The Wolfe (72 page)

She felt very hot and a strange
lightness filled her head. With horror, she realized she were going to faint
and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it and as her cheeks blazed
inordinately warm, her vision faded to black.

***

When Jordan came to, a host of faces
were staring back at her with great concern.

“Here, now, here she comes,” she
could hear the earl’s voice. “My lady? Can you hear me?”

“Sit her up.” It was a matronly
woman’s voice. “Child, can you hear me? Come around now.”

Jordan struggled to sit up as
several hands steadied her. “What… what happened?”

“Rest easy, child,” the woman said.

Jordan blinked her eyes into focus,
deeply embarrassed that she had passed out. The queen was kneeling beside her,
a wet cloth in her hand. Henry, behind his wife, stared back at her with his droopy
eye and Jordan had to look away or she knew she would become sick again.

The earl was on the other side of
her, along with William, and she turned enough to see that she half-lay in
Aloria’s lap.

“How do you feel now?” the queen
asked.

Jordan blinked again, her hand going
to her head. “A little dizzy, Highness.”

“‘Tis the heat,” Eleanor said
firmly, and everyone around her nodded confidently. “You will retire until the
celebration this evening. ‘Twould not do well to have a sickly bride at her own
feast.”

Aloria gently pushed Jordan into a
sitting position as those who were kneeling around her stood. The earl motioned
to William.

“Pick her up, captain,” he
instructed. “Had I the strength, I would do it myself.”

William reached down and gathered
his wife to him with infinite gentleness, trying not to let his concern show.
Eleanor approached Jordan as she lay cradled in William’s arms.

“You made it through the entire ceremony
before your strength gave out,” she said with a bit of pride. “Let me be the
first to congratulate you, Countess of Teviot.”

Jordan smiled weakly, then stiffened
as Henry approached. He eyed her emotionlessly. “You are a lovely bride,” he
said. “I hope to see you well tonight. I think I should like to have a dance
with the most beautiful bride in all of England.” With that, he turned and
preceded Eleanor from the chapel.

William felt Jordan relax as the
king and queen left and he gave her a little squeeze. The earl turned to him.

“Get her up to her apartments. I
must attend our king and queen, as befitting a bridegroom,” he looked at Jordan
with concern. “Are you sure you are feeling well, Jordan?”

She nodded faintly. “Aye, my lord.
‘Tis the heat, I am sure.”

The earl nodded in agreement,
pulling his children with him as he left. In his wake, it took Jordan a moment
to realize the entire chapel was vacant.

“What happened to the people?” she
asked, confused.

“De Longley chased them the hell out
when you fainted,” William replied. “You scared him.”

She shook her head, trying to clear
her muddled mind. But a glance about told her that they were entirely
surrounded by their trusted people and she relaxed against her husband, putting
her arms around his neck.

“I was fine until I saw the king,”
she said softly. “Then it was as if I had no control over my fear. All I could
think of was his wrath should he discover us.”

Without replying, William took his
wife from the chapel through the back way and up to her old apartments. His
knights dispersed themselves and Aloria made herself scarce, although William
made sure Paris kept an eye on the woman. He was still having a difficult time
trusting her.

William sat her down carefully in
the antechamber. “Off with that damn mountainous dress,” he ordered softly,
helping her with the stays.

The dress fell to the floor and
Jordan stepped clear, still holding onto William’s arms to steady herself. She
was feeling much better now, but still a bit shaky. He removed the girdle and
she sighed with relief, now clad only in her pantalets.

“Go lay down,” he ordered, his eyes
raking over her body.

She obeyed, heading into her
bedchamber thinking they were going to make love, but then realizing he wasn’t
following her.

“English?” she called to him.

“I shall be there in a moment,” he
said.

With a shrug, she lay down on her
stomach on the cool linen sheets, letting out a contented sigh. She could hear
him banging about in the antechamber and she cocked a puzzled eyebrow, wondering
what in the world he could be doing.

He came into the chamber a minute
later, bearing a basin and a cloth. Jordan, still on her stomach, watched him
remove most of his armor and roll up his linen sleeves.

“What are ye doing?” she asked.

He put the cloth in the water. “I am
going to bathe you.”

Pleased at the attention, she buried
her face in the pillow and relished the feel of the cool water on her back and
arms. His touch was slow and gentle, yet confident and she drowsed with the
pleasure he was giving her. He stopped a moment, long enough to remove her
pantalets, and then resumed his duty.

The cool dampness was heavenly on
her legs and buttocks. The gross heat was permeating everything, and only the
thick stones of the castle were able to offer some relief.

He continued to swab her for an
endless amount of time and she was nearly asleep when he suddenly stopped.

“Turn over,” his voice was hoarse.

She obeyed, rolling onto her back.
His breathing was ragged and his eyes smoky as he gently swabbed the front of
her body, starting at her up-stretched arms and ending at her little toes.

Jordan lay there, her eyes closed,
her mind wallowing in every sensation he was giving her. The man was a gentle
as a mother, for all of his size and strength. She could lay here forever and
submit to his tender touch.

When he reached her breasts, he
noticed what she had done with his gift.

“I like this,” he lifted up the
chain.

She opened her eyes long enough to
see what he was talking about. “It makes sense. The two most important tokens
in the world to me, always next to my heart. Thank you for the gift, English.
It means more to me that ye could imagine.”

