and glanced over the stables, seeing only now that there were many watchful eyes.
“Not here,” he said under his breath, then suddenly recalled the perfect trysting place. None would disturb them and he had oft envisioned Alys in that very spot.
He kissed her palm, then wordlessly lifted her to Moon-shadow’s saddle. Burke swung up behind her and gave the destrier his spurs, not caring who saw them depart together.
’Twas on the eve of his scheduled wedding that Talbot left Kiltorren. Indeed, it had taken that long to induce Cedric and all those around him to drink themselves to a stupor.
Talbot glanced back only once, and that from Kiltorren’s own gates. He paused beneath the open portcullis—Godfrey’s objections silenced with a quick blow to the back of the guard’s head—and felt an uncharacteristic pang of guilt.
For Malvina would not have the wedding day she so desired. ’Twas more than her disappointment at root, though. Talbot had taken the maidenhead of a noblewoman, and his very flight left that woman compromised. His uncle would not approve of that, and indeed, a corner of his own heart felt the shadow of shame.
Malvina would likely never have a wedding day, and that troubled Talbot much more than he had thought it would. To be sure, the woman was a virago when denied her desire, but Talbot could well understand her frustration with that circumstance.
Aye, there was something about Malvina that intrigued him, that Talbot could not deny. He had savored her lust, he liked that she strove to win what she desired, regardless of the cost.
And he could well understand her sense of inadequacy.
But there was no question of abandoning his uncle’s quest or even his own agenda. Talbot had to ensure his own future. He could not let this Alys challenge his legacy.
He had to leave Kiltorren.
But ’twas with surprising reluctance that Talbot turned his back upon that keep, snarled at Henri, and rode with all haste for the coast. He had to return to France, and with all speed possible, for his prey was two weeks’ ahead of him in this.
Nay, Talbot did not imagine for a moment that any man would be fool enough to cast aside a wealthy estate in exchange for naught. Burke—and Alys—would be at Montvieux.
Talbot could only hope he arrived there in time.
Burke dismounted when Crevy’s keep was lost behind a bend of the river and reached to lock his hands around Alys’s waist. The sky was a perfect hue of blue overhead, there was not a cloud to be seen, the river gurgled and splashed to their right. Even the village was out of view, the tolling of the church’s bell echoing distantly over the land. Crevy’s fields sloped away from the river on either bank, and the shadow of the forest loomed just ahead.
Burke folded his hand around Alys’s own and led her into the shadows of the woods. There, by the river, the trees did not grow as densely and the sunlight scattered on the forest floor. Alys watched as he tethered Moonshadow within the shelter of the trees, where the beast could reach both river and undergrowth. Burke took his great fur-lined cloak, smiled for Alys, then led her onward.
Within a half-dozen steps, it seemed as if they two were alone. Alys heard the distant movement of small creatures, the call of birds, the incessant chortling of the river. Burke led her to a sun-dappled glade where the branches arched high overhead and the pale green leaves fluttered against the azure sky. She could see the flash of the river through the shrubbery on one side and knew she had never visited a more peaceful spot in all her days.
Burke cast his cloak upon the ground and turned to her with a smile, propping his hands on his hips as he glanced about himself. “What do you think?”
“I think it most odd that you knew exactly where this place could be found,” she teased, bold with new confidence that he cared for her alone.
Burke grinned. “I have visited tore before.”
“In those years before you came to Kiltorren?”
“Nay, ’twas Eglantine’s choice when she sought to win Guillaume’s wager.”
“Without success.”
Burke glanced at Alys, as if amused by her certainty that he had been faithful. “Aye.” His lips twisted. “You shall mock me if I confess that the sunlight through the trees reminded me of the gloss of your hair.”
Alys sobered. “And that is why you declined her.”
Burke’s smile faded in turn and he lifted one finger to her jaw. “I could only think of you, Alys. I have oft imagined you here, with your hair loosed over your shoulders.” He stroked her cheek, heat dawning in his gaze and beneath Alys’s flesh. There was a catch in his voice when he continued. “Will you unbind your hair?”
