The Devil's Good Intentions (15 page)

Again when they stopped for the night, he carried her limp body into their room and washed her up before taking care of himself.

The following morning he woke to find her looking at him with a quizzical look on her pretty face. He smiled up at her and lifted his head to brush his lips against hers.

“
What troubles you?” he gently asked as he reached up and tried to smooth her brow with his thumb.

She blinked and then her face smoothed out. Shaking her head, she sprawled out on the bed with a great big stretch. She looked like the kitten he often accused her of being.

He wanted to roll on top of her, now that they finally had a bed to play in, but the need to ease whatever was worrying her won out. Now it was his turn to draw himself up onto his side and gaze into her face.

“
Tell me” He prompted gently.

“
I was just thinking. I figured I’d do so while I still had the chance.” She teased as she shot him a mock scowl.

“
Thinking is over rated you know” He teased back with a devilish grin.

That earned him a smile.

“
Yes, well I seemed to have misplaced my wits several towns back and fear they may be lost for good.” She chuckled.

He smiled down at her and kissed her forehead. He now knew that this humorous dialogue was in all actuality what was bothering her. He admired how she could find humour in the very things that distressed her.

“
No Love, for I fear there is a thief who sneaks in to covet your wits for his own and just when he fears he has been suspected, he quietly sneaks back in and replaces your wits into your top drawer, safe and sound. It is only when your back is turned and you are least suspecting that he sneaks back in and steals away with them into the night.” He said conspiratorially and then grinned when he saw her smirk at his witticism.

“
But it appears Love, that you have your wits about you at this very moment, so fear not my lady for I will keep you and your wits in my safe keeping.” And then he laughed when she did.

“
Since when is the wolfs den considered safe keeping!” She laughed even harder.

“
A wolf you say!” He exclaimed in mock horror, right before he pounced and tickled her into hysteria.

He couldn’t remember a time when he had been so happy and laughed so much. He had feared that his heart had been hardened by those who had miserably failed him. Eventually, he reserved his heart for his brotherhood and their wives and gave limited trust to everyone else who was under his care. Anyone outside of that was not to be trusted - ever. That is how he made his success and how he maintained his reputation as Satin’s kin or even the devil himself. Katherine had managed to giggle her way into his heart without even knowing she was doing so, which scared him. It opened himself up to being hurt and it also lowered his defences around her, opening himself up for deceit. He could never forget that it was he that stole her away from her so called freedom and that could fester into something dark within her, even though she now had the best of intentions. He would just need to keep his eyes out and his ears open. If she wanted to leave the estate, he would make sure she was suitably escorted and if she wanted to make friends with those outside of his circle of brotherhood, then he would have them investigated. She would not deceive him if he could help it and she would never come to harm.

“
Come my precious lamb, our carriage awaits.” He said wolfishly as he rolled off of her and headed for his clothing.

~

The ride to her new home that day seemed to drag on. Her nerves were shot and Salvador seemed to be lost in thought more often than not. They had stopped for lunch again and then carried on for the last leg of their journey. She had lightly dozed on and off for about an hour before Salvador woke her to feed her again.

“
You’ll turn me into a whale if you keep shoving food down my throat at every turn” she laughed out as he tried to feed her a grape.

“
Yes, but you will be my whale.” He smiled back at her as he popped the grape into her mouth.

She finally convinced him that she was old enough to feed herself and chuckled when he grudgingly handed her the bowl of grapes, threatening her to eat every last one.

Just after sun down they pulled up to a magnificently large estate. As the carriage rolled down the driveway, he promised that he would take her for a tour of the estate the following morning.

When they pulled up to the front door, he helped her out and then nudged her towards the door as she tried to recover her tongue. She had never seen an estate of such stature and power. She was intimidated by it the closer they got to the door. The place was massive and well groomed. Inside was an army of servants who were lined up, waiting to receive their Master back into his home.

“
They are eager to meet you” he whispered into her ear, then grasped her shaky hand to his.

“
Me?” she squeaked out as he tugged her inside.

“
May I present, Lady Katherine Rochester Cresta, your new Mistress.” He announced with his arm firmly wrapped around her waste to no doubt hold her up.

He looked down at her and smiled as he started to move again. He introduced her to every one of his staff and then called upon Abigail – her personal maid – to direct his new wife to their chambers and draw her bath.

Before Katherine could utter her thanks, she was scooped up in a swish of skirts and led up the stairs, down and around many hall passages and finally into a large bedroom chamber.

She looked around and noted the masculine colors. This room could not be the Mistresses chamber!

“
Um, Abigail.” She started.

“
Yes Lady Katherine?”

“
This is where my husband sleeps is it not?” she asked cautiously.

Abigail giggled as she continued to unpack her dresses and hang them up.

“
Indeed Mistress, if I am not mistaken, I believe this is where you are to sleep as well.” She blushed and then turned back to finish her chores.

“
Oh” Was all Katherine could reply.

