He did, and swore at the size of the bloodstain there. “Christ’s toes, have I killed you?”
“Hardly,” Reina replied, bringing those violet eyes back to her. “Do I look dead?”
That brought a frown. “What you look like is the lady I wed. What I want to know is if I dreamed what you look like beneath those clothes. Do you get them off and right quickly, or I will—”
“Stay where you are!” she ordered in her most authoritative voice when he threw back the blanket. It was an effort to keep her eyes on his face, but she managed. “Before you get more silly with this notion of yours, recall what must be done today. If we do not ride, and soon, leaving the foot soldiers to follow at their own pace, we will not reach Clydon while ’tis still light enough for me to be easily recognized. I will have enough trouble explaining to Lord Simon, who is like to be there, why I wed the very man who made off with me. I do not also want trouble getting into my own castle just because you chose to dally this morn and we do not arrive before dark.”
He said nothing for several long moments, just stared at her. Then he finally shrugged. “Very well, I suppose it can wait until this eventide.”
That is whathethinks, Reina said to herself as she escaped the tent with relief. She had every intention of doing as she had originally planned and sleeping in her own chamber until the second wedding. Until Sir Henry came and accepted Ranulf’s fealty to Shefford,shedid not consider herself truly wed, bedding or not.
As it happened, Reina changed her mind about what she would tell Simon Fitz Osbern and her other vassals. She told Ranulf her reasons as she rode before him on his huge destrier, denied her own horse because he did not trust her yet. He wanted her within reach in case she tried turning her people against him. And since he would be returning to Clydon with only his men who were mounted, she did not try to convince him his fears were groundless. He would have to see for himself that she was now committed to their marriage and had no plans for doing away with him.
But as for her vassals, she made Ranulf see that it would be easier to convince them that marriage to him was what she wanted if they thought it had not been done yet. To say she had willingly married him so quickly would be to cast doubt on her willingness with the deed done and too late to rectify. She wanted her vassals to accept him without reservation, and they were more apt to do that if she informed them Ranulf was the man shewantedto marry, then proceeded to do so.
He agreed, if grudgingly, but of course to his way of thinking, he had the copies of the marriage contract to produce if she had tried anything underhanded. He had to tell his men, all of whom knew she had spent the night in his tent, but they none of them objected to pretending the wedding had not yet taken place.
Reina hoped she had every probability covered, but she could not be sure. It was not easy to think clearly with those thick, hard arms on either side of her, and then, too, she was still shaken and confused from the morning’s incident.
She could not reason why it would now matter to her husband what she looked like naked. It was not as if he still had the option to repudiate her if he found her body unacceptable. That chance was lost when he took her maidenhead. So why embarrass her by making her disrobe? Did he like what he had seen? Was he appalled? Did he just want verification, or did he feel annoyed that he simply could not remember?
That he was not sure if he had dreamed his taking of her or not was annoying toher, as well as insulting. It might not have been pleasant to her, but she would like to feel she had shared the experience. Obviously she had not. If she had known Ranulf was so sotted with drink he knew not what he was doing, mayhap she could have put him off—or mayhap not. Yet ’twas done, too late to speculate over. All she could do was brood about it, and make sure he was not drunk the next time.
Chapter Seventeen
Ranulf remained silent throughout the numerous effusive welcomes his wife was receiving, all cut short as soon as it was noticed who held her. He did not like leaving so many dumbstruck people behind him as they advanced through one gatehouse, then the other, cutting off his retreat, but it could not be helped. He did not actually grow uneasy until they had reached the inner court, where more than a hundred men-at-arms waited, and at least fifteen knights, some merely wearing swords, some fully armored, some still hurrying down the stairs of the keep, all obviously only just warned the lady had returned.
“Be easy, my lord,” Reina said quietly to him when he halted his destrier to face this small army. “’Tis merely two of my vassals with their knights and men. I told you I had sent for Lord Simon, telling him about the attack. He no doubt picked up Sir John on his way here.”
“John, your hoped-for betrothed?”
“Nay, my vassal, John Radford. He is a man set in his ways, inflexible even, so his first impression of you is the one he will adhere to. Three knights are his, and twenty of the soldiers. The rest are Simon’s men, though I see Sir Meyer has returned. He is the household knight I sent to assist my bailiff. He and Sir Arnulph have been with us nigh on four years now. Both have given excellent service, but as they are retainers, ’twill be your decision if their terms are to be renewed or not.”
“You want no say in that?”
“It would be nice did you ask my opinion on anything you are not sure of,” she replied, “but nay, the final decision is henceforth yours.”
“And is that your Lord Simon stomping toward us with his hand on his sword?”
Reina flinched at his suddenly aggressive tone. “Aye, but do you let me handle this. ’Twould help if you set me down and took your hands off me so they do not think I am still your prisoner.”
“Is that an order, lady?”
“I would not presume to order you, my lord.”
“Oho,” he grunted. “Like you did not do this morn in my tent?”
She blushed at that reminder, just in time for Simon to see, which did not help at all. But Ranulf did dismount and lift her down in front of him. And he did keep his hands off her, though ’twould be no hard thing to change that with as close as he stood behind her.
“Lady Reina, you are not hurt?” Simon asked immediately he reached her.
“Not in the least,” she replied with a smile. “If you must know, Simon, ’twas a high adventure I quite enjoyed.”
Ranulf at that point met the man’s blue eyes, which were not unfriendly yet, though not easy either. He was a man of middle years, robust of health and frame, but only of medium height, which meant he had to look up to Ranulf, far up, a fact no man of rank liked.
Since he was studying Ranulf, Reina quickly introduced them. “Let me make known to you Sir Ranulf Fitz Hugh. Sir Ranulf, my liege man, Lord Simon Fitz Osbern.”
“But is he not the man who—”
