Chapter 31

It was as though Arthur had come to them as a spirit, a ghost of the past. There was no sign of him in the moonlit vale. Selina looked around, as did Marcus. Apart from them, there was no sign of movement, no sign of anyone but them. She looked back at him. All deceptions between them were now dropped. She knew the man she was marrying, the man she had married. For it did not matter if it was officiated by a priest in a church or in sight of the full moon in the embrace of nature. She felt that they were bonded. While it was not how she had once envisioned her wedding, it seemed perfect.

"I think my brother understands discretion," Marcus said wryly, "he did not want to intrude on our first hours as man and wife."

Selina smiled, enjoying the sound of the words. She tried them out on her own tongue.

"Husband and wife," she savored the sound of it as though appreciating a rare flavor, "I had prepared myself to feel nothing, given that our marriage was to be one of convenience only. But, now that it is here, I am glad that I do feel something."

"And what is that?" Marcus said, his arms about her waist as he pulled her closer to him.

"That you are mine and I am yours. That we are complete. As though we were always meant to be so," Selina replied, "does that sound odd?"

Marcus shook his head, pressing his forehead against hers. "It is the perfect accompaniment to the path our relationship has followed thus far. I feel it too. I was so afraid that this would be rendered illegitimate once you discovered that I was not the man I had led you to believe I was," he said.

"You always were the man I believed you were," Selina replied with a smile, "I just had your name wrong."

Marcus chuckled softly. "It is a warm night and I do not feel in any hurry to return to Valebridge. Would you like to spend our first night as man and wife under the stars?"

Selina laughed softly, looking up to where the moon was already passing out of contact with the stone, rising higher above it. Stars were visible where the light of the moon did not bleach them from sight. They twinkled in a spectral dusting across the sky.

"That sounds heavenly."

Marcus took her hand and led her by the pool, beside which their horses munched contentedly on grass. A weeping willow dangled its long branches into the water about halfway along the pool's length. Marcus ducked beneath and sat against the ancient tree"s broad bulk. Selina sat next to him. The ground beneath them was soft with moss and grass. The branches of the willow deflected any breeze that might steal into the vale, creating a warm enclosure. The night time forest sounds were also reduced, cocooning the newlyweds. It was as though, having recognized their marriage, nature was providing a marriage bed for them. Selina felt the touch of magic in the air, something old and benign. She felt utterly at home, content, and safe. Marcus had turned to look at her. Selina pushed herself back from the tree trunk to lie on the ground, turning onto her side to face him.

"I will need some help with this," she said with a smile, indicating her wedding gown.

Marcus slid down next to her, his body molding itself to hers as he reached behind and deftly undid the buttons securing the dress. As soon as she was freed of its encumbrance, Selina shrugged the dress from her shoulders. Marcus helped to strip it down to her waist and then, with strong hands, pulled it further until it lay in a heap at her feet. He reached for her underclothes but she stopped him.

"I am capable of removing these by myself," she said playfully.

She suddenly pushed at his chest, taking him by surprise so that he fell back. Selina vaulted atop him and then reached for the bottom of her petticoat, hauling it up and over her head in one smooth movement. In the darkness beneath the willow, she could not see the expression on Marcus' face, but she heard the sharp intake of breath. It made her smile, bringing a feeling of growing heat from her loins. The involuntary sound of his desire for her was all the aphrodisiac that she needed. Nothing could be more arousing. She could feel, beneath her, more physical evidence of his desire. Now, she was naked, only her stockings remaining. Marcus' hands found her breasts and hers rested on his chest.

She gasped in pleasure as his strong fingers kneaded and stroked, caressed, and teased. Pleasure swept through her in waves at the manipulation. Her nipples peaked between his fingers to be squeezed until she squealed. Then he rose up to engulf each in turn in his mouth. Selina wrapped her arms about his head, closing her eyes to the pleasure her husband was bringing to her body. His hands roamed down her back to caress her buttocks, pulling her more firmly onto his loins. She squirmed and pushed with her hips, earning the reward of grunts of pleasure from him, then her own name torn from him in a gasp. By now, she was hungry to feel his skin against hers. She attacked his coat and waistcoat, helping him to strip them away and discard them. Then she began to undo the laces of his shirt. Except in the darkness and her excitement, her fingers became tangled and the strings knotted.

Marcus assisted by ripping the front of the shirt asunder, bringing a giggle from Selina. She laid her hands on his exposed chest, savoring the feel of the solid slabs of muscle and the smooth skin. A shaft of moonlight penetrated the protective embrace of the willow at that point and she saw a mark upon his right shoulder. She had been aware of it when they had lain together, but in the passion of the moment, had not consciously registered its presence. Now, she traced its outline, where the white moonlight highlighted it.

"What is that?" she wondered aloud, "a scar?"

"A birthmark," Marcus said, "my brother had one, as did my father and grandfather. It is the legendary mark of Valebridge. It is supposedly in the shape of a cross, a sign of God's blessing on our house."

Selina smiled, peering close and giving it a kiss. "Well, you have my blessing too now!" she giggled.

Now that the thought was in her head, she remembered that Arthur had a birthmark, just as Marcus said. His was just below his collarbone and did somewhat resemble a cross. She did not mention it, not wanting Marcus' mind to be anywhere but in the present. His lips found hers and she became lost for rational thought. Her senses took over from her reason. She became a creature of impulse, touch, and taste.