The Traitor's Daughter (25 page)

Alais nodded.

Hugh looked even more worried. “I would marry you if you
would have me.”

Alais exhaled heavily and smiled with relief. “Of
course.”

A brief smile lifted Hugh’s lips.

“But the king…” she added.

The smile disappeared. “You see the difficulty. The king
must give permission for you to wed and it is not likely that he will allow me
to marry the woman who was once betrothed to my father.”

Alais lowered her head, only for it to be raised up by
Hugh. “There is a way,” he said, “and I suggest it only because I dare to
believe that you love me as I love you.”

“I love you. I have loved you these many weeks, but how
could I tell you?”

Hugh stroked her cheek. “I know. I was needlessly cruel to
you and I beg your forgiveness.”

Alais caught his hand and kissed his palm. “You are
forgiven.”

Hugh stood again, leaving his hand in Alais’. “You may
not forgive me for what I say now, but I must say it.” He swallowed and she
felt him grip her hand tightly. “There is a way that we can be married without
the king’s permission. I can abduct you, seduce you, marry you and pay the king
a fine if he refuses to give his permission.”

Alais considered what Hugh was saying. It was a
dangerous course of action and could put Hugh out of the king’s favour.

“It will be a large fine. You are a wealthy man and the
king is at war.”

“The fine is nothing.” Hugh dismissed it with his free
hand.

“Then why are you so worried?”

“Because what I am proposing would ruin your reputation.”

“I thought you were abducting me. I will, of course,
fight you if you attempt to do so. Oh.”

“Indeed. There are many alive who saw you stick a dagger
into my brother. They will wonder how such a woman could be abducted. In other
circumstances I would gladly bear the scars from such a fight, but I will have
enough trouble controlling Liss without having to lie abed recovering from the
wounds you would have to inflict on me.”

There was a knock at the door and Alais dropped his
hand. Hugh called out and a servant entered. “My lady’s bath is ready.”

“Thank you.” The servant left and Hugh turned to Alais,
“I thought you would like a bath before you sleep.”

Alais did not reply, lost in thought. At last she smiled
and looked up at Hugh. “No one is armed when they bathe.”

“This is a serious matter, my Alais. I am asking you to
help me relieve you of your maidenhead.”

Alais became serious again. She took his hand again.
“Hugh, I can see no other way. You are bruised enough that we need do no more.
I have never been attended when I bathe here, nor have I locked the door.”

Hugh carried her hand to his lip, “Then I will marry you
tomorrow.”

Hugh took her arm and led her up to his own bedchamber.
“I thought you would prefer not to return to my father’s room tonight.” Hugh
held the door open and followed her into the room. There was a large fire in
the hearth and a bath steamed in front of it. A young servant girl stood beside
it. “Thank you,” said Alais, before Hugh could say anything. “I can manage
myself, you can leave us.” The girl curtsied and slipped past them through the
open door. Alais closed it softly behind her and turned back to Hugh. He looked
down at her, his tired face relaxing into a smile.

He caught her to him and bent his face close to hers. He
hesitated. Alais smiled up at him, “It will not hurt me if you kiss me. The
ointment has begun its work.” Hugh needed no more encouragement. He covered her
mouth with his own and she sighed her delight. The kiss was more than she could
have hoped for. Despite her protests, Hugh was careful of her wound and his
tongue gently teased her lips open. Once inside her mouth he explored carefully
until she increased the pressure on his lips. Then he threw caution to the
winds and gave way to his passion. When he finally pulled away Alais could feel
blood on her lip again, but she did not care.

She looked over at the bath and then took the keys from
her waist. She knew which one locked the door to Hugh’s room and turned it in
the lock. Turning away from him, she began to remove her clothes. Her hands
shook as she untied the laces and she hoped that she would not break the
precious buttons on Hugh’s tunic.

“That will not do,” said Hugh gently. “As your abductor,
I should rip your clothes.”

She turned back to face him.

“You forget. You are to come on me in my bath when I
cannot defend myself. Perhaps you should rip your clothes.”

