Chapter Thirty-five

“ H e comes, my lady.”

Reina did not need to hear more. She ran from her chamber and down the stairs, across the hall, down more stairs and still more, reaching the bailey just as Ranulf dismounted. With no thought to the war-horse whose reins he still held, she charged forward and threw her arms about Ranulf’s neck.

Hearing him swear most foully was the first indication she should not have been so impulsive. Feeling his whole body jerked by the reins was the second. And then she heard the horse as it geared up to do what it did best, stomp anyone foolish enough to run toward it, including its master. Reina gave a small gasp and let go to scurry out of the way.

Ranulf was furious by the time he finally got the animal under control. But one look at Reina’s ashen face, reminding him of Louise de Burgh’s fear of him, and he tucked his anger away to draw from at another time. He walked to his wife and picked her up.

“That was a fool thing to do, lady,” he said simply.

“I know. Stupid and thoughtless and it will not happen again.”

“Good,” he replied, still quietly. “Now do you tell me why you did such a stupid, thoughtless thing.”

Her eyes lowered shyly, while her hands hesitantly touched his shoulders, slowly slipped around them, until she was again clinging tightly to his neck. “I was worried,” she whispered by his ear. “When the men returned with prisoners and said where you had gone and why, I became afraid. I remembered William Lionel, and he is no small man. I was afeard you would fight him and might be hurt.”

The shaking, she discovered after a moment, was laughter. It very effectively dashed her concern and replaced it with chagrin. So, too, did the tight squeeze she got before she was set back on her feet.

“Do not be silly, woman.”

The grin he gave her was all the prod her temper needed. “Aye, I must be to worry over a lackwitted lout with no more sense than to ride into a place suspected of treachery with so few men at his back!”

“Eric’s men had joined up with me ere we got there.” He was still grinning.

“Oh,” Reina said, but was not completely satisfied. “Still, you should have waited.”

“For what purpose? I was there and had ample men to go up against a mere handful. And as for Lionel, he might be a man of considerable size, but look at me, Reina, and tell me which of us you would place your wager on.”

She gave him a sour look for that piece of conceited logic. “It takes only one man with one arrow to fell a giant, Ranulf. You are not invincible.”

“Mayhap not,” he agreed. “But I am not an idiot either. I have been taking keeps and defeating armies for other men these past seven years. Think you I will be careless now that I fight for myself?”

“I suppose not,” she grudgingly conceded.

“Then what were you worried about?”

“A woman does not need a reason to worry,” she retorted irritably. “I felt like worrying, so I did.”

“Lady, before you go much further and make even less sense to me, I have to tell you I am not much longer on my feet. You should be offering me a bath, a meal, and a bed, instead of railing at me for a good day’s work. Do you know how long it has been since I last slept?”

Hot color flooded her cheeks. “Sweet Jesú , why did you let me go on like that? Come inside, my lord, and you will have what you desire.”

He stared at her hips swaying as she preceded him up the stairs and shook his head. He wished she had not used those particular words. For once he was too tired to take advantage of them.

Reina was not sure what had awakened her, but she was immediately aware that the bed was empty beside her, even before she turned to see that it actually was. She felt a moment’s qualm, followed by a start when she saw that Ranulf was still there in the room. But where he was, leaning against the post at the foot of the bed, the bed curtains pushed out of his way for an unobstructed view of her, brought back her disquiet. So, too, did his nakedness, bathed bronze in the light of the night candle. If he had noticed his new bedrobe draped over his clothes chest, he had ignored it.

“Is something wrong, my lord?”

“Nay.”

“Then what are you doing just standing there?”

“Watching you sleep,” he said simply, adding just as simply, “You snore, you know.”

Her mouth dropped open, but she was quick to snap it shut. “I do not!”

“Aye, you do. Not loudly, but ’twas snoring just the same.”

What a terrible thing to tell a woman, and rot him, she could not even say the same about him. “Thank you. I would have been aggrieved had I gone on much longer without learning that.”

He chuckled. “Do not be wroth with me, little general. I am still wallowing in the glow of your earlier concern. No one has ever taken such tender care of me as you did.”

How could she be wroth with him after hearing that? “I did no more than bathe and feed you.”

“And warmed my wine and my sheets, and covered the windows to darken the room, and chased all your ladies below so no noise would disturb me at that early hour. Lady, you even tucked me in ere you tiptoed from the room.”

