Swords and Shields (Reign of the House of de Winter) (14 page)

“I am going to remove you from your shift now,” Drake whispered against her silken flesh. “This is what a husband does with his wife.”

In a haze of newly awakened passion, Elizaveta heard his words but didn’t really understand them until he started to pull her shift down to expose her breasts. Then, she grabbed her shift and held it tightly so he couldn’t pull it any further down. Puzzled, not to mention rather perturbed that she was resisting him, Drake looked up to see that she was gazing at him with wide, apprehension-filled eyes.

“I… I do not want to take my shift off,” she said, breathing heavily. “Must I?”

Drake shrugged. “Nay,” he said, frustrated that he wasn’t going to get the opportunity to look at her lush, naked form. “I can work underneath it but it will be awkward.”

Elizaveta could see his disappointment and she was torn between wanting to please him and maintaining her modesty. As much as she had loved what he had been doing to her, the heated kisses and gentle touches, she wasn’t ready to reveal herself to him. No one, not even servants or friends, had seen her without her clothes on. She was fairly proper in that respect. The thought of Drake seeing her without clothing greatly embarrassed her.

“I am sorry,” she whispered. “I am not trying to be difficult, truly. ‘Tis only that…”

He waved her off. “As I said, I can work underneath it,” he said. “I do not want you to be uncomfortable. I want you to enjoy this.”

Eyes still wide with fear and embarrassment, Elizaveta nodded. “Thank you,” she breathed. “You are most kind.”

Drake smiled faintly at her. Then, he lifted up the bottom of her shift and shoved nearly half of his body beneath it, his naked flesh against hers as the shift wrapped around them both. Elizaveta gasped with shock and, quite quickly, ecstasy when his hot, wet mouth closed in over a tender nipple. He suckled her furiously, a big arm wrapping around her when her body arched and bucked. He was out of control at this point, lured by the taste and smell of her flesh. There would be no stopping him.

He could feel Elizaveta trying to pull away from him, climb off the bed even, but he held her fast, nursing on her tender breasts, running his tongue over flesh that tasted like honey. The shift, which she had been so reluctant to part from, enabled him to touch and taste her in ways she couldn’t interfere with. He could feel her hands at his head, trying to push him away through the fabric, but he resisted her. Unless she verbally commanded him away, which she hadn’t yet, he would not be shoved away with the touch of the hand. He had her exactly where he wanted her and he wasn’t about to let go.

But her bucking and twisting grew worse when his free hand moved to the tender core between her legs. She howled with surprise when he wedged his big body in between her legs and fingered the dark curls. She was wet, her body preparing to receive him, and the realization had his heart pounding and his erection as hard as it had ever been. So he stroked her virginal lips, all the while either nursing at her breasts or kissing her belly as he tried to calm her writhing, and he soon became aware that she was no longer resisting him or trying to push him away. The more he stroked her pink, wet folds, the more her hips would thrust forward as if trying to capture that searching finger. It was the most wildly erotic thing he had ever experienced.

Therefore, he inserted a finger into her to satisfy that hunger her body seemed to be experiencing, the inherent need to feel a man between her legs, to breed as nature intended. Elizaveta gasped at the intrusion, groaning softly as he thrust in and out of her, mimicking the lovemaking they would soon be doing. He thrust another finger into her and she gasped, louder, her hips meeting his hand as he moved within her. But Drake would not delay any longer; he needed his manhood inside of her in the worst way. His fingers were still in her as he pulled the shift up over his head, using his free hand to push it all the way up to her neck.

Now, he could see her beautiful body bathed in the firelight. She was full of breast, slender of waist, and her legs were parted and slightly bent as his big fingers thrust into her. Very quickly, he removed his fingers and placed his erection at her threshold, coiling his buttocks and thrusting into her before she realized what he was doing. When Elizaveta became aware, for the feel of his manhood was much different from the feel of his fingers, she started to tighten in fear. Feeling her body tense, Drake lay atop her and coiled his buttocks again, thrusting firm and hard this time. He felt her maiden’s barrier break as he gathered her up into his arms.

Beneath him, Elizaveta was enveloped by his big body, impaled on it, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck as he thrust into her warm and wet folds. There was some pain at first, but he was moving inside of her with great ease as her moist body accepted him, so the pain quickly vanished. All she could do was hang on and experience her first coupling, thinking that she rather liked it. All of the apprehension she had felt was rapidly fading, being replaced by something heated that seemed to be sparking low in her belly. Every time Drake thrust into her, the fire grew.

