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"Aye, I'll take away mine too," he assured her, and she glanced down to see that he had his free hand wrapped around his erection. "Lift yer skirt, Edith. I want to see while I pleasure ye."
Edith reached down shakily to pull her skirt up hand over hand until she had it gathered at her waist.
"Beautiful," Niels muttered, sliding a finger inside her. "Come closer, love. I want to taste ye." He urged her closer with the finger inside her, and Edith staggered forward.
"Spread yer legs more," he instructed and she widened her stance, although she wasn't at all sure her legs would hold her much longer as his fingers slid in and out and he tilted his head up and leaned in to lap at her. Bracing herself with both hands, Edith closed her eyes briefly and then opened them and peered down at what he was doing to himself, noting the way he was holding himself and the rhythmic motion he used. She wanted to touch him too and be more involved, but didn't have much choice in the matter until her legs began to shake.
Apparently noticing, Niels straightened and growled, "Kneel."
Edith sank to her knees beside him and he kissed her, his thumb now caressing the sensitive nub that was the center of her excitement as he slid his finger in and out of her in the same rhythmic motion as he was using on himself. She kissed him back at first, but soon didn't seem to have the presence of mind to even manage that and simply kept her open mouth pressed to his as her body began to quake.
When she cried out and bore down on him, her hands clutching at his shoulders as she found her pleasure, Niels responded by thrusting into her one last time and then shouting into her mouth as he found his own release. When it ended, they were both panting and sagging against each other. Niels retrieved his hand and held her close as they regained themselves.
After several moments, he kissed her forehead and murmured, "We need to dress and head back."
Edith sighed and nodded with regret. She didn't really want to dress and return to the troubles at Drummond. She wanted to run away with Niels, find a big, soft bed somewhere and have him teach her all there was to know about the bedding. Unfortunately that wasn't an option, she acknowledged, and began to move.
Chapter 8
Edith was leading the way as they rode back into the bailey. Going faster than she probably should have, she nearly ran over Laddie when he appeared suddenly before her. Only fast reactions and instincts born of years of riding saved the huge beast as Edith caught the right rein higher up and pulled. The horse immediately turned, just avoiding trampling her poor dog. The mare then stopped and Edith turned to scowl at Ronson as he came running up.
"I'm sorry, m'lady! He got away from me! I'm sorry!" the boy cried, slipping a hand under Laddie's collar as if to hold him back when the beast was now sitting happily in the path, apparently completely oblivious to how close he'd come to death. "I really am, m'lady. 'Twill ne'er happen again. I swear. Please do no' throw me and me gran out. I'll do better."
All of Edith's anger, born mostly of the scare she'd had, slid out of her at those words and she sighed and shook her head. "Come here, Ronson."
He hesitated briefly, but then moved forward, dragging Laddie with him, fear plain on his face. The moment he stopped beside her mare, Edith bent to put her face closer to his. She thought she heard a hiss above or behind her as she did, but ignored it to say solemnly, "Ronson, I will never--"
The rest of the reassurance died in Edith's throat as she was suddenly tackled and dragged off her mount by two hundred pounds of male muscle.
"Niels?" Edith said with bewilderment as she found herself lying on her back on top of his chest on the ground. She started to turn her head to look at him, but paused in surprise as her gaze slid over the front of the castle and she thought she spotted someone standing in her bedchamber window. Before she could get more than an impression of the person, however, she was suddenly rolling and Edith found herself facedown in the mud with a heavy weight on her back. She didn't have to think hard to guess who it was on top of her, and squawked, "Niels!"
"Stay down," he barked, pushing her head into the dirt with his hand. "Ronson. Get over here, lad."
Edith lifted her face out of the mud and glanced around to see that Ronson was already almost to them, dragged by Laddie who thought this was a fine game and began to lick her face and head the moment he could reach her.
"Laddie, no," she ordered, or tried to. The moment she opened her mouth to say the words, Laddie decided to check and see if she had any treats in there for him, and it was difficult to speak with two tongues in her mouth. Turning her head away, Edith pressed her lips closed and then dropped her head back into the dirt and tried to hear what Ronson was saying.
"'Twas an arrow, m'lord! I saw it fly past her when she bent to speak to me! Someone tried to shoot Lady Edith!"
"What?" Edith squawked, and jerked her head up to look around, only to have Niels push it back to the ground.
"Stay down, lass. I'm no' losing ye now," he growled and then added, "Ronson, get over here, lad, else ye might get hit by accident do they shoot again."
In the next moment, Edith found Ronson squeezed up beside her under the shelter of Niels's body.
"Are ye all right, m'lady?" the boy asked earnestly as Niels began to bark orders at the people now shouting and running about the bailey. "That was sure close. Someone nearly shot ye!"
