Read Online Margaret Moore by A Rogues Embrace - Free Book Online Page B

groom was at the foot of the bed, regarding her with an annoyingly inscrutable expression.
    “Come, man, do your duty!” the king cried, making everyone else in the room laugh. “To the bed!”
    Richard glanced over his shoulder at the gang of men behind him, then smiled and bowed to the ladies. “As I am a loyal subject of His Majesty, naturally I shall obey his command.”
    “And right thankful for it you should be, too!” Charles declared.
    “I am, Your Majesty, although just how thankful I shall be still remains to be seen.”
    Elissa crossed her arms. Then she swallowedhard as Sir Richard slowly—very slowly, like a prowling cat—began to crawl toward her.
    “Gad, man, we haven’t got all night!” one of the courtiers complained.
    “All night?” Elissa whispered, staring at her husband.
    He ignored her question and twisted to look over his shoulder. “Is the Duke of Buckingham trying to rush me?” he demanded.
    “We all of us would rather be about our own business,” the same man retorted, his response drawing a smattering of cheers and vocal agreement from the rest.
    “Your Majesty, lords and ladies, gentlemen of the court, I intend to obey the royal command at my own pace, if you please.”
    Although his features revealed nothing, Sir Richard sounded a little annoyed.
    “Come, come, Blythe, you know Villiers has a loose tongue,” the king chided.
    His Majesty gestured at one of the servants, who stepped forward and began to close the heavy bed curtains. “We envy you, Blythe, and we shall await the stocking.”
    “What does he mean?” Elissa whispered as her husband sat beside her, his back against the elaborate headboard and his long legs stretched out before him. “What about my stocking?”
    As the curtains were pulled to a close by the somber servant, Elissa swallowed hard andtried not to feel entombed. Outside the confines of their bed, she could hear the courtiers and the king laughing and talking. It was as if they were being haunted by lascivious demons.
    Then her husband turned to look at her, his features barely visible in the dark. “It is the custom.”
    “What custom? Why do they not leave us? They are not intending to stay here while …” She couldn’t bring herself to finish.
    “Yes, they are. Nobody will leave this chamber until I throw your stocking to signify that we have consummated the marriage.”
    “They can’t stay!”
    “They can and they will. Charles is the king, after all, and what is our humiliation when it amuses the king?”
    “It is too … too medieval!” she protested.
    “Although I agree with you, I cannot command Charles to leave our bedchamber, and while I am not in favor of obligatory marriages myself, we are wed at the king’s command. Therefore, I intend to make the best of this somewhat awkward situation.”
    He shifted closer and his voice dropped to a sultry whisper. “They will be quieter when they have had more wine.”
    What kind of man would make love with a crowd in the room? To be sure, the bed curtains provided some privacy, but not nearly enough.
    Her mind swiftly envisioned all that was to come. He would thrust himself inside her regardless of her pain and discomfort, roughly caressing her body as if she felt nothing. He would say no word, only breathe heavily on her face until he grunted with release. Afterward, he would roll over and snore.
    She tried to steel herself to endure the assault—but she had been free of that torture for too long to simply submit. “Are you then a trained dog that can perform upon its master’s command?”
    He moved back a little. “You find me repulsive?”
    “No! Yes! That is, I don’t want to make love to you.”
    “We are merely pawns in the king’s game, so there is nothing to be done except obey his orders,” Sir Richard murmured as he began to squirm.
    “What are you doing?”
    “I am removing my breeches.”
    “Why?”
    “In order to make love with my wife. Come, madam, given that