Was he teasing her or thanking her? Reina blushed all the same. She thought he had been asleep by then, he had been so tired. And she was so relieved that he had come home without even a scratch that it had been a pleasure to make him comfortable. But had he really never been tucked into bed before? That urge to put her arms around him and just hold him was back again, but he was no child to comfort, and she was being silly even wanting to.

“I thought surely you would sleep through to the morn, my lord. Did something disturb you?”

Aye, you did , he thought to himself, snuggling up close to my body . But he had already made her blush once, so he would not say so.

“Nay, a few hours was enough to restore me. I am not yet adjusted to the luxury of having a normal night’s sleep. Yet I was so tired, I did not ask of Walter. How does he fare?”

“He awoke and started complaining, as I predicted he would.” At least this time she spoke true. “Will you tell me now what happened at Keigh Manor?”

“You mean you did not pester my men for that information once I was abed?”

His knowing grin was annoying, but after a moment she returned it, conceding, “So Eric told me, also that you did fight Lionel.”

“And?” he prompted.

“Very well, so there was no contest and I had no reason to worry,” she said grudgingly. “But I told you a woman does not need good reason.”

“That you worried at all, lady, is what intrigues me.”

“Think you I want to go through the trouble of choosing another husband?” she retorted.

“Then you are pleased with your present husband?”

“Satisfied.”

He gave a rumble of laughter. “A word of many meanings, that.”

Reina gritted her teeth. “You have strayed from the subject, my lord. Eric did not say what you intend doing with Lady Louise.”

He came forward to sit on his side of the bed. For a moment she stared at his broad back, and the strength indicated there gave her a pleasurable shiver that sent her thoughts straying from the subject as well. Then he leaned back on one elbow placed next to her hip, and she was surprised by how serious his expression had become.

“The widow will remain confined in her chamber until Searle is well enough to wed her—that is, if he still wants her after learning of her perfidy.”

Reina stiffened. “Then you did not even consider Sir Arnulph as I asked?”

“Nay, I did not. I have Birkenham in mind for him.”

“But that is too much!” she gasped in amazement.

“Why, if he is as loyal as you say and acceptable to me once I meet him?”

“But—but I thought you would give it to Walter.”

“He does not want it.”

“I know he said that, but surely he was jesting.”

Ranulf smiled. “He was most serious. He knows that I will always have a place for him without weighing his shoulders down with responsibilities, which he does not want. Did I try to do so, he would just as soon go home, where he is welcome and would not be asked to do aught more than fight when he is needed.”

“Then why did you send him to Keigh Manor?”

He shrugged. “To keep the younger two lads from coming to blows over the lady if they both decided they wanted her.”

“And what if he had taken a fancy to Louise?”

“That would have been unlikely, as Walter has already shown a keen interest in one of your ladies here, or had you not noticed?”

“Eadwina is not a lady.”

He chuckled at her indignant snort. “Not her. His interest in her is no more than a necessity. A man must still see to his needs while he is contemplating marriage. Or would you countenance his sneaking into Dame Florette’s bed?”

“I countenance neither action, if you must know. I do not see why a man cannot control his lustiness for a short time. If Walter wants Florette, and I can assure you she would be delighted to have him, why can he not wait until they are wed? You did.” For the second time, she saw her husband’s face flush with color, and concluded, feeling unreasonably hurt, “You did not?”

He heard the catch in her voice and put his hand to her cheek. “Lady, would I have been so impatient to have you after that second wedding ceremony if I was bedding one of your wenches? But I was annoyed enough with you for closing your door to me that I will not deny I thought about it. And if you say thinking about it is just as bad, I will beat you.”

She grinned helplessly, knowing full well he did not mean it, and too relieved to care if he did. “Nay, I would not say that, or else every man alive must be condemned.”

“’Tis good you can be reasonable,” he grunted and sat up again.

He also knew she trusted him not to beat her, but he was not sure if that was good or not. How did you control a wife who did not fear reprisals? If he ever did see the need to punish her, she was like to feel betrayed and never forgive him, and that was not worth any lesson she needed learning. But why he should feel that was so was the question.

“Is something wrong, Ranulf?”

“I have just recalled the prisoners,” he said gruffly, disturbed by the direction in which his thoughts had gone and needing a distraction. “Where were they put?”