Alys kissed his fingers, removed her circlet and veil, and entrusted them both to Burke. He carefully laid them aside, and she unknotted the tie securing her braid. Burke watched her so avidly that Alys found herself smiling as her hair was worked free. She ran her fingers through its wavy mass, shook her head, and let it cascade over her shoulders.
The wonder on Burke’s features was all she could have hoped for. He lifted a handful of her hair and let it spill over his fingers, watching with a smile as the sunlight glinted in its waves.
“ ’Tis so very soft,” he mused, flicking a glance to Alys’s eyes. He stepped closer, then speared his fingers through it and cupped her nape in the strength of his hands.
Alys caught her breath, the intimacy of his touch making her heart race. “Gilded sunlight,” Burke teased, and she laughed before to kissed her.
Then there was naught to laugh about. Alys could taste the difference in Burke’s manner, for his kiss was languorous and thorough, seductive and purposeful. This time he would not halt at kisses, this time he would hold naught back. Alys felt a flicker of anticipation, for she trusted Burke to ensure her pleasure in this mystery of the intimacy between men and women.
Indeed, she could hardly wait to know more.
Burke’s tongue eased between her teeth, the surety of his touch making Alys’s knees melt. She leaned against him, surrendering all as his hands drifted down her back and lifted her against him. Alys revelled in the strength of him. She clutched the corded strength of his neck and felt the imprint of his hauberk through both his tunic and her own kirtle.
“It seems to me that we are too heavily garbed,” Burke murmured. “Will you aid me with my hauberk this time?”
Alys chuckled and shook a playful finger at him. “Aye, if you do not vex me overmuch.”
Burke’s eyes flashed, then he kissed her with a lazy deliberation that left her breathless. “Are you vexed, my lady fair?” he whispered into her ear, his breath making her shiver.
“Aye,” Alys declared, enjoying the flash of surprise in his eyes. “For we are too heavily garbed.”
Burke chuckled, then kissed her quickly before he stepped away. He unbuckled his belt and laid his sword and dagger aside. He hauled his tabard over his head and cast it aside, then granted her a significant glance.
Alys stepped to his side, and between the two of them, the hauberk was quickly dispatched. Burke flexed his shoulders when its weight was removed, the way his hair was tousled and, indeed, the very breadth of him, making Alys tingle. He was so very masculine, so very different from her.
’Twas as if he understood that she might be shy about her own nudity, for Burke seemed bent on baring his own flesh first. He kicked off his boots and pulled his chemise over his head, casting it into the pile with a flourish.
“You are not very careful with your garb,” Alys commented when he stood before her in his chausses alone.
“I make haste on this day,” he confessed with a warm glint in his eyes. “But do not fear, I shall show exemplary tidiness when we share quarters.”
With that he lifted her hands and placed them on the tangle of dark hair in the middle of his chest. Alys inhaled sharply to find that warm flesh so suddenly beneath her fingers, but Burke smiled down at her. “Alys, I am all yours.”
The implication made Alys catch her breath. Burke granted her the chance to satisfy her curiosity.
Emboldened by the admiration in his eyes, Alys did precisely that. She slid her hands across Burke’s chest, exploring the differences between them with her touch. She grazed the flatness of his nipples with her fingertips, surprised by the way he stiffened. Alys repeated the move, then gently slid her nails across them, enjoying how Burke caught his breath. She glanced up to find his gaze shimmering with heat.
The sign of her effect upon him was intoxicating. Alys ran her hands over him with increasing boldness. She felt every ripple of muscle, ran her fingertips over the contour of each rib. She found the precise spot where Burke was ticklish and returned to it mercilessly. He chuckled and watched her, perfectly content to let her take her leisure in exploring him.
And Alys did. “You are uncommonly patient.”
Burke grinned. “ ’Tis not without its own reward,” he replied silkily. “Indeed, I am glad you persuaded me to this course.”
