Maggie Mine (11 page)

Maggie disliked the Earl of Dunston on sight. He was a foot shorter than Nicholas, almost shorter than her. He had a barrel chest, a stomach softened and rounded by too much food, too much whiskey, and certainly not enough exercise. His thin hair rimmed an oddly shaped head. Yet he wasn’t totally unattractive. He did have a handsome face, although slightly pudgy-cheeked. He also appeared to be a charmer and seemed to be winning Nicholas over.
The
thought sickened her.

He sat next to her at the table and had been attempting to look down her décolletage all during the meal. She’d attempted to scoot away from him, but he
ha
d always scooted over as well. Nicholas had frowned at her actions, yet she wouldn’t stop trying to shift away even at the threat of a
experiencing a lecture or worse
later. She just didn’t like anything about the earl. Plus he smelled. While she’d carefully bathed and dressed in her finest gown, he’d not bathed probably since leaving his holding.

Mary sat across from them and smiled encouragingly at Dunston. To Maggie’s disgust, he didn’t appear at all interested in Mary…only in her. A notion of which Mary clearly was aware of and found delightful.

The hall was noisy tonight, with hardly a spare seat at the numerous tables. Evidently everyone wanted to observe this meeting with her possible husband. They talked and laughed amongst themselves while eating the large feast of roasted beef, pheasant, salmon, pasties, breads and cheese. Mugs of mead and whiskey were constantly being refilled. The only one not eating much was her. She’d barely managed to swallow even one bite of bread.

Finally the earl pushed his trencher aside and looked directly at Nicholas. “I want her virginity checked, Lord Middleham, before any further talk of a marriage contract.” He glanced at the unsmiling, gray-haired woman on his other side, his widowed mother. “Countess Isabelle will handle the matter.”

Maggie sucked in a surprised breath, heart racing.
She’d heard of such demands before, had been appalled at such an outrage.
She gazed in distress toward Nicholas, already noting the flash of approval in Mary’s eyes.

Nicholas gave the earl a scorching look. “Lady Durquhart is
—”

The earl’s gaze hardened and he cut off Nicholas’s protest. “You’re young, healthy, no doubt as randy as I’m proclaimed to be. She’s a striking woman, healthy as well. I can sense an attraction between you two. Has it been acted upon? Maybe, maybe not.”

While Nicholas’s face reddened and the people nearby quieted, the earl continued grimly, “It is not uncommon to ask this of a
potential
bride. Each of my prior wives
was
tested. I would not have married them otherwise. Now, will you agree to this test? Or shall I simply take my men and leave? And I can assure you I will let King Edward know of your refusal.”

“You pompous little
—”
Nicholas growled and looked ready to reach across the table and throttle the much smaller man.

Maggie could barely breathe at the horrifying idea, but she would not let the bastard cause Nicholas to do something he would later regret. She raised her chin and said with determination, “’Tis no’ necessary, but I will submit to yer testing.”

“No, I
—”
Nicholas countered but stopped when she stood and stared him down.

“Yer wish is to find me a husband as soon as possible. I will do this.”
God, she hated this.

B
efore she could change her mind, she marched with as much dignity as possible toward the stairway leading up to her bedchamber. With each step she felt nauseous. She
loathed
the idea of the stern-faced crone coming anywhere near her. But she would submit to this degradation for Nicholas’s sake.

She’d barely walked into her chamber when she heard footsteps behind her. Heavy ones, Nicholas, she was certain. Another fairly heavy set, no doubt the earl’s. Lighter ones, Countess Isabelle. Then another set of lighter ones coming on a rush, Fia.

Maggie’s stomach fluttered with nerves. Her eyes misted with tears, but she fought them back. She would do this! But without a room full of witnesses.

She stiffened her spine and focused first on the earl and then on Nicholas, who were both striding into the chamber. “Nay! I will let Countess Isabelle do whatever is necessary.
But
I
will
no
’
have the two of ye here as well.”

The earl glowered at her and started to move further into the room. “I must observe the procedure.”

“Ye do no’ trust yer mother?” Maggie countered, pleased to see the countess purse her lips in annoyance.

Nicholas didn’t appear like he would leave
,
either
. B
ut then he blew out a deep, frustrated breath. He shot her a look of apology and grabbed the older, shorter man by the arm and guided him out of the room
none too gently
. His hand on the door, he snapped, “Fia stays!”

As soon as the door was closed, Countess Isabelle motioned Maggie toward her bed. “You will lie on your back and your maid can lift your skirts out of my way.”

Maggie moved quickly to the bed and took the requested position. She was afraid if she didn’t immediately do so, she would change her mind. Nicholas wanted her gone so he could get on with his life. She was a burden he didn’t need.
She had to do this, no matter how much she hated it.

Fia scowled at the older woman as she pulled up the long green skirt of Maggie’s gown, followed by the chemise. Her cheeks flamed in embarrassment on Maggie’s behalf and she looked away, unable to watch what would happen next. Yet she mumbled under her breath, “’Tisna right, this.”

Maggie reached out to squeeze Fia’s hand, both women needing their shared bond to get through this nastiness. She closed her eyes and tried not to think of how the countess jerked her toward the end of the bed, until her bottom was near the edge. She tensed when her legs were pushed up and spread apart until her heels rested on the bed. Her private place was now exposed to this stranger and she sniffed back tears of humiliation.

With one hand firmly holding her right leg to the side, the countess stuck a finger into her body. While Maggie had experienced some wetness between her legs on more than one occasion when she’d had lustful thoughts about Nicholas, she was dry now. The sudden invasion made her jerk in discomfort. She whimpered and bit her lip.

