“All men are ambitious, madame, but not all men love you as I do,” he answered.
Marie of Gueldres smiled at him again. “And that is why you are my lover, Adam Hepburn. I know when a man’s heart is true.”
Then together they entered the castle while below them on the beach the Laird of Dunglais walked with Alix. A light wind was coming off the water. Above them the skies were partly cloudy. One moment the sun shone brightly, and then it was gone beneath the lowering gray. The dark waters of the Firth of Forth lapped at the shale beach. They walked hand in hand for some minutes, but then Alix shivered.
“You are cold,” he said.
“Aye, ’tis chilly along the water,” Alix admitted.
“The beach is low here,” he said. “We’ll climb up and walk back through the fields, lambkin.” He put his arm about her now, and together they mounted the hillock, easily gaining the field above it. They reached an open shed as it began to rain. “It’s only a shower,” he assured her as they ducked inside. And then he pulled her into his arms. “For the first time since we left Dunglais I have you alone and to myself,” he growled.
“Nay,” she said. “There was our first night at Ravenscraig when you accused me of flirting with other men and dragged me from the hall.”
“I’m a fool,” he said, and then he kissed her a slow, hot kiss, crushing her breasts against his leather-clad chest. The scent of her filled his nostrils, and his lust leaped.
“I miss you,” she admitted. “I miss being in your bed, in your arms, Colm.” Her fingers brushed lightly over the nape of his neck. Aye, she loved him.
The shed was filled with fresh hay. The laird pulled Alix down upon it. His hands pushed her skirts up, and he stroked the sensitive flesh on the insides of her thighs. The bodice of her gown felt as if it would burst open. He smiled down into her face, and she smiled back in agreement. No words were necessary. He wanted her, and she wanted him. The laird released his cock, which was already hard with his longing.
Alix pulled his head down to hers and began to kiss him hungrily. “Hurry, my lord,” she whispered hotly against his mouth. “I have missed your hard length inside of me. I have missed the passion we share. Ahhh!” she cried as he thrust deep into her.
Having pushed within her, he lay quiet for several moments. He had been so desperate for her that he felt if he moved again even slightly he would lose control over himself. He had never needed a woman as much as he needed her. Aye! He loved her.
Alix sighed with pleasure, feeling his thick length within her velvet sheath. She undid the buttons of her jerkin and unlaced her shirt beneath so he might have access to her full round breasts. He groaned, and dipping his head, began to suckle upon one of her breasts. Her hands caressed him, silently encouraging him in his passion. Finally she whispered to him, “Please, Colm!I burn for you. Fuck me!Please!”
The laird lifted his head up and their eyes met. “You must keep your eyes open, lambkin, when I do. If you close them I will cease,” he said wickedly. Then he began to move on her. She was like wet silk, like honeyed fire. He had thought himself near to release when he had first penetrated her, but now he had regained control of himself. He moved back and forth slowly at first, then with increasing speed. He looked deep into her eyes as he used her, enjoying the passion that burned within them until finally he saw her struggling to keep her eyes open as he had commanded. He increased his efforts, and Alix screamed his name. “Colm! Oh God, you are killing me!” Her eyes rolled back in her head as her body shook with fierce tremors, and he let his own passion pour into her with short, hard spurts until her sheath had milked him dry, and he collapsed atop her.
Finally they came to themselves, and he rolled off her body, laying on his back, his breathing slowly returning to normal. God help him! He would never get enough of her.
Alix sighed happily. “I’m glad we have found this little place where we may be together. I never again want to live without your passion, Colm.”
“Nor I yours, lambkin,” he told her. “Beg the queen to release us soon. She will give you what you desire, for your kinswoman’s sake.”
“I will, my lord,” Alix promised him.
They reordered their garments, and as the shower had now stopped and the sun was peeping from behind a purple cloud bank, they returned to Ravenscraig Castle hand in hand. That night as they sat at the high board Alix spoke softly to the queen.
“Madame, my lord and his daughter are missing Dunglais, and so am I. May we not depart soon? The weather grows colder, and my lord’s people will be worried if he does not return soon.”
Marie of Gueldres sighed deeply. “I know it is not fair to retain your company any longer,” she admitted. “You are free to leave on the morrow, Alix Givet. But before you go you will come and speak with me, for there is something you should know.”
“Thank you, Your Highness,” Alix replied. And she wondered what it was the queen could possibly have to say to her.
Chapter 8
Later that evening in the hall Alix managed to steal a moment with her lover. “We are free to leave on the morrow,” she told the laird. “But the queen wishes to speak with me before we go, my lord.”
“I will alert our men,” he responded.
“Remember, she does not receive anyone before midmorning. We shall not get an early start, I fear,” Alix reminded him.
“But we shall be gone from Ravenscraig, lambkin, and be making for the borders before the sunset. I’ll send a rider ahead to the nunnery of St. Margaret begging accommodation for tomorrow night,” Malcolm Scott replied. “On the following morning we will depart immediately at first light.”
Alix smiled at him. “I cannot wait to get home,” she said, “and have the winter set in so we may be safe from all visitors.”
“If we are fortunate, my uncle will have come with his latest candidate while we have been away. He will be very disappointed, I fear,” the laird chuckled.
Alix excused herself from the queen’s presence and hurried to the little chamber she shared with Fiona. She packed up their belongings carefully, leaving out the clothing in which they would travel on the morrow. Then she went to find Fiona in the royal nursery, where the little girl was deeply involved in a chess game with the king. Fiona had learned the game quickly and proved a good player, to the young king’s delight.