Alys kissed him lightly, then examined his arms, his shoulders, his neck, his back; she circled behind him and ran her hands over his flesh. She slid her hands up the middle of his back, speared her fingertips though his hair, and felt him shiver. Alys pressed herself against Burke’s back, his buttocks fitting against her belly, and leaned her cheek against his shoulder blade. She wrapped her arms around him and let her hands rove over his chest, retracing their course over his ribs to his lean waist.
Alys’s hands hesitated at the top of Burke’s chausses, knowing what was there and uncertain she was brave enough to touch. Burke waited for a long moment, then gently guided her hands to the drawstring.
Then he waited anew.
Alys closed her eyes, breathed deeply of his scent, and let one hand wander over his chausses below the drawstring. ’Twas easier in a way to examine him blindly, with her fingertips, and without Burke being able to see her maidenly blushes.
Although Alys had no doubt that he could feel the heat of her burning cheeks. Her hand eased down from his waist and encountered the hard shaft within his chausses.
Burke stopped breathing.
Alys let her other hand follow suit, her fingers closing around this part of him and squeezing experimentally.
“Ye gods!” Burke muttered, as if his teeth were clenched.
Alys peeked around his shoulder, relinquishing the grip of one hand to have a better look at his strained expression. “Is that painful?” she asked, her fingers repeating the deed more gently.
Burke gasped, he blanched, but there was no mistaking the heat in his eyes. “ ’Tis exquisite torture,’ he said with a rueful grin.
Alys knew her lack of understanding showed, for Burke shoved a hand through his hair, looking truly troubled in a most attractive way. “I shall show you the meaning of that soon enough,” he said with a growl. “But look first at what you have wrought.”
Alys unknotted the drawstring, then gave it a tug. Burke’s chausses, though, did not fall of their own accord, for they were caught upon the part of him she held.
And ’twas clear the man would do naught to aid her in this. He folded his arms across his chest and waited anew. “You leave me all the labor,” Alys teased.
Burke grinned. “You demanded no less of me. And trust me, my Alys, you shall have your due.”
Alys eased the dark wool free, running her hands beneath it to work it over his buttocks and thighs. She gasped when she saw what she had freed. “ ’Tis so big!”
Burke’s eyes twinkled with vigor. “That would be your fault.”
Alys touched him with tentative fingertips and that part of him seemed to swell to her touch. “Is it always thus?”
Burke inhaled anew at her touch, then his smile turned rueful. “Only in your presence, or when I think of you.”
“Is it painful?”
“Only when left in this state for prolonged periods.”
And the man had desired her for three years. Alys bit her lip. She glanced at Burke and was unable to dispel the impression that he was mightily amused. She propped a hand on her hip to regard him, her blush rising again. “No doubt you find this amusing—”
“On the contrary,” Burke interrupted smoothly, “I find your innocence totally enchanting.”
He smiled with a warmth that made Alys flush yet more. She caressed him again, fascinated by his response to her touch, then looked to him anew. “How do you ease its state?”
“Ha!” Burke’s grin flashed. “I thought you would never ask!”
Alys laughed and danced away from him when he might have caught her in his embrace. She shook a finger at him. “I shall guess that it has to do with the shedding of my garb!”
“Not necessarily,” Burke declared in a low voice, then kicked his chausses aside to lend chase in the full glory of his nudity. “But ’twould only be chivalrous for me to offer my aid, if you so desire.”
Alys tossed her hair and held her ground. “I shall save a drawstring for you,” she declared with a smile. Burke halted to watch as she shed her cloak.
Alys untied the girdle knotted around her waist and kicked off her shoes. She untied the garters of her stockings and peeled them off, then unfastened the neck of her kirtle. Her trembling fingers untied the lacings along its sides. Alys watched Burke as she shed the wool garment, hoping against hope that he found her as pleasing as she found him.
But the glow in his eyes when she stood only in her chemise was undiminished. “I certainly hope that you will fold your garments with greater care when we share quarters,” he commented with a quirk of his brow.
