"And I you. Gilly, what's wrong?"
"You must permit me to tell my husband the truth about you."
Simon shook his head. "Nay, we've discussed this. I won't risk being banished."
Gillian wrung her hands. "You don't understand. Royce is determined to uncover every secret I hold. He fears my Welsh blood means I am a spy, but I know he also has suspicions about you."
"I don't care. If they see me as a great threat, banishment will be the least of my worries. I would follow him as my overlord. At least this way, even if I am sent to Montchester, or London, or wherever, I can return. If I am banished, or worse, that will be impossible."
Gillian's desperation grew a little more, her gut knotting as tightly as her fingers clenched. She knew what methods her husband could employ to loosen her tongue. Inonly a few short days, he had turned her into a wanton, anxious for the pleasure he would bestow. But he could as easily use that pleasure against her, a fact she already knew well. She didn't think she could bear another night of such torture without admitting all. Even other things she didn't know; she'd likely swear to anything he suggested she held responsibility for. Heat flamed upon her cheeks to realize she would have to tell her brother some of what she'd experienced. How to do so without angering him? She twisted her hands and began to pace.
"Simon, he has ways of... he can... he knows how to make me... beg for mercy."
Simon's eyes widened, his dark brows slashing deep in his forehead. "He beats you? I will kill him!"
He turned and headed toward the keep. Gillian ran in front of him, pushing at his shoulders until he stopped.
"Nay, he... well, yes, he spanked me. But it's not that."
Simon studied her intently, his lips pressed together in a grim line. "Then what is it he does?"
"He withholds pleasure."
The confusion in her brother's dark eyes would have been laughable if the situation were not so serious.
"Explain."
Gillian turned her back, unable to face him while she relayed, as vaguely as she could, the way Royce had bound her and teased her mercilessly with sexual pleasure. Recounting the tale warmed her body, her nipples tightening and pressing against linen. The sensation only intensified the building desire, and already, her sex slickened. The thought of her husband's hard shaft filling her sparked a wave of desire so intense, it weakened her knees. She kept her explanation brief, not wanting Simon to know what a wanton she'd turned into. How hungry for that pleasure she'd become. If he looked, he would see the flush climbing her face, the trembling of her hands, her unsteady breathing. All because of her husband. His wicked ways had made her into a wild woman. A wildcat, as he'd already called her.
Simon's hands on her shoulder brought a soothing measure of relief. He would understand. He would permit her to share his truth.
"You sound as if you enjoy it."
She spun about. "He makes me! His wicked hands and... I never thought such things were possible, and yet, now, 'tis all I can think about!"
She covered her face with her hands, choking back a frustrated sob. Simon caught her wrists.
"Look at me."
She obeyed, hoping he couldn't see the need pulsing at fever pitch within. What had her husband made of her?
Simon smiled. "You should be pleased your husband knows such tactics."
"I...you... what?" 'Twas not what she'd expected.
"Most women suffer a miserable marriage bed. You are lucky."
"Simon!" She stamped her foot. "Do you not see I'm being tortured? He does not trust me and unless I tell him something, he will continue to do so. He is trying to drive me mad!"
Simon chuckled. Gillian resisted the urge to pummel him, with great difficulty.
"Enjoy it, Gilly, while you can." His humorous countenance sobered. "But do not tell him of me. Not yet. 'Tis way too soon. He won't believe you anyway, and think it a lie to cover our adulterous affair."
She shook her head. "I cannot believe you would turn away from me now. I need you to let me tell him. I cannot promise I can withhold the truth."
"You will. You are as stubborn as he. We will tell him. Eventually. But not now. Just a little longer. I have a plan anyway."
She nodded, giving him her fiercest scowl. "I will try. But I make no promises, should my husband decide to continue to mercilessly torture me."
