Her host led her to the bower of flowers, then turned to face her again, holding both of her hands in his own. His hands were warm and strong, unscarred, and his touch was gentle. Annelise thought about them upon her flesh and her toes curled in her shoes. He began to recite the familiar vows in his wonderfully deep voice and she was amazed to find herself in such asituation.
But not unhappy with it. He had listened to her concerns and tried to reassure her. He had promised to treat her well, and she was inclined to believehim.
“I take thee, Annelise de Sayerne, to be my weddedwife...”
Annelise made her vows in turn, her voice growing in conviction as shespoke.
The lord slid his ring onto the middle finger of her left hand. It was heavy and still warm, a weight to remind her of her pledge. Annelise glanced up when he kept a grip on her hand, wishing she could see his eyes in thismoment.
“With this ring, I thee wed,” he said huskily. “With my body, I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods, I theeendow.”
It wasdone.
She wasmarried.
Annelise stared down at the ring, the red stone almost glowing in the moonlight, and thus missed her new husband’s quickmovement.
He caught her nape with one warm palm and pulled her in his embrace with gentle force. His kiss was gentle, cajoling, yet more resolute this time. He held her against his strength and she felt both cherished andprotected.
An unfamiliar longing was awakened within Annelise, its embers stoked to a flame as his kiss deepened. She found herself melting against him, surrendering to his touch, mimicking him and wantingmore.
So much more. She could feel no imperfections in his form, although something decidedly hard pressed against her hip. She ran her hands over his shoulders and soon forgot her exploration, for she liked the feel of him so verywell.
She tasted the hunger in him and knew that she was not powerless in this exchange. That, above all else, gave her hope for theirfuture.
Finally, he lifted his head and cupped her face in his hands. “Well, wife of mine,” he whispered. “Shall we retire to our nuptialbed?”
Annelise had never expected she would be so willing so quickly, but she was. Her flesh tingled in the aftermath of his touch, and though she did not know precisely what would happen abed, she was anxious to learnmore.
She wanted his hands onher.
She wanted his lips onher.
She was a wanton of the first order, yet in this moment she did notcare.
Annelise nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Her husband swung her into his arms and carried her back to the palace with such ease that she dared to hope he had no flaw atall.
What if this might prove to be the match she had alwaysdesired?
* * *
Annelise’s kisshad set Rolfe’s blood afire. That she had learned so quickly to mimic his movements, that she should so readily entice him with ardor was far more than he hadexpected.
She would have him in her thrall if he were notcautious.
Rolfe could think of nothing but the consummation before them as he carried her back to his favorite chamber. She kicked her feet playfully and stole glances at him, her expression a mix of anticipation and maidenly concern. He would see those fears banished and pleasure found in theirstead.
The palace offered an abundance of pleasures but he wished that they might have had a solid bed. There was nothing in his opinion that could compete with the comfort of a massive bed, rooted to floor and ceiling with four oaken pillars and hung with heavy draperies to block the cold. His parents possessed such a bed, and he had not seen the like since he had left forOutremer.
It was at moments like this that Rolfe disliked the exotic tendencies of the palace. Likely, they would have to make do with cushions, leaving them with aching backs on themorrow.
Even that prospect could not dampen his ardor. One night of loving—one night of loving a woman whose allure grew by the moment—and he would be free of the curse that bound him. Finally, it seemed that Rolfe’s good fortune hadreturned.
He stepped into his favorite chamber and froze in hissteps.
To his astonishment, there was a bed precisely as he had imagined against one wall of the room. The tub and the low table where Annelise had eaten were both gone, although the fountain still danced in the moonlit courtyardbeyond.
He stared at the bed and Annelise slipped from his embrace. She crossed the chamber and gave one post a shake, as though she doubted the evidence of her own eyes. Then she turned to him, those eyes flashing. “How did you cause this to be here?” She gave the bed a hearty shove, then glanced back to Rolfe. “It is fixed to the floor as solidly as though they were made together. This was not here earlier. Is this the sameroom?”
