Hearts Across Time (The Knights of Berwyck: A Quest Through Time Novel ~ Books 1 & 2) (27 page)

R
iorden took
one
look at his wife
and was concerned for her welfare even as his name was announced a second time. The paleness of her skin did not bode well, and he watched as beads of sweat broke out again on her forehead. He took her shaking hand and kissed its back.

“Wait here and rest, Katherine. The king knows nothing of you or our marriage yet I must advise him immediately afore he learns of it from the whisperings of others,” he said, stroking her hair to offer what comfort he could.

“We’ll look after her, won’t we, Gavin?” Brianna answered with a cheerful smile.

Riorden nodded his thanks. “You will be well, my dear? Perchance, you would care for something to eat?”

He watched in dismay as Katherine brought her hand up to her mouth. Was it his imagination or did she turn slightly green? She was clearly not well. “Urp...no, I couldn’t stomach it. Go on...don’t keep him waiting, for heaven’s sake, Riorden,” she declared. He continued to look on her with doubt. “I’ll be fine, really. Brie and Gavin are here to look after me. I’ll be all right.”

He leaned down, kissed her cheek, and, with much reluctance, left her side. He had not gone but a few steps when a far from quiet conversation reached his hearing.

“What does he see in her, do you suppose?” one woman asked another.

“You would think a man of his wealth and looks would be with someone more beautiful than some plain miss who brings nothing to their marriage,” was the snide reply.

“She’s hardly a hag, my friend, although there are certainly women far lovelier than her here at court...myself included.”

“Ha! She does not even know how to dress to impress a man of his stature!” the woman at her side returned. “I would certainly know how to keep a man such as that at my side.”

“I have heard tell he has married her−”

Aghast, the second woman turned to the one who had spoken. “He would not dare do so without consent from the King, would he?”

“─and ’tis a love match,” the lady continued, giving her companion a scathing look for interrupting her.

“Love?” the woman scoffed. “Bah! What does love have to do with anything if she does not bring wealth to his coffers?”

Riorden did not wait to hear the reply, knowing he would pay heavily for his impudence to his liege. As he made his way forwards to the raised dais where King Henry was impatiently pacing back and forth, he espied his squire Patrick and Patrick’s older brother Aiden. With a nod of his head, they fell into step behind him ’til all three knelt down afore their sovereign.

He waited there with head bowed, and yet still King Henry did not address him. Wondering at the delay, he raised his eyes to see his Majesty glaring down at him with an angry expression upon his visage. He gave Riorden a brief nod. Rising to his feet, Riorden waited for the inevitable.

“I am displeased, Riorden de Deveraux,” the King began. “Perhaps you are not fit to hold the title of the Earl of Warkworth after all.”

He stood tall and would not cower, not even to his liege lord, nor would he regret his decision to wed with Katherine. “I can explain, sire.”

“Explain?” King Henry bellowed. “You did not ask my permission to wed, and yet I hear from others that you have done so. Why I am not hearing such a confession from you first hand is beyond my comprehension!”

“She means all to me your majesty. I−”

“Do you think I care what you feel for this woman?”

“My pardon, sire,” Riorden answered in respect, “but the marriage has been consummated and cannot be undone.”

The king began his pacing again. “I had plans for you and Warkworth, and it certainly did not include marrying some woman with no wealth or lands to call her own!”

“An adequate dowry was bestowed upon her, my liege,” Riorden answered and turned to Patrick, who handed him a pouch of considerable wealth. He stepped forwards and handed the bag to one of the king’s aids. “Surely, this will compensate for my slight to the crown.”

Riorden watched as the king’s man tossed the pouch to assess the worth of the contents with the confidence of someone who had done so numerous times in the past. The man nodded to the king, who sat down calling for wine. His chalice was quickly filled, and Riorden waited with bated breath for his fate to be determined by an irate king.

After several moments, the king placed his chalice down on a table and began drumming his fingers on the wood in a show of impatience. “Well?” he asked.

“Sire?”

“Bring her afore me! I assume she is here, is she not?”

“Aye, sire, she is here...but not feeling herself at the moment,” Riorden replied with worry, wondering how Katherine would get through an interview with the king.

Conversation stumbled to a hushed whisper ’til silence descended inside the chamber. All eyes turned in his wife’s direction, including his own. He was only slightly surprised to see her, not where he left her, but standing several paces behind Aiden and Patrick. Riorden supposed ’twould not be the last time she would be defiant to his requests by not remaining where he had told her to stay put.

