Hearts Across Time (The Knights of Berwyck: A Quest Through Time Novel ~ Books 1 & 2) (32 page)

R
iorden stopped
dead
still in his tracks whilst he watched Katherine sink into a curtsey to an empty room.
What is she doing
, he thought to himself? He stood dumbfounded when she continued a conversation with no one but herself...or so it appeared.

“Who is she talking to?” Riorden questioned Gavin hesitantly.

“’Tis father, of course. Do you not see him?” he replied with knitted brows.

Riorden looked about his hall but saw no one other than Katherine. “Nay. I do not.”

Patrick began jumping up and down. “Aiden,” he called. “’Tis a ghostie! Do you see him?”

Aiden exchanged glances with his brother. “I am afraid not, Patrick.”

“But how can you miss him? He’s right there, or he was,” Patrick said with his eyes eagerly darting around the room. “Aw, he is gone now.”

Brianna rumpled Patrick’s hair and waited until the youngster offered his arm. “Come on, Patrick. Let’s go see what Cook has in the kitchen.”

Typical! Even a ten and three boy could see his sire, and yet he was too cowardly to appear afore the one man he should be making amends with. Riorden barely recognized that everyone had left him standing there, staring at his wife ’til she finally turned to him with a small smile. He could hardly move, knowing the ghost of his father had been having a conversation with his wife, if his brother’s words were to be believed. What was there to doubt, given he too had seen an apparition afore.

He finally came out of his daze and, with an angry stride, came to his wife, grabbing her arm roughly. ’Twas not what he had intended, and her eyes narrowed on his hold of her ’til he loosened his grip. He had not meant to hurt her, but his emotions were raging inside him. Though that really had nothing to do with her, but more with a situation he could not control.

“Why are you so angry with me?” she cried out, almost knowing where his thoughts had wandered. He supposed his face was not that hard to read.

“I do not want you talking to him,” Riorden demanded as he began pulling her from the hall towards the vestibule.

“Are you telling me who I can or can’t talk to? And where are we going?”

“Anywhere! I need to breathe!” he all but shouted at her as he led her outside towards the stable. He slowed his pace when he became aware she was all but running to keep up with him.

“But what about dinner?” Katherine asked.

He slammed his fist into the stable door afore yanking it open and entering the dimly lit room. With an angry stride, he began grabbing Beast’s gear so he could get the hell out of the boundaries of Warkworth. He needed to clear his head of these troubled thoughts that were getting the best of him.

“About what?” he asked with a furrowed brow. He became irritated with himself for not understanding her future words.

“You know...dinner...the evening meal,” she said carefully, afore placing a comforting hand on his tense arm. It had the desired effect when he stopped his movements and finally turned to look at her. “I had something special planned,” she continued quietly.

“You did?” he replied and noticed for the first time the extra care she had given with her appearance this day. She was always beautiful in his eyes, but the yellow tones of the dress seemed to truly compliment her. It reminded him of autumn and the brilliant colors of the fall foliage. ’Twas no wonder he had chosen a golden fabric for her wedding gown, for the color favored her.

“Yes, for just the two of us.”

Riorden watched her gaze upon him with such hopeful eyes and could only imagine how she had felt of late, knowing that Marguerite still resided at Warkworth. He had learned that her Dower House was nowhere near prepared for the coming winter, but neither was Warkworth. How could he send the woman there, despite his feelings for her, knowing the castle was not ready for her to dwell therein? Still, ’twas not a good excuse for ignoring his wife. He had been so busy trying to manage the estate that he had not spent much time alone with her in the past two fortnights. And now his father was appearing afore his Katherine, making him furious with uncontrolled anger.

He took her hand and pulled her into his arms. He felt her own tighten around his waist as if she never planned on letting him go. He kissed the top of her head and lifted her chin to look at her.

“I have been a most neglectful husband of late,” he whispered.

Katherine shrugged and attempted to hide the hurt that flashed momentarily in her beautiful blue-green eyes. “You’ve been busy.”