Alys laughed, appreciating his attempt to set her at ease in this moment. She flicked the ends of the drawstring tie at him, and her mouth went dry. “ ’Tis your task,” she managed to say.
Burke frowned. “And my chemise, unless I miss my guess.”
Alys chuckled in acknowledgement.
He closed the distance between them with a single step, lifted his hand to the tie, and gave it a gentle tug. Her laughter fell silent as the bow untied, the gathering eased, and the chemise gaped. The warmth of Burke’s hands closed over Alys’s shoulders, his gaze fixed unswervingly upon hers, and he eased the linen away with one smooth gesture.
Alys felt the cool air against her skin. She shook the chemise free of her wrists, then Burke folded her against his warmth. The feel of his skin bare against her own made Alys gasp, then his lips closed over hers. Burke lifted her softness against his strength, his hardness pressed against her belly, and Alys could not get enough of his kiss.
Suddenly Burke lifted his lips from hers and swept her into his arms, his eyes glinting with mischief. Alys made a little sound of protest, for she was far from finished with kissing him.
“I did vow to teach you of exquisite torture,” he reminded her with a wicked grin.
Alys could not wait to learn more. Burke lay her on the fur of his cloak and stretched out beside her, his hand cupping her breast. His thumb eased across the nipple, and Alys gasped at the tide of pleasure he awakened.
Then Burke bent to take that sensitive peak in his mouth. He suckled with increasing ardor, and Alys could not believe his wondrous caress. The tingle he had long ago awakened became a roar of demand, though Alys did not know how to sate it.
But Burke, she was certain, did.
His tongue worked against her with a diligence that she had come to trust in this knight. Alys clutched at his hair, the soft tickle of the fur beneath driving her to distraction, yet Burke continued undeterred.
He slipped his supporting arm beneath her, his fingers closing on the back of her waist. Alys was trapped against him and could imagine nowhere else she would rather be. He slipped one muscled thigh between her own, his free hand abandoning her breast and easing lower.
When his finger slipped into the nest of curls at the apex of her thighs, Alys thought she might burst with pleasure. She cried out at Burke’s sure touch, then gasped as he caressed her with persuasive ease. Burke ran a teasing row of kisses up her neck, until he nibbled at her earlobe.
“Trust me, Alys,” he whispered, the fan of his breath taking her desire to new heights. “The reward is well worth the journey.”
Alys did not think the journey was without merit either, but she could not find the words to tell her knight as much. She gripped his broad shoulders, eagerly returning his long slow kiss. Alys felt a wetness spread between her thighs as he caressed her and a tension build beneath her skin. She writhed against Burke, loving the brush of his chest hair against her taut nipples.
’Twas unlike anything she had ever felt before and Alys wanted only more. Burke’s fingers worked with an undeniable deliberation as Alys kissed him with all the ardor she was feeling. She felt faint and shivered when his fingers slid inside her, his thumb still easing across the sensitive pearl that drove her to distraction.
“ ’Tis there I will go,” he murmured. Alys’s fingers wandered between them to touch his hardness in understanding, and Burke nodded against her throat. “Aye, Alys, within you is the only relief for this state.”
“Then come within me,” she whispered.
“Not yet.” Alys looked into his silvery eyes once more and he smiled crookedly. “First I will see you touch the stars.”
Alys was on her back, Burke leaning over her. His fingers teased with renewed vigor. Knowing that she alone stood in the way of his relief, Alys surrendered to the sensation building within her.
The dragon in her belly roared, Burke caught her close, Alys twisted but knew she would find no escape from this knight’s loving touch. She loved Burke and he loved her. They would make their way together, secure in the circle of that love.
For Burke, Alys knew well enough, would surrender to no challenge that stood in the way of what he believed.
He slipped two strong fingers within her in that very moment and Alys clutched his shoulders at the resulting surge of pleasure, her love for him touching the flame to the tinder.