“You are welcome,” he gently pushed
the chain aside and continued his task.

“Did I scare ye, too?” she asked
after several minutes.

He looked up from bathing her
calves. “Hell yes, you did. But I caught you before you hit the ground.”

Her eyes opened and she stared up at
the ceiling. “I have never fainted before. All I can remember is seeing Henry
looking at me with his saggy eye and everything becoming very warm,” she said
softly. “It still makes me sick to my stomach if I think about it.”

“Then do not think about it,” he
instructed, wiping the cold cloth over her ankles.

“I canna help it.” She propped
herself up on her elbows, looking down at him at the foot of the bed. “English,
I am so scared he is going to find out what we’ve done. I canna bear the
thought of losing ye. If ye were to die, I’d kill myself.”

He tossed the cloth into the basin. “Nobody
is going to die, love. We are almost done with it.”

She pulled her knees up, hugging
them. “But there is still tonight. And there is still Aloria.”

He let out a grunting sigh as he
removed his boots and sat on the bed. “Jordan, listen to me,” he said quietly.
“Even if the king were to find out, I would find a way to take you and leave
the country. Remember what we talked about just a few days ago? I have family
in Normandy. There are always options, love. You worry overmuch.”

She gazed at him, his hair waving in
the heat, his beautiful face. “I love ye, English.”

He smiled, flashing his dimples. “I
love you, even if you did faint in front of the king.”

She gave a small cry of outrage and
hit him with the nearest pillow. He laughed seductively, pulling his wife to
him and kissing her with all of the longing and ferocity he was feeling for
her. He lost himself in the taste and feel of her, leaving her delicious mouth
to suckle hungrily on her neck and the rest of her sweet body.

That afternoon, the captain of the
troops made love not once, but three times, to the earl’s supposed bride.

CHAPTER THIRTY

Jordan had not had a drop of wine
all night. She was still too uptight with the presence of the king and queen,
and with the degree of their deception to be able to hold down anything more
than water. Even in spite of William’s encouraging words that had calmed her so
during the day, she found that seeing the monarchs again brought every fear
back ten-fold.

She was greatly troubled that King
Henry had seen it fit to keep William so close to his vest since their arrival
into the hall. The man seemed to have an obvious fondness for her husband and
she was at a loss to discover why. With all of his courtiers, why should he
demand William’s attention? She frowned, staring down into her trencher. It
wasn’t like she would have been able to occupy his attention all night long,
not when they were attempting to convince the general public that she had
married the earl, but she found she was actually jealous of the aging monarch.

“Patience, my lady, patience,” the earl
was next to her ear. “You shall be able to see your husband soon enough, but
until that time, maintain a happy facade if only for my sake. You are supposed
to be happy that you married me this day.”

Immediately Jordan’s head came up
and she beamed at the earl. “How is this, sire?” she said through her teeth.

“Lovely,” he replied. “Now, eat a
bite from my trencher so that our guests may see we enjoy one another.”

He reached down and plucked out a
juicy morsel of beef, placing it gently in Jordan’s mouth. She chewed slowly
and with relish.

“Excellent, my lady,” de Longley
complimented her. “You would make a fine actress.”

She was smiling, but this time it
was for real. While the earl kept up a steady stream of conversation, the musician’s
melodies floated above the huge crowd of people, blending in with the voices
and the laughter. The more she relaxed with the earl’s words, she found she
could actually enjoy herself. Soon she was laughing with Adam, ignoring the
hell out of Alexander, and giggling with Analiese.

Suddenly the earl clapped sharply
and the musician’s stopped. The buzz from the crowd died down as the attention
turned to the guest of honor. Jordan, too, looked at him curiously.

“My friends,” the earl said
benevolently. “I am honored to have you here this day, as is Lady Jordan. And
to show our thanks, Lady Jordan will now honor us all with a song.”

Jordan was frozen with fright. To
sing, in front of all these strangers and the blessed King of England? She was
terrified. The crowd clapped happily as the earl extended his hand to help her
rise.

“Up, my lady,” he said so only she
could hear. “Your audience awaits.”

“My lord….” she began.

He plastered on a false smile. “Smile,”
he commanded.

She, too, put on the same fake smile
instantly. “I canna sing in front of these people.”

“You can and you will,” he pulled
her up and pointed her in the direction of the musicians. “Go on. I promise
they will love you as much as we have come to.”

Love you as much as we have come
to.
The words echoed in Jordan’s brain. What had she ever done to deserve
their love? She could not think of one single thing. Obeying blindly, she made
her way to the place where the musicians stood and, after a brief conversation,
turned and faced the audience. She was shaking like a leaf, praying her voice
would not give out on her in her terror.

She searched out her husband,
sitting next to the king, listening to the monarch prattle on. He glanced her
way, a look of such love and warmth glazing his expression that she immediately
felt confident in herself. As long as he was listening to her, supporting her,
she could do it.

De Longley, too, gazed back at her
as one would approve a daughter. Even Analiese managed what she probably
considered a warm smile. Her trust in herself and her ability grew with their
silent encouragement.

She murmured instructions to the
musicians and the music started softly. Nervously, she glanced at the long
table where the knights sat. They watched her, each with their own encouraging
expressions, silently cheering her on.

It occurred to her just how much she
loved her friends, the English men she had grown up hating whom she had now
come to adore. No clan could have been closer. As much as she loved her family,
she could never remember camaraderie such as this.