“Aye! Apparently too busy to ensure you are comfortable as can be expected under the circumstance in your new home,” he muttered, almost embarrassed that he put her in such a position. “I am sorry my father has bothered you. I hope he will not burden you so again.”

“He didn’t bother me, and he certainly wasn’t a burden.”

He ignored her comment, entered the stall, and began saddling Beast. He was yanking so hard on the bridle, it caused Beast to snort his displeasure at the rough handling from his master. He watched as Katherine went to the horse and began caressing his neck. Not only could her gentle touch cause his own anger to lessen, but it appeared she now had a way with Beast, as well. Apparently, she had come to some unspoken understanding with the animal.

“Where are you riding to?” she asked quietly. ’Twas obvious she could no longer disguise her disappointment he would not stay.

Riorden led Beast from the stall and out into the courtyard whilst she followed meekly behind. “Come with me. Let us away to the shore,” he suggested, “and perchance ’twill do us both some good to put our moods at ease.”

Her gaze swept her gown ’til her fingers touched at the material in indecision. “I’m hardly dressed for a ride right now, Riorden.”

He pulled his cloak from off his shoulders and swept the garment around his wife. She pulled the edges of the collar together. He smiled seeing her contented look as she smelled the cloak and felt the warmth from his own body surround her.

“Will you ride with me, Katherine?”

“You know I will. To the ends of the earth if need be,” she breathed.

He settled himself in the saddle ’til he reached for Katherine and made her comfortable in front of him. “Ready?” he asked and watched in delight as her whole face lit up with excitement.

“Absolutely!” she exclaimed. “Let’s see if we can try to catch the wind today, Riorden.”

He laughed and kicked Beast into motion. ’Twas as if even his horse was in need of a brief respite from the rigors of staying stagnant in one place. He tossed his luxurious black mane and gave a snort, as if to hasten their departure.

Riorden flicked the reins, and once they left the barbican gate far behind, along with the village, he let Beast have the lead. They galloped at full speed with their troubles getting farther and farther behind them ’til they reached the ocean shoreline. He would not think of what still caused his anger to rise to the forefront of his mind for the rest of the day. Instead, he would enjoy this time with his wife and worry about the rest on the morrow. ’Twould have to be enough for now.

K
atherine sauntered
over to a small table and poured wine into a chalice. She took a tiny sip before turning back to stare in fascination at her husband, leisurely lounging in their bed. The blanket barely covered his naked hips, and she stopped herself from licking her lips, since he looked so damn inviting. He read her mind, of course, the naughty rogue, for the look he gave her caused her to blush from the top of her head down to the tips of her bare feet, not to mention everywhere in between. She impulsively gathered the edges of her robe close together to hide her embarrassment of having him watch her so openly. She would have thought she’d be used to it by now. He chuckled in amusement.

They had shared a lovely afternoon, just the two of them, sitting silently on the beach and listening to the waves crashing into the shore. The ocean had always been one of her favorite places to just sit and find the inner peace that everyone stood in need of from time to time. It seemed to have had the same calming effect on Riorden, since they both had seemed lost in their own troubled thoughts. She had seen him angry once before, but somehow today had felt different.

Thoughts of his father had rushed through her mind, and she could only wonder what their last conversation held between father and son that they’d never spoken again. She knew the cause of said argument and that it had merit, but still...it had to be more than just Marguerite for Lord Everard to continue to haunt this world. It was apparent he still had unfinished business, preventing him from finding his own peace in heaven.

She had actually been surprised they had left the grounds with no other guards following. Katherine had made mention of it, but the stormy look Riorden had thrown her silenced any further comments. He had grumbled to her that he was more than capable of keeping her safe. That she thought he was incapable of doing so had seemed to put a wedge between them. It had been the first instance since Time had brought them together where Katherine felt awkwardness settle around her heart.

