Simon leaned forward ever so slightly, then spoke in a low tone for her ears alone. “His bite is nowhere near as bad as his bark.”
She cast a quick glance to the man whose name was synonymous with death. “That’s not what I’ve heard.”
“Aye, but you’ve heard from those who have faced him in battle. There, he is a champion to be feared like a charging lion. But away from battle he is a fair man with a loud bellow.”
“And a sharp sword for those who pester me,” Draven said in that bellow Simon had just mentioned.
Lord Draven turned to his men and ordered them to start the journey.
His men rode to the front and back of her while Lord Draven took the lead. Simon kept apace with her, and Alys followed in the wagons.
Emily tried to study the man she had vowed to marry, and was unsure now if she could truly carry the deed off. She’d heard much of Draven de Montague from her father and others who’d visited her home.
He was a man known for unequaled prowess in battle and tourney. No one had ever defeated him, and he’d once saved the king’s life. The few ladies she had met who had seen him had not lied about his good looks. He truly was handsome and fierce.
No wonder maids giggled and sighed at the mention of his name.
He sat straight in his saddle and moved in rhythm with the horse. Anyone could tell Lord Draven felt at home on horseback and from what she’d heard, he had spent much of his life on campaigns.
Yet, it was strange to look at him now, knowing that they might share a bed together where he would see her as no man had, touch her in places she dare not think about.
And kiss her in the wee hours of the night.
Heat crept over her face. She’d never thought of a real man that way before. After Joanne had spent her first night with Niles, they had talked at great lengths about what went on between men and women in country matters. How it felt when a man claimed a woman with his body.
Since then, Emily had imagined a fair-haired man with humor in his eyes and laughter always on his tongue. She’d let her fantasies loose at night where no one could see the blush that was currently blistering her cheeks.
As a girl, she’d naturally assumed her first would be the husband her father chose. And only in her wildest imaginings had she dreamed she would love the man who took her virginity. At best, she’d hoped to be fond of him.
Now, the moment would soon be at hand, and Lord Draven would be the one...
She trembled at the very thought of the fierce warrior taking her. Of his mouth claiming hers in her very first kiss. Would he be tender, or would he ravish her and leave her aching and in pain?
Her maid, Alys, had warned her a woman could never tell simply by looking at a man how he would treat her in the privacy of their bedroom.
Emily wasn’t so sure.
“Is it true your brother earned his spurs before he first shaved?” she asked Simon.
Pride shone in his eyes. “Aye. He was my father’s squire in King Henry’s army. When my father died in battle, Draven seized his sword, then protected Henry’s back. He was knighted on the battlefield by Henry Plantagenet himself.”
“How lucky for him that Henry became king.”
“With my brother by his side, Henry couldn’t lose, milady.”
It gave her hope that a man who appeared so kind as Simon idolized his brother so much. From the tales she’d heard, she half expected Lord Draven to be a monster with horns, who ate small children for pleasure.
Surely such a monstrous man wouldn’t tolerate his brother’s teasing.
Nay, there was much more to Lord Draven than she’d been told. At least she hoped that was true. It would be much easier to give her body over to a man who could be kind than it would to a cruel man.
They rode in silence until late morning when Lord Draven decided to stop for a rest. Simon helped her down. She followed him to a shaded spot while Lord Draven and his men tended the horses.
Simon spread a cloak out for her to sit on the ground beneath a large oak tree. “Would you care to share what my sister packed for my journey?” she asked as she sank to the ground and Alys brought her basket to her.
Simon looked as if she had just offered him ambrosia. “Aye, milady. I’ve grown so ill of dried beef and cheese that I could just....” He smiled. “I truly appreciate your offer.”
Alys wagged her brows at her before she returned to the wagons.
