AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 6
Willow lay in bed, dreaming of the kiss she shared with Conrad. But in her dream, he wasn’t just kissing her. Nay. She was naked beneath him, and they were getting ready to make love! He fondled her breast and then reached down to kiss her there as well. She moaned aloud and turned over, liking the way her body vibrated. But then she suddenly had the feeling she was being watched. Her eyes popped open to find Hazel sharing her bed, looking at her with wide eyes.
“Oh!” she cried out, sitting up. “Why are you watching me like that?”
“You were making an odd noise,” said Hazel. “Why?” she asked curiously, staring intently.
“Never mind.” Willow yawned and stretched her arms above her head. She noticed Hazel staring at her chest. When her eyes roamed downward, she realized her nipples were hard. The dream had affected her in ways that were real. “Time to get up,” she said, turning around and reaching for her clothes.
“What were you dreaming about?” Hazel asked in a soft voice.
If she were one of Willow’s cousins, she’d tell her the truth. But how could she tell this young girl she’d dreamed of making love with Conrad? After all, the man was her brother. Oh, how she wished Maira or Fia were here right now.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said, pulling her gown over her head. “Dreams are silly and don’t mean a thing.”
“I often have dreams,” said Hazel, pushing up and clutching the pillow to her chest. “So, are you telling me that they don’t mean anything and that they will never come true?”
“Exactly,” she said, putting on her hose and shoes. It worried Willow that she’d had an intimate dream about Conrad when she despised the man. There were so many nobles at the festival, but it was just her luck to be dreaming of Conrad the Cur. “Dreams are stupid and will never come true so don’t even give them another thought.”
“Oh.” The girl’s lips turned downward. She looked as if she were about to cry. Willow didn’t know what to do.
“Why do you ask?” She stood up and reached for her boar’s bristle brush, running it through her tangled hair. “What did you dream?”
“You said it doesn’t matter.” Hazel scooted to the edge of the bed and stood.
Willow felt awkward since she didn’t know what to say to the girl. Conrad’s sister was young, and they had nothing in common. At least with Morag around, she never had to worry about conversation. Morag constantly did all the talking. But this girl was nothing more than a mouse. Since Willow didn’t want to die of boredom, she decided to initiate the conversation. “Go on, Hazel. Tell me your dream.” She continued to brush her hair.
“Do you really want to know?”
Nay, she didn’t, but neither did she want silence between them. “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t care, would I?”
“I suppose not.” That seemed to make the girl happy. She pulled her plain gown over her head and rushed over, climbing atop a chair. “I know it’s silly but I sometimes dream I am a queen. Everyone bows down to me when I walk into the room.”
“Hah!” Willow ran the brush through her hair, having had that dream once or twice herself. Unfortunately, she had to settle for noblemen bowing to her and just wearing the crown of a queen instead. “As I said, that is only a silly dream.”
“I also dream that people notice me when I walk into a room and that they don’t ignore me. People talk to me in my dreams and care about what I have to say. That’s never going to happen, is it?”
“Huh?” Willow stopped brushing her hair, looking over to the girl, not really paying attention. There were tears in Hazel’s eyes again. “Hazel, I don’t really know a lot about dreams.”
“Never mind. It’s silly. And like you said, it’ll never come true. People will never notice me the way they notice you, Willow.” She got up and ran over to the bed, throwing herself atop it, crying.
Willow felt terrible having said those things to Hazel, making the girl cry. But that was before she realized that all the girl had was dreams. Willow wasn’t good with situations like this. How she longed for Fia or even Morag to talk to. They would know what to say to Hazel to make her feel better. She let out a sigh and headed for the bed. She would have to make the best of this since it was partially her fault.
“Hazel,” she said, sitting on the bed next to her. Hazel cried and hid her face in the pillow. “Hazel, look at me.”
Slowly, the girl did so.
“If you want to be noticed, then you have to take control of the situation. It isn’t going to happen on its own.”
“What do you mean?”
“You poor dear. You really have no idea, do you?”
“Can you teach me to be like you, Willow?” The girl’s eyes lit up in hope. Willow had no idea how to help her. “Mayhap a man will kiss me someday the way my brother kissed you.”
“Oh.” Willow’s hand went to her chest, not expecting Hazel to say that. “That was a mistake. That’s why I slapped him.”
This conversation made Willow feel as if she were somehow being dishonorable by kissing the girl’s brother. She didn’t do anything wrong. Did she? Willow’s heart went out to her, remembering Conrad say that they had recently lost their mother. She was sure it couldn’t be easy. Perhaps, she needed to show Hazel a little compassion.
