Other than that, they had spent their time playing chess, dice and talking. Willa had quite gotten over her shyness with her husband. That never-ending chattering that Eada had commented on had taken over and she'd told him almost everything there was to know about herself. In return, Willa had pestered him about his past and had found herself saddened to learn that his youth sounded as lonely as her own. She felt a kinship with him.
"Not everything."
Willa glanced up, feeling suddenly wary. "Aye. I have."
"You have told me all about your life since moving to the cottage here at Hillcrest," he agreed. "However, you have not even started on your time at Claymorgan."
Willa stared down at the chessboard and shook her head. "I was very young. I do not recall that time."
"Nay?" He took her hand and began to toy with it.
"Nay," Willa assured him, watching their hands. When he lifted them to press a kiss to the back of hers, she followed the action with her eyes. Then his tongue slid out to lick at the tender spot at the joining of her first and second fingers. Little tingles immediately ran up her hand and arm and made her toes curl.
"Not even Luvena?" he queried, licking the sensitive spot again.
Willa swallowed and shook her head. He licked between the second and third finger now. The tingling seemed to shoot further with each lick, and Willa found herself shifting as those tingles made it all the way to the apex of her thighs. It did not help that she clearly recalled the night they had consummated their union and the delectable things he'd done then.
Hugh drew her third finger into his mouth with his tongue and Willa bit her lip to keep from saying anything. He nipped it gently with his teeth, suckled the digit, then removed it. "Tell me about Luvena," he coaxed.
Willa shook her head and curled her fingers into a fist. Hugh was silent for a moment. At first she thought he was angry with her, but then he shifted to his knees and leaned forward to press his lips to hers. Willa opened to him at once, inviting the deep kisses she enjoyed most. The ones that made her hungry for more. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and press him close to her body, but Eada had said he would tell her what to do and he'd not said that was alright, so she forced her hands to remain at her sides and merely drank all the satisfaction and pleasure she could from his mouth.
Willa nearly spoke her gratitude into his mouth when he pressed her back on the bed and came down on top of her. She wanted to feel his body against hers. All of his nak*d body against hers. Unfortunately, while Hugh had remained unclothed the last three days, she had not. Except for when they slept, Willa was dressed. As she was now. Her clothes were between them and she didn't like it. It was a relief when he began to tug at the lacings of her gown. He hadn't even finished undoing the lacings, however, when the door opened without warning.
Willa and Hugh broke apart at once, both of them looking to see who had entered. It was Eada. She was late this morning. Or they had woken early. They had been playing chess while they awaited her arrival and that of Alsneta's nephew, Gawain, with food for them to break their fast.
"Well, ye must be feeling better if ye're up to that nonsense," Eada said dryly as she moved to the bed.
Hugh saw Willa flush with embarrassment at the acerbic comment, and scowled at the old witch for distressing her. He waited until he was sure the hag had seen his displeasure, then shifted to lie on his stomach to be examined. He grimaced and tried not to shudder as her cold hand clasped his arse. He could swear the old woman got her jollies examining him. She certainly seemed to like to touch him more than he felt was necessary.
"Hmm." He glanced over his shoulder to see her bent over, peering at his healing carbuncle. "Yer a fast healer, m'lord. 'Tis doing very well. Very well, indeed. Ye can get up. But try not to sweat and don't sit on it. I will be checking it tonight and if it has increased again rather than shrunk more, I shall have ye back on yer belly."
Hugh scowled at her stern words, but couldn't help noticing that Willa was beaming at this news. She was obviously pleased that he was healing well. As she should be. She was also looking quite expectant as the old woman walked around to her side. Getting off the bed, Hugh found his braies and began to drag them on as the witch examined his wife.
"How is yer cough?" the hag asked as he tied the string of his drawers.
"I hardly coughed at all last night," Willa told her promptly. "And only once or twice since awaking."
Hugh saw the crone reach out to feel Willa's forehead, then turned his attention to searching for his tunic.
