Page 33 of The Saxon Lord's Unwanted Bride
He turned away, not wanting her to see the shame in his expression.
“Begone,” he said. “I’ve no time for this.”
“I think you do, my Lord.” Marlin’s voice grew lighter, the earthy tone of a whore seeking trade changing into the softer notes of a confidante offering solace. “If you wish it, I could teach you how to truly pleasure a woman.”
Truly pleasure a woman? The image of his wife’s face beneath him, flushed and aroused, sent a pulse through his groin. He couldn’t deny how greatly he desired to hear Eloise cry his name in pleasure, rather than fear.
“We can begin your first lesson today, if you wish,” Marlin continued.
“Your eagerness for a coin does you no credit,” he said.
She laughed. “My lord, if I’m able to teach you how to give a woman true pleasure, that’s payment enough. Most men think only of their own gratification. If your little wife has elicited a need within you to think ofherpleasure as well as yours—then I’ll gladly help you service that need.”
“How is it, Marlin, that a woman of your insight can be satisfied with your life? Roswyn would have made the better whore.”
She lifted a hand to caress his cheek. “I’m satisfied enough, my Lord. I may not have the respectability of a husband, but I have a good life. I’m not dependent on others for my living. I do as I please and find great fulfilment, knowing that I give pleasure to many.”
“By parting your thighs for every man in the village?”
She gave an indulgent smile, not unlike that of a mother trying to explain something simple to a child. “I give pleasure to those who do not find it at home—men whose wives cannot satisfy them, men who are lonely, young men eager to learn the art of lovemaking. I don’t lie with them all, my Lord—sometimes a man craves only companionship, a willing ear to listen to his troubles, or a pair of arms to keep him warm at night. My sister would make a poor whore for she only thinks of herself. The art of whoring involves the ability to understand a man’s needs and to fulfil them, leaving him satisfied—and wanting more.”
“Can you teach me to understand a woman’s needs and leave her satisfied?”
“It would be my pleasure,” Marlin said. “Come, let us begin.”
* * *
By the timeHarald left Marlin’s hut, a thin film of rain had begun to fall. He tossed her a coin and she caught it deftly in one hand, a smile of satisfaction on her face. But it was more than the satisfaction of a harlot well paid.
“Your wife is a fortunate woman, and you an able pupil. I wish all men were as kind.”
“I’m a warrior, Marlin. I am not kind.”
“Believe what you wish,” she said, “but kindness in a man does not signify weakness. A man who has the ability to be kind, shows his true strength.”
“Perhaps you’re not so different from my wife,” he said. “Many times she’s said the same.”
“You are fortunate in your choice of wife.”
“I didn’t choose her, Marlin. She was chosen for me by the king.”
“Then I’d advise you to thank him.”
God’s bones! Had everyone fallen prey to his wife’s charms?
No, not everyone. As he returned to the hall, he spied a cloaked figure. Roswyn, on her way to visit her sister. She bobbed a curtsey, giving him a smile which did not reach her eyes. Her full lips curled seductively into a heart shape and she ran her tongue along her bottom lip, mouthing the words “my lord”, as she used to do just before she’d secure those lips around his cock. He shook his head and turned away but not before he had caught a flash of fury in her eyes.
* * *
When Eloise woke,for a moment she didn’t know where she was.
Harald’s bedchamber.
Earlier that night he had sent for her as usual. Though he’d been gentle in taking her, he seemed hesitant and ashamed, but still she felt nothing other than mild discomfort. Afterward, to her surprise he didn’t send her back to her chamber. Instead, he pulled her into his arms, and she drew comfort from the feel of his hard, strong body against hers.
What had woken her?
An inhuman cry reverberated throughout the chamber.