And she cried out in delight as the fire ripped through her veins, gasping when Burke’s lips closed demandingly over her own. She saw naught but a blinding flash of light, she felt naught but Burke, she tasted those stars.
Exquisite torture, indeed. ’Twas exactly as Burke had promised her.
But then Alys had learned to expect no less.
“Why the smile?” Burke murmured when Alys’s eyelids fluttered open again. He did not know how long he had simply held her, watching the crimson fade from her cheeks, watching her doze within the circle of his embrace, watching the sunlight toy with the majesty of her hair.
The moment he had dreamed of for so long was here, and Burke did not intend to miss any of it.
Alys’s smile broadened, her eyes echoing the sun-flecked hues of this secret glade. She brushed his hair back from his forehead, her movements languid. Burke bent to brush his lips across hers and she sighed.
“Dare I hope you were pleased?”
“Sweet torture,” she confirmed, and looped her arms around his neck. That dimple reappeared, her eyes twinkled with mischief, then suddenly she rubbed herself against his erection. “Yet you are still in such troubled state.”
’Twas a marvel to see the understanding sweep over her and a new confidence color her every movement. Burke knew he would never tire of watching Alys, nor, indeed, of tempting that smile.
“We could see to that now,” he whispered against her throat. Her sigh filled his ear as he kissed her creamy flesh, and she arched against him in a way that made him nearly explode with desire. Burke eased himself between the lady’s thighs as they kissed and braced himself on his elbows above her.
When their lips finally parted, they were both breathing quickly. Alys ran her hands over Burke’s shoulders, then flicked a nervous glance down between them.
“You truly go there?”
“ ’Tis easier than one might expect, but the first time may be difficult” Burke touched the tip of his nose fleetingly to hers. “You must promise to tell me if there is pain.”
Alys nodded and bit her lip in trepidation. But Burke did not want her to be afraid. He captured her lips beneath his own once more, entangling their fingers as he eased closer to his goal.
She returned his kiss hungrily, her legs parting to accommodate him as she braced her feet on the back of his calves. The imprint of those toes on his own flesh nearly sent Burke surging forward, but he gritted his teeth and moved with excruciating slowness.
His Alys. She was so very wet and warm. Burke closed his eyes when his erection nudged against her softness. He eased closer and met resistance, then broke his kiss to watch his lady.
“Tell me,” he urged, and Alys nodded quickly, her wondrous eyes wide. He moved again and she caught her breath, her fingers tightening on his own.
But the warm embrace of Alys surrounded him so sweetly that Burke had no breath of his own to ask. Indeed, he touched his brow to her shoulder and closed his eyes, aware of naught but her beguiling softness beneath and around him. Eventually he opened his eyes, only to be greeted by the lady’s gentle smile.
“ ’Twas just a twinge,” she whispered, then wriggled her hips encouragingly.
Burke gasped and slipped further into her welcoming grip. His own tension eased when Alys’s fingers relaxed their hold upon his. Finally buried to the hilt and certain paradise could be no more than this, Burke paused for a moment to let the lady become accustomed to him.
“That was not much,” she confided. “Indeed, I had expected more …” Alys got no further before Burke tentatively moved. She gasped with pleasure, her eyes widened, and she clutched his shoulders once more. “Burke!”
He moved again and again, knowing he would not last long and wanting to ensure she found satisfaction in this. He could not resist the creamy length of Alys’s throat, the perfection of her ears, the ripe invitation of her lips.
She kissed him so demandingly she nigh drove him wild, her ardor rising with every stroke. Burke extricated one of his hands and managed to work his fingers between them, his thumb caressing Alys anew as he sought a rhythm to please them both.
Alys twisted and writhed beneath him again, her every move driving Burke onward. He felt the heat build but grimly hung on, waiting for Alys’s release. He felt sweat bead on his back, his legs were clenched, he was bigger and harder than he had ever been in all his days.