"Hmm." That noncommittal sound drew his gaze around. The hag had her head bent to Willa's chest, listening to her breathe. As he watched, she straightened with a nod. "Very well then, ye can be up and about, too. And not a moment too soon. Those beasties of yers are drawing nearer the castle every day. They showed themselves in the clearing last night and scared the willies off the guards."
"Oh dear!" Willa scrambled off the bed and started for the door.
"Just a minute," Hugh said sharply, but he was overridden by Eada, who barked, "Yer shoes!"
Willa whirled at once to begin searching for her shoes. Though she'd dressed every day, she'd not bothered with footwear since taking her shoes off the night they had consummated their marriage. Hugh wasn't surprised they were not readily at hand. He saw her cast one quick glance around; then she dropped out of sight on the other side of the bed. Frowning, he walked around the bed, stopping abruptly at the sight of her derriere poking out from under it. She'd half-crawled under the bed in search of her shoes. Apparently, somehow, at some point, they had been kicked under the bed, because she released a victorious "ah ha," then backed out, and straightened, shoes in hand.
"Here they are!" She grinned at him and Eada, and began to pull them on.
Hugh opened his mouth to speak, but again, Eada beat him to it. "Good. Now, ye'd best run down to the kitchen and see if Alsneta has something ye can take to those beasties. And see if ye can't lure 'em back to the clearing by the cottage."
"I will," Willa called, hurrying for the door.
"Just a damn minute," Hugh bellowed as she opened the door. Finally, he had her attention. She paused in the open door and turned a surprised face back.
"Aye, my lord husband?"
"You are not going out alone to find those wolves of yours," he began. That was as far as he got. His pretty little wife laughed lightly and shook her head.
"Of course not, my lord. I shall take Baldulf with me." She rushed through the door and pulled it closed before he could comment further.
Cursing, Hugh started across the room after her. He couldn't let her leave the castle with just Baldulf. The soldier was fine as a guard here. However, Hugh wasn't about to let her out of the castle with only one man to accompany her.
"My lord!" Eada called.
"What?" Hugh paused at the door and turned back with irritation, just in time to have a ball of cloth slap him in the face as she tossed it from the other side of the bed. Hugh caught the material automatically and glanced down to find it was his missing tunic. He actually managed a thank you before whirling away to open the door. He donned his tunic as he rushed down the hall, chasing after his wife and Baldulf. He caught up to the pair on the stairs.
"Willa!" He sounded as impatient as he felt. Willa didn't seem overly concerned about his sour mood, however.
She smiled over her shoulder at him as she continued down the stairs. "Is it not lovely to be up and about again?"
Hugh grimaced at the question. Though he was grateful that his arse was improving and that she was recovering from her cold, he'd rather enjoyed their time in the sickbed together. She'd been a tad testy at first - obviously she did not take illness well - but then they had talked and laughed and played chess and dice.
Hugh had relaxed for the first time in a long time and Willa had relaxed enough to show a tendency to chatter. He'd enjoyed that, too. Her voice was as sweet in speech as it was in song and he'd enjoyed listening to her speak. Of course, he hadn't always been listening to exactly what she was saying. Sometimes, he had simply watched her lips move and allowed the musical highs and lows of her speech to drift over him, grunting once in a while to keep her babbling. He was almost sorry to see their time alone together end. He especially wouldn't have minded another hour to finish what he had started. He was sure he could have made her babble now that she was no longer nervous around him. His wife did not appear to be of the same opinion. She seemed to think it was wonderful to escape their enforced stay in the bedchamber. That was hardly flattering.
Becoming aware that she and Baldulf had continued on down the stairs without him, Hugh frowned and chased after them again. "Willa, Wilf and Fin - "
"Wolfy and Fen," she corrected with a laugh. "I can hardly wait to see them. It has been three days. They must be starved. And I really must try to urge them back to the clearing by the cottage. They will be much safer there."
"Aye. Nay. You need a proper guard - "
"I know, husband. Baldulf is coming with me." She smiled at the silent man descending the stairs at her side.
"Baldulf is not enough. I would have at least six men accompany you."
