Better, there were no longer any secrets between them, no deception however good-willed or misguided.Dagobert felt a contentment welling in his heart that matters were finally as they ought to be.Alienor had been worthy of his trust from the first: her shock at their arrest in Toulouse and her amazement as he shared his truth with her this night combined to confirm what he had long suspected in his heart.He had wronged her with his suspicions, but perhaps this night he could begin to balance the scales more favorably.
’Twould be the only chance he was destined to have.
The ripe curve of her breast filled his hand to perfection and he caressed that nipple once more, a thrill tripping through him when Alienor responded with delight to his touch.What he had sacrificed all these nights of loving in the dark!She was so lovely that he did not even want to blink.Her nipple hardened to a dusky peak beneath his thumb and she writhed with closed eyes against the dark tangle of her hair.Her rapturous expression urged him on, that he might see her so beneath him.
Dagobert slid his hands over the slender perfection of her ribs and waist, sparing a soft brush across her stomach where his son grew, caressing the full flare of her hips to her slender thighs.With gentle fingers, he touched the apex of dark curls and she trustingly, willingly, parted her thighs to invite him onward.
Dagobert caught his breath, then glanced up to find her smoky regard upon him.His own arousal was echoed in the tawny depths of the eyes beguiling him with their exotic tilt.She was magnificent and he could never have found her equal had he traveled the known world twice over.
He found the pearl hidden in the dampness between her thighs with two fingers, watching the tip of her tongue slid over the rosy fullness of her lips.She trembled beneath his caress and Dagobert wondered how long he could maintain his own control before such temptation.
In the darkness of their chambers, it had been difficult enough to rein himself in that she might reach the fullness of her pleasure, but here, seeing her passion before him for the first time and beleaguered by their recent chastity, he knew not how he would endure it.
Alienor reached for him and he could not have refused her siren’s call to save his life.Dagobert watched her eyes widen as he loomed over her, finding himself smiling in response to her welcoming smile.He settled himself with care in the cradle of her thighs, a space that seemed wrought exactly to accommodate him.Pride seared his heart when she moaned with pleasure and took him within her tight sheath.
She murmured his name again when he was fully within her and he paused, savoring this moment in the fullness of the lamplight.He knew that he would recall it repeatedly when he was once more alone.He knew that this moment would become a touchstone for him.
Alienor reached up and ran her fingertips over his cheekbones and the bridge of his nose, skimming her fingers across his lips, running her hands through the thick length of his hair.He noted her delight, realizing that ’twas also the first time for her to see him in this intimate moment.
Her fingers hesitated for a moment before continuing over his shoulders and down his arms, and he knew that she had noticed his birthmark.Her golden gaze did not lift to meet his, as he felt the softness of her fingertip slowly trace the outline of that mark on his chest.Alienor glanced up to him now with understanding in her lovely eyes, and he smiled down at her.
“’Tis incredible that such tales are rooted in truth,” she whispered.
Dagobert nodded in silent agreement as she came to terms with the revelation.It was beyond belief, indeed.Alienor glanced from the mark to his face again, her hand leaving his shoulder to slip between them and tentatively touch her stomach.
“And the babe?”It was more a statement than a question.
Dagobert nodded once more.“The mark he bears will be much the same,” he confirmed.“Tis said it appears on the shoulder blade of some but my father’s was exactly thus.”
“I had no idea.”Alienor’s gaze slowly finding its way back to meet his as something evidently occurred to her.“You said son.”
Dagobert smiled.“We have sons.”
She shook her head.“Why did you wed me?”
“Your hand was promised when you were only a babe.”
Her dark brows drew together in a quick frown.“But Guibert...”
“Knew naught of it, for he found you quite by chance.When Pamiers was attacked and your mother disappeared, Iolande feared you lost forever,” Dagobert explained, anticipating Alienor’s next question before she could form the words.“She saw you in Perpignan last Yule and knew you to be your mother’s child.”
“Guibert always said I favored the woman who gave me to him.”Alienor’s smile turned sweet when she met Dagobert’s gaze again.“Pledged as babes?”He smiled himself that the notion pleased her so.
“Aye.”He bent to brush a kiss across her lips and he felt a rush of possessiveness.“You were always mine.”
Alienor opened her mouth to him, lifting her hips beneath him in silent encouragement.’Twas all the urging he needed to carry them both onward and upward, in pursuit of the pleasure they could give each other.A joyful shout dispelled the quiet of the dank cell when Dagobert finally saw Alienor find satisfaction beneath him, her golden eyes widening with wonder as a flush suffused her cheeks.
The sight was more than enough to drive him to his release as well.
The morning came too soonfor Alienor.The sound of increased activity outside the locked door was the only clue that another day had begun.Dagobert was already on his feet, fastening his chausses and listening at the door.There was a frown between his brows.Alienor’s eyes closed again, the imprisoning walls dissolving around her at the recollection of his caresses throughout the night.
“Dress yourself, my Alienor,” Dagobert ordered with soft urgency.She propped herself up on one elbow and ran a sleepy hand through her hair.“Someone comes.”
Alienor thought she might stay wrapped in his cloak, but the blaze in his eyes told her he would argue otherwise.She reached for her discarded chemise and pulled it over her head.She could have slept a week after the night they had shared, and truly, she had no desire to hurry toward the events of this day.Naught good could come of them.
“You must hurry,” Dagobert urged, even as he dropped the weight of her woolen kirtle over her head.In a heartbeat, he was lacing the sleeves for her, and she began to feel some of his urgency.While she laced the sides, he braided her hair.He then slipped on her shoes while she adjusted her wimple, veil and fillet.
The key turned in the lock and Alienor reached for herpelisson.She was dressed and not a moment too soon.The door swung inward and she heard her pulse in her ears.Her gaze flew to Dagobert, only to find his expression stony.He had withdrawn from her again, even after the intimacy of the previous night, and she knew he did as much to protect her.That realization sent a cold shudder through her.Who came to their cell?Did Dagobert know something she did not?