"Did they?" she asked weakly, her head bobbing as Laddie licked the hair on the back of her head. She had no idea why the dog was doing that, but managed to get one hand out from under her and cover the spot in hopes he'd stop. Instead, he turned excitedly to licking both her hand and her hair, dragging the now wet strands over the back of her hand, and she suspected, pulling some out. It certainly felt like some of her hair was being ripped out by the roots.
"Aye," Ronson told her. "If ye had no' bent to talk to me right when ye did, I wager the arrow would ha'e hit ye in the chest and killed ye deader than a spent whore."
"Deader than a what?" she asked with disbelief.
"Than a spent--" Ronson began, but his words ended on a startled gasp when Niels suddenly rose, taking them both with him.
"Keep the shields over them," Niels barked. "The arrow came from above! Did ye send someone to check the upper chambers?"
Edith blinked up at the six shields six soldiers were holding over them like a roof, and then down at the arm that was like a steel band around her waist. Niels was holding both her and Ronson up off the ground and tight to his chest as he jogged toward the keep with the men surrounding them to protect them from arrows.
"Aye. I sent four men. They should be up there now. If there is anyone there, they'll find them," the man beside her said, and Edith turned to see that it was Tormod holding the shield on that side. Catching her looking at him, he nodded as he jogged and murmured, "M'lady."
Smiling weakly, Edith turned to peer at the other men now, noting that Alick was beside Tormod, grinning at her as if this was a walk in the park. He jogged sideways toward the keep, holding a shield high over their heads just as Tormod and the others were doing. Geordie, she noted, was on Niels's other side with yet another shield. He too smiled at her reassuringly when he saw her looking. And Cameron, one of the Drummond soldiers, was next to him, trying to give her what she thought was supposed to be a reassuring smile as well. She couldn't see the two men behind them, but knew they were there.
Edith looked over the men she could see again and thought it was like some kind of bizarre dream she'd fallen into. Perhaps they were still at the stone in the meadow and she'd dozed off.
When they reached the steps, Niels didn't slow but jogged quickly up them, the men managing to keep pace despite mounting the stairs sideways. Edith expected the first two men would have to lower their shields to open the doors, but someone must have been watching for them, because the moment they neared, the doors swung open. Their party jogged right on in, shields not lowering until they were well inside the great hall.
Niels set down both Ronson and Edith
, but then turned to survey her, his hands traveling over her body as if searching for a hidden sgian-dubh as he asked, "Are ye all right? Were ye hurt at all? Is anything broken or--"
"I'm fine," Edith said with embarrassment, catching his hands as he began to pat her behind and upper legs. "Truly. I was no' hurt. I'm a little thirsty, and even hungry, but completely unharmed," she assured him.
Releasing a pent-up breath, Niels nodded and then took her arm to usher her to the table.
"I'll go tell Cook to fetch out the nooning meal fer ye, m'lady," Tormod said, nodding at Rory as the man came from the kitchens and the two men passed each other.
"I'll fetch down a pitcher o' mead," Geordie said, heading for the stairs.
"Here, sit, lass," Niels murmured, urging her to the high table. "Ye've had a scare."
"What happened?" Rory asked, reaching them then. "Some servants came rushing into the kitchen saying there were screams and people running in the bailey. What--"
"Someone shot an arrow at Edith, and I'm marrying her, dammit!" Niels snapped.
Everyone went completely silent at that. Edith suspected it was probably because they were trying to sort out the information that he'd just blurted in one furious burst and decide if he was angry only about the arrow, or about the marrying part too. No doubt they were stumped as to whether they should be offering congratulations or condolences, she thought wryly.
"M'lady?" Moibeal appeared at her side, and suggested tentatively, "Mayhap we should go above stairs and clean ye up."
"Nay. I'm fine. I'll change after I eat," Edith murmured, frowning at Laddie and pushing the dog away when he began to nose around her lap.
"Did ye find anyone up there?" Tormod's voice drew Edith's gaze as he reappeared from the kitchens and headed to meet four grim-faced men who were now descending the stairs.
"Nay. We searched every room. Other than old Effie, the rooms were all empty," the first man said.
"But we think they shot the arrow from Lady Edith's room," the second man added. "Her shutters are the only ones open."
"They were closed when I left me room this morning," Edith said when Niels glanced to her. Turning to Moibeal, she asked, "Did ye open them to air the room?"
"Aye, while I cleaned up," she admitted, and then added, "But I closed 'em when I was done. They should no' be open now."
"The bastard shot at ye from yer own room," Niels growled, dropping to sit on the bench next to her, his fist thumping the table in frustration.
"Bastard," Ronson echoed, thumping the table and dropping onto the bench as well.
