Her satchel contained four surcoats, hose, undergarments, shifts, and her boots. She pulled out a clean shift and a lovely pale gold surcoat of simplistic fashion with long belled sleeves, snug bodice, and a rounded neckline that showed off her slender neck and shoulders. She found herself wanting to dress for her new husband, wanting to please him so badly in appearance and manner. All of this was still so new and unreal to her, the adventure of a lifetime that she was more than ready to partake.
Taking her bar of soap and a small linen rag from her satchel, she found a small bucket of cold, stale water near the door. It was only half full and she had no idea how long it had been there,but it was clean water and that was all she cared about. Quickly, she stripped off the shift and surcoat she slept in, washing her face and body in the cold water. Drying off with her used shift, she donned the new shift and the gold surcoat. Her hair went into a thick braid that draped over one shoulder and hose and boots went on her feet. She was just packing everything back up when the door to the chamber creaked open.
Mathias stood there, hand on the door latch and a surprised look on his face when he saw that Cathlina was up and dressed. His expression of surprise quickly turned to one of appreciation.
“You are awake,” he said, his voice soft. “I thought you might still be sleeping.”
She shook her head, feeling nervous at the sight of him. Was he glad they had married? Did he regret making such a life-changing decision? Her stomach was in knots with apprehension and excitement. She smiled timidly.
“I woke up a few minutes ago,” she said. “What time is it?”
“Mid-morning,” he said, coming into the room and shutting the door behind him. “Are you hungry?”
She nodded as she quickly finished packing. “Quite,” she said. “But I am ready to leave when you are. I am sorry I slept so long. You really should have awoken me earlier.”
He smiled, drinking in the sight of her, still in disbelief that he had actually married her. “You were exhausted,” he said understandingly. “Besides, it gave me time to purchase some things when the merchant stalls in town opened.”
She cocked her head curiously. “What did you purchase?”
He nodded, digging into a pocket in his tunic and pulling forth something small. Cathlina didn’t see what it was until he held it up into the light. Then, she could see that it was a golden band encircled with pale green stones. It was exquisite.
“I wanted to get you this,” he murmured, reaching out to take her left hand and making a point of sliding the ring onto thethird finger. “I was ill-prepared with a wedding band last night when we were married so I wanted to make amends. My father picked this out, actually. He said you would like it.”
Cathlina looked at the ring, astonished. “It is the most beautiful ring I have ever seen,” she whispered. Then she looked up at him, her big brown eyes glittering. “For me? You would really give this to me?”
Mathias cupped her beautiful face in his big hands, swallowing up her head. He simply stared at her, drinking in every contour, every line of her face.
“I hardly slept last night,” he admitted, “because I found myself awake, watching everything about you. You slept like the dead, with hardly a move or sound, and the entire time all I could think was that it was difficult to believe that you finally belonged to me. Cathlina, I have not even known you for a full week. Do you realize that? But it does not matter because I cannot remember when I have not known or longed for you. You took a knight who was dishonored and resigned and ignited something in him again. I cannot explain it any more than that. You have made me want to live again.”
His words were so deep and so touching. Cathlina instinctively reached out to touch his face, feeling his flesh against her fingertips. When she came close to his mouth, he kissed her fingers gently but that was not enough. He wanted to taste her lips and he did, slanting over them tenderly at first but then hungrily. The more he kissed, the more he wanted. It was their first real, true kiss, better than all of the first real, true kisses in the history of the world because it was with her and she was the sweetest thing that had ever walked the earth. He knew that and he loved her for it.
Cathlina had never been kissed by a man in such a fashion. Their marriage last night had consisted of a chaste kiss to the cheek and any other kisses from Mathias had always been to herhand, so this roaring suckle of passion was something that sent her head spinning.
Caving against his heat, his maleness, she was completely under his control as he dominated her. His lips were warm and firm, and she mimicked him as he suckled her lips. When his tongue gently pried its way into her mouth, she experienced it curiously, then passionately, and tasted him as he was tasting her. When his mouth finally left hers, she nearly collapsed, breathless.
“If we keep going, we shall never leave this place,” he said hoarsely. “Unfortunately, we must leave immediately but rest assured that we shall take up where we left off tonight. I have a new wife and I intend to know her.”
Cathlina knew what he meant and, as she tried to catch her breath, managed to blush. Her mother had been frank with her and Roxane when they had crossed over into womanhood about what was expected from a husband and being extremely naïve and curious at that time, she had gone so far as to seek out an experience to find out what, exactly, her mother had meant.
He had been a young knight, no longer serving her father, and their tryst had been over before it began when he had spilled his seed over her shift in his excitement. After that, her curiosity had been sated and she never thought about such things again until this moment. Now, with a husband she was quickly coming to adore, she was rather apprehensive about the event and the fact that there more than likely wouldn’t be blood on the sheets. She wasn’t sure what to tell him.
“Then let us leave right away,” she said, going to gather her satchel. Mathias took it from her as she collected her cloak. “Do you suppose it would be all right for me to take a piece of bread with me while we travel?”
Mathias smiled as he ushered her out of the door and into a very narrow corridor that led directly to an uneven flight of stairs leading to the main room of the inn.
“Better than that,” he said, “I have had the innkeeper pack a basket with food for us.”
Cathlina turned to look at him, gratefully, as they descended the stairs. “You have thought of everything,”
“I have a wife to tend to. I must see to her comfort.”
She smiled sweetly at him once they reached the bottom of the steps. Mathias set her satchel down and helped her on with the heavy cloak, politely securing the stays around her neck. The activity brought out the innkeeper and his wife, who had a big basket packed with bread and cheese and other things. As Cathlina took the basket and peered into it, hungrily, Justus and Sebastian entered the structure from the street. They approached Mathias but their focus was mostly on his new wife, whom they only saw fleetingly the night before.
“The horses are ready,” Justus said. He dipped his head at Cathlina when their eyes met, smiling hesitantly. “My lady.”
Cathlina grinned at the man. “That seems rather formal considering I am now your daughter.”
“I have never had a daughter. I am not sure how to behave.”