Hugh looked down at his travel-stained clothes, washed
by Edwina and repaired by Alais during the weeks in Southwark. Then he pulled
at his tunic with his hands so that it tore. He dropped it on the floor and
pulled his undershirt over his head.

Finally unable to stop herself, Alais reached out a hand
and placed the palm on his chest.

Hugh growled. “You are too eager, my lady,” he said and
Alais pulled her hand away.

“And you are not?” she teased him.

“I am very eager,” he replied, bending down and pulling
off his hose. Alais followed his actions with her eyes and swallowed.

“Yes,” she agreed, “I can see that you are. I should get
into the bath so that I will not have to fight you off now.”

She did not turn her back on him again, but quickly
removed the rest of her clothes. Until she was completely naked, Hugh held her
gaze for a while, then he raked her body with his hungry eyes. He seemed satisfied
with what he saw and Alais turned to the bath.

The warmth of the bath eased away the tension she had
not realised she felt as she ducked under to wet her hair. As she surfaced she
saw that Hugh had moved to the side of the bath. She ran her soapy hands along
her body feeling the warmth ease away the tiredness she had felt. Her nipples
ached and she rubbed a hand across her breasts, dropping her head back in
response to the unexpected sensation.

“My lady!”

Alais returned her attention to Hugh, who had dropped to
his knees beside her, his eyes black with desire.

“You are eager for your own bath, my lord,” she said,
nimbly evading the hand that snaked out towards a breast. She smiled at him and
stood up in the bath, “Then hurry, my lord.”

“You will not escape so easily next time.”

“I do not expect to wish to escape… next time.”

He took her place in the bath as she began to dry
herself. She followed his hands with her eyes as he soaped the body that had
become so familiar to her. She had watched him grow stronger as he had wrestled
and trained with Edmund. He had regained much of his weight and strength, but
he was not the same man who had left Liss in October. The strain of the weeks
with his father at court and the two battles he had fought showed on his face.
It had not yet been eased by the knowledge that she loved him. Hugh soaped
himself leisurely and she felt herself grow warmer as she watched. 

When Alais was dry she allowed the cloth to fall to the
floor and stood luxuriating in the warmth of the fire. She felt no
embarrassment at being naked before him and enjoyed the pleasure that he seemed
to be taking from looking at her. Hugh eventually stepped out of the bath and
quickly dried himself off. When he dropped his own damp cloth to the floor they
stood looking at one another, breathing quickly.

Alais did not move as Hugh lifted a hand and tenderly
ran the back of his fingers down her cheek. She could barely tell if it was the
fire that warmed her so or the heat that threatened to engulf her from the very
centre of her being.

When he reached her mouth, he smoothed a finger over the
uninjured part of her bottom lip, then, cupping her cheek in his palm, bent to
kiss her.

Hugh’s tongue played in her mouth. No other part of
their bodies touched and she longed to touch him, but dared not.

Hugh lifted his head from hers and took one of her hands
in his. Wordlessly, he led her across the room to the bed. Releasing her, he
drew back the curtains and pulled back the blankets, indicating that she should
lie down. Nervously, she obeyed and Hugh knelt beside her on the bed. She
wondered why he made no move to close the curtains. Her mother had told her
that such things always took place in the dark.

As if he had read her mind, Hugh finally spoke. “I wish
to look on you, my Alais. You are too beautiful to hide in the dark.”

And he did look at her, slowly from head to toe and back
again. Holding her gaze he reached out and slowly ran a finger from her chin to
her belly. She almost cried out from the pleasure of his touch.

“And are you my Alais?”

She swallowed, “Yes, my lord. I am yours, absolutely and
completely. I love you.”

“And I tell you again, my lady, I love you with
everything that I am.”

“Then, my lord,” she said more calmly than she felt, “you
may take what belongs to you.”

Hugh nodded, but still hesitated. “I am afraid, my love,
that there will be some pain for you.”

“I know,” she whispered and fear rose within her. She
had heard many tales of the pain that came when women gave up their maidenhead.

“But I will try to make it as easy for you as possible.”