Truthfully, she enjoyed waking up in Salvador’s arms. Not that she could remember many instances of falling asleep or waking up in his arms, more or less a bed. She laughed to herself as she thought about how he had a way of making love to her until she could no longer function, and then how she would wake up in a strange bed wondering how she got there. That devil of a husband must be puffing out his chest by now.

She didn’t mind. The last time they made love she had panicked over her wantonness, but Salvador knew how to set her fears to rest. They were very passionate lovers, nothing more – nothing less.

Although she didn’t have another man to compare him to and only knew of what happens in the bedroom by the maids in her old estate. None of them spoke of what Salvador and she shared, but now that she thought back on it she couldn’t envision her love making being so docile.

Salvador had turned the adjoining chamber into a bathing room and Katherine was shocked at what she had found. The room was tiled rather than carpeted. The bathtub was round and deep. There were steps that led into the tub and on the other side of the room was another screened-in area. There she found a wooden seat with a chamber pot attached to it, which did not surprise her. What did surprise her was that at the bottom of the chamber pot was a hole that had another tube stuck to it. According to Abigail, the chamber pot maid simply had to dump a bucket of boiling hot water down the hole each day to flush everything under ground.

There were side benches and plants surrounding the room and lovely water paintings of various sceneries. She had never seen a room like it! She had always been one who was private with her affairs and often suffered a full bladder or such for lack of privacy. She was pleased that she and Salvador had that in common.

The lilacs filling the bathroom gave off a lovely yet strong scent to offset any other scents that may occur from time to time. There was a wash basin beside the chamber pot contraction that had a pile of folded up cloths and lemon scented soap beside them. She too was a stickler for cleanliness and had been surprised, shy but mostly pleased when Salvador told her earlier that day that while she was passed out, he was busy washing her up so that she could go to bed clean. Come to think of it, he was quite clean for a male. Even her Father would grumble if he was forced to take a bath more than once a week. Salvador cleansed himself daily, like she.

“
May I help you bathe Lady Katherine” Abigail offered.

“
No thank you. Could you kindly unfasten the clips at the back of my dress for me and I will manage the rest.”

“
Certainly My lady”

Katherine offered her back and then lifted her hair for her to proceed.

“
There is a robe on the back of the door for you. The towels are beside the tub on that bench, all within your reach. When you are ready, I will have a glass of wine waiting for you beside the fire for your night cap.” She informed her as she made to leave.

“
That’s very kind of you Abigail. Could I request that you switch out that wine for some heated brandy?” She asked suddenly, not so sure if that was an appropriate request.

“
It will be done” Abigail declared with a smile and then closed the door behind her as she left.

Katherine made use of the strange chamber pot and then grinned her pleasure when she saw no evidence of her business left behind. Funny how she took such delight in the smallest things.

Finally she melted into the steaming bath. The water was deep enough that it reached right up to her chin if she lied down just slightly. She was in heaven. After she bathed and dried herself off, she wrapped herself into the thick cotton robe that Abigail had pointed out and headed into the bedroom. Abigail smiled at her as she made her way to the fire. After taking a sip of her warm brandy, she moaned her pleasure as her thanks and slunk deep into the chair to watch the flames flicker about.

Behind her, Abigail busied herself in emptying part of the bath and then topping it off with a fresh amount of hot water to await the master.

“
Tomorrow I will wash and press your clothes for you.” Abigail declared as she entered Katherine’s vision.

“
Thank you Abigail. I guess if I am your only chore than you are free to retire for the evening.”

“
Would you like me to brush your hair before I leave?”

“
If it’s not too much trouble.” Katherine responded - a little relieved that she wouldn’t have to lift a finger other than to bring her night cap to her lips.

Abigail retrieved the brush from the dresser and hummed a lovely tune as she worked, slowly lulling Katherine into a feeling of peace.

When Abigail was finished brushing her hair, she braided and set it upon her head. Katherine smiled at the memory of how her mother used to do that for her when she was alive. Katherine had left her hair down at night ever since her mother’s death. Oddly enough, tonight it brought her comfort.

She and Abigail said their good nights to each other and once again Katherine was left alone to her thoughts.

Salvador arrived in the chamber not much longer after Abigail departed. He swiftly walked over to Katherine’s chair and kissed her on the forehead before disappearing into the bathing chamber. When he reappeared, he too wore a robe and reached for his night cap of whiskey, then dropped into his chair with a sigh.

“
Good to be home?” Katherine enquired with a smile on her face.

She had never seen him look so relaxed.

“
So good.” He replied with a smile that made her stomach flip.

“
What is that?” He asked as he nodded his head towards her night cap.

“
Heated brandy” She replied, keeping the smile on her face. “It’s what my Mother used to drink before bed. Once when I was a child I snuck a sip and remembered liking the way it warmed my belly, tonight seemed like a good night to try it again.”

“
And is your belly warmed?” He asked with a grin.