She hadn’t known what to say to make things better, so she had kept her thoughts to herself instead of giving them voice. It should have been a perfect opportunity to air their feelings and concerns, but Katherine had been too hesitant to speak them aloud. She hadn’t wanted to watch the anger that simmered right below the surface of his calm façade explode into something she had not been prepared to deal with. She had let the matter rest. Although she knew they would need to talk things out eventually, and it would need to be done soon.

They had sat there silently upon a blanket, just holding hands, lost in their own thoughts. Since Katherine no longer owned a watch, she really had no idea of the time. The setting sun brought with it a cool afternoon breeze, indicating they had been there longer than she had thought. The chill of the wind must have brought Riorden out of his daze, for he had unexpectedly gathered her in his arms and had kissed her soundly. Nothing had seemed to matter after that except his mouth being on hers again. They both had felt they couldn’t make it back to the keep fast enough.

“Katherine, come back to bed,
ma cherie
. You shall catch a chill.” His voice brought her back from her reminiscing.

She shivered, as if proving his point, but it had nothing to do with the coolness of their chamber but everything to do with hearing him speak to her thusly. The baritone in his deep, husky voice always did this to her, not that she was complaining.

She went to the hearth and put a log on the fire then waited for the dry wood to ignite with a crackle and pop.

“Katherine, that can wait.”

“I’m coming,” she said, smiling at his impatient tone while she looked over what was left from their repast. “Can I bring you something?”

“Aye.”

She turned to look at him and waited for him to respond. He all but devoured her with his hungry eyes. Surely, he would be able to hear her erratic heartbeat clear across the room though she tried to remain immune to his charm. “What can I bring you? Some fruit perhaps?”

“Nay.”

“What, then?” She hid back a satisfying grin, knowing his answer, the scoundrel. He always knew he could throw her senses completely off balance with just one look.

“Just you,” he commanded, holding out his hand for her.

She let the robe float to the floor and watched in satisfaction as his eyes ignited while she strode to his side with a seductive sway to her hips. Her hand had barely made contact with his strong, warm fingers before she found herself beneath him. His hands slowly stroked wherever he could touch her skin, and she began running her toes up and down the calf of his leg.

“Do you think it will always be like this between us, Riorden?” she asked, reaching up to play with his hair. “I mean, it’s just so perfect, don’t you think?”

He kissed her lips and began nuzzling her breasts. “Aye, everything about you is perfect.”

She gave a little laugh, thinking about how big she would soon be. “Well, you may not think so when I am fat with child, and you can get nowhere near me with my enormous stomach between us.”

“Since ’twill be my child growing within you, we shall indeed be blessed.” He placed his hand on the hardness of her belly. “The babe grows strong within you.”

Katherine couldn’t help the smile that lit her face. “I wish you could feel the little flutters going on inside right now, and just wait until the baby starts to kick. I can’t wait to see your face.”

He returned her smile. “’Tis most unusual for a woman to openly discuss such things, Kat, even though ’tis with your husband. It takes some getting used to.”

“Well, I’m not your everyday, twelfth century woman here, so you don’t really have a lot of options other than to go along with the flow.”

“You and your passing strange ways, Kat. I just never know what you shall say next,” he laughed. “You are positive we will not harm the babe by making love?”

She gave a tug on his arm until he moved between her legs. Her heart skipped a beat in anticipation. “The baby’s fine, Riorden. There’s no need to worry about him, or her. We’ll have to think of other ways to make love once I get bigger, you know,” she hinted with another smile.

“I am sure we will think of something,” he murmured as he began kissing her sensitive skin.

“You won’t tease me about my stomach leading the way, will you?” She was suddenly self-conscious about how much weight she would put on with her pregnancy.

“Nay.”

“I mean, some men find pregnant women fat and ugly.”

“You are beautiful to me, and I am not one of those men.” He continued on with his assault on her senses.

“I can only hope you still think so when I’m near the end of this pregnancy,” she muttered glumly.

He leaned up from where he had been nibbling at her neck and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Kat?”

It took several stolen breaths from staring at the intensity of his blue eyes before she could answer him. “Yes?”