The finger inside her moved around a few more seconds before being abruptly pulled free. “You are still a virgin,” Countess Isabelle stated with what sounded like displeasure.

Maggie opened her eyes and glared at the woman. “I told ye so.” She dropped her legs off the edge of the bed and pushed them together.

Fia shoved the countess aside and helped Maggie to her feet. The chemise and gown fell into place, but Maggie knew she’d never forget this horrible moment. Worse, many of those eating around them in the great hall had heard about what was to happen. It would be difficult to face them after this, but she would.

*
*
*

Nicholas wanted to kill the bastard for insisting on putting Maggie through this humiliation. He would have thrown the man and his mother out had not Maggie interfered. She had been right to submit to this testing, which he knew was a rare but accepted requirement by some proposed husbands. Still, he didn’t like it. He would never put a woman through such an experience.

They’d been out here for only a couple of minutes, but that was far too much time in the earl’s presence. He had pretty much already decided he would not accept the man’s offer of a marriage contract, should he offer one. He was contemplating that when he finally caught part of what the earl was saying.

“Lady Urquhart appears to be slight, but sturdy. She will need to be so because I ride a woman long, hard, and frequently.” He smirked and his eyes danced with devilment. “My women learn quickly that I will take them whenever I want, wherever I want. And I’m quite fond of enjoying their backdoor as well. Yes, I’ll have her on her knees, head lowered, ass up for a good ramming quite often.”

Nicholas had just curled his hands into fists and stepped directly in front of the earl when the door to Maggie’s bedchamber opened. Her eyes were wide and her face pale as she stared in horror at the earl. There wasn’t a doubt in Nicholas’s mind she had overheard him.
He wanted to kill the man.

“I shouldna like that, I think.” Maggie caught Nicholas’s glance and he noted the tears in her eyes.
She stood stiffly, yet he caught her slight tremble. She was horrified.

Behind her the countess huffed. “It matters not whether you like it or not. A wife does whatever her husband wishes. You will get used to my son’s ways, just as I did to his father’s.”

Fia looked ready to faint; her face crimson red in embarrassment.
Clearly she had overheard as well.

Nicholas grabbed the earl by the front of his tunic and jerked him forward. “You will gather your men and leave this night, you disgusting little bastard.”

“How dare you talk to me this way! How dare you
—”

Nicholas’s fist connected with the man’s stomach. He enjoyed the immediate girlish squeal and would have hit him again except Maggie stepped closer and touched his arm, calming him.

“Nay, my lord, ‘tis enough
,
”
she said quietly.

“Aye, he isn’t worth the effort.” He narrowed his eyes at the earl and released him. “If I were you, I’d scurry out of here like the rat you are before I change my mind.”

It only took the earl a second to make his decision. He rushed toward the stairs, ordering his mother to follow, promising to let the king know how poorly he’d been treated here.

“Ye willna get in trouble with Edward, will
y
e
?” Maggie questioned in concern.

“If I had killed the man as I wanted to,
aye
.” The tension left him as he watched Fia hurry away, probably eager to share the news of the earl’s being ordered out of Middleham. He met Maggie’s worried eyes and felt only relief. “Edward would never have approved of the match, not that I would have let it get that far. I
ha
d already decided to throw him out of my keep before he blurted out all of that filth.”

She worried her lower lip and her cheeks grew pink. He wondered if she would turn and go back to her room now; try to put the horror of the experience behind her. He should not have allowed it to happen. He was ready to apologize but couldn’t find the right words to say. He wanted to find the earl and punch him again.

But Maggie simply stood there, quiet another second before finally saying, “I
ha
ve overheard maids talk about such stuff. N’ver in such a disgustin’ way.” She looked up at him, hesitated and then continued. “‘Tis what some couples do, ‘tisna it? Men takin’ their women like animals mating, I mean.”

Nicholas didn’t really want to talk about this or sex at all. His body had hardened just at the mention of mating. He’d not been with a woman in too long a time. Being around Maggie was pure torture. And now he couldn’t stop thinking about laying her down on his bed and driving into her body. He would never be cruel, though.

When he didn’t answer, she tilted her head curiously and pressed, “Have you taken a woman in such a way? Down on her knees, with her bottom in the air? In her…
.
” She looked away and whispered, “In her other place?”

God help him, she was making his situation worse. Why couldn’t she have let the subject go? Because his Maggie was far too curious at times.
His Maggie? No! She was
not
his Maggie!

His face heated. How did he answer this question? If he didn’t answer her, she would ask again. The lass was even more stubborn than him about things. With a sigh of resignation, he said, “Making love from behind can be quite pleasurable to both.” And now his mind pictured Maggie on her knees in the middle of his bed. Naked. With that pert little bottom of hers pointed up at him as she waited…
.

Her forehead furrowed but his response hadn’t satisfied all of her questions. “In her…?”

Again, he sighed. “A time or two, yes. But only if it was agreeable to the woman involved.” His rigid cock pressed against his braies. He held himself still when he felt desperate to pull her against him. If h
e did, if he touched her at all, he wouldn’t be able to stop. He would have her in his bed as quick as he could carry her down the hall.

“Sounds unpleasant to me. At least the poking yer shaft in m
y
back place.” She wrinkled her pretty little nose at the idea.

“It can be, if the man has no care for the woman.” God’s teeth, he wanted to speak no more of this matter.

She studied him, seemed to come to a conclusion, and nodded thoughtfully. “I doona think that would be the case with ye. Ye can be determined with yer disciplining, making a woman’s bottom suffer greatly.” Her small hands moved back to cover her backside. “This I know from experience. But I doona think ye would ever harm a woman while making love…however you chose to do it.”