Chapter Fifteen
The song of morning, of bird chirps and streaming sunlight, coaxed Constance out of sleep. With eyes still closed, she stretched her limbs in bed and yawned.
The heavenly feather mattress. The pleasure of flexing her muscles. A slight soreness between her legs.
Robert!
Her eyes shot open, and she glanced toward his side of the bed. ’Twas empty.
She pushed herself into a sitting position and scanned the chamber. “Robert?”
No answer, unless the birds outside the gaping window counted. Perhaps he went to the garderobe. Her full bladder insisted she go too, whether her husband was there or not.
She rolled out of bed and shuffled to the center of the chamber. Her gaze dropped to the crumpled garments on the floor, and she smiled. In haste, she and Robert had ditched their clothes the instant they returned from Woden’s Pond last night. They’d made love again before falling asleep in each other’s arms. Surrounded by his warmth, strength, and manly scent, she’d glided into a deep and dreamless sleep.
His breeches still lay on the ground, which meant he’d dressed in a fresh pair. She hurried to one of the chests along the wall, threw open the lid, and plucked a clean chemise from its contents. Slipping into the garment, she headed for the door.
After a quick—and solitary—visit to the garderobe, she returned to the bedchamber.
Where are you, Robert? She stared at the canopied bed. If only he were in it.
Her stomach trembled with a flurry of excitement, and memories of a perfect night took hold. His combat-chiseled body poised above her. His stunning, gray eyes, probing the depths of her soul even as his manhood probed her secret core. His tender expression. His dimples. The way his hair brushed over her face as he moved on top of her. No man could’ve been more affectionate. More giving. More skillful at making her…
She fanned herself as heat flooded her body. Her womanhood pulsated. What new pleasures will tonight bring?
“Good morrow, my lady.”
Constance started and whirled around. “Alice. Good morrow.”
The handmaiden gave her a quizzical half-smile. “You look flushed. Are you well?”
“Perfectly well.” And perfectly aroused by a mere memory! Does she know? Will everyone know? Calm. I must be calm. She took a deep breath, then released it. “Have you seen Sir Robert?”
“I haven’t.”
She glanced at the swan tapestry, then frowned. The image held two swans. Two!
In disbelief, she stared. But…no. There was only one before. How in the name of Heaven—
“My lady, a messenger just arrived.”
Constance turned back to her. “A messenger?”
Alice held out a piece of folded parchment. “He brought this missive from Father Leof. I was to give it to your ladyship at once.”
“Father Leof? It must be important.” She seized the letter and read it.
Nelda’s labor has begun. She’s calling for you. Come now to the church.
“Alice, help me dress!”
“My lady? What has happened?”
“Nelda is in labor. I must go to her. Where is Meg?”
With puckered brow, Alice bit her lip. “I’m not certain. I think she went for a walk.”
“When next you see her, tell her whither I’ve gone. She’ll be of more help to Nelda than I. And tell Sir Robert, though I know not where he is. Perhaps Guy does. Anyway, I’m needed. Make haste!”
Haste was made, by Alice and an obliging horse. Constance reached the church without delay. She leapt off her mount, secured it to the hitching post, and rushed to the south entrance.
God, ease Nelda’s pain, and help me to calm her fears. Bless this birth, whether it brings one babe or two.
She swung open the door and dashed inside. All was quiet.
She looked around. “Father Leof? Nelda?” Frowning, she strode toward the altar.
Behind her, the door squeaked, then shut with a clunk.
“They aren’t here.”
She froze. No! It cannot be! But her skin—her very spine—prickled and crawled, quashing her denial. Slowly, she turned.
Dominy blocked the door. Fiendish delight blazed in his eyes. “Miss me?”
****
Robert crossed back over the bridge and stepped onto the welcoming cushion of ground that curved around to the front of Woden’s Pond. Birds tweeted. The breeze ruffled his hair, as well as the bluebells in his hand. His first impulse upon waking was to surprise Constance with her favorite flowers. So he’d snuck out of bed, dressed in silence, and hastened to the Long Wood. Now he held the perfect bouquet: not too big; not too small.