Alys pumped her hips demandingly beneath him, she clung to his hand, she whispered his name. Burke felt her tremble begin, and as she parted her lips to cry out, he buried himself within her one last time. When Alys tightened around him, he heard himself shout her name, then he too tasted the stars.
Long moments later Burke opened his eyes to find Alys breathing as heavily as he. He had collapsed atop her and feared suddenly for her comfort. Burke rolled to his back, Alys still clasped in his arms, and savored the way she giggled as she sprawled across him.
“Ah, Alys, I do love you so,” he murmured, then pressed a kiss into her hair.
Alys sighed and leaned her head on his chest, her breath fanning across him. “I shall never doubt you again,” she whispered.
“Aye? Why?”
“Because you were right once more,” she confessed drowsily. “One must match the rhythm of one’s steed.”
Burke chuckled despite his exhaustion to find himself compared to Moonshadow. Alys propped her chin in her hand, bracing her elbow against his chest, and looked down at him with a cocky smile. “And was this worth three years’ wait, sir?”
Burke studied the unkempt vixen lolling on his chest and knew that Alys would never fail to stir his blood. He traced the line of her lips with a fingertip and smiled into her eyes. “I would wait a lifetime for you, my Alys, and that without complaint.”
“More sweet words,” she teased.
“And every one of them the truth.”
“I know.” When Alys leaned down to claim a kiss, her hair spilling all around them, Burke thought his heart would burst. He caught her close and kissed her deeply, and only then recalled another tale he would lay to rest.
To his relief, one glance to his cloak confirmed what he had suspected he would find.
“Look there,” he bade his lady fair. Burke knew the very moment that Alys saw her own blood, for she frowned as if disbelieving the evidence of her own eyes. Burke slid her weight to one side, pointing to the mark of her maidenhead left upon him.
“And there,” he urged.
Alys touched the smear upon his flesh, then met his gaze hopefully. “ ’Tis blood.”
“And not just any blood. ’Tis your virginal blood, Alys, and the mark of your maidenhead.” He squeezed her waist. “Another of your aunt’s lies proven for what it was.”
Alys turned a smile upon Burke that fairly curled his toes. “And what of your lie, sir?”
Burke could not hide his astonishment at this, though Alys’s manner was teasing. “I thought you knew I told you no lies.”
“Aye, I know it well.” Her smile did not fade. “But on this day, you at least were misguided.” Alys ran her fingertips down Burke’s chest, then across his lingering erection. The member returned to life once again and the lady laughed.
“You told me this would be resolved by our play, Burke,” she jested, her fingers closing around him with newfound confidence. “But ’tis as swollen as ever. I would not see you so tormented.”
Burke could not hold back his smile. “You abandon innocence with ease, my temptress.”
Alys laughed again. “And you would complain of this?”
“Not at all,” he declared, then sat up and gathered Alys quickly into his arms. She nestled against him quite contentedly, her head on his shoulder, her legs curled so that her feet were on his thigh. Burke captured one foot in his hand and leisurely ran his thumb across the soft flesh of the arch. “I should be delighted to offer my assistance in your quest.”
Alys’s eyes sparkled. “In the name of gallantry?”
“A man of honor can do no less,” Burke agreed easily, then bent his head to claim another leisurely kiss before Alys could laugh once more.
Lady Crevy was a practical woman. She had not survived so long and so well by missing opportunity when ’twas cast into her lap.
Lady Crevy liked this pretty child who fretted so for her cousin’s happiness. No less, she knew that Guillaume could trust such a tender woman with his heart. And she knew also that her son, still nursing his heart’s wounds, would do little to make the most of the matter.
He could be so like his father at times.
She clucked her tongue as she marched up the stairs. A sensible woman had to turn opportunity to advantage, when others might let it slip away.
Lady Crevy rapped once as she entered the chamber she had granted to the visiting women and smiled to see that Brigid’s color had returned. The young maid straightened from serving broth to her lady.
“Do not let me disturb you, petite,” Lady Crevy declared warmly. “I would assure myself only that you are restored.”
