Page 42 of A Husband for Esyllt
Turning her once more, he gave her a leg up, then helped arrange her skirts around her when she was sat in the saddle.
He vaulted onto Storm’s back, and they set off at a brisk trot, intent on reaching Esgyrn Castle before it was full dark.
“I will have to go to the village by the coast soon,” Esyllt announced out of the blue. Connor guessed she was trying to act as if nothing licentious had happened in the woods, probably a sensible idea. It would not do to dismount in the bailey with a bulge in his braies. “It is time we elected a new reeve.”
“We will send word that we’ll go together three days hence, so that they can select a few candidates to present to us,” he ruled. “From now on I will preside over the election, with your help, of course.”
She looked at him from under her lashes. “Very well. I’m glad to see you taking your role as master of Castell Esgyrn and husband seriously.”
“Oh, believe me, I take my role as your husband very seriously, and mean to fulfil it to the best of my abilities.” Aye, he did, and in all senses of the word. Not least of all in bed. “I want to make you proud, make you trust me.”
Make you moan, make you come.
The image of her squirming under him had him hard as a poker in the blink of an eye. Damn it all! Only a moment ago he’d been thinking he didn’t want to arrive at the castle with an erection the size of his arm.
Connor launched his stallion into a gallop.
Chapter Eleven
“Have you seen your brother?”
Esyllt stormed toward Matthew, feeling like a pagan goddess ready to unleash her wrath. She could not remember ever being so irate and he was the perfect target for her fury. The resentment of the last few months built up until it could do nothing but erupt in his face.
The arrogant Englishman had it coming anyway. It might as well be now, when she needed something to take the edge off her ire. After a day of difficult negotiations on her own and a ride in the driving rain, she was not in the mood to even try to spare him. He’d been nothing but condescending or downright insulting toward her since he’d arrived.
“Where is he?”
“What do you want with him?”
Matthew made a grimace but she was too far gone to notice that he looked ill at ease when she had expected him to snap back, claiming that Connor did what he wanted and was not accountable to a Welsh schemer, be she his own wife.
“I’ll tell you what I want with him, shall I? We were supposed to go to the village today and elect the new reeve together. Hepromised he would be there, he even sent word ahead to say so. Everyone was waiting for him there. And did he come? No. Did he give any explanation to me or anyone as to why he was absent? No. It was humiliating! What sort of a message do you think it will have sent?”
That the new, proud, arrogant English lord could not bestir himself to come and see his poor Welsh tenants, that was what. She could have cried in frustration and hurt combined. To think that only the other day she had thought him reasonable and involved in his domain’s affairs, ready to give their marriage and his new responsibilities a try.
The last two days had been perfect, and the last two nights even more so, even if they had not made love or even kissed. Sensing she needed time to adjust to the new accord between them, Connor had merely drawn her into his arms before falling asleep and held her tight against his warmth. It had been all she’d needed.
And now she was forced to see that it had all been an illusion. He cared nothing for her or her people.
Matthew let out a sigh. “Connor is in his room.”
“Oh, is he?” It had not even crossed Esyllt’s mind that he would still be in the castle. Her husband was many things but he was not lazy. What was he doing in his room at this time? When she had not seen him by her side upon waking up, she had not for a moment thought he had gone to his own room. He never did that. Why had he hidden there today of all days? Well, there was only one way to find out. “Methinks it’s time to wake him up.”
She picked up her wet skirts and rushed past Matthew.
“My lady, wait!”
Esyllt didn’t turn around or even slow down, for suddenly an awful premonition seized her. Evidently, Matthew was aware of what Connor was up to in that room and he didn’t want her tosee it. Why? An image of her husband lying in bed with another woman tore through her mind and almost sent her to her knees. Had he let her go all alone to the village so that he could spend the day in bed with a mistress?
No. Surely he wouldn’t have dared!
But why not? He had known she would be out of the castle and busy with the election of the reeve and it had been months since their wedding, months during which he had not been able to indulge his masculine urges with her. Why would he not do like every virile man she knew and find a willing woman for a wild romp?
Followed by Matthew who, despite his obvious anguish, was doing his best to heed his brother’s instructions and not bodily restrain her, she climbed the spiral staircase and opened the door to Connor’s bedchamber. She had to know the truth if it killed her.
Her first thought was that her worst fears were confirmed. The bed was all in disarray and her husband lay sprawled on his stomach, wearing only his hose. It took her a moment to realize that he was alone in the bed, however, and asleep, rather than labouring over a woman. It was only a small consolation. His conquest could have just left, leaving him too spent to move.
She rounded on Matthew. “Where is she?”