He raised it to his nose and inhaled the sweet fragrance. For the rest of his life, the scent would remind him of the blissful night when his bride became his wife.
His memory stirred. Her lovely face. Her supple flesh. The smell of her. The song of her sighs. The sweet surrender in her eyes as her arms, legs, and feminine passage locked around him. Her first shock of pleasure. Her second…third…fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh…
He moaned. Would he ever get enough of her? No. Who could tire of paradise?
Not his manhood, evidently. It swelled even now. With a sigh, he strolled on toward the double stand of oaks. A flicker of movement amid them captured his gaze.
He hastened forward. “Meg!”
She waved as he approached. “Good morrow to you. I couldn’t stay inside on such a beautiful day.”
“But what brings you hither?”
Her smile was wistful. “Memories.”
“Of?”
“You wouldn’t think it to look at me, but I’ve known love.”
“Somehow that doesn’t surprise me.”
“Thank you, Robert. And while we’re on the subject…” She glanced at his bouquet. “I take it you solved your problem.”
He grinned. “I did.” Oh, how I did! Again and again and—
“I knew you would.”
“You knew? Or you hoped?”
Her violet eyes twinkled. “I knew.”
He regarded her through narrowed eyes. “How?”
She held his gaze for a long moment, then waved him away. “Not your concern, Robert. But your wife is, and I can tell you’re eager to see her.”
“And you’re eager to get rid of me.”
Her lips twisted. “Off with you now.”
With a parting smile, he continued to the gatehouse. Not ten steps inside the bailey, he spotted Guy, chatting with one of the pages. The little boy glanced in Robert’s direction, grabbed the squire’s arm, and pointed.
Guy turned and met Robert’s gaze. He strode toward him with purpose. “Sir Robert, Alice asked me to relay a message from Lady Constance. Father Leof summoned her ladyship to the church. ’Tis Nelda’s time, and as you know, her ladyship promised to stay by her side.”
Robert nodded. “A promise is a promise. I myself pledged to stay with my brother when Lady Ravenwood’s time comes. So Nelda went into labor at the church?”
“Apparently so.” Guy examined the flowers in Robert’s hand. “Bluebells, sir?”
“For her ladyship.”
A smile spread across the squire’s face.
“That’s enough, Guy.”
“Of course, sir.” But his grin remained.
Robert averted his gaze, then frowned. “Isn’t that Father Leof, coming out of Widow Daryl’s?”
Guy followed his stare. “You’re right. Shouldn’t he be in Preostbi?”
“One would think so. Wait here.” He turned and tramped across the humming bailey.
The priest smiled as he approached. “Ah, what a pleasure to see you again. And so soon!” He motioned to the hut behind him. “As you may know, the widow has been ill, so I stopped in to see her.”
A growing sense of unease gnawed at Robert’s stomach. “How long have you been here?”
“A while, and I expect to stay at least until dinner. I’m just fetching some—”
“How fares Nelda?”
Leof blinked, then found his smile again. “Quite well. I haven’t seen her for a couple of days, but if anything were wrong, her brother Osmund would—”
“A couple of days? She’s not in labor?”
Leof’s grin disappeared. “Not as far as I know.”
“Didn’t you send word to Lady Constance this morning?”
“Lady Constance? No. Why would I?”
Robert huffed. “To bid her come to the church and help Nelda!”
Leof’s brow creased. “I don’t understand. I sent no word, and Nelda isn’t at the church. The only one there is the archdeacon.”
Alarm clutched Robert’s chest. “Which archdeacon?”
“Why, Archdeacon Dominy. He arrived early this morning, though I wasn’t expecting him. He reminded me of Widow Daryl’s plight and offered to take over while I ministered to her.”
The flowers dropped from Robert’s hand and fell to the dust. He spun around and marched toward his squire. “Guy, my horse!”