Lady Gallant (49 page)

In the end, the only way she convinced Christian to take much food was to eat with him, and so began their daily meals together. Served by a smiling Arthur, at first they were both wary. Blade's presence helped, for the youth taunted Christian, teasing him that he was too lovesick to eat and that the tale was going to spread to the whole court. Soon the two were sparring, and Christian would stuff his mouth full to forestall more jests. As the days passed in this manner, Nora began to feel as if she had a family, even if it did include a few bawds and vagabonds who appeared at odd times.

Late one night when the household was abed, Nora was drifting between waking and dreaming. She was having trouble falling asleep because Christian had approached her that evening, cornering her in an alcove of the hall and pressing his body to hers. He had run his tongue over her mouth, then kissed her with an erotic sucking motion that sent waves of tit illation directly to her breasts. Her hesitation turned to response, only to be stifled by her fear once more. She fled, and Christian hadn't eaten a morsel at dinner.

He was probably still up, she thought, unable to sleep again. She remembered the purple stains beneath his eyes, marks of his strain. If he didn't find peace, he was likely to weaken him-self until he fell victim to the sweat or a killing ague. As she worried over this danger, she heard the tiny grunts and whines of her puppy. He slept in a basket in her outer chamber, and she'd named him Catullus, Cat for short. The whines cut off abruptly, and she sat up in bed. She listened but heard nothing. Usually Cat's noises continued for a space while he rooted around in his bed, pawing at his blanket.

Curious, Nora got out of bed, donning slippers and a robe. In the antechamber she crouched beside Cat's empty bed. The little beast was prowling again, she thought, and someone had left the outer door ajar. She scurried after the puppy, but he wasn't to be seen. She heard a boot scuff on the stairs, and Cat yipped. The yip was silenced, and she heard Christian's voice soothing the puppy.

Even more curious than before, she followed the sound of her husband's voice, catching up with him as he stole past the herb garden. Clutching the squirming Cat to his chest and carrying a lumpy sack, he sped out of the sally port with a word to the guard on duty. Puzzled, Nora waited until her husband was through the port before sailing past the bewildered guard herself.

Outside, she spotted Christian racing across the meadow toward the tree-lined bank of the river. She hastened to follow, finally arriving at the clearing beside the tower ruins as Christian was dragging a flat rock into a pool of light cast by a newly made fire and moonbeams. Cat was gnawing at the discarded sack. Nora approached, concealing herself behind an oak tree.

As she watched, Christian snatched Cat up and fished around in the sack, producing a ceramic pot and jug. He placed the pot on the fire and poured liquid into it from the jug. Turning back to the sack, he withdrew what looked like a tangled rope and attached it to Cat's wriggling body like a harness. To Nora's consternation, he then began digging, loosening soil around a plant near the fire. This done, Christian tied a length of string to the base of the plant and attached the other end to Cat's harness. Then he crouched in front of the puppy and held out something. Nora heard his hushed voice.

"Here's some nice meat, Cat. Come get the goody. Come, Cat."

Cat stuck his nose in the disturbed earth and snuffled.

Thwarted, Christian stuck the meat in Cat's face; Cat chewed at one of his paws. Nora almost giggled at Christian's curse. He tapped Cat's nose with the meat, and this annoyance got the puppy's attention at last.

Short legs churning, Cat plunged after the retreating meat, dragging his harness and the string with him. Something popped out of the ground when Cat jumped on the meat. Christian laughed and snatched the object up in one hand while patting his assistant with the other.

By now Nora was almost certain that Christian's wits had snapped under the strain of their quarrels. He was digging for roots under the full moon. She could see the stalk of one in his hand. He placed it on the flat stone and began carving on it with his dagger. In a few moments he had a piece of the root separated. Rummaging in his sack again, he pulled out a gold chain. Nora watched him place the carved root in a locket suspended from the gold chain, then hang the chain around his neck.

Spreading his arms wide, he murmured something and lifted his face to the full moon. A black spider of suspicion crawled through Nora's thoughts. Witchcraft. She shut her eyes as the idea came to her, and by the time she opened them, Christian had moved. He withdrew from the sack six little pots and set them on the flat stone. Removing the pot from the fire with the aid of gloves, he set that on the stone as well. He pulled the cork stoppers from each of the six little pots, then took a pinch of something from one of them and dropped it in the hot liquid. Suddenly Nora heard his voice clearly, and she realized he was talking to Cat. The puppy climbed into his lap as he knelt behind the stone.

