Page 49 of Saxon Blade Norman Blood
“Lord William requests your presence at dinner tonight,” he informed her with a leer, allowing his gaze to rove all over her body. “You had better prepare yourself. I have never seen himso infuriated before. No doubt he’ll keep going all night in this mood.”
The dark-haired man by his side laughed. Rowena’s chest tightened. What if the man was right? True to his promise, William had never attempted to make love to her, but tonight he might finally surrender to the desire he felt for her. Would he reach out for her? Make her bare herself again? Touch her?
Her whole body heated at the thought and she knew she would not be able to refuse.
The two men exchanged a glance. “I have never fancied Saxon wenches myself, but I must admit this one is rather comely. Perhaps when Lord William tires of her we might see if she can change our minds on the subject.”
“There must be something she can do in bed,” his friend agreed. “For I have never known him to spend more than one night with the same woman.”
Disgusted by their comments, Rowena attempted to squeeze past them, but they blocked her way.
“What’s the hurry? Keen to get the man between your legs? That’s promising.”
“Let me go. Lord William is expecting me,” she said with as much dignity as she could muster.
“Yes, he is. For now. But when he finds himself another whore, we’ll be here to fill your needs.”
With a laugh that sent a shiver down her spine, they retreated slightly, but they were still too close for her not to touch them when she walked past.
Her body tensed at the contact, and she almost expected them to grab her and draw her outside—somewhere where they could have their way with her without anyone hearing. They didn’t.
As soon as she was free, she broke into a run.
Bursting into the inner bailey, she fell on her knees as a wave of nausea invaded her. It had never occurred to her before that the men at the castle only left her alone because they believed her to be William’s current mistress. They did not touch her for fear of incurring their master’s displeasure, not out of respect for her.
What would happen when she was no longer under his protection? His unexpected leniency protected her, but what would happen when he let her go? If it became known she was only here because she had tried to kill him, the men would have no scruples in showing her how they treated dangerous Saxon girls. They would have their sport first, then unleash their anger on her. She might not get out of it alive.
The nausea became overwhelming, and she was sick all over the ground.
She would rather die than endure their combined assault. She would do everything she could to prevent them from taking their pleasure with her. Like stabbing them.
Or even herself.
For the first time, she felt some compassion toward her mother. More miserable than she had ever been, Rowena hugged herself tight and cried.
Eventually, and though she feared she wouldn’t be able to eat a single thing, much less say a single word, Rowena gathered herself to go find William for dinner, as requested. Now that she knew what he had done for her, she did not want to offend him by disobeying.
When she entered the room, he was waiting for her, seated at one end of the table. She walked in silently and took her place opposite him. His face still bore traces of his earlier displeasure, but he did not confront her. He seemed to think her change of attitude made her contrition clear enough. She wasgrateful for it, for she wasn’t sure she could have borne to talk about their argument.
The meal was spent mostly in silence. One of the male servants who had provoked her earlier came to bring her a plate of meat. She almost screamed when he brushed her sleeve. The contact had been deliberate, she knew, a way of reminding her he was lying in wait, until the moment William discarded her.
As soon as the table was cleared, she asked to be excused. “I do not feel too well, I’m afraid.”
William frowned. “Go to bed. It has been a trying day,” he agreed eventually, as if worried for her.
Later, in his room, when he closed his arms around her in what had become their usual position, Rowena melted into his embrace. She’d been waiting for that precise moment ever since the incident in the kitchens, she realized. She desperately needed the comfort, the warmth, the feeling of safety he offered her.
He seemed to sense her need and drew her closer without a word, nuzzling at her neck in reassurance. His bed, his hold around her, were no longer a prison but a safe haven, the only haven she had ever known.
Rowena stifled a sob.
*
A whimper reached his ear.
William frowned. Was the girl crying? He held her in silence for a while, waiting to be sure. Something had happened to her that afternoon, he sensed it. She had seemed unwell at dinner.
What was amiss? She hadn’t been herself, looking pale and frightened, so much so that his fury had dissipated at the sight of her anguish. The last time he had seen her she had been bristling with anger, defiant, unreasonable even, but tonight she was thoroughly repentant. She must have gone to the kitchens toask for Margot and realized he’d done his best to help her. There was no other explanation for this reversal in attitude.