With that he stretched out beside her, the length of his
body touching hers. With the utmost tenderness he kissed her and then began a
slow exploration of her body, beginning with his hands, stroking and caressing,
then placing slow, warm kisses where his hands had been. Many times she moaned
at his touch, but could not move, did not want to move. New feelings flooded
through her and she could not concentrate. All she knew was that Hugh loved her
and that he was loving her now.

Hugh had turned his attention from her body to her
thighs. His hand rested between them, slowly stroking her. It was the greatest
pleasure and the greatest torture at the same time. She began to move with him
and made way for him when he moved her thighs apart and settle himself between
them. Then she felt a new, undreamt of sensation. The sudden pain that followed
was over in a moment and she knew that the pleasure she had felt before had
been nothing but a shadow of this. The pleasure that they shared was intense
indeed and Alais’ body was still shuddering when she came back to herself. Hugh
lay panting beside her. When he saw her looking at him, he pulled her to his
side. She rested her head on her shoulder, gently kissing him as she did so.
Her cheeks were still wet with tears of happiness when she fell into a deep,
contented sleep, held tight in his arms.

It was light when Alais woke, still held securely in
Hugh’s arms.

“Did you sleep well, my love?” Hugh stroked her back and
pulled her closer.

“Very well, my lord.”

“Good. I also slept well.” He began to kiss and stroke
her and Alais found herself raised almost instantly to the same height of
excitement that she had felt before. Hugh was more urgent and more demanding
and Alais began to cry out in her pleasure.

“Hugh! Hugh! Open the door!” The banging on the door
brought Alais back to herself quickly. Hugh sighed and loosened his hold on
her.

“Coming, Edmund.” Then he muttered, “Surely the French
are not invading now.”

Alais giggled, then pulled the bed curtains shut around
her as Hugh strode across the room and, still naked, unlocked the door and
pulled it open. Edmund barged into the room and punched Hugh in the face. Hugh
staggered back and fell down.  Alais screamed.

“What do you think you’re doing, taking some kitchen
wench to your bed?” shouted Edmund.

“I am no kitchen wench,” shouted Alais, poking her head
out between the curtains making sure that he could not seek her nakedness. 
Edmund looked at her, then back at Hugh. His face darkened.

“You have despoiled Lady Alais.” He grabbed Hugh by the
shoulder and pulled him to his feet.

“Yes, I have,” said Hugh, fingering his bruised face. “I
think a scratch here would be appropriate.”

“What?”

“Scratch me here, on my face. My lady could not bring
herself to ruin my face, but you will not worry.”

Edmund complied with relish and Alais screamed again.
“Leave him be!”

“My lady, I am only defending your honour.”

“I did not, why should you.”

“My lady is confused,” shouted Hugh. “She fought me like
a wild animal. See the bruises and scratches on my face.” He put his hand to
the marks that Edmund had made. Edmund looked from one to the other. “You are
right,” Hugh continued, “my lust got the better of me and I took Lady Alais,
but I found that she was a virgin. Come, see the marks of her maidenhood.” He
caught Edmund’s sleeve and began to pull him towards the bed.

“My lord! I am naked.” Alais pulled the curtains tightly
around her.

Both men stopped. “You can see the signs later,” mumbled
Hugh.

“You must marry her to redeem her honour.” Edmund was
stern and Hugh blanched as his friend raised his fist again.

Alais giggled, seeing that Edmund struggled with a
smile, but Hugh looked at her sternly. “Of course, whatever is necessary. I
would not want my lady’s reputation to suffer.”

“Then you must dress and we will go to Father Alonso.”
Edmund had regained control of himself and his face was stern.

Hugh hesitated. “You should see the sheets before we
go.”

Edmund bit his lip and looked at Alais. He bowed to her.
“My lady, if you will permit, I will wait outside while you dress. Please call
for me if Hugh should do anything inappropriate. I will not close the door.”

“Thank you Edmund. Your support is greatly appreciated.”
Alais also had control of herself. This was not quite how she had imagined her
first night with Hugh would end.

Edmund left them alone and Hugh began to pull on his
clothes, muttering to himself. Alais searched through the clothes she had
removed the night before to find her pot of salve. When she found it, she tried
to work it into Hugh’s wounds, but he turned his head away. “Not until people
have seen the scratches.”