“In one of the wall towers. I must say I was surprised to see them brought in.”

“Why?”

“I did not think your plan would work after you changed your mind about sending a messenger to Warhurst, to send a letter instead, and that unsigned. Only a complete fool would act on such unreliable information.”

“I counted on the castellan being the imbecile you claimed him to be, and so he was.”

“But why take that chance?”

“I did not care to be cast as the fool if the plan went awry.”

She had to force back a smile at that bit of vanity. “Oh, very wise, my lord.”

He frowned, sensing her humor anyway. “Wise or not, lady, it still worked. And because I did send only a message, Warhurst is unaware that I was even involved, or that I now have the outlaws.”

“Yet I heard you say you meant to turn them over to Warhurst. You have changed your mind about that, too?”

“For the while.”

“Do you tell me you mean to hang them yourself?”

“You need not sound so appalled, lady. Do they deserve to hang, they will hang. But I am inclined to believe a lesser punishment is called for, or even none at all, if what they said about Warhurst is true. ’Tis that truth I mean to get at on the morrow.”

“But you cannot believe aught from an outlaw,” she protested.

“So I thought, yet what their leader had to say about Keigh Manor proved true enough.”

“And what have they said about Warhurst?”

“Only that your esteemed Lord Richard has been there these past weeks, that he left Warhurst with a large force the same morn I found a large force attacking Clydon, and that he returned to his town that same morn, wounded. The man had a lot more to say, but… You laugh? I fail to see aught humorous in what I said.”

She tried to control it, but another peal of laughter rang out. It was his steadily increasing glower that finally sobered her, though not completely.

“Tell me you did not give credit to that ridiculous tale.”

“And why is it ridiculous?”

“For what possible reason would Richard attack me?”

“For the same reason you thought Falkes de Rochefort attacked you.”

“To marry me?” She grinned. “You forget I was willing to marry Richard.”

“Nay, I do not forget. But tell me, Reina, did he know it?”

That sobered her completely, and that he was obviously pleased to have made that point annoyed her as well. “Whether he did or not, you will never convince me that Richard would do me harm. You do not know him, Ranulf. He is the most affable, sweetnatured—”

“Is he?” He cut her off with a sneer. “You are so certain of that? What if he is a completely different man inside the walls of his little kingdom? Have you ever seen him inside Warhurst, to know how he behaves there, or how his people behave toward him?” He went on to tell her the rest of what the outlaw had to say of her Lord Richard, ending, “What if even a little of that is true?”

“Because an outlaw says so?” she scoffed. “Of course he would tell you true about Keigh Manor when you were after his neck and he knew it. And since that worked out so well for him, he spun another tale of injustice done him to work on his next hope, full freedom, which you have already admitted you are considering. Oh, he is a clever one. But you will not convince me that Richard is aught but good. And I know why you want to believe this nonsense.” She did not even give him a chance to challenge that statement, but went on heatedly. “For the same reason you delighted in belittling Lord John. You want me to be ever grateful that I got you instead of one of them. But I am grateful for that, so you do not need—”

He put a sudden stop to this tirade by rolling over and landing half on top of her. A finger across her lips kept her from even gasping, while he grinned unabashedly.

“You have worked yourself into a huff for naught, lady. I did not say I believed any of that, only that I meant to get at the truth. Do you say your Richard is a saint, I will consider it so until I see proof to the contrary. But let us now examine this gratitude you have just confessed to having. Does it carry with it certain benefits?”

When Reina saw the direction his thoughts had taken, as well as his eyes, she could not get any words past her throat. Her breasts tightened under his gaze, and she flushed hot. When his eyes came back to hers, she could only stare, drowning in the look she now recognized.

She waited breathlessly for his mouth to begin its magic, and so was surprised when his hand covered her breast instead, his eyes still locked to hers. His fingers were warm, and gentle, and infinitely exciting, teasing her nipples to hardness, giving her the tiniest alarm when his grip began to strengthen, intensifying the thrill when it relaxed.

Still he watched her, and listened to her gasping breaths, and finally whispered, “Am I hurting you?”

“Nay.”

“You would tell me?”

“ Jesú , are you going to start that again?”

She heard his laugh just before his tongue came to lick at her lips, and during the course of the next hour, Reina managed to demonstrate those benefits he had asked about with a good deal of mutual pleasure.