“This is different,” cut in Conn.
“How?” demanded Skye.
“Although Aidan and I were somewhat surprised to find ourselves man and wife, we like each other. Dammit, Skye, most marriages are arranged by others, and not the people involved. Ye know that! Ye’ve lived differently because ye are an unusual woman.”
Skye turned to really look at her new sister-in-law. She was no beauty, thought Lady de Marisco, but she seemed a good young woman. “Are ye happy about this marriage, Mistress O’Malley?” she asked.
Aidan smiled. “Aye, madame, I am, but ’tis not Mistress O’Malley. When my father died he requested two things of the queen, both of which she agreed to grant. The first was that she find me a good husband, and the second was that my husband take our family’s name of St. Michael since my father was the last of his line. When Conn married me five days ago he become Conn St. Michael, Lord Bliss.”
Surprised, Skye looked at her youngest brother. “Ye would give up yer name?”
“Da left four other sons, and three of them have between them eleven boys for the next generation. The O’Malleys of Innisfana don’t need my offspring, but the St. Michaels of
Pearroc Royal
do. Besides, ’twas not my choice, but rather Bess’s decision.”
“Well, that’s settled,” said Adam de Marisco turning to his wife. “Now, little girl, can we go home?”
“Oh, no!” Aidan cried. “Night has fallen, and the storm is fierce. Listen! Hear the wind? Ye must stay with us at least until morning, and longer if the snow has not stopped! Beal!”
“M’lady?”
“Tell Mrs. Beal to prepare the best of the guest chambers for my lord’s sister and her husband, and tell Erwina that we have guests at our table.”
“Yes, m’lady,” said the white-haired butler, and he backed from the hall.
“There!” said Aidan, and they all laughed.
“Well at least Elizabeth Tudor has found my brother a wife who I can see will stand up to him, not some milk-and-water miss who is impressed by his beauty,” said Skye matter-of-factly.
“He was called the Handsomest Man at Court,” said Aidan softly, “but then I heard it said that ye were the most beautiful woman at court when ye were there. I think Conn looks like ye.”
“Nay,” teased Adam, “Conn is prettier!”
“May I remind ye, my lord,” said Skye sweetly, “that ’tis a cold night, and if ye expect to share my bed ye had best be kind to me.”
Lord de Marisco’s blue eyes smoldered, and leaning forward in his chair he pierced his wife with a passionate look. “And when, little girl, have I not been kind to ye?”
Aidan blushed at the sight of such raw passion between these two people. They were obviously very much in love, and she was a little jealous. Would Conn ever look at her like that? Would he ever love her like that? A small ache began in her chest. She could not bear to sit here a moment longer, and watch them. Standing she said briskly, “I must see that Erwina has her kitchens under control. It is our first night home, and they had no notice of our coming.”
“Oh, let me come with ye,” said Skye. “I am curious to see the house.”
“But ye have not had yer wine,” replied Aidan, remembering it now as Beal entered the Great Hall with a tray.
“Let the men sit and drink,” said Skye. “I have admired this house ever since we arrived at
Queen’s Malvern.
”
“
Queen’s Malvern
is much larger than
Pearroc Royal
,” Aidan noted. “Like this estate, it was a royal possession.”
“The queen gave it to my husband since she took his own holding from him.”
“Why on earth did she do that?” Aidan was surprised.
“Because, my pretty sister-in-law,” said Adam who had been able to overhear them, “I am married to this rebellious Irishwoman who persists in offending the queen. The truth of the matter is that I got the better of the bargain.”
“Elizabeth Tudor was simply afraid that ye would rebuild Lundy Castle when ye married me, and she wasn’t going to let ye,” snapped Skye.
“Go and see the house with Aidan, Skye. ’Tis too cold a winter’s night to argue the matter. Besides we are here, and here I intend to stay. Lundy was a place for me to hide from hurt. I no longer hurt, little girl.”
The two women left the Great Hall, and went to the kitchens, but Erwina, the fat cook, chased them out. “Go on now, m’lady, ye’ll spoil the surprise!” she scolded waving her wooden spoon. Laughing, Aidan and Skye ran from the warmth and good smells, and back into the main corridor.
“Come and see the chapel,” said Aidan, and she proudly showed this treasured room to Skye.