“Aye.” Brigid smiled. “ ’Tis good to b-b-be in a soft bed.”
Lady Crevy sat on the edge of the mattress and felt the young woman’s brow, satisfied that her skin had cooled. “You will join us at the board this night.”
Brigid’s smile faltered, but Lady Crevy was not about to let her decline. “I tell you why, ma petite. I have a concern for my son with which you might aid me.”
“M-m-me?”
Lady Crevy patted her hand. “He is so shy with the ladies that I fear Crevy will never have an heir. It pains me to think that he will be alone when I pass away, for he is kind and not the manner of man who should be alone.”
Brigid bit her lip, her eyes wide with sympathy.
“But you can help, ma petite, if only you will.”
“Oh, I would do anything. You have been so nice!”
“ ’Tis a small thing, you have only to talk to him.”
Brigid flushed. “But I will st-st-stammer.”
Lady Crevy leaned closer. “Ah, to believe that, you must know little of men. They love to talk of themselves, and my son, for all I love him, is no different in this. You have but to ask him of himself, of Crevy, then listen avidly to him. You must laugh at his jests, and thus, you will aid him to believe in his own desirability.”
Brigid’s gaze dropped shyly. “I think your son is m-m-most handsome.”
“Aye, he has his looks from me, non?” They laughed together, then Lady Crevy clapped her hands. “Ah! This could help you as well, for you can cultivate those fine Paris manners you are so certain you lack. My son has been to Paris many times—ask him of this!”
Brigid’s eyes widened, then she smiled, obviously entranced by the possibility. “I c-c-could do this. For Alys and B-B-Burke.”
“Of course you could, ma petite.” Lady Crevy snapped her fingers. “I have another idea. You must be bored with the garments you have brought all this way. There is naught like a new kirtle, even one borrowed from an old woman like me, to brighten a lady’s mood, non? And a bath, hot and deep.”
“A bath!” Brigid breathed.
“I shall see it done.” Lady Crevy rose and clapped her hands, her commands sending servants scattering. She noted with pride that Brigid already sat straighter, anticipation in her eyes.
’Twas then that a tousled Lady Alys entered the room, her hair easing from beneath her veil. Aye, Lady Crevy knew that manner of flush, that beguiled smile, as well as the root of both. Burke de Montvieux was a rogue, there was no disputing that, but she could hardly blame the man.
Three years! ’Twas contre nature.
“Alys! I am to aid L-L-Lady Crevy’s son!” Brigid evidently knew naught of what had put such a smile upon her cousin’s lips, and Lady Crevy marked innocence in that girl’s favor.
“How wonderful.” Alys flushed in a most telling manner and Lady Crevy knew that ’twas no accident Burke halted here, Brigid in his entourage. Lady Crevy’s heart swelled that Burke should be so thoughtful, and she knew she could not let Burke’s generosity go unrewarded.
He was a man who did not forget his friends, and Lady Crevy would reward such impulses.
She crossed to Alys’s side and looked her in the eye. “Aid me in this,” she insisted quietly, “and I shall aid you.”
“Me? But how?”
Lady Crevy turned to Brigid and smiled. “Your cousine has agreed to aid my son in overcoming his shyness. I believe she will do a wondrous job, with such charm and such a sweet smile. Do you not agree, Alys?”
Brigid looked hopeful for her cousin’s approval and Alys smiled warmly. “What a wondrous idea! Why, Brigid, he could assist you in learning Parisian manners.”
’Twas no small thing Alys and she thought similarly, Lady Crevy concluded as Brigid beamed. “I c-c-can do it!”
“But of course!”
When Lady Crevy went to summon the bath, she caught Alys’s elbow and made some excuse of needing her counsel. “I see your hand in this, and it shall not go unappreciated,” Lady Crevy confided in an undertone. “I shall turn a blind eye upon you and Burke sharing a chamber in this keep.” She shook a finger at a delighted Alys. “But understand that if Margaux de Montvieux believes I approved of such behavior, I shall deny it to my dying breath.”