"Six?" That made her pause and turn on him with dismay. "Wolfy and Fen will hardly come around if I have half a dozen armed guards traipsing behind me! "
"Six," Hugh insisted, crossing his arms over his chest in a manner meant to convey that he would not be moved on this matter. Then he scowled, not at all certain that six men were enough. Perhaps he should send more, he thought, then became aware of the anger in her eyes. He watched with fascination as it built, then was suddenly doused by a smile.
"Very well, husband." Turning, she continued down the stairs. "I shall go to the kitchens to beg some scraps from Alsneta. Have the five men you wish to accompany Baldulf and myself meet us at the stables."
Hugh watched her go with narrowed eyes. Suspicion was rife within him. Willa had agreed too easily and far too pleasantly. In his experience with women, that meant she was up to something. Recalling how easily she had escaped his guard a time or two at the cottage, he let his shoulders droop with defeat. He couldn't trust her safety to even six men. He would have to accompany her himself. Hugh was scowling over that fact when it occurred to him that it meant his time alone with her was not yet over. He would get to spend at least part of another day with her.
Feeling more cheerful at this thought, he continued down the steps. A burst of laughter drew his eyes to his wife as she and Baldulf approached the kitchen doors. Now that he wasn't distracted by the need to see that she did not leave the castle with only Baldulf to guard her, he was free to watch the sway of her skirts as she walked. Unfortunately, there wasn't much sway to her skirts. The material was too coarse and the fit too large. Which reminded him that he simply had to get her some new gowns. She was now the wife of an earl and should be outfitted accordingly. He scowled over the matter briefly, then thought of his cousin. The popinjay ought to be good for something. Hugh would have a word with his cousin ere he went to the stables, he decided.
Chapter Fourteen
Willa was watching a group of children play when the sound of an approaching horse made her turn. She found herself staring up at her mounted husband.
"My lord," she greeted, then glanced past him toward the stables, wondering what was taking Baldulf so long. He had suggested she wait outside while he saw to things in the stables. Willa expected to see the soldier come from the stables leading five mounted Hillcrest soldiers and a saddled horse for herself. She was completely surprised when Hugh rode up by himself and suddenly bent down to catch her about the waist. Willa gave a startled gasp as she found herself settled on the saddle before him, the sack of meat she carried banging against her leg.
"Hook the sack to the pommel," he ordered. He shifted her, rearranging his hold on his reins.
"Where is Baldulf? Why - ?" Her questions stopped abruptly as he took the sack from her and hooked it to the pommel himself.
"I gave him the morning off. I am accompanying you."
"But what of the six guards you insisted on?"
"I shall do." He cut off any further questions by urging the horse into a trot across the bailey.
Faced with the possibility of biting her tongue off, Willa refrained from asking anything more and grabbed at his arms to help keep her balance as they rode through the castle gate.
It was a beautiful day, made more so by the fact that they had been trapped in their room for three days. Willa had enjoyed getting to know her husband, but staring at the same four walls had quickly grown tiresome. She was used to being out of doors most of the time. Long walks, swimming in the river and just lazing at the river's edge with Wolfy and Fen had formed the pattern of her life for many years. Being locked inside did not sit well with her.
She leaned back against Hugh's chest and breathed in deeply of the fresh air, simply enjoying the sunshine on her face at first. But then she became aware of a lump at her back, nudging against her bottom, and she shifted to try to find a more comfortable spot. It did seem that Hugh had a most uncomfortable saddle. Willa was quite sure that if this were still the saddle Lord Hillcrest had purchased for him, then its lumpiness must be due to age. Or perhaps the old saddle had worn out and Hugh had replaced it with a much more inferior one. The man who had raised her certainly would have insisted on top quality, and the lumpiness of this saddle left much to be desired.
Willa had barely had that thought when she became aware that Hugh had shifted the reins to one hand and was holding her in place with the other. He'd splayed his hand flat against her stomach and was pressing her firmly back against his chest. Willa considered telling him he need not bother, that she was well-seated and would not fall, but she rather enjoyed the warm and safe feeling his touch gave her, so she held her tongue.