a lass. By the time I have wooed and pleasured her, she won’t even remember Gage’s name.
As we return to the horses, I begin to plan.
CHAPTER SIX
Jessa
AFTER THE SPANKING incident, Brandon left with Fen, and I have not seen him since. I tell myself it is for the best, given nothing can come of it, but it hurts all the same.
Worse, Papa is in a bad mood and works until late in his workshop every evening. The brats all have a nose for trouble and are acting up.
My mother says to trust her and that it will work out. I cannot see how.
Then, yesterday, Jack returned, and everyone is talking about how Fen and Brandon are still gone.
I am hanging out the washing when Suka saunters past. She is part of Nola’s posse, and I do not like her well. Still, she is hard to avoid, given she lives two cottages away.
“Did you hear that Jack brought a slave with him?” she says, leaning against the sheep paddock fence.
I pause my washing hanging. “No,” I say. “I did not hear that. What does he want a slave for?” We have few slaves in the village. The only folks who become slaves are those who have committed particularly heinous crimes. Usually, the king will gift the criminal to another clan, and they will live as a slave there. “Where is she from?”
“From the western lands,” Suka says. “I heard she is from Oxenford.”
I frown. This does not make any sense. Why would Jack bring a slave back from Oxenford? That is not even where his sister lives.
“Why would he do such a thing? Slaves come from other clans, not from the western lands.”
Suka smirks. “A pleasure slave. The king has broken his year-long abstinence from rutting. Nola says he will soon cast the slave aside, likely hand her over to the unmated men or gift her to another clan. It will not be long before he claims Nola as his mate.”
“Maybe he just wants to rut the pleasure slave?” I say a little spitefully. I feel sick to my core thinking that Nola might become Jack’s mate.
Suka chuckles. “For certain, he wants to rut her. But it is only temporary. Why else would he have given Nola responsibility for the slave?”
“Goddess,” I mutter. I do not know this slave, nor what crime she committed to become one. But I instantly feel sorry for her being given over to Nola. She must have committed a truly heinous act to be treated thus. “Did Jack’s spirits seem lifted?”
I go back to hanging washing. Jack has been melancholic since his mate died last year. Some said he would never take another mate.
“Aye, until he learned about Fen and Brandon getting into a fight with Eric of the Halket clan over a lass.”
My head snaps up.
Suka smirks again. “They were both rutting her when Eric found them. Jack is furious and has ridden over to Halket to try and smooth things over.”
“It cannot be both of them,” I say as my world seems to tilt. I was so sure that Brandon might have feelings for me after he spanked me. All the words Brandon said that day have plagued my mind. I know Papa is in a bad mood because my mother seeks to soften him toward Brandon. Now, Brandon is off rutting other lasses, and I feel such a fool.
Suka gives me a smug look. “You can’t be that innocent, Jessa. Fen and Brandon have shared lasses on plenty of occasions.” She makes like she is fanning herself. “They have shared me a time or two. But I dare say a sweet lass like yourself will be married off and never have such fun. Jessa, the good girl, always doing what her mama and papa say. Jessa, who will be wedded to a respectable farmer who knows more about crops than pleasuring a lass.”
“Jessa!” My mother’s call startles me.
“Run along, good girl,” Suka says, and turning, she saunters off.
My heart is racing, and my lips are trembling.
“Jessa!”
Dropping the washing in the basket, I turn and head for home. I have not even kissed a boy, and I am of age to be married.
I don’t want to be a good girl anymore. I want my share of the fun.
My mother is frowning when I near the door. “What’s wrong, love?” Her eyes pass over my head to where Suka is.
“Did you hear about Fen and Brandon?” I blurt out before I can think better of