A shiver ran through her recalling her husband’s words, and she quickly got in bed and pulled the soft blanket up over her. The bed was much larger than her one at home, but then this bed was meant for more than one person. She had shared her bed with her two sisters when they were young and needed her close, but that had been yearsago. She was accustomed to sleeping alone now and wondered if she would easily adapt to sharing a bed with her husband or if it would become a chore.
She sighed and turned on her side, wanting to grab the other pillow and hug it to her as she did when she slept alone, but the pillow was not hers to hug. It belonged to her husband. Another yawn eased out of her and she snuggled in the softness of the bedding, her eyes closing and sleep settling in on her.
* * *
Rhys enteredhis bedchamber much later than he had planned to. The day had not gone as expected and the attack troubled him more than he would let anyone know. He had kept the secret well, only he and one other knew of it. But then he had known the risk he was taking at the time and not once had he doubted that the risk was worth it. Now it had returned to haunt him, but he had known it would. It had been only a matter of time and had he not wanted this, looked forward to it, and planned on it?
The problem was that now his wife’s life was in more danger than anyone could ever imagine.
Rhys went to the hearth to add more wood to the fire, a chill having settled in the room, no doubt from the rainstorm that continued to poundthe keep. Once done, he stripped off his garments as he approached the bed.
Standing completely naked, he stared down at his wife tucked snug and warm beneath the covers and hugging his pillow. He gently brushed a strand of blond hair off her cheek. He had wondered if she would wait up for him but was not surprised to see that she had not. It had been a long, tiring day for her, not to mention an upsetting one.
He wanted desperately to make love to her, had since he laid eyes on her, but after the day’s events and seeing her sleeping so peacefully, he could not bring himself to wake her. Tomorrow would be soon enough and all the days to follow.
Rhys walked around to the other side of the bed and climbed in. He slipped into her embrace as he eased the pillow from her hands. She settled around him quite nicely, her head going to rest on his chest and her leg draping over his. He wished she was naked so that he could feel her soft skin against his, but then thought better of it. If she was naked, he would not be able to keep his hands off her.
He closed his eyes, not expecting to fall asleep, his thoughts much too busy. She stirred in his arms, wrapping herself more tightly around him, as if she could not get close enough to him, and his arms tightened around her.
The last thing he recalled as he fell asleep was the scent of lavender drifting around him.
* **
Heather wokewith a slow stretch and a wide yawn that turned to a smile. She had not slept so soundly or comfortably in years. Her eyes sprang open and she sprang up, recalling where she was, and found herself alone in bed and alone in the room. She cast a glance at the rumpled spot beside her and knew her husband had slept there.
She lifted the top of her nightdress to take a sniff and her breath caught when the scent of him stung her nostrils. Her cheeks burned red. She had to have slept nearly on top of him to have his scent so strong upon her. She sniffed again, finding the scent appealing. It was a mixture of earth, pine, and man. It was similar to Quinn’s scent and she was troubled by the thought that she found Rhys’ scent more intoxicating.
A light knock sounded at the door and Heather was glad for the interruption and just as pleased to find it was Nessa and she had a tray of food with her.
“I thought you might prefer to have your meal in some privacy after last night,” Nessa said, placing the tray on the table next to the chair by the hearth. “Tongues have been busy all morning, especially since you have yet to be seen.”
It took a minute for Heather to understand what Nessa was referring to and when she realized it, her cheeks tinged pink. Oddly enough, she felt embarrassed that her vows had yet to beconsummated. Could Rhys have possibly found her unappealing? Surely if anyone knew, she would be blamed and not the Dragon, since rumors had him having an unquenchable appetite for coupling.
“I am fine,” Heather said with a forced smile.
“I am glad to see it,” Nessa said and lowered her voice to a whisper. “One of the servants claims to have seen the Dragon go to the upper floor and not come down for a while before going to his bedchamber. She thinks he had his slaves satisfy him, so that he would not be too demanding of his bride.”
Had he returned to the upper floor last night after leaving her in their bedchamber? She had to find out what was in that room. Heather hopped out of bed and went to the tray of food. She rarely ate when she woke, but Nessa had been kind enough to bring her some food, so she ate sparingly of the salted whiting and bread. There was a pitcher of wine, but she much preferred the soothing brew she made from herbs and would have to instruct Nessa on how to prepare it for her.
She turned to Nessa to do just that and found her staring at the bed linen.
Heather realized right away what the young woman was staring at. Heather’s virgin blood should be on the bed linen, and it was not. If word spread about this, it would not be in her favor. She doubted anyone would believe that the Dragon had not consummated their vows.
“I beg your silence on this, Nessa.”
Nessa turned wide eyes on her.
“The time will come when you find what you expected to find there this morning. Until then, I beg you not to speak of it to anyone.”
Nessa stared at her a moment before shaking her head and saying, “I would never speak of anything I see here. You can trust me to keep a tight lip, my lady.”
“I am relieved to know that, Nessa.”
“I will make certain blood is seen on the sheets,” Nessa said, gathering them up, “for inevitably there will be those nosey ones looking for it and ready to gossip if not found.”
“I do appreciate your loyalty.”
“Always, my lady,” Nessa assured her with a bob of her head. “I know you like to tend yourself, but if there is anything you wish me to do, I would be pleased to serve you.”
