“That very afternoon, I swore to myself that one day I would marry you…” Catherine whispered faintly, “…and here I am.”
“Catherine?”
“Where is the boy…?” she heard herself breathe, “he was right there...”
Then she was falling, and a figure was moving swiftly, scooping her into his arms and carrying her to the bed.
CHAPTER 14
CATHERINE RACED THROUGH THE CLUTCHING WOODS.
Behind her came the hunt. The hounds bayed, the riders blew their horns, and Uncle Benjamin's shouts rang out above them all. Aunt Nora's banshee screech was close behind. Branches whipped at her bare arms. Roots tripped her, brambles caught at her dress, tearing it, catching her skin.
Then she stumbled into a clearing and her legs gave way.
A stallion broke through the trees—ridden by a man with long, flowing hair and the simple clothes of an outlaw. His face was hard and cruel, but his eyes were soft as they found hers. He leaned from the saddle and scooped her up, and the woods parted for him as he galloped away.
“A-Aaron?”
“You are safe,” Aaron whispered, “you will always be safe in my arms.”
They reached a house. Not Caerleon, but a cottage with a thatched roof and roses climbing around the door. Aaron vaulted from the saddle with Catherine in his arms.
“This is not your manor,” she murmured.
“It is my home. I lived a humble life before I became Duke.”
They entered a room warmed by a roaring fire. The air was close and hot. The ceiling was low, criss-crossed with ancient black beams. A pile of sheepskin lay on the stone before the hearth. Aaron lowered Catherine to the rugs.
“The woods can be dangerous,” he murmured. “I must tend to you.”
He undid the buttons of her bodice and eased it from her shoulders. The bramble scratch across her breast was visible through her undergarment. He dabbed cold linen against it, and she bit her lip as her nipple rose beneath the cloth. Then he lowered his head and kissed the scratch, and his lips began to move outward in ever-widening circles.
Catherine closed her eyes, knowing that there was another scratch on her thigh. She felt her dress being pulled down over her hips, then slipping away past her feet. She murmured as the rent in her underskirt was widened and the cold cloth once again pressed against her skin.
Then would come the kissing. Inches from her womanhood. The idea made her moan and sigh, squirming with anticipation.
Catherine jolted awake in a dark room.
The curtains were drawn, and she caught the faintest glimpse of light from the chink in between.Moonlight. She blinked at the ceiling—it took a few seconds to realize that she was in her bedroom at Caerleon. She was in her bedclothes, and the fire had gone out.
Her breath fogged the air in front of her. She threw back the sheets and then stopped. Her nightdress was almost to her waist, and the sheets themselves twisted and misshapen, as though she had been writhing and kicking at them in her slumber.
The dream came back to her then, and in the chilly, night-air she blushed.
Rescued by Aaron from my aunt and uncle. No prizes for guessing where that fantasy came from. Rescued and then...
She remembered being touched. Remembered being half-naked. It made her cheeks burn hotter as she crossed the dark room and added a couple of logs to the fire. Within seconds, they caught, and a welcome supply of heat and light flooded the room.
She combed a hand lazily through her hair, feeling as though she had slept for a week. Now, though, she was refreshed and wide awake. She had never felt better, in fact.
As she stretched, she froze.Never felt better. That had certainly not been the case earlier in the day,ifit was the same day. She recalled the terrible symptoms of the illness. All disappeared as though they had never existed… She licked her lips.
Has medicine been administered while I slept? Have I been dosed with poppy juice again?
She hugged herself, remembering her last conversation with Aaron. The one that had degenerated into an argument, and the second attempt at breakfast, where both had shared something about themselves.
The door to the hallway opened a crack, revealing a candle-light. As the person carrying the candle entered the room, they caught sight of Catherine, standing there, and gave a squeak, almost extinguishing the light.