Christian held the snuffling puppy in one arm and stirred the brew with a stick. "Old goodwife Winnie said to put the vervain in first, Cat. I wonder if one pinch is enough. I don't want to wait. Waiting is killing me." Cat strained, trying to stick his nose in the pot. "No, you don't. That's not for you."

Nora smiled, certain that Christian couldn't be trying to work black magic with a puppy as a familiar.

"Five rose petals," he went on. "Here, Cat, you can have the sixth." Christian wiggled a rose petal in front of the puppy, and a small tongue lapped out to catch it. "Cloves, nutmeg, lavender." Christian dropped pinches of the contents of the other pots into his brew. "And ginger."

Cat struggled out of Christian's grasp and watched intently as Christian stirred the contents in the pot with a stick. Murmuring softly as he stirred, he bent over the pot and sniffed. He sneezed. Cat sniffed at the vapors arising from the pot. He sneezed.

"Oh, no," Christian said as he tried to stir again. He sneezed a second time, and the puppy crawled onto the stone, sniffed, and sneezed just as Christian's own erupted once more.

Nora covered her mouth with both hands to keep her giggles from escaping. Christian sneezed; Cat sneezed. Christian sneezed, dropped his stirring stick, and waved his hands to disperse the fumes wafting up from the pot. While he was gasping for breath, Cat stuck his face over the rim of the vessel and lapped at the contents.

A muffled yip made Christian look down and snatch the puppy back. "No! See what you've done? You burned your nose, and it serves you right." He held Cat up in the air with both hands, sneezed, then growled in annoyance. Shaking the puppy, he said, "You probably ruined the spell, you greedy piglet."

Cat squealed happily as his fat little belly swung in the air and his legs flailed.

"With my luck," Christian continued scolding, "it will be you who becomes enamored of me. I'll have a fat piglet for a lover."

This last was too much for Nora, and she let out a hoot of laughter that startled Christian and his furry assistant. Leaning against the tree, Nora giggled while Christian thrust Cat from him and stood. As her husband stalked toward her, she tried to regain control, but the sight of him marching toward her with Cat at his heels only made her laugh harder. When he drew near, she managed to get a few words out.

"What are you doing?"

Christian frowned, toying with the chain around his neck. Then a crow of laughter burst from him and he caught her by the waist and swung her around in circles.

"It works!"

Nora felt her legs being swept out from under her as Christian picked her up and stopped circling. Cat yipped at them, then dashed off into the trees where he could be heard rooting around the leaf-strewn ground. Nora regained her breath, but lost it again when Christian squeezed her tightly. Before she could draw in enough air to protest, he swept off his cloak, threw it beside the fire, and plopped her down on it.

Landing on her bottom, Nora fell backward as Christian dropped on top of her. His body blocked out all light for a moment, then she felt his weight settle on top of her while he laughed like a boy with a new box of comfits. The chain around his neck hit her cheek. He stuffed the chain in his doublet, then lowered his head until his face was but a few inches from hers.

Startled at her own calm, Nora grinned up at his eyes crinkled in merriment. "I think your wits are addled by too much moonlight. What do you out in the dark, my lord? And how long have you been confiding your heart's wishes to puppies?"

Her answer came in a kiss. He said nothing, but covered her lips with his. Warm and quick, his tongue snaked into her mouth, teasing while he sucked. Nora forgot her questions, but the feeling of benevolence and merriment remained to be joined by a new and teasing tension. He lifted his head and began to lick and nip at her neck. She shivered.

"Christian?"

"I love you."

Not giving her a chance to reply, he kissed her again, all the while tugging at her robe. She felt the material give; then his body pressed against hers through the lawn of her nightgown. She tried to speak, but he kept her mouth too busy. Alarmed, she shoved at his chest. He lifted his head. His arm reached over her to the stone where the brewing pot rested. He grasped the vessel, lifted her head, and put it to her lips.

