“Ah, well, a lady does not often please a man in his bed.” He eased the intimacy of their embrace. “A little wantonness in a wife is a fine thing,” he teased as he rolled onto his back, pulling her into his arms.
She gave a sleepy chuckle. “Wretched man. We should rise soon.”
“Rest a while, dearling.”
“It seems a sin to lie abed so late.”
“We will not be missed. I must also lay plans for the next few days.”
“More reason to get started.”
“Rest, wife. It can wait awhile.”
“As you command, husband.”
“A very proper attitude for a wife.”
Laughing softly, she snuggled up to him. Here were the arms she was meant to curl up in. Their lovemaking had only increased her sense of rightness. Only one thing troubled her. Despite his passion, she sensed a reticence in Thayer, as if he tried to keep a distance between them. He would obviously need time. She would do all she could to show him how perfectly matched they were. As sleep crept over her, her thoughts were filled with visions of the children they would have and the peaceful future that stretched out before them. She was sure he would soon share those dreams.
Gazing down at the woman resting so comfortably in his arms, Thayer felt a twinge of amazement. Despite the fever of need that had gripped him, he had watched her. Her passion was no trick of the light. She truly burned to his touch. It was exhilarating, but it was also a source of consternation. Now that he had introduced her to the joys of passion, she might not be so quick to box the ears of opportuning gallants. That morality she displayed could stem mostly from ignorance. She would no longer view men and women through a child’s eyes but a woman’s. He feared he had set the seal on his own fate—that of an unhappy cuckold.
Chapter Four
Excitement and sadness gripped Gytha. It had taken a full week, but she and Thayer were now ready to leave. She was starting on a new life. Unfortunately, it meant leaving behind all she had ever known or loved. She knew her family would always be there for her, but things would be forever changed. They had to be. Her husband was now her world.
When her father bade her farewell, hugging her tightly, she saw the bright sheen of tears in his eyes. She had seen it in her brothers’ eyes as well, and her mother now stood away from her, weeping loudly. Afraid she would give in to tears, Gytha quickly joined Margaret and an excited Edna in the cart. As they started on their way, she found it impossible to watch her home fade from sight without tears. She did her best to halt them.
Their first destination would be Saitun Manor. Gytha was eager to see it, having heard nothing but good about it. Once all had been set to order there, they would journey to the small holding she had brought to the marriage. It was hard not to be excited about the trip. She had traveled very little in her life and never too far. It was also hard not to feel just a little afraid.
Glancing at the twenty men who rode with them, she told herself that such fears were silly. Thayer and Roger, along with the dozen men in their service, were all hardened fighters, most of them knighted upon the field of battle. Her father had contributed six men to their number, each a strong, willing fighter. They had been hard put to hide their delight at a chance to ride with the famed Red Devil. She knew she had no need to fear.
What little she had been able to discover had confirmed all Edna had said of Thayer and his men. Most were indeed the illegitimate sons of nobles, as were many of the small knot of pages and squires attending them. In fact, many of the pages were half-brothers to the men they served.
One page in particular interested her. He had flame-colored hair, and she was determined to ask Thayer about the boy. Jealousy had tightly gripped her the first time she had seen the boy, but she had shaken its hold. The boy had to be eight or nine years of age. She would have been only a child herself when he was born. Even so, she would find out the truth. She just wished she knew what she should do if her suspicions were right.
Roger caught Gytha watching the boy again. “You had best tell her,” he murmured to Thayer.
Glancing towards his wife, Thayer sighed. “Aye. Knowing that she is not reticent, I have been taking the coward’s way out. I but awaited her asking about Bek. ’Tis a sordid tale. I have little stomach for repeating it. Especially not to her.”
“She is one of the few who can claim a right to know. I understand your reluctance, however. The innocence she holds is a wonder. Even the maid and Margaret hold that sweetness. ’Tis as if they have lived in a world apart from ours.”
“Lord John has kept his home a world apart. Who can blame him? There is much darkness in the world. His people follow his lead. They are good, God-fearing folk who feel rules are made to be obeyed. He treats his people with kindness and understanding, and they repay him with an unswerving loyalty. ’Tis a shining example of what can be.”
“But rarely is.”
“Sadly so.”
“I could have wished for a little less godliness, however. I sorely missed the light maids found at other keeps. Why, his own sons must journey to town to bed a woman.” He shared a soft laugh with Thayer. “Ah, well, I can see how it can be a good thing.”
“How so?”
“There is no chance of some maid setting herself above the wife, thinking herself better than she is. There is none of that strife for the lady of the keep to bear.”
“Aye.” Thayer frowned. “I may have to clean out my own keep.”
“The ladies will see to that. Have no fear.”
By the time they stopped for the night, Gytha felt far less excitement about traveling. It was tedious and dirty. As soon as Thayer’s tent was set up, she called for some water. It was the boy, Bek, who delivered it, reminding her of something she had struggled to forget. She watched the young flame-haired boy walk away, then stepped inside the tent.