King Henry flicked his fingers, and Katherine came forward then dropped down into a deep curtsey. Riorden helped her rise when she was bidden to do so and held her arm to steady her stance. They waited together in silence, not daring to speak. He did not miss when Katherine raised her head a notch in a display she had more courage than her health, but a few moments afore, would have determined. He could not have been more proud of her.

“What is your name, my lady, since your disrespectful, impudent husband has not seen fit to give one to me?”

“Katherine, Your Grace,” she answered calmly.

“’Tis a lovely name,” King Henry replied whilst he scrutinized her gown.

“You are most kind, Your Majesty.”

“Harrumph! Mayhap your husband will see a seamstress brought to Warkworth so you may be more adequately attired when next we meet,” he suggested with a stern look.

Riorden bowed. “Of course, sire. It shall be done. We welcome the opportunity to serve thee at Warkworth.”

Chalice in hand, King Henry stood again and came to stand afore Katherine. “And from whence to do you hail, dear lady?” he inquired in mild curiosity.

“I am from far abroad, my liege,” she returned softly, lowering her blue-green eyes.

The king took her chin and raised her head. “And will you so swear your fealty to me, Katherine of Warkworth?”

“Most assuredly, Your Grace,” she replied, with no hesitation.

Riorden looked on as his wife once more went down upon her knees and the king held out his hand to her. He had a moment of uncertainty as to whether Katherine knew what was expected of her. He should not have doubted her. She gave a brief smile, took the king’s hand, and placed a kiss upon his signet ring.

He helped his wife once more rise from the floor and felt her slight wobble. Placing his hand about her waist, he brought her a step closer to his side in a unified show to all who witnessed them that this was indeed his wife. It seemed to placate their king.

“Since I have said this to you afore, hopefully I shall not have to repeat myself again. Get yourself to Warkworth, Riorden, and set your estate in order. Do not let me learn you have once more gone north to Berwyck lest I have given you leave to do so,” King Henry ordered meaningfully. “You understand my words, do you not?”

“Of course, sire,” Riorden answered.

“’Tis good, then! You will be busy enough, settling the affairs with your father’s widow Marguerite. I know you will be able to handle the situation, as delicate as ’twill be, and get her situated in her dower house,” King Henry stated, still showing a look of disappointment. “Since you have disrupted my plans, I suppose ’twill be the best place for her now.”

Riorden grimaced at the mention of the woman he had thought to be in love with afore he learned in truth what kind of a deceitful wench she truly was. Even years later, he was still bitter she had chosen to marry his father. ’Twas the day she did so that he cut off all ties with his sire.

King Henry interrupted his memories by clearing his throat as though he waited again for an answer. “Your Majesty?”

“Well...whatever are you waiting for? See to the packing of your belongings. I expect your departure come the morn.”

Katherine and Riorden looked on as their king took his leave of the chamber. Several knights attempted to follow behind him, bowing and scraping to gain his attention, but to no avail. Apparently, the King had better things to do today than play the games that court life entailed.

Riorden took Katherine by the arm and their group left to find their chambers. He needed to ensure Katherine rested err they travel come the new day. He knew he would have his hands full once he got to Warkworth. Marguerite may be one of many obstacles to overcome in their near future, but there was one far more daunting in Riorden’s eyes that could possibly even be dangerous. First, afore all else, he would have to get Katherine on his horse. He did not look forward to the argument he knew would be forthcoming when she learned of their mode of travel.

K
atherine held
the
bed post
and stroked the heavy wooden frame, almost reverently, as if to memorize the feel of it beneath her fingertips. Rough in places, it wouldn’t always remain this way. She smiled in remembrance of the first time she had seen this room.

The chamber really hadn’t altered all that much from now to when she was in Bamburgh with her friends more than eight hundred years in the future. Some of the furniture may have changed over time, but she still marveled that their placement was exactly the same centuries from now. She leaned her forehead on the dark oaken post and closed her eyes. She could still feel the utter despair of when she had first seen Riorden here in this chamber. She remembered reaching out to touch him, yet he had been nothing but a shadow of what could have been if only Time had not played such a horrible hoax on them.

The sharp sound of a trunk closing as the lid dropped into place brought her back to the present, and she watched in fascination as Riorden ran a hand through his mussed, shoulder length hair. He reached for a goblet of wine and took a sip until his attention immediately flew to her over the cup rim. There was such intense longing in his gaze that Katherine’s heart flipped, as it always did whenever he looked at her in such a manner. She knew he was reliving his own disquieting memories of her in his chamber as a ghost.