"Drink."

"But Christian, these herbs do nothing."

"Drink anyway."

He tilted the pot, and she took a sip to appease him. He got rid of the pot then and kissed her again. This time he pulled at the neck of her nightgown, ripping it to expose her breast. Pinching the nipple, he sucked rhythmically at her mouth before lowering his head to her breast. Nora gritted her teeth as pleasure flooded her breast and shot down her body to her groin. Breathing rapidly with each drawing motion of his mouth, she
complied when he pulled up her skirt and thrust his leg between hers.

His hips nestled against hers, moving with the rhythm of his sucking mouth, and Nora began to writhe. Christian yanked her gown down around her waist and kissed a trail across her ribs, over each breast, and up her neck to her mouth. His lips barely touched hers.

"This is the food I need, my love. Feed me, feed me."

She opened her mouth, and he slipped his tongue inside. She could hear him murmuring, urgent, demanding words of hunger. They fed her own arousal as his hands fed the fire of her body by stroking her bare legs. Skittering his nails over her flesh, he tickled his way up to the juncture of her thighs. Nora sucked in her breath as his fingers barely touched the warmth between her legs. She gasped, almost spoke, but, as if he sensed her protest, Christian took a nipple between his teeth and bit, lightly. Nora shrieked at the jolt of agonizing pleasure that seared her. Her legs parted, and he took advantage, covering her flesh with his hand and stroking.

She wasn't given a chance to recover. She felt him tug at her breast while he rubbed her wet and swollen flesh at the same time. On and on he continued, stoking the fire of arousal until her hips thrust upward. At their movement, he slid down her body to press his lips to her groin. His tongue caressed and stroked while his hands teased her breasts. When he fastened his mouth over her and sucked, she arched her body off the ground. Near mad with her frustration, she sobbed. Christian lifted his mouth from her flesh, and she thought she might kill him. He rose over her, holding his body away, his hands busy with the laces at his hips. Nora lost all reticence then and ripped at the ties that held his groin prisoner. His penis sprang free, and she felt its heat on her hands. Christian whispered to her.

"Open to me, sweeting."

She hesitated, her gaze on his engorged flesh, and he swore. Pressing her thighs apart, he shoved his swollen sex against hers and flexed his hips. His sex teased her, and she grabbed frantically at his waist, pulling him closer. The madness seized her again as pleasure swelled in her groin, and she slipped her hand between them to grasp his penis and squeeze. Christian arched his back and let out a helpless cry. In one movement he shifted his organ and delved, slipping into her.

Nora felt her flesh part as he invaded, pressing his penis against the walls of her womb until they could spread no more. She lifted her hips, and he thrust fully into her, ramming against the base of her womb. She strained with her whole body, unsatisfied, until he grasped her breasts and pulled back. Pumping rapidly, he matched the thrusts of his hips with squeezes to her breasts, while Nora urged him on with violent writhings. Together they sank into a dark pool of sensation that fed arousal and admitted no other perception.

Nora gasped as Christian thrust deep into her, striving for the ultimate pleasure. She could feel it building to release, and she spread her legs wider as she arched her back to meet his driving penetrations. The release burst upon her when he suddenly grasped her hips, rose to his knees so that her feet left the ground, and impaled her with quick, driving thrusts. She screamed out her pleasure, and he doubled the pace of his thrusts. While satisfaction flowed over her, she felt him swell and swell, pump and pump. He threw his head back and cried out, and his hot seed spewed into her body.

The night air filled with their gasps. Nora's weight rested on Christian's arms as he remained frozen between her thighs, his penis jerking in spasms inside her. She lay with her shoulders braced on the ground, her legs falling on either side of his taut thighs, and feasted on the sight of him.

His head was still thrown back. With his features contorted in a tortured expression of ecstasy, sweat running down his neck and chest and disappearing beneath his shirt, he was a delicious sight. Nora wallowed in the sensuality of his abandonment to the needs of his body. He moaned, turning his head to the side, and thrust his penis deeper. She smiled, for she suddenly realized just how much a slave he was at the moment. Then his eyes slowly opened, and she beheld the lazy possessiveness within them. Her own eyes widened as he lowered her to the ground without withdrawing.