Elizaveta felt as if she were a ship being tossed on the sea. Although Drake held her fast, she was simply going along with what he was doing to her, feeling her body jar every time his hips met with hers. She was rolling with him, moving with him, and the fire in her loins was growing to a fevered intensity. She discovered that grinding her hips against his when they came together sparked the blaze even higher, so she thrust her hips against his, rubbing herself on him, so much so that when her first climax came, she screamed out as much in surprise as in pleasure.

Drake put his mouth over hers to quiet her cries, knowing that it was a small keep and sounds tended to carry. He didn’t want her to be embarrassed by his family hearing her cries of passion or, worse, his mother thinking they were cries of pain. There was no telling what his mother would do if she thought her son was injuring his new wife. Therefore, in order to prevent his mother from charging into the room, he kept his mouth over Elizaveta’s, kissing her and quieting her, until he felt her tremors die down. Then, and only then, did he join her in her passion. His release was so powerful that he nearly lost consciousness from the sheer pleasure of it.

Several long moments passed with only the sounds of heavy breathing in the chamber. Once in a while, the fire would snap, but that was the only sound other than the breathing. Flat on her back upon the soft mattress, Elizaveta was pinned beneath Drake with her shift over most of her face. It was so bunched up around her head, and Drake’s body was covering all of her, that it didn’t occur to her until her breathing started to slow that, although he hadn’t technically removed her shift, she was nonetheless very naked beneath him on the bed. But truth be told, she didn’t much care. If being naked meant experiencing the pleasure she had just known, then she was quite happy to be naked.

“Are you well?”

Drake’s voice, soft and deep, pierced the quiet. Elizaveta had to reach up and pull the shift away from her eyes so she could see him.

“Aye,” she said, seeing a twinkle of mirth in his eyes. She grinned. “I suppose it was silly for me to tell you not to remove my shift because it very nearly suffocated me.”

He laughed softly. “That is why a man does not bed a woman who is clothed,” he told her. “One can end up strangled at the very least. All of that movement bunches up the clothing in rather critical places.”

It was Elizaveta’s turn to laugh. “I will remember that,” she said, gazing up into his strong and handsome face. She sobered. “I apologize for being afraid of this… this consummation. I should have trusted you.”

His smile faded. “I was not offended,” he said. “I hope it was not as terrible as you had imagined.”

“It was not.”

“Would you like to do it again sometime?”

She blushed furiously. Drake took that as an affirmative response.

The day following the wedding had dawned bright and very cold and after breaking their fast in the hall where Elizaveta had been introduced to Lady Daniella de la Rosa de Winter and also to Devon de Winter, her husband’s mirror image brother, the women were loaded up into Lady Devereux’s personal carriage and the party for Spexhall headed out under bright blue skies and fair winds.

Lady Devereux was quite emotional as she watched her eldest sons and their wives ride from the vast bailey of Thetford. She’d been quite emotional since sunrise when she knew Drake and Devon, and their respective wives, would soon be leaving, so she made sure to load up her carriage with all manner of goods and comforts that the ladies could take with them.

In addition to Elizaveta and Daniella’s trunks, which totaled eight between them, there were also trunks with bedding and other sundry items. There were chairs for their comfort, folded up, that simply needed to be fastened back together again, and two small tables. There were oiled cloths for windows and even food for the ride. Lady Devereux was very thoughtful in her quest to make the trip to Spexhall, and the subsequent stay, as comfortable as possible.

While Elizaveta had been grateful for Lady de Winter’s consideration, she had hardly given a thought to her own mother and grandmother, who were standing off alone in the bailey, watching the loading of the carriage and the preparation for the trip to Spexhall. They made sure to keep themselves well clear of the de Winters, and of the activity surrounding the wagon, and when the wagon Elizaveta was riding in finally passed them by, she simply gave the women a blank expression.

No warmth, no emotion… she gave them exactly what they had given her all of her life. Drake had even asked if she wished to bid her mother and grandmother farewell, but Elizaveta had simply shaken her head. She knew that any attempts at a farewell would be laced with threats from
grandedame
and after the wonderful evening she had spent with her new husband, Elizaveta didn’t want to hear the threats. She knew them by heart. She knew she had a duty. She knew she had married Drake to spy on him.

She didn’t want to hear that anymore.

So the carriage moved out of the bailey of Thetford as the brisk breeze picked up, heading southeast through the village and out into the countryside. The carriage was driven by a de Winter soldier and Drake also had several hundred men that were sworn to him, men who had returned with him from Scotland, that were riding with them so the ladies were well protected as they headed down the road. A glance behind her showed Elizaveta that Thetford and the village were fading quickly, as she embarked on her new life as Lady Drake de Winter.