They continued to watch one another, transfixed by the haunting nightmare they had once shared. The image he presented, however, was so reminiscent of their past ghostlike encounter that a small thrill went through her, knowing he was really standing right before her in the flesh. She could touch him anytime she so wished, and forevermore would she be grateful that Time had bended to their most heartfelt desire. It wasn’t every day that fate brought her a gorgeous chivalrous knight to call her very own. She had waited her whole lifetime to find him, and she would take advantage of such a gift!

His eyes traversed up and down her body until a lazy grin developed on his face that generally was Katherine’s undoing. Since she could stand the handsome distraction he presented no longer, she shortened the space between them. Her eyes never left his as she came to stand before him. Taking the goblet from his hand, she took a small taste where his lips had but recently met the edge and placed the cup carefully on the table. The heady wine slid down her throat, warming her stomach. It was nothing compared to what he was unintentionally doing to her emotionally. The room grew hot, and yet still they spoke no words. He looked down at her from his towering height. His eyes told her what he wanted, but she only gave him a seductive smile.

She expected to be ensnared in his embrace and taken to their bed. He surprised her when instead he held his palm face up to her, and she knew for certain he, too, had been reliving the experience of their past encounter. With her shaking hand, she placed her own palm face down to hover but inches over his. She shivered when tingling sensations rushed up her entire arm. It was still there...that connection between them that even Time would never separate.

She could almost hear his thoughts. They mirrored her own. A small jolt of excitement went racing through her body when she began running her hands up his muscled chest. They halted when she tugged at the barrier of his shirt that was in the way of the prize she sought. She licked her lips in anticipation of how she really wanted to spend their last afternoon at Bamburgh.

Her hand slowly skimmed upward to caress the nape of his neck. His skin was warm beneath her touch. “Kiss me, my dearest Riorden,” she said in a husky whisper.

With the slightest pressure from her fingers to encourage him, he leaned down to place his lips on her own. This kiss was no different than any other he had given her over the past month. It was just as explosive, setting her entire being on fire, and had her begging for more than just his mouth on hers. Was it just her, or did he seem to breathe life into her very soul?

She yanked at his tunic so she could further explore his skin with an urgency born of almost sheer desperation. He groaned, making quick work of the garment by pulling it over his head and tossing it onto the floor. She began to lightly trace the lines of firm stretched skin on his stomach until he grabbed her hands as if he already couldn’t stand the effect such a small act of pleasure had on him. He crushed her into his arms with his own sense of eagerness, and Katherine felt as if she had died and gone to heaven. Such a cliché of a term, but there really was no other way to phrase how this man made her feel.

Riorden’s hands tore at the fabric of her gown, and she heard, more than saw, the ripping of the neckline that surely was beyond any form of repair now. She could have cared less, especially when she felt his hands reaching beneath her bodice like a bloody pirate after a coveted treasure sunk beneath the waters of the deep blue sea. He easily captured her breasts in his hands and leaned down to tease her nipples with his tongue until they were taut little buds in his mouth. His lips made a trail up her neck until he nipped at her earlobe, making goose bumps explode up and down her arms and spine. Good God Almighty! She was about to crawl out of her skin, she wanted him inside her so desperately.

His tongue darted out now and then, adding to her agony until she heard him begin to murmur in his deep baritone voice what she could only assume were words of love. She wouldn’t know, since he spoke them in Norman French.

“Riorden?”

“Aye, my love?” he answered but seemingly gave no thought to halt the blinding kisses he continued placing on her neck and the white mounds of her breasts.

“I can’t understand you.”

She watched him as he looked up, momentarily confused until it dawned on him. He gave her a wicked smile and pressed himself against her. His manhood was rigid with his own need, and she felt it throbbing against her.

“I want you.”

It was a simple statement that rushed to her heart, making her feel flushed and giddy at the same time.

“Riorden?”

“Aye, my love?”

She sweetly smiled at him while he waited for some kind of a response from her. She wouldn’t make him wait long for her answer. Pulling his head down once more, Katherine blew softly in his ear and felt him shiver in anticipation.

R
iorden waited
with what little patience he had left and curiosity as to what Katherine wanted to say. He swore if he did not plunge into her softness soon he would shatter completely out of his senses. She began blowing in his ear ’til her tongue darted out to tease him further. He could not stand much more.

