Rolfe could resist her no longer but bent and kissed her soundly before carrying her off to bed. A simple wish ensured that the hall was cleaned and the servants disappeared, then there was only their great curtained bed and the sweetness of his ladywife.
He decided that her confidences about Enguerrand could wait a few moments, for it was high time that he did remove her garters with his teeth. He had trusted the lady and she had proven herself worthy of hisconfidence.
Such a feat called for a reward, and Rolfe knew the one his lady likedbest.
* * *
Annelise was relievedbeyond all else. After she had been thoroughly seduced by her husband, she found herself nestled in his lap with candles burning around them. He had eaten little at the board in Enguerrand’s presence, so she fed him from the dish of stew that had appeared after their lovemaking and told him about theirguest.
Rolfe de Viandin was hisname.
He listened avidly, his gaze locked upon her features. She did not doubt that he heard what she did not say aloud about her reaction to Enguerrand’s suit for her hand. She told him about the depleted mines at Roussineau and gave voice to her sense that Enguerrand wished to wed her for the sake of Sayerneitself.
“He thinks my brother Quinn will not return from Outremer,” she explained. “And if he does not, Tulley may endow the holding uponme.”
“Or your youngerbrother.”
Annelise shook her head. “I do not think there was any prospect of that. Yves is young, for one matter, and has only seen sixteen summers. But I think that if there had been any such possibility, Tulley would not have encouraged Yves to seek his fortune attournament.”
Her husband nodded. “That is reasonable. I could not help but note how closely Enguerrand asked after Viandin. He seems much concerned with material matters.” He considered her for a longmoment.
“There is some other detail, is there not?” Annelise asked. “Some other part of the curse you have not toldme?”
He touched his fingertip to her mouth, sliding it across her bottom lip in a slow caress. “I like how you say my name, my Annelise. I should have told yousooner.”
Annelise smiled beneath his touch. “Yes, you shouldhave.”
His smile flashed. “Sayit.”
“Rolfe,” she said, then kissed his palm. “My husband, Rolfe deViandin.”
His gaze darkened and he lifted the empty bowl from her lap, setting it aside and rolling her beneath him. He kissed her lingeringly then raised his head to survey her again. “I want to hear you shout it when you find your pleasure,” he murmured and Annelise shivered inanticipation.
But she tapped him on the nose. “You, sir, would change thesubject.”
He smiled but did notargue.
“Once again, you avoid telling me the whole of the truth,” she insisted. “Is there another part of thecurse?”
He grimaced and rolled to his back, pulling her against his side. His fingers twined in her hair and Annelise braced herself on her elbow to look down at him. He regarded her with admiration. “Of course, there is. You cannot be fooled, lady mine, and I am glad of it.” Before she could ask again, he raised a hand and spokeagain.
“Powers vested beneath theearth,
Hear my words and attend mycurse.
Teach this one to respect mypowers;
Leave him trapped outside thesetowers.
Condemn him to howl and prowlnear,
This place a reminder of all he helddear.
Mortal ways he shall pursue nomore,
Doomed to rememberforevermore.
Let the one who crosses this thresholdfirst,
