Page 60 of The Pirate and the Pagan
“Will you sell me a piece of tail for a piece of gold?”
“Yes, Ruark,” she readily agreed.
“I have a hundred crowns in this bag. Will you let me fuck you a hundred times?” He leered.
“Yes, please, Ruark,” she begged.
When she awoke, she was covered with shame. The only thing that saved her from completely wallowing in self-loathing was the realization that this was the day the King and their other guests were arriving.
All morning and into the early afternoon the carriages and gilt coaches rolled up the long driveway to Helford Hall. The drivers, along with the grooms and stablemen of Helford, unharnessed the horses and took them into the dark, cool stables to be fed and watered. Though their guests would not be sleeping at the hall, nevertheless Summer had made the guest chambers available for the ladies so they could bathe, change their clothes, or rest in privacy. All the female servants, not just the chambermaids, were given special duties, even though some of the ladies high in the pecking order like the Countess of Castlemaine brought their own serving women.
Finally the King arrived accompanied by Buckingham, and Lord and Lady Helford came from separate directions to welcome their royal guest. Summer was wearing the very latest fashion from France. Her bodice was low cut and laced together to allow delicious glimpses of female breast to peep through the laces. Her full skirt was striped in pale and jade green and the flattering color made her eyes as green as emeralds. She curtsied deeply before Charles and he boldly took advantage of the opportunity presented and gazed down the front of her dress. He lifted her at last and took her hands to his lips. Her eyes met his and he murmured, “Little beauty.” Then in a louder voice he drawled, “’Sblood, some men have all the luck in their choice of wives, Helford.”
“Welcome, Sire, it looks as if we are to be blessed by king’s weather,” said Ruark, ignoring the compliment about his wife.
Although the game of the treasure hunt had been explained to all the guests and they were eager to get started in their search for clues which would lead them to the treasure, most had been reluctant to set off before the King arrived. Now, however, as the King and Buckingham were given refreshments, men and women were choosing partners to help them win the game.
A great crowd was gathered about the table in the front hall, where the large lump of ambergris sat resplendent in a gilt casket which Summer had found up in the attics. It caused a great deal of ribald comment and set a bawdy tone for the afternoon’s festivities.
The King was sampling some cider which Ruark said had been aged in applewood casks for five years. He grinned at Ruark. “’Sblood, it’s the first time I’ve seen Buckingham take an interest in something other than the cut of his coat in a twelvemonth.”
The men were making private wagers on who would win the coveted prize and Summer was aghast at the great amounts of money being so casually gambled away.
“I wouldn’t mind a lump of the stuff to analyze in my laboratory —purely for the sake of science, you understand,” Charles said, winking at Ruark. “Lady Helford”—he beckoned—“I shall consent to play treasure hunt only if you will partner me, dearest lady.” He turned to Ruark, who had a heavy frown between his brows. “There is method in my madness. The lady who made up the rhyming clues must know where the winning clue is buried.”
“Ah, but Sire, I could take you along a false track, lead you down the primrose path so to speak, and you’d be none the wiser,” Summer warned prettily.
“How can I lose if I spend an hour with you in a shaded yew walk, my beauty?”
She glanced at her husband in a cool detached manner and replied, “I do not wish to cause jealousy, Your Majesty.”
“Oh, Ruark knows it is my duty to spend time with my hostess and Barbara can partner her cousin Buckingham if she wants to play the game.”
Summer linked her arm with the King’s and dipped into the glass bowl for the first rhymed clue:
“First seek out the leafy bower
Where you may measure every hour.”
Summer handed it to Charles. “The first one is easy; they get progressively harder.”
“Harder and harder,” he whispered wickedly as they walked off in the direction of the sundial.
Charles tried to amuse himself with kissing games, but no matter how he pressed the lady she would not yield to anything adventurous. When Summer urged him to hurry or they would never get through all the clues which led to the treasure, he put his arm about her and whispered into her ear, “I need no aphrodisiacs, sweetheart. I’m accused of being in rut like a stag as it is.”
“And with good cause, Sire,” said Summer, eluding his arms and skipping away from him into the next deserted yew walk. For a moment she was dismayed to find it empty. Charles’s long legs soon closed the distance between them and he finally managed to claim a kiss. He whispered into her ear again, “Sweetheart, a hostess really should do everything within her power to please a guest.”
“Do I not please you, Your Majesty?” she asked, filled only with hurt and longing for her unyielding husband.
“Yes, you do, but could we not sit down and rest awhile in this cool grass in the lovely shade of these private yews?”
“They won’t be private for long, Sire. Whatever would become of my reputation if we were caught lying in the grass together?”
“Little innocent … none of the court would dare come down the same secluded yew walk where I had taken a lady. They would avoid us at all costs rather than risk my displeasure.”
“I see,” she said softly, “but you would risk my displeasure.”
“Sweetheart, not for all the world. If you are unwilling, we’ll say no more about it.”