It was a new life that included a new sister-in-law. Lady Daniella de la Rosa de Winter was a chatty woman with frequent and easy laughter. On the entire ride from Thetford to Spexhall, Elizaveta had been both fascinated and entertained by the young woman Devon de Winter was so mad about. Daniella was a bold flirt with her husband, who enjoyed his wife’s antics a great deal, and Elizaveta thought it rather odd to watch a man who looked just like her husband kiss another woman. Devon rode near the carriage and stole several kisses as they went along the way while Elizaveta watched with both curiosity and fascination. Was it truly possible for a husband and wife to have such a relationship? She’d never seen such a thing.

At some point during the ride, Drake pulled his brother away from the carriage and put him on point. The road had become rather rough from erosion and they were entering a thickly forested area, which had Drake putting all of the men on alert. The ladies weren’t oblivious to the knights taking positions along the column or the men-at-arms who now had their weapons in-hand. The talk between the women had been very superficial until this point, with Daniella mostly speaking to Devon because he was near the carriage, but now it was just the two of them in a rather tense situation. Elizaveta was watching the road and the trees when Daniella spoke.

“I saw your father last night at the wedding feast although I was not introduced to him, my lady,” she said. “My father and Christian du Reims are good friends. Has your father ever mentioned Edgar de la Rosa from Framlingham Castle?”

Elizaveta shook her head. “He has not,” she said regretfully. “But the truth is that I have not spent a good deal of time at Thunderbey with my father. Were you born at Framlingham?”

Daniella nodded eagerly. “I was, my lady,” she said. “The House of de la Rosa has lived at Framlingham for over one hundred years, as garrison commanders for the Bigod family. We also have a manor house that my father built for my mother because Framlingham has been turned mostly into a prison for the Crown and he does not like womenfolk there. It is a shame, truly, as it is a beautiful place. There are great gardens all around it.”

Elizaveta was listening with interest. “It sounds beautiful,” she agreed. “I have spent most of my years at Rochester Castle and then Rochester Cathedral. Have you ever been there?”

Daniella shook her head. “Never, my lady,” she replied as Cortez de Bretagne suddenly charged up the column, whipping past the carriage. Daniella leaned out of the carriage to watch the man ride until he drifted out of view. She returned her focus to Elizaveta with a grin. “De Bretagne is a fine looking man. His wife is very lucky.”

She giggled like a naughty girl as she said it and Elizaveta smiled. “You have a very handsome husband yourself,” she said. “Strangely enough, he looks a good deal like my husband.”

They both laughed at that. “It seems odd, doesn’t it?” Daniella confessed.

Elizaveta nodded. “I must admit that I found it very strange to watch you kiss your husband considering how much he looks like mine.”

Daniella agreed. “Devon keeps his hair shorter than Drake does,” she said. “And Devon has a mole on his jaw, back by his left ear. There are subtle differences but not many. Do you know that Lady de Winter nearly died giving birth to them?”

Elizaveta’s eyebrows lifted in concern. “How terrible,” she said. “I am an only child. My mother said it was terrible giving birth to me as well.”

Daniella shrugged. “I have five older brothers,” she said. “Girls are not frequent in the de la Rosa household and my parents were very excited for a daughter. Poor Devon nearly had to jump over the moon in order to gain permission to court me. My parents did not wish to part with me.”

Elizaveta grinned. “But he was able to gain permission.”

“He was when I threatened to run away and never return if my parents did not permit it.”

Elizaveta laughed softly, watching as yet another knight rode forward, past their carriage. She strained to catch a glimpse of who it was, if it was perhaps her husband. Daniella’s quiet voice filled the air.

“That is Sir James de Lohr,” she said as if reading Elizaveta’s mind. “It is not Drake. He usually remains at the front of the column.”

Elizaveta smiled sheepishly. “So you knew I was looking for my husband?”

Daniella giggled. “I have that same expression when searching for Devon,” she said. Then, she sobered, her gaze lingering on her new sister-in-law. “I know your marriage with him was arranged. Has… has it been pleasant so far?”

Elizaveta could see that the woman was trying to be tactful. “Do you mean has he been pleasant to me because he did not want to marry?” she asked, watching Daniella grin. “Aye, he has been quite pleasant. We have been able to converse with one another on any variety of subjects and I have come to know him somewhat. He is very humorous.”

Daniella nodded fervently. “He is, indeed,” she agreed. “He does play tricks.”

“So I have heard.”

“Have you heard that he once put tree sap on Devon’s saddle so that when the man sat on it, he stuck to the leather?” she asked, watching Elizaveta’s mouth pop open in glee. “Once he put charcoal in Denys’ helm and in his gloves, so that when he pulled both off, he had black everywhere. He tried to wipe it off but smeared it more and more. He ran after Drake with a club and tried to beat him, but Drake was too fast. Had Lady de Winter not intervened, it would have been a bloody battle. She saved Drake from Denys’ wrath.”

