A Love for All Time (18 page)

Skye chuckled. “Even wives should occasionally be bold, my sister. You will soon learn to join in the bedsport, and tell Conn what it is that pleases you; ask what it is that pleases him. Most women have a tendency to lie in their beds like sodden lumps accepting only what is offered. Some, I have been told, even recite their rosaries silently to themselves as their husbands labor over them. No wonder men seek other women! My brother is
very
knowledgeable about lovemaking, Aidan, and knows more of passion’s pathways than I suspect even he is willing to admit. Ye’ve been very sheltered, and cannot possibly learn unless he teaches ye. Ask him!” Her gorgeous eyes twinkled. “Oh, what delights await ye!”

“I do not think I could be so bold as ye are, Skye,” Aidan admitted. “Could I not ask ye the things I need to know about men, and about lovemaking? I should be very embarrassed right now to speak with Conn of such things.”

Poor girl, thought Skye sympathetically, and my poor brother who is used to loving the ladies as the mood suits him. If I do not aid her, heaven only knows how long it will take her to rouse up her courage. Conn will not wait forever, and I suspect with the right start they will be very happy. “Of course ye may come to me to answer yer questions, Aidan,” Skye said, “but ye must promise me that tonight ye will encourage Conn to consummate yer marriage.”

Aidan sighed. “I feel like such a ninny,” she said. “I am competent to run an estate, and I am educated far beyond most women, yet any of my milkmaids knows more of love than I do. I haven’t the faintest idea even of how to begin.”

“It’s really very simple,” answered Skye. “When ye retire tonight, simply tell Conn that though yer innocent, and haven’t the faintest idea of what to do, ye want to make love with him. Don’t tell me he hasn’t kissed and cuddled ye a little bit since yer wedding.”

Aidan blushed pinkly, and Skye was relieved to know her brother wasn’t so put off by his bride’s innocence that he hadn’t at least kissed her. “It would seem odd to the servants if we didn’t share a bed,” she noted.

Skye laughed. “Have ye found it unpleasant?”

Aidan’s mouth turned up in amusement. “Nay, I’ve not found it unpleasant at all,” she admitted, “and I will admit to being curious about what comes after the kissing and the cuddling.”

“Ye can find out tonight,” Skye teased her gently, and then she said, “I imagine the gentlemen will be wondering what is keeping us. Let us return to the hall.”

Together the two women left the master bedchamber, and descended to the main floor of the house. If Conn and Adam had missed their wives they gave no indication of it for they were engaged in deep conversation as Skye and Aidan returned to them. As Skye drew near to her husband’s chair, however, Adam reached up wordlessly, and drew her down into his lap, never pausing once in his conversation. How marvelous, thought Aidan. He is so attuned to her, and she to him.

Conn looked up at his wife. “Will the supper be ready soon, sweetheart? I am ravenous with all our traveling.”

“Erwina chased us from her kitchens, my lord, but from the delicious smells coming from that direction I would venture to guess that the meal will soon be served. If ye would care to wash the travel from yer person I shall take ye to our chamber while Skye leads Adam to theirs.”

“Why, lass, then the supper may never get eaten,” laughed Adam de Marisco leering at his wife wickedly.

“Then, sirrah, ye must wash in the courtyard with the snowflakes blowing about ye!” Aidan said pertly.

“With the other rutting beasts,” added Skye as she bounced off his lap. “Well, my lord, what is it to be? Will ye behave yerself, or shall we set ye outside to cool yer spirits?”

The laughter rumbled deeply up from Adam’s big chest. “Should I tender ye my apologies, madame, for desiring my own wife? Ahh, Skye, yer a hard woman.” He rose to his full height. “Very well, Lady de Marisco, lead me to our chamber, and I shall promise to behave myself.”

“And what of ye, my Lord Bliss?” Aidan demanded coquettishly.

Conn was a trifle surprised, but not altogether displeased by this sudden flirtatiousness of his bride’s. “Why, sweetheart,” he said standing, “I shall promise most faithfully to behave myself.”

“What a pity,” said his sister mischievously, and to Conn’s delight Aidan burst out laughing, then catching his hand led him off up the stairs. Once in their chamber she served him herself, pouring out warm water from a silver pitcher by the fireplace into a matching silver basin, presenting him with a cake of hard-milled soap with which to wash. It smelled of her lavender fragrance. When he had finally finished she offered him a fresh linen towel.

