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Authors: Johanna Lindsey
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had made him want her, even though he didn’t know what she looked like, but suspected the worst. It was the opportunity he had prayed for. As long as it was dark and he didn’t have to look at her, he could do his duty.
Next to him, Leonie was having an extraordinary erotic dream. She had not known such feelings were possible. She clung to the dream, wanting it never to end, but she was slowly coming awake. She knew, vaguely, that she lay pressed against a man, and that his hand was touching her as no one had ever touched her before. She could not fit the man who was her husband to the man who was beside her because of the pleasure he was causing. She was set to expect pain from her husband, not these sweet sensations.
When her face began to hurt, and pain intruded, she came instantly awake. Scared, she reached under her pillow for the knife.
Rolfe was unaware that he had hurt his wife when his knuckles flicked against her bruised cheek. He meant only to move the great mass of her hair away from her face before turning her onto her back, for he was ready for her and he knew by the sounds coming from her that she was ready too. An annoying pain pricked his side, throwing him off balance. It was several moments before he reacted to the pain, touching his side, and his fingers came away wet and sticky. He roared in anger.
Leonie, first paralyzed with fear over what she had done, scrambled from the bed when he bellowed.
Rolfe did not know she had left the bed, for he left it from his side in the same moment, making his way to the door of the antechamber where his young squire slept. He threw the door open, calling, “Get light in here, Damian! Then wake a servant. I need a change of bedlinen, and the fire needs to be built up.”
Leonie dashed for the area containing her chests. A hasty search produced the bedrobe. When a light appeared outside the door, she quickly turned around to finish tying it.
This was what Rolfe saw when Damian entered the chamber with a candlestick. The sight made him catch his breath, for it was his first intimate look at his wife. She was no more than an inch or two over five feet, but what there was to her was perfectly formed. The curves were beautiful, the slim back narrowing to a tiny waist, then rounding to gently swelling hips. She lifted her hair out from beneath the robe and tossed it back like a silver cloud. Lord, she was exquisite from that view.
She went to the bed and bent to pick up the knife she had dropped, but he drew closer, saw what she was reaching for, and shouted, “Leave it, madame!”
Leonie jumped back, frightened, and nearly flew to the shadowed part of the room. It was stupid, so stupid to have hurt him, for now her hurt would be doubled. She had only made things worse for herself.
Rolfe stared furiously at her huddled form, wondering what she had hoped to accomplish with the tiny knife. The blade was not big enough to do him great damage. The cut in his side was no more than a pin prick compared to the wounds he had suffered in all his battles. Perhaps she hadn’t meant to hurt him.Perhaps the stabbing was an accident. Yet she’d had the blade in bed with her. Why?
Rolfe stiffened as the thought intruded. Had she meant to prick herself with the blade and smear blood on the sheets because she had no other blood to give up? How foolish to try that old trick. He didn’t care that she had come to him without being a virgin, but he did not like it at all that she’d meant to deceive him.
He liked it even less when two maids that came in to change the bedlinen looked first at him and then at his wife in surprise. He could see by their expressions that they’d drawn the same conclusion he had. The story would no doubt be well laughed-over within a day.
“Damian,” Rolfe said while the maids saw to the fire, “get me the thickest bandage you can find and bind up this cut. I want no blood on the sheets except my wife’s.”
He heard the gasp that came from
Next to him, Leonie was having an extraordinary erotic dream. She had not known such feelings were possible. She clung to the dream, wanting it never to end, but she was slowly coming awake. She knew, vaguely, that she lay pressed against a man, and that his hand was touching her as no one had ever touched her before. She could not fit the man who was her husband to the man who was beside her because of the pleasure he was causing. She was set to expect pain from her husband, not these sweet sensations.
When her face began to hurt, and pain intruded, she came instantly awake. Scared, she reached under her pillow for the knife.
Rolfe was unaware that he had hurt his wife when his knuckles flicked against her bruised cheek. He meant only to move the great mass of her hair away from her face before turning her onto her back, for he was ready for her and he knew by the sounds coming from her that she was ready too. An annoying pain pricked his side, throwing him off balance. It was several moments before he reacted to the pain, touching his side, and his fingers came away wet and sticky. He roared in anger.
Leonie, first paralyzed with fear over what she had done, scrambled from the bed when he bellowed.
Rolfe did not know she had left the bed, for he left it from his side in the same moment, making his way to the door of the antechamber where his young squire slept. He threw the door open, calling, “Get light in here, Damian! Then wake a servant. I need a change of bedlinen, and the fire needs to be built up.”
Leonie dashed for the area containing her chests. A hasty search produced the bedrobe. When a light appeared outside the door, she quickly turned around to finish tying it.
This was what Rolfe saw when Damian entered the chamber with a candlestick. The sight made him catch his breath, for it was his first intimate look at his wife. She was no more than an inch or two over five feet, but what there was to her was perfectly formed. The curves were beautiful, the slim back narrowing to a tiny waist, then rounding to gently swelling hips. She lifted her hair out from beneath the robe and tossed it back like a silver cloud. Lord, she was exquisite from that view.
She went to the bed and bent to pick up the knife she had dropped, but he drew closer, saw what she was reaching for, and shouted, “Leave it, madame!”
Leonie jumped back, frightened, and nearly flew to the shadowed part of the room. It was stupid, so stupid to have hurt him, for now her hurt would be doubled. She had only made things worse for herself.
Rolfe stared furiously at her huddled form, wondering what she had hoped to accomplish with the tiny knife. The blade was not big enough to do him great damage. The cut in his side was no more than a pin prick compared to the wounds he had suffered in all his battles. Perhaps she hadn’t meant to hurt him.Perhaps the stabbing was an accident. Yet she’d had the blade in bed with her. Why?
Rolfe stiffened as the thought intruded. Had she meant to prick herself with the blade and smear blood on the sheets because she had no other blood to give up? How foolish to try that old trick. He didn’t care that she had come to him without being a virgin, but he did not like it at all that she’d meant to deceive him.
He liked it even less when two maids that came in to change the bedlinen looked first at him and then at his wife in surprise. He could see by their expressions that they’d drawn the same conclusion he had. The story would no doubt be well laughed-over within a day.
“Damian,” Rolfe said while the maids saw to the fire, “get me the thickest bandage you can find and bind up this cut. I want no blood on the sheets except my wife’s.”
He heard the gasp that came from
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