Alys laughed and threw her arms around the older woman, thanking her with a resounding kiss that boded well for this couple’s happiness. “You are most kind!”
“Pshaw! Burke would do as he would with or without my approval—I would know only who sleeps where in my hall.” Lady Crevy winked. “ ’Tis clear he has a store of ardor to share.” Alys’s flush deepened and Lady Crevy smiled. “You had best share your cousin’s bath, petite, and I shall find you new garb as well.”
Burke turned at the sound of the women on the stairs, though he could never have prepared himself for Alys’s radiant entry. She wore a different kirtle, one finer than any she had possessed thus far, though ’twas her smile that made his heart pound. She crossed the floor to his side with quick steps and laid a kiss upon his lips that made Burke marvel that he had ever been able to conceive of chastity.
He did not know how he would survive until their nuptials, for one lingering taste of his lady only tempted him yet more.
She smiled up at him, as if reading his thoughts. “Rogue!” she whispered with sparkling eyes, then pointed across the hall. “Watch this.”
Burke reluctantly looked up in time to see Brigid, not only similarly arrayed but apparently buoyed with new confidence. Guillaume met her gaze, then might have retreated to the board, but Brigid, to Burke’s astonishment, lifted her chin. She and Lady Crevy exchanged a smile, then the girl swept toward Guillaume with rare purpose. She smiled at him, then clasped her hands together before herself.
“Sir, would you t-t-tell me of Crevy?”
Burke stifled his smile as his friend was visibly enchanted. As usual of late, matters proceeded markedly well.
Alys savored Burke’s rare surprise when Lady Crevy insisted on seeing them to their chambers that evening. The chatelain frowned but withdrew at his lady’s command. Guillaume and Brigid were so deep in conversation that they barely noted the trio’s departure.
Alys elbowed Burke as they climbed the stairs, keeping her voice low so that their hostess did not overhear. “It seemed you have known best yet again.” Burke glanced down in surprise. “I think your friend is an admirable choice for Brigid.”
“One can only hope they two share our conviction.”
“Surely you would compel them to share your view,” Alys teased. “You are not one to welcome objections.”
Burke grinned. “And you have complaints of this?”
“Nay,” she conceded, then winked at her knight. “Indeed I could grow used to your determination—no less your lessons in the amorous arts.”
Burke chuckled, then feigned sternness. “I cannot recall that we agreed to further tutelage,” he mused so solemnly that Alys almost laughed aloud.
Lady Crevy paused ahead of them, then indicated a door on her right. “Alys, I hope this will suffice.”
“Oh, ’tis a lovely chamber. I thank you so much.”
Burke hesitated in a decidedly obvious manner. Lady Crevy propped her hands upon her hips and surveyed him. “Is it not fine enough to suit your taste, chevalier?”
“Of course! Alys will enjoy …”
“Then get yourself within before all of Crevy sees my indulgence of you two!” And Lady Crevy shooed him with her hands. Burke’s eyes widened, but Alys seized his hand when he hesitated and dragged him into her chamber.
Lady Crevy winked. “I like a woman who knows what she desires,” she murmured, then closed the door behind them.
Alys leaned her back against it just as Burke’s laughter burst forth. “You cheeky wench!” he charged, admiration gleaming in his eyes. “You planned this!”
Alys propped her hands on her hips to regard him. “Oh? Did you not mean to wed me, after all?” she teased, and found herself in Burke’s arms with satisfying speed.
“Indeed, I would not dare to let you go,” he declared warmly, then arched a brow. “What was this you said about lessons?”
“I demand to know all you can teach me.” Alys twined her arms around her knight’s neck. “Continuing this night from this afternoon.”
Burke smiled down at her, his gaze intent. “ ’Tis an investment I doubt I will regret.”
Alys smiled and stretched to her toes, ensuring that he had very little to say for a very long time afterward.
She could not, after all, leave the man with any doubts of her trust.