“So this is to be our bedchamber,” he said as he tossed the towel aside. “ ’Tis a lovely room, warm and comfortable, I can see.”

“Will ye mind sharing a chamber with me?” she asked. “This is not a great house like
Queen’s Malvern,
or Greenwood. We have no room for separate bedchambers, and when the children come I am not certain we will even have room for guests.”

“We can always add on to the house to make it larger. Are ye anticipating a large family, madame?” He was curious for the truth was that he knew so very little about her. He wasn’t even certain that she liked children.

“I never had a large family,” replied Aidan, “but I always thought it would be wonderful to have several sisters and brothers. Yes, my lord, I do believe I should like a big family. Then none of my children should ever find themselves alone as I did when my father died last summer. It is a terrible thing to be that alone.”

He was touched by her admission, and reaching out he gently pulled her into his arms, and her copper head rested against his chest. “Ye’ll never be lonely with me, Aidan,” he promised her quietly, and he felt her sigh, and thought that she snuggled herself for just a moment against him. It came to him suddenly as he held her so lightly within his embrace that he was falling in love with her. There was something about Aidan, a serenity, a steadfastness, a permanence, that reached out to him to ensnare him. He wondered if Elizabeth Tudor had been aware of the real favor she had done him by marrying him to Aidan for Aidan was the kind of woman with whom a man could found a dynasty. Tipping her face to his he brushed her mouth softly with his own.

Skye is right, Aidan thought, as she had nestled against Conn. This man is my husband until death parts us. I chose him freely, but I cannot continue playing the coy virgin any longer. It is ridiculous. My own mother didn’t know my father, and yet she wed him and bedded him in the same day. If I lose Conn to another woman I shall have no one but myself to blame. Then his lips found hers, and Aidan knew that whatever scruples she had were now gone. She wanted to be Conn’s wife in every sense of the word.

“Will ye make love to me tonight?” she heard herself ask him. “Here in our own bed, in our own home?” She felt her cheeks growing warm with the boldness of her own words.

Instinctively his arms tightened about her. “Are ye ready to be my wife now?”

“Yes,” came her answer, so low in tone that he had to bend his head to be certain he had heard her. “I am a little frightened of what is to come, but I am not afraid of you, Conn. Does that make any sense to you?”

“Aye, sweetheart, but don’t be frightened. I’ll love ye so sweetly, so gently that afterward ye’ll realize how foolish yer fears all were.” His hand stroked her head.

Suddenly upon their bedchamber door came a loud knocking, and Adam de Marisco’s voice called, “Come now, ye two! If I am forbidden from taking my pleasure with my wife at this time, then so should my host and hostess be forbidden!” and he pounded upon the door.

“Adam!” Skye’s voice admonished her husband, but they could hear the laughter in her tone.

Loosing Aidan Conn grinned down at her. “He has a rather wry sense of humor, our brother-in-law.”

“I am being a rather bad hostess,” Aidan said.

“Nonsense! We are supposed to be on our honeymoon.”

Aidan hurried to open the door, and as it swung wide she scolded Adam mischievously. “My lord, what a noisy fellow ye are! The way ye bray and bellow I am not certain that I should not house ye in the stables! Come along now, sir, for Erwina does not like to be kept waiting when she is ready to serve the supper,” and she swept by him with a twitch of her skirts.

“What, madame!” Adam chased after her. “Are you calling me an ass or a bull that ye suggest I bellow and bray?”

“Perhaps, my lord, a little of both,” said Aidan with a laugh.

Both Skye and Conn joined in the laughter as the four of them returned to the Great Hall. “My dear little brother,” Skye said, “I am so glad that Bess Tudor had the good sense to add this quick-wilted lass to our family.”

“So am I,” replied Conn, and putting an arm about his wife he drew her close.

“And I also,” added Adam. He grinned at Aidan. “I’m afraid ye’ve got to be a scrapper, and able to hold yer own in this pack. I think the quietest members in this entire family are Skye’s daughters-in-law, Gwyneth and Joan.”

