Anice stood and Robena followed. They walked to the door, but before Anice could open it, Robena touched her hand.
“Milady? I have kenned him since we were bairns. He is a good man, a special man. If ye but give him a sign, he will take care of ye in this.”
“I know that, Robena. He is waiting on me for that sign. And I do not know what to do.”
“Touch him the way ye like to be touched. Kiss him the way ye like to be kissed. Tis simple, really.”
“I will try. I owe him that much.” Anice reached for the handle of the door, but Robena stopped her again.
“Ye do no’ do this because of obligation, lady. I can see the love ye bear for him in yer eyes when ye speak of him.”
She tried to smile, but tears filled her eyes at Robena’s truth.
“And he does no’ ken, does he?”
Anice could only shake her head.
“He’s a good man, milady, but more than a little bit daft if ye ask me.”
Their laughter filled the solar and spilled into the great hall when she pulled the door open.
They were laughing?He stood to watch the two women in his life come out of their encounter and to see if both were unscathed. And they walked out of the solar laughing? ’Twas certainly not what he expected.
He wanted to go over and find out what they spoke of, but this really needed to be settled by Anice. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled as he watched his wife and his friend approach the dais. Anice climbed the first two steps and then turned back to Robena who still stood below on the floor.
“Robena, you are still welcome to join in our meals here.”
“Thank ye, milady,” Robena answered as she curtsied before Anice. “If ye have need of me, please call on me again.”
Robert could see that this was for show, to let the others know Robena was permitted in the keep once more after his indiscretion, but something else was going on here. He watched the two of them closely and thought he saw Robena wink at Anice as she turned to leave.
He remained standing until Anice was seated next to him. When he sat, he could see her eyes were filled with merriment. It did him good to see that. Too many of her days had been spent in dread and fear and he would make her laugh if he could.
He took her hand and brought it to his mouth, touching his lips gently to her knuckles. “Ye have my thanks once again for treating her with kindness.”
“She is quite an... enlightening woman.”
Those hairs tingled again and he wondered just what they had discussed. Anice reached over and took a wedge of cheese from the platter near him. Whether meaning to or not, she brushed against his arm. That was all the contact it took for his body to react—and react quickly and with vigor. His nightly swims in the loch were the joke of the other men, although Brodie assured him that they did not know the true reason behind them.
He walked around hard as granite most of his days and all it took to put him in that state of being was one look at her, or one word, or that damned smile of hers. He’d been caught more than once lately in their room when she woke and he was forced to watch, through nearly closed eyes, as she slid from the bed. She would stand and shake her hair free of its braid before pulling it into a fresh one for the day. His fingers would begin to twitch and then his cock would harden as he watched the flimsy nightgown she wore to bed glide over the curves he wanted to touch.
Mayhap sleeping on the bare stone floor would make him so uncomfortable that this reaction would not be possible.... If he thought it might work, he would try it. However, since he continued to catch her staring at his mouth, it was difficult to divert his thoughts.
She interrupted him at that point, which was probably a good thing considering the path his thoughts were taking. Another sleepless night he could do without.
“I will retire now, Robert, if you do not mind?”
He looked at her carefully. Her face was red and tiny beads of sweat lay on her upper lip. “Are ye well, Anice?”
“I am just more tired than usual.”
“I do no’ mind. Mayhap ye should rest tomorrow?”
“Nay, Rob. I am certain to feel fine after a good night’s sleep.”
As he watched her walk away, he calculated the length of time that his nightly jog to and around the lake would take and his nightly swim. Even if he took the longer path, he could be back at a reasonable time and she would already be asleep. Mayhap he could also get a full night’s sleep.
His bedding was laidout before the fire as it always was.