“Are ye of the Mother Church?” asked Skye.
“I was raised in England’s church,” came the quiet reply, “and ’twas in that church that Conn and I were wed.”
“It matters not,” said Skye. “Our dear Uncle Shamus was the Bishop of Mid-Connaught, and our brother Michael a priest. We have a sister, Eibhlin, who is a nun. Ye must have her come to ye when yer going to give birth. There is no one like Eibhlin for doctoring! Do ye know what the queen once said to me? There is but one Lord Jesus Christ. The rest is all trifles. ’Tis the one thing on which Elizabeth Tudor and I agree although we worship in different churches.”
They reentered the Great Hall, but the men before the fire paid them no heed, and Aidan led Skye to the second floor of the house to show her the bedchambers. There were two maids in the largest of the guest chambers airing the bed, and remaking it with herb-scented sheets. Already a fire had been laid in the fireplace. Secretly Skye was delighted by the house, and pleased that her brother had married so well thanks to the queen. Wordlessly she followed Aidan to the very end of the upstairs hallway, and into another room.
“This is the master chamber,” said Aidan.
Skye clapped her hands in pleasure. “What a charming room!” she exclaimed, her eyes taking in the blazing fire, the fine big bed with its linenfold-paneled headboard, the green velvet draperies and bed hangings. “ ’Tis a wonderful room to make love in, to bear yer babes.” Then she saw Aidan’s face. “God’s foot! What is the matter? Has Conn been unkind or rough with ye? I’ll soon set him straight!”
“Nay, ’tis not that,” said Aidan hastily.
“Then what is it, Aidan? Ye looked distressed when I mentioned lovemaking and babes.”
“Conn and I . . .” began Aidan, and she blushed to the roots of her copper-colored hair. “Conn and I haven’t . . .”
“Why not?” demanded Skye knowing precisely what it was her sister-in-law wasn’t saying.
“I . . . I can’t!”
“Are ye afraid?” Skye was distressed for Aidan.
“A little, but that is natural, I imagine.”
“Yer a virgin?”
“Of course!” This said indignantly.
“Tell me,” said Skye gently. “Yer married to my little brother, and I want ye both to be happy. As happy as Adam and I are!”
“There are several reasons, Lady de Marisco,” said Aidan.
“My name is Skye, Aidan.”
“I do not really know Conn, Skye. When I went to court I asked the queen not to reveal that I was an heiress lest I be falsely courted by men seeking only my wealth and my lands. I had never been away from
Pearroc Royal
in my entire life, but to go to Worcester. My father and I lived quietly after my mother and sisters died. I had no suitors. I am no beauty like ye are, and feared to fall prey to an unscrupulous man. So the queen honored my request, and no one knew of my wealth. I was virtually ignored, but I did not really mind for it gave me opportunity to observe everything and everyone about me.”
“Did you like the court?”
“It is an exciting place, but I far prefer living here in my own home. The court can often be like a dark and dangerous forest. Ye never know where the danger is coming from there.”
“Aye,” said Skye. Then she smiled at Aidan. “I like ye better with every word ye utter, sister! Tell me the rest.”
Aidan smiled back. How nice Conn’s sister was! Not at all as she had expected the famed beauty to be. “On Twelfth Night Conn was playing a game of Blind Man’s Bluff with the maids of honor. He was ‘it,’ and we were all avoiding him quite successfully. Then one of my companions pushed me into his path as he swung about. Naturally he caught me, and before he even removed his blindfold he claimed a kiss as a forfeit. It was a wonderful kiss, and I . . . I’d never been kissed before.
“Several weeks later when the scandal surrounding Conn broke it was I who was with the queen. She was at her embroidery frame, and ’twas my job to keep her workbox neat, and to hand her the threads as she needed them. When Lord Burghley had come into her private closet she had dismissed all the girls but me, and so I was privy to all that was said. When Lord Burghley said that Conn must be wed to curb his exuberance the queen demurred at first. She said she could not think of any suitable bride for him.” Aidan stopped in the middle of her tale, and drew a deep breath. “Skye,” she continued, “what I am about to tell ye ye must promise me ye will not reveal to Conn. Will ye promise me?”
Skye looked into the girl’s face. There was nothing in her eyes that would lead Lady de Marisco to believe she was a dishonest person. What secret was it that she was keeping? It was too fascinating. “I promise!” she agreed.
The tension eased on Aidan’s face. “When the queen said she could think of no suitable bride for Conn, I said I could. I said that I was a suitable bride for him, that the queen had promised my father she would find me a good husband, and now the queen needed a wife for Conn. I am half-Irish. I have monies and lands, and there was my father’s title. Conn is a wealthy man, and so the solution was a natural one.
“At first the queen was not certain, but Lord Burghley thought the idea an excellent one, and ’twas he who convinced her. The marriage was set for less than two days hence on the fourteenth.”
“Then ye wanted to wed with my brother?”
“Oh, yes! But he must not know ’twas I who suggested it! He believes me as much a victim of the royal will as he is.”
“Do ye love him?” Skye looked closely at Aidan as she answered.
“I don’t know! I think I do, but I’ve never been in love before! He is so handsome, and so very kind, and I like him very much. I would die, however, if he knew what I had done! Look at me, Skye; I am not like ye. Yer the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I am not. Sometimes I am pretty, but other times I am not. What chance would I have had with Conn had not the queen agreed to see us wed? If it had been known that I was an heiress I would have been overwhelmed with suitors, but how could I have been certain that they sought me as a wife, and were not simply interested in my wealth? And I could not live with that doubt. In the entire time I was at court, and I was there five months, not one gentleman spoke to me freely. When I was spoken to by anyone it was in the line of my duties for the queen. I have never been more lonely in my entire life. Had not my tiring woman, Mag, been with me, there would have been no one in whom I might confide.
“By choosing Conn, I was certain of a husband who does not seek my wealth, and who perhaps in time will learn to care for me. I know he likes me, but we are virtually strangers. How can I allow myself to be like all the women Conn has known by eagerly joining in his bedsport? Besides, the truth of the matter is that I know nothing of matters between men and women. My mother died when I was young, and my father certainly never spoke to me of such things.”
“Then I must,” said Skye firmly. “Aidan, ye cannot deny yerself to yer husband, and expect yer marriage to be successful. The truth of the matter is that men are charming but weak creatures who due to their natures need regular loving contact with women. If it is not their wives, then it will be other women. Another woman is not a good thing for a marriage. Conn has sown enough wild oats in his youth, but now he is a husband. If ye keep him happy, then he will never stray.”
“Did any of yer husbands ever stray?” Aidan asked candidly.
“My first, but he was a pig, and I was glad when he strayed from my side. Glad? I was relieved!”
“I know nothing of womanly arts,” Aidan repeated.
“I do.” Skye smiled, and then she laughed. “My brother is a good man, if perhaps a trifle dull-wilted. Now tell me, have ye seen a man’s body?”
“Only the back,” said Aidan.
“Why only the back?” Skye was curious.
“Because I close my eyes tightly when Conn turns about,” came the answer.
Skye muffled a laugh. “The front is the more interesting part,” she said. “Do ye know what a manroot is?” and when Aidan nodded, Skye said,
“ ’Tis in the front, and ’tis that part of a man that pierces a woman in a spot between her thighs. The first contact can be painful, but afterward it can be pure delight.”
“Are the man and woman naked during this?” asked Aidan.
“ ’Tis better when they are, but ’tis not always possible.”
“What else is there to making love, Skye?”
“Kissing with the mouth, and the tongue. Caressing of each other’s bodies. I have always believed that as long as pleasure is both given and received, there is no wrong thing lovers can do.”
“It is still mysterious,” said Aidan.
“And it will continue to be unless ye allow yer husband to make love to ye, Aidan. Yer fear stems from the unknown. How old are ye?”
“Twenty-four come summer.”
“I have just had my thirty-sixth birthday this December past, and I have been making love since I was fifteen. Do I look any the worse for the wear?”
Aidan giggled. “No. On the contrary ye have a wonderful glow such as I have never seen in a woman.”
“That,” declared Skye, “is because I am very well loved by my Adam. Tonight we will snuggle beneath the down coverlet in yer guest chamber, and make delicious and passionate love. ’Tis a fine activity for a stormy winter’s night. Ye should do the same with Conn.”
“But if I yield so easily to him will he not think me as brazen as the women who constantly chase after him?” Aidan was definitely in a quandary.