Page 11 of Lion and the Lamb: Easter

“Now why would you want to do that?” he asked her. “You will sleep in the bed as is proper and I’ll not hear another word about it.” She heard the rustling of the bedcovers behind her. When she was sure he was covered, she dared to peek back at him again.

“Aye, my lord,” she answered softly, realizing she had no choice but to obey.

“Blow out the lantern before you come to bed,” he told her. “The fire in the hearth will burn for hours and the nighttime candle is lit so you’ll be able to see in the dark.” He yawned and turned on to his side, facing away from her.

“I will,” she said, hurrying behind the screen to change.

* * *

As soon asLionel heard Rachael step behind the screen, he flipped back over in bed and opened his eyes. The woman seemed so shy and frightened. She acted like an innocent little lamb. Just one more problem he had to add to his list of worries.

With the fire from the hearth behind her, he saw her shadow on the screen as she undressed. He probably should have looked away, but he still felt anxious and randy after their little episode in the mews earlier. He watched her shadow as she removed her clothing, bending over to pull her night rail from her bag.

Her curves were enticing, and he found himself wetting his dry lips with his tongue, thinking about the kiss they’d shared. Her lips tasted like honeyed mead. Then he saw the outline of her pointy little nipples, and his heart almost stopped. He groaned and turned back on his other side again, grabbing his hardened manhood and squeezing his eyes closed.

“Did you say something, my lord?” she asked from behind the screen, having no idea just how much she was torturing him right now.

“Nay,” he answered, trying to think of anything but the fact that this gorgeous woman was about to sleep