She beamed, slipping out of bed and running, hunched over as if to hide her body, to slip on her chemise. “I promise,” she said, jumping when she discovered him right behind her.
He wrapped his arms around her from behind. “All spoils go to your master,” he murmured in her ear.
She melted back against him, in what he considered his best-won victory yet, and laughed a deep, throaty laugh. “Of course, my lord.”
At breakfast, he sat down on the bench and watched her eye the bench and him with uncertainty. To his shock, she chose his lap.
“Ah, the little bird has been tamed,” Erik remarked. “Does that mean you’ll let her stay in with the ladies today?”
He smiled. “Mayhap after dinner. This morning, I am taking her hunting with me.”
The knights and ladies of the high table looked perplexed. “Hunting?”
“Aye. The lady likes to hunt.”
Several people exchanged glances, but he didn’t care. Daisy’s eccentricities made him all the more proud of her.
“That’s what became of the ladies of Hohenzollern without a man to rule there,” one of the knights remarked.
“All the more fortune for me,” he remarked lightly, leaving them to decipher his meaning.
Daisy sat perfectly still, politely waiting for him to give her permission to begin.
“You may eat,” he said.
He enjoyed the feel of her on his lap where he could inhale her sweet scent and feel her soft warmth. He looped an arm around her waist and stroked her side and legs, feeling her stiffness ease with each passing moment.
When they finished, they went to his chamber where he helped her into her cloak and picked up his riding crop. “Do you know what will happen if you try to escape me today?” he asked, reaching out and patting her bottom with the crop.
“I won’t,” she said, turning away dismissively.
He swung the crop and caught the underside of her bottom, making her leap forward and grab her bottom.
“I said, I wouldn’t,” she exclaimed, turning around and glaring.
He caught her up in his arms, joining her hands in rubbing away the sting. “Do not glare at me. If I think you need a taste of my whip to remind you to behave, I will use it.”
“You,” she said furiously, attempting to push him away.
“This little bottom is mine,” he said, squeezing it possessively. “Mine to punish or pleasure as I see fit. Do you need another reminder before we go?”
Pride warred with practicality in her expression and he hoped she would test him again, but she shook her head. “No, sir.”
He smiled and touched her nose. “Smart girl.” He offered his arm. “Shall we?”
She took his arm and they walked out to the stables where Penrod had already saddled his destrier and a pretty roan for Daisy. She stroked the mare, introducing herself and speaking softly in the manner of someone well-accustomed to horses. He helped her into the saddle, then mounted his own stallion and led the way out of the castle gates and into the forest.
The day was quiet. A light dusting of snow had fallen during the night, making everything look clean and white, the snow catching the sunlight andsparkling. They rode side by side, following a path through the trees.
“It’s beautiful,” Daisy breathed.
He smiled, enjoying her happiness.
She turned to him. “Thank you so much for taking me out today,” she said. “I can’t stand being cooped up inside.”
“Nor can I,” he said.
“You don’t mind having a wife who prefers to act like a man?”
