Page 26 of Saxon Blade Norman Blood
“No, I don’t disapprove. How could I? I’m a Saxon myself. But I am curious as to why you would bother. Few Normans would.”
“As I have already told you, I like to think that I am not like most men. But you are probably not the best person to be told this since you consider me dangerous enough to be killed,” he said, once again displaying his amazing capacity for self-deprecation.
Rowena had no idea what to answer. She had never met anyone less easily riled than he was. And she had no idea how to deal with it.
The only thing she could think of was fleeing.
“Indeed. And I bid you good day.”
9
“I found these amongst the master’s dirty linens. I guess now we know what he did yesterday, and for once it’s not one of his wretched diplomatic missions with the Saxons!”
The plump girl giggled. Her friend, however, seemed more scandalized than amused.
“For shame! What lady would forget herself so much as to let him take these from her?”
From her sitting place, Rowena spied on the maids handling some kind of delicate lady’s garment she could not identify. Stockings perhaps? As she did not want to risk being seen by stretching her neck for a closer look, she remained where she was.
They had come into the room to light the fire and were seemingly unaware she sat in the corner, hidden in the shadows. The sun had yet to rise fully, and if she did not move, they might not see her.
“Who cares about propriety? She is a lucky lady, whoever she is. He could take what he wanted from me. I would leave his room without a stich on if he made me moan like he does the ladies he takes to his bed. God knows what he does to them to make them lose all sense of shame, but I wouldn’t mind finding out one day.”
“Hush! This is shocking talk.”
“Don’t tell me you would refuse Lord William if he asked you to bed?” the first one challenged with her hands on her hips.
“Well,” her friend admitted with a smile. “I’m not made of wood.”
They both dissolved into a fit of giggles that left them a bit breathless. A moment later they were gone.
Two things were clear from that conversation, Rowena mused as she made her way to the main hall. One, William was a notorious lover, renowned for his prowess in bed. The fact surprised her little for, unlike the maids, she had more than an inkling of what he did to make women moan and forget themselves.
Secondly, he had lied about his occupation the previous afternoon. He had not gone to see a Saxon lord as part of his conciliation program, he had been busy with a woman. So much for his laudable intentions. To think he’d had the nerve to ask her if she disapproved of his activities.
Well, if they consisted of his seducing the local womenfolk for his own selfish purposes, shediddisapprove. It was disappointing and demeaning.
Fueled with resentment, she pushed the door of the main hall open and found him alone. He was writing a letter by the window, making the most of the sunlight starting to pour in. His profile carved against the stone wall was as delicate as an angel’s. For a moment she lost herself in contemplation. Why did this man she had sworn to kill have to be so attractive?
“I know you did not go the valley yesterday,” she started, pushing these unhelpful considerations out of her mind. It did not matter what he looked like.Shouldnot matter. “Or at least if you did it was not to discuss politics with a Saxon lord. Instead, you spent the afternoon with a woman.”
“Did I?”
If she had thought to provoke a reaction, she was disappointed. He did not lift his head from the letter, but continued writing.
“Didn’t you?”
This time he paused and threw her a challenging glance. “So when you said you knew, you lied. You were only trying to find out where I was.” He resumed his writing, but a smile was now floating on his lips.
A smile she wanted to wipe right off.
“Is that part of your conciliation endeavors? You aim to acquire the female population’s support by sleeping with them? How far along are you? How many women are left to bed? You must be exhausted!”
“I see that you would like me to tell you more about my, shall we say,personallife.” At last, he put his quill down and stood up. “In which case you could have just asked.”
“I am not interested in your…” She stopped, unable to find a word in his language for what she wanted to say. She wasn’t sure she knew one in hers. “But you lied to me about what you did yesterday.”
“What if I did? I do not see why I should be accountable to you for the way I spend my days. A wife might have a right to object to my affairs, but certainly not you, a woman who wants me dead.” He walked over to her with predatory intent. “Or are you telling me you want me to remain celibate while you live under my roof? It would be harsh. After all, it is not as if I could indulge my senses with you.”