Elizaveta giggled throughout her entire story. “It seems to me that Drake should be able to fend off his brother’s attack,” she said. “I was told that he was decorated in battle.”

Daniella nodded firmly. “He is a much-prized warrior,” she said. “In fact, my father wanted me to pursue Drake and not Devon, but Devon is much more amiable towards a wife than Drake was. Drake does not want the burden of one woman and… oh, dear….”

She trailed off, mortified at what she had just said to Drake’s new wife, but Elizaveta waved her off. “I know all of that,” she said. “Drake made certain to tell me. But he also swore to me that he would be true only to me and I believe him. I have faith in his word.”

Daniella sighed, relieved. “I am very sorry to have said such a thing,” she said sincerely. “Drake is truly a very kind and loyal and loving man. He is most fond of his family and his mother especially. I am sure he will make a very good husband.”

Elizaveta nodded, noticing that the column was emerging from the forested area and they were not back into the open fields. “I am counting on the fact that he will,” she said, not wanting to discuss her relationship with Drake with a woman she didn’t really know, at least not yet. She was reserved that way. “In any case, you and I are to be companions as well as sisters so I would be pleased if you would call me Elizaveta. ‘My Lady’ sounds so formal under these circumstances.”

Daniella was back to smiling broadly. “I would be honored,” she said. “Please call me Daniella. I will also answer to Dannie.”

Elizaveta smiled in return. She thought she could come to like Daniella, or at least she hoped so. She had never had a close friend in her entire life so this was all quite new to her.

“Now,” she said, glancing over Daniella’s shoulder to see all of the trunks piled at the rear of the carriage. “It would seem that Lady de Winter has sent us with enough possessions to fill a palace. I have never seen Spexhall and Drake hasn’t, either, so this will be new to all of us. I visited an outpost for Rochester once and it was quite dismal and tiny, so I hope Spexhall is not the same.”

Daniella nodded. “Nor do I,” she said fervently. “I hope there is at least a sitting room for us. That would be lovely, a chamber where we could do our work as fine ladies do.”

Elizaveta’s attention was increasingly drawn away from Daniella as she saw Drake at the head of the column. His helm was removed, revealing his long, dark hair, and her attention was quite riveted to him, even as Daniella continued to chatter about a having a ladies’ solar at Spexhall. She had grand plans for it, how it would look, and how she would place her loom near the windows for maximum light.

Elizaveta half-listened to the woman, watching Drake as he spoke with his men, feeling excitement in her chest simply at the sight of him. She’d never known that kind of thrill before and it was quite distracting but also quite wonderful. She found herself wishing that Daniella would cease her prattle so that she could admire Drake without distraction. But it was not to be; Daniella rattled on for the rest of the trip, all the way to the small castle of Spexhall.

The garrison sat on the crest of a small hill among the very flat country of northern Suffolk. It was positioned next to St. Peter’s Church and the small village of Spexhall crowded up around it, living their lives amongst the flatlands and heavy groves of trees. In fact, the village was mostly gathered up around the south side of the church yard because the entire north side of the church was a shared wall with the castle and then, of course, the castle itself.

The ladies strained to catch a glimpse of the castle and keep as they approached; Elizaveta went so far as to stand up in the carriage. She could see a pair of knights and several men-at-arms racing for the castle, which had an enormous curtain wall around it and a large, portcullised opening. There was no moat and she couldn’t see any gates, only the massive iron-fanged grate that protected the castle’s main access point. She could see the top of the keep inside the rectangular-shaped walls and she was relieved to note that the keep looked rather sizeable. It didn’t seem particularly tall, but it was not the tiny little structure she had feared.

As the carriage approached the walls, the portcullis began to lift and admitted the knights and men who were gathered outside of it. Elizaveta reclaimed her seat, feeling a certain amount of excitement and apprehension as the big opening eventually swallowed up the carriage and spit them out into a big, square bailey beyond that surrounded the square tower in the middle. There was a small hall with a severely pitched roof along the north wall and she could see hints of the stables off to the west, most of her view blocked by the keep. There seemed to be quite a few men about, and a few women as well, all going about their business. Spexhall seemed to be a busy and rather vital place.

This is to be our home together,
she thought as her gaze fell on Drake several feet away, dismounting his horse. It was truly never anything she had ever dreamed of, or anything she had hoped for, but here it was. Her home with her new husband. It was like a dream, surreal, as she gazed up at the big, gray-stoned keep. Why had she never dreamed of such things before, of a husband and family? That was fairly simple – her example of marriage was how her mother and father lived apart, so that was not something that particularly attracted her.
Such emptiness
. But she never wanted to live away from Drake, not ever. Where he was, she wanted to be. She was so involved in observing her surroundings that she was startled by a soft, male voice at her elbow.