“Don’t stop...”

She spoke so softly, he almost did not hear her words, but her answer hung in the air, as if Time itself seized this moment for them to always remember. ’Twas all the encouragement he needed. He knew not how the connection between them could be so entrancing, but Katherine’s touch was pure magic. She always knew just what he wanted of her, at times without his ever voicing a word.

He lifted her dress and his calloused palms skimmed the smooth length of her silky thighs. Touching her soft skin only added to the friction building between them that had all began with but a single glance into her eyes. His fingers barely stroked the very essence of her when he listened in satisfaction to the whimper of small catlike sounds of pleasure only she could make.

Riorden glimpsed into Katherine’s lust filled eyes and knew she was more than ready for him. Keeping their gazes locked together, he easily lifted her, and with no hesitation, she wrapped her legs around his waist. She must have thought he would take her to their bed, but he had another idea in mind. He did not go far, but her eyes beheld a brief look of surprise when she felt the stone wall brush up against her back.

Her chest heaved against his whilst her breathing accelerated. He held her stare, since they were now eye to eye, and watched her expression of startled surprise turn to one of desire. Reaching out, she grabbed a hold of his hair as if to use it for support. Her tongue slid across her upper lip as he leaned forward to capture it with his own.

She broke their kiss abruptly and held onto his shoulders. “Hurry, Riorden! Don’t make me wait any longer,” she ordered as she frantically tried to reach the fabric of her gown. “Get this infernal dress off me so I can feel you against me.”

Riorden chuckled but offered no further assistance. “Such a demanding woman have I married,” he mumbled as he began fumbling with his hose.

“I want my clothes off, babe!”

“I am sorry, Katherine, but I cannot delay that long.” His manhood sprang to life when finally free of the restraints of his own clothing and Riorden took advantage of the situation by plunging into the hot wetness that was all Katherine. She was so tight he almost unmanned himself right then and there.

She cried out as he filled her completely and again put her lips to his in a searing kiss. He was already frantic for her and feeling on the brink of climax with only a few long strokes. He attempted to slow their rhythm to ensure his wife would reach the heavens alongside him, but she would have none of it.

He grabbed a hold of her waist and turned so now his back was on the cold stones. Widening his legs for support, he helped her quicken their pace for he could barely put off any longer the urge to fill her with his seed.

“Oh God, Riorden!” she called out in a rush as she opened her eyes to stare into his.

He watched her passion filled eyes light up with wonder of what was about to occur. “Soar with me, Katherine. Let us see the miracle of the stars together, my love.”

’Twas if his words to her unleashed the dam she held back, and she arched her back with her release. With the feeling of her tightening and pulsing around his shaft, he too felt his body shatter, as if the stars above exploded all around them with their energy of light coursing through his own body, until they both were spent.

She wrapped her arms around his neck when he began to take them to their bed. Taking a quick peek at what remained of her gown, Riorden reached over for a dirk, lying on a small table, and sliced through what remained of the fabric. Katherine gave him a contented sigh when the material was lifted off her body. He pulled back the coverlet on the bed, and as he laid her down to rest, she made a lunge for his hand when he made to leave her.

“No way, buster,” she muttered. “You can’t leave me after something that earth shattering. I want to cuddle.”

He kissed her forehead, took off the remainder of his garments, and came to lie down next to her anyway. She snuggled up to his side, much like a cat would have done. “We must away come the morn, Katherine, and there is much to do.”

“Don’t care.” He listened to her yawn. “It can wait. Let’s just take a short nap.”

Riorden chuckled, knowing he would rather spend the remainder of the day with his wife than see to other duties. He, too, gave a yawn and felt his eyes begin to droop. He barely grimaced at the ever so slight tug of his hair when she began to twirl a lock between her fingers. He smiled, knowing it had become a habit of hers.

“Oh...and Riorden?”

“Aye, my love,” he said with a sleepy voice.

“Just remember that Karma is a bitch, and she always pays you back when you least expect it,” Katherine mocked knowingly. “Recollect that, sweetie, the next time you are fully clothed, and I’m as naked as the day I came into this world!”

Riorden’s eyes flew open at her words, and, suddenly, he was wide awake. He glanced hesitantly around the room, not sure what to be looking for, but did not see anything to overly concern him...at least for the moment. He pondered what his wife had said to him. Though he knew naught of this Karma Katherine spoke of, he would be most leery of it. The last thing he needed was for it to come at him unannounced and bite him sharply in his sorry arse!