Page 18 of A Husband for Esyllt
The man really was insufferable, making it look as if his presence were indispensable when it was little more than an irritation. He had nothing to offer except pointless criticism.
“I think we have naught else to say,” Matthew concluded a moment later, echoing his thoughts exactly.
“It’s time to adjourn the meeting,” Connor agreed. It was a mystery the men had come at all. As far as he could tell, nothing had been achieved.
One of the Welshmen, who so far had stayed silent, allowing his lord to speak, could not help himself from delivering one last parting shot.
“You might be master of Castell Esgyrn now, but rest assured that we will never forget what happened the night you arrived.”
Connor would have answered with his own pique, but before he could open his mouth, his attention was caught by Esyllt, who had gone bright red. What had caused this reaction, he wondered? It could have been anger at the man’s presumption, of course, but somehow he doubted it. Then she bit her bottom lip and he had his answer.
Him.
Their first night together, when she had mistaken him for Lord Sheridan’s squire and welcomed him in her bed, that was what she was thinking about, here, amongst all the men. His own body jerked in remembrance. Feeling her sheath wrapped around him had been one of the hottest moments of his life.
He sent her a fiery look and had the satisfaction of seeing her lower her eyes.
So he had been right, she was thinking of their night together.
Not for the first time, he marveled that he had found the strength to leave her bed when he had, and not stayed until he had reached his release. It had never been his intention to make love to her, simply to ascertain how far she was prepared to go, but once he had sunk into her silken depths and seen her eyes change colour with the pleasure it had brought her, he had almost thrown caution to the wind.
What harm would it do to possess her fully, he’d wondered? They were to be married in the morning anyway and she clearly wanted him. He could have pumped a few more times and brought about his release, and hers. It would not have taken long, he’d been close to bursting, and she’d been on the verge ofclimax. He’d seen it in her eyes, heard it in her breathing, felt it around his cock.
But in the end, reason had prevailed. He’d left her warmth, one of the most difficult things he had ever had to do.
“Rest assured that I will never forget that night either,” he said, his eyes firmly on Esyllt.
His tone was so intimate that no one dared add anything, not even Gruffydd.
“I will take my leave now, if I may.” The Welshman stood up. “I think all that needed to be said has been said. Lady Sheridan, will you see me and my men out?”
Though it was clear the man wanted an opportunity to speak to her alone, and in Welsh, Connor gave his agreement. Mayhap this gesture of goodwill that cost him little would go a long way into appeasing the man, and he could always ask Esyllt what they had discussed afterward. He felt sure she would tell him the truth, as she seemed no fonder of the man than he was himself.
Esyllt followed Gruffydd outside. As soon as they were out of hearing distance, he rounded on her, just as she had expected.
“Say what he might, Lord Sheridan played us for fools, asking his brother to impersonate him!”
“He did, but I don’t see why you should object. If anyone should be angry, surely it should be me,” she replied, not in the least inclined to sympathize with his recriminations. What didhehave to complain about? She was the one who’d paid the price of the brothers’ deception and she was still hot from remembering how Connor had seduced her into agreeing to let him inside her body.
“Why should you complain?” Gruffydd snarled, oblivious to her inner turmoil.
Why? She blinked. Had he really asked her that question? “Because I am the one who married him, who now has to live with him!” she answered, unable to believe she actually had tospell it out. Was the man really so lost to all common decency that he thought she wouldn’t mind being introduced to one man and then told a moment later she was actually to marry another?
Gruffydd shrugged, as if her qualms were worth less than his humiliation. “What’s his game, I wonder, first hiding behind his brother, and now acting as if he’d lived here all along?”
Really, the man was not to be believed. How obtuse could one be? The workings of Connor’s mind were not so difficult to understand, not to her anyway. “He was probably suspicious of the welcome he would get and is now trying to establish his authority before it’s too late, and I cannot say I blame him.”
“Oh?”
She stared at him in disbelief. He really was that obtuse.
“Of course not. Have you considered what he’s doing? His king might have conquered the land and extracted a treaty saying so out of the reluctant lords, but he is not here physically to keep everyone under control, is he? Though he is officially amongst the victors, Lord Sheridan has been sent into hostile land, surrounded by a very small retinue, to try and maintain an enemy’s authority, a difficult challenge at best, an impossible task at worst. I say it takes a great deal of courage to do what he’s doing.”
It could well cost him his life. Itwouldcost him his life if Gruffydd had anything to say about it. The notion sent a shiver down her spine.
“Do you?” Gruffydd’s eyes narrowed. He hadn’t liked hearing her take an Englishman’s defense. But for the first time since she’d been told she was to marry an English lord, Esyllt had put herself in Connor’s shoes, and it did not make for a comfortable situation. It was as she’d said. His supposed superiority over them was little protection. It only made the local lords eager to get rid of him.
“Yes, I do. And have you seen the way you talk to him?” she carried on. “It will not be long before he suspects that you wish him ill.”
