stepped away from her, reached for his clothes and dressed, her face twisted in horror.
As if suddenly aware of her nudity, she covered her breasts with her hands, searched for her robe on the floor and snatched it to cover the rest of her. “What are you doing?”
He could not bring himself to look at her. He had believed that if he so much as glanced in her direction he would abandon his wits and do something they would later regret.
He dressed with little concern for his appearance and thought of a lie. “‘Tis late, and there is still much work to be done. Tomorrow you will show me these improvements you have made and, as promised, we shall spend time together.”
“Oh.”
The small sound startled him, and despite himself he looked at her, though she refused to look back. “Are you displeased?”
She shook her head, clutching her robe around herself with both hands. “Nay, ‘tis just that…”
He waited, but she seemed unable to say anything. He left her so that he might sleep painfully in his solar. As sleepless hours crept by, he reminded himself that if he was patient, their loving would be so much more than a night of lust. She would be his forever, just as she had made him hers on their wedding day.
“My lord?”
William shook his head, clearing his thoughts and returning to the garden. How could she keep her reactions so polite and calm when he could think of naught else but her pliant skin? He envied her.
“Forgive me, you were saying?”
“I asked you of your morning meal.” She huffed, her arms crossed.
The sight brought a twitch to his lips, and he crossed his own arms in mocking fun. “It was served on time and hot. You are a much better chatelaine than I would have thought.”
“You thought I would not be?”
He shook his head. “Again, forgive me, but on the day you vowed to see to the affairs of my household, ‘twas difficult to…” He thought of the proper words to use without harming her feelings, but none would come.
Her arms clenching tighter around her bosom, narrowed eyes told him that she had supplied words of her own. “Take my claim seriously?”
He chuckled. “With your temper ‘tis not easy to take any part of you seriously.”
Her body shook, face set in a deep scowl, like she would burst with rage, and he waited eagerly to see if such a thing were possible. To his surprise, she laughed.
He stood as rigid as a tree, unsure of how to react until she turned her back and walked to the stables.
He followed, irritated that she could turn her back on him and curious all the same. He caught up to her and turned so that he was at a backwards trot ahead of her. “What do you find so amusing?”
Her bright smile nearly turned his foul mood around. Nearly. How had she managed to twist things about like this?
“Do you really think me such a fool that I cannot see when you enjoy my torment?”
He stopped abruptly, then caught up to her again. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. “I enjoy no one’s torment.”
She nodded in agreement. “Nay, only mine. I have seen through you now and know that the only way to deny you your pleasure is to pretend your taunts do not exist.”
His blood ran still before burning hot. “I refuse to allow you to ignore me!”
If his strange backwards movements had not caught the attention of the working servants then his outburst had. So he did the only thing a lord in his position could do to prevent further humiliation: pretended they were not there and continued as he was.
Then she put an end to his embarrassment, stopped and smiled her sweetest smile. William stopped and was alert to her strange behavior. Her lips made that same shape the night of their marriage celebration, and he had not been sure of what to make of it then either.
She came forth and touched his cheek with her finger, just carefully sliding her nail across his flesh.
“Do not fear, dear husband of mine, I shan’t deny you the pleasure of my company or conversation, but you must know that from now on your words will have no affect on me.”
William’s face went cold. He would have no affect on her? He would see about that, and tonight she would know the foolishness of her words.
He grabbed her hand and kissed her palm before she could move away,