Chapter 13
When they camped for the night, the king afforded Henry far better accommodations than he could provide Elisande himself. They were ensconced within the king’s camp, yet given privacy that befitted their newlywed status.
Well fed and washed, Henry reached for his bride.
“How are you feeling?”
“Surprisingly less sore than I expected, on all counts.”
“Good.” It was all he said before he laid his lips upon hers.
He wanted to drown out any thoughts of another man from her mind. He wanted her to forget where she ended and he began. He wanted to thoroughly sate her such that she couldn’t think, let alone speak.
His tongue stroked hers before trailing down her neck and across her chest to her nipple. Elisande arched into him as he sucked and nipped at the tender peak.
Her soft moans and muffled cries drove him to the edge of madness as he dragged his mouth lower, to the heat of her center.
Using his hand to cover her lips, he feasted of her body until he felt her muscles tense and then go liquid.
When he slid his body within hers, the decadent tightness of her sheath clamped down around him.
She was not only brave and beautiful, but exquisitely responsive to him.
Elisande held nothing back except cries that would attract the attention of the entire camp. After she dug her nails into his shoulders three different times, arching against him and collapsing beneath him, he finally let himself find his own completion.
His lady wife was fast asleep as soon as he cleansed her body, and he settled beside her to find his own rest. He pulled her small form within his arms. She belonged to him. By law and by God. No man would ever come between them. Not as long as he lived.
The morning sounds of camp rising came early, but Henry was too well trained to grumble.
He readied himself before waking his wife.
“Already?” she whispered as she rubbed her face.
“Soon, this will all be a memory. You can do it. I’ll take you to see to your needs.”
Henry was realizing he very much liked having a wife to care for. He had enjoyed it before their vows were said, but even more so now, when he had the right to touch her and hold her and carry her as needed.
It was something he hadn’t expected. Truly, he had never thought about the realities of marriage. He had known it would happen if William willed it, and that was the end of it. It was turning out to be much better than he could have imagined.
Once she was seated again on horseback, he finished his own preparations. His king found him before he mounted.
“Your bride is settling in well?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Good. We will stay one night at your holding, and then we ride to Baron Goddard’s land. If he does not swear fealty or I feel he is unfit, I will seize it and place it under control of one of your knights as your vassal. Decide which one before we arrive.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Relief flooded Henry, as that meant, in all likelihood, his neighbor would be a man he trusted. But only when that day dawned and William’s decision was final would it be a certainty.
It couldn’t come soon enough for Henry. Then the issue of the baron’s youngest son lusting after his wife would be ended—forever.