“Nay,” Skye corrected her husband. “Gwyn has shown admirable backbone since Ewan took her to his estates in Ireland. She marshaled the housemaids the last time old Black Hugh Kenneally and his sons came raiding. Ewan was away for the night, and they knew it. Gwyn was with child, but gathering the women together she held off that old reprobate and his robber band by pouring the contents of the household slop jars upon them from the upper windows of the house.”

“Erwina is ready to serve dinner, my lady,” said Beal coming to Aidan’s side.

Aidan wiped the tears of mirth from her eyes, and led her husband and their guests to the high board where four places had been set. She and Conn, as lord and lady of the house, sat in the center two seats while Adam sat to her right, and Skye to Conn’s left. The oak table had been laid with a white linen cloth of exceptional quality, and despite its many years of use it had a shimmering, silken look to it. There were twisted silver candelabra with good beeswax candles in them, and place settings consisting not only of silver spoons, but forks and knives with horn handles as well. At each place there was a heavy silver goblet carved around with vines and grapes that were obviously of Italian design. A young footman now poured a dark red wine into each of the footed goblets. The plates, too, were silver, with the letters
St. M.
engraved upon each. It was, Skye noted, a nicely set table.

The servants began to arrive from the kitchens bearing bowls, and platters, and plates. Skye was totally amazed to be offered oysters, cold and raw and very, very fresh.

“Where on earth did yer cook find oysters so far from the sea?” she asked, unable to prevent her curiosity.

Aidan shrugged. “Erwina’s sources have always been a mystery. My father always said ’twas better not to inquire lest we offend her. He said as long as the sheriff didn’t object to Erwina’s actions, then neither could he.”

“I’m sorry we didn’t know yer father,” said Skye.

Aidan nodded. “I understand, and besides he was already ill when ye arrived at
Queen’s Malvern.
He would have liked ye though. He always liked the Irish, and enjoyed a beautiful woman better than most.”

“Ye loved him very much, didn’t ye?”

“Aye, I did,” she admitted, “and he was so lonely after my mother died. We only had each other.”

“Then that is why ye never married?”

“I never wed because my father never made a match for me. There always seemed time, and then suddenly one day there wasn’t any time left at all. Oh, how distressed I was when I learned that he planned to put me in the queen’s charge, that he had asked her to find me a husband! I have never felt so helpless in my entire life. I suddenly realized that I was to be put in the care of a stranger. That someone other than my father was to be master over me. Father had never appeared to me in that light. He only partly calmed my fears by telling me that half of his wealth would be mine and mine alone so that I would have a certain measure of freedom from my husband. That was an unusual thing for my father to do for he was an old-fashioned man. I think because he could not choose my husband himself he worried.” She smiled at Conn. “He need not have feared. The queen chose me a good lord.”

“She chose me a good wife,” Conn replied gallantly, and when their eyes met there was something there that had not been before. Each saw it. Each felt the funny, little tug upon their heartstrings.

Skye felt the sting of tears in her eyes. They’re falling in love, she thought. Before our very eyes, mine and Adam’s, it is happening; and she was relieved and happy not just for her brother, but for Aidan, too.

The meal continued on, the footmen coming to each place to present each offering. There was a platter with small trout that had been broiled and were now settled upon individual beds of watercress; and cod that had been creamed and flavored with sherry. There was a lovely plump capon, roasted golden, and stuffed with apples, bread, and chestnuts; a duck, its skin crisp and black, and sauced with plums and cherries; a small leg of baby lamb with tiny roasted onions set about it; three ribs of rare beef that had been packed in rock salt and then roasted to seal in the juices; a large rabbit pie, its pastry flaky and brown oozing fragrant steam from the carefully decorative vents in its top crust. There was a bowl of new lettuce braised in white wine, and another of carrots. Newly baked bread with egg-glazed crust was set upon the board along with sweet butter.

“Your Erwina is an amazing lady to have produced such a fine supper with such short notice,” Skye noted.

“The larder is always well stocked,” said Aidan. “We did not entertain greatly during the last year of my father’s life, but before then one never knew who would arrive upon our doorstep. It might be some of father’s relations from London, or traveling merchants who did business with my family’s firm. Father’s hospitality was famous. He and my mother both loved company. Erwina has been the cook in this house all my life, and before her there was her mother. We do not change our ways easily here at
Pearroc Royal
.”