The Shattered Rose Page 0,13

dolt.

The pleasure! Women do have it, I know they do. I can feel it, but it doesn't. .." And there were tears in her eyes, the first he'd ever seen there.

He rocked her helplessly. "I'm sorry, love. Well find it____"

Perhaps it was instinct, or perhaps snippets of half-understood gossip, or perhaps even his times with the maids, but he put his hand to her left breast and immediately felt her response. "This might help?"

"It might____"

He stroked and played with it, finding pleasure for himself in the doing, and in the tightening of her small pink nipple. Then he lowered his head and kissed it.

"Yes," she whispered, so he kept on kissing and licking.

After a little while, she said, "Perhaps if you sucked on it..."

So he did, with great willingness, finding that her pleasuring became submerged in his greedy own. She didn't seem to mind that his gentle sucking became more thorough, and though she frowned more than she smiled, he sensed that he was doing something right.

His control could not last forever, but when he had to enter her he could tell she was more attuned to him. Because it was the second time that night he was in no hurry, and was able to try to act as she wanted, continuing the pleasuring of her breasts between deep kisses.

Afterward she appeared happy, but he didn't think she'd found what he found. He secretly wondered whether women did experience the same release, but he certainly had no problem with trying.

Since neither of them knew precisely what they sought, it took them some weeks and a great deal of enjoyable exploration to find it, but when they did, there had been no mistaking it.

Jehanne left teeth and nail marks on his skin, and her noises made him think she was dying - until he tried to stop and she threatened him with hell if he did.

Afterward, she lay there as stunned as he had been his first time. "Galeran .

. ."

"Hmmm?" He smugly stroked her now very familiar body.

"I liked that."

"Strange. I never would have guessed."

* * * * * Despite their harmony in bed, life hadn't been completely peaceful. Jehanne had strong opinions on every subject and expressed them, whereas Galeran, in his youthful arrogance, believed that his was the ultimate word after Fulk's. They always ended their quarrels in laughter and in lovemaking, however, happily exploring the depth and breadth of their bodies' pleasures.

Until eventually the shadow of barrenness fell over them.

Fulk was dead by then, and they were lord and lady of their domain. Clever planning, efficiency, and hard work were making Heywood into a prosperous estate. Galeran had completed Fulk's project of building a stone wall around the bailey to replace the wooden palisade. The keep was painted white outside and hung with rich woolen cloths inside, all woven and dyed by Jehanne and her women.

The days were pleasantly full of productive work, and in the evenings the household enjoyed music, storytelling, and the occasional wandering entertainer.

Everything was perfect, except that there was no heir to all this, and people were beginning to whisper that there never would be.

Worse, people were beginning to whisper that there was no heir because the Lady Jehanne did not behave as a proper lady should. She was too bold, too active. That was why no child could hold inside her womb.

Galeran told her it was nonsense, that serf women worked morn till night and carried one babe after another - but Jehanne began to change. She rested every day, she never lifted anything heavy, and she refused to ride at more than a walk.

The next old wives' tale was that sour moods and anger could kill a babe, so she did her best to control her temper. Galeran found her struggle to change her nature agonizing, and sometimes teased her just to raise the spirit he so loved.

After the quarrel, however, there would be no laughter or lovemaking.

Instead, Jehanne would weep and accuse him of not wanting a child at all so he, too, tried to create an environment of honey-sweetness.

Then, because of yet more advice, she refused to make love except lying underneath him.

When a rumor started that Jehanne was using evil tricks to prevent conception, all Galeran's frustrated rage erupted and he whipped one woman he heard gossiping about it. It wasn't wise, for it just turned everyone's attention to the problem.

Night after night he told Jehanne that he didn't care if she was barren, and it was the