Page 11 of Katherine the Vixen

She had passed off for her mistress, so much so that he had made love to her without suspecting a thing.

“What are you doing here?” he asked the girl, wondering how she would justify her presence in this part of the castle. Scullions had no business being in the keep.

“I-I…”

Just as he’d suspected, she was too afraid to tell the truth and she didn’t have any other explanation to give. He decided to help her, to see how she would react. “You got lost attending to an unusual task. Is that what happened?”

“Yes.”

The relief on her face was not feigned. But he would not let her get away with this so easily. He was not her friend, quite the opposite. By plotting against him, she had made an enemy out of him.

“What task was that, might I ask?” he asked, lifting his chin. “So that I can point you in the right direction.”

Panic flared anew in the blue eyes. “It’s all been handled now, my lord. You need not worry about it.”

Oh, but he did worry. He wanted to find out exactly what this woman was doing at Castell y Ddraig.

Just then Lady Helen walked past, on her way to her mistress’ chamber. Siaspar seized the opportunity to rankle the treacherous women who thought they could make a fool out of him in his own castle.

“Please tell your mistress that I will come to her bed tonight,” he told the English lady, making sure the girl heard his request. “I am of a mind to start a family and will make sure to do my part.”

From the corner of his eye, he saw the scullion shift on her feet uncomfortably. He had no doubt she would be asked to take his wife’s place tonight as well, which was what he wanted, because then he would be able to ascertain the treachery.

“Yes, my lord.”

Lady Helen could not repress a grimace, as if sympathizing with her mistress for having to endure the savage’s advances two nights in a row. Was she involved in the deceit also? It would not surprise him. The old bat was always lurking in the background, criticizing everything and everyone. If she didn’t start behaving more amenably, he might have to ask her to leave Castell y Ddraig. After all, he had not married her. There was no reason he should endure her presence as well as that of his sour wife.

But for now he had something to worry about other than disgruntled ladies in waiting.

“Make sure Lady Malpas is ready for me after tonight’s meal,” he snapped before turning on his heel.

From a mere inconvenience, this marriage was quickly turning into a nightmare.

Katherine watched Siaspar walk away with a sinking feeling. Unlike what she and Lady Malpas had hoped, the master of the castle had no intention of deserting his wife’s bed now that he had consummated his marriage. He’d said he wanted an heir as soon as possible, which meant he would bed her as often as he could until she fell with child. So, would Lady Malpas welcome her husband this time or would she ask her to take her place in the bed again?

The prospect did not fill her with as much dread as it had the night before, Katherine had to admit. At least now she knew she had nothing to fear from Siaspar. He would not harm her. Besides, the irreparable had already happened. Life-long abstinence would not restore her maidenhead.

And perhaps, if she were honest—which she refused to be—she would admit that she would not mind feeling his mouth on her breast again. This time, from what she understood, there would be no pain. Would there also be pleasure? It did not seem impossible.

Last night, once the shock of his first thrusts had passed, she had experienced something intriguing, something she suspected could evolve into pleasure.

But, as reassured as she was at the idea of letting Siaspar bed her again, she loathed having to do Lady Malpas’ bidding a second time. Earlier, the woman had managed to be even more insulting that the evening before. Still there was no choice. Until she knew the money had been sent to her family, Katherine would remain at the castle and do her mistress’ bidding. But she swore that as soon as she received confirmation that her wages had been paid, she would leave her employ and find a way to get back home, daunting as the prospect was.

As she made her way to the kitchen, she mentally reviewed everything she had found out about Siaspar ap Morgan during their brief encounter. He was tall and ideally proportioned, just as she had seen the previous night, a lean but powerful man that had felt good above her.

As for his face, which she had seen for the first time today, she had been surprised to find it so much to her taste. After what she had heard Lady Malpas say, she had expected to see a rough warrior with brutish features. But Siaspar was the opposite of ugly. With sparkling brown eyes, soft chestnut hair and even, white teeth, he was not someone you would easily forget. An air of command and a winning smile completed this image of male beauty.

Now that she had seen the man, she was more puzzled than ever by Lady Malpas’ revulsion. Katherine understood that his being stunningly handsome was no guarantee of good character of course, but still, nothing in his manner had given her cause for alarm.

So, if she understood why someone would be averse to marrying a stranger imposed upon them, it was less clear to her why a woman would object to a man who was thoughtful enough to respect her wishes and blessed with engaging manners.

She was only a scullion. She had trodden on his foot, and yet he had reassured her when he could have been angry at her clumsiness. People of a less prominent status—the cook came to mind—barked at her for far less. But Siaspar had acted with every mark of civility, even offered to show her where she was supposed to go. It was only when Lady Helen had appeared that he had started to get impatient.

His ease of manners had taken her by surprise. One could almost suppose that he was used to spending time with servants.

And perhaps he was… Perhaps he was used to dealing with female servants, at least, because he regularly asked them to his bed. Katherine might never have worked in a castle before, but she was not naïve. Noblemen making the most of their authority to slake their lust with women of low status was a common occurrence.

Would Siaspar ask her to his bed in the weeks to come? Would he then notice that something was odd, wonder why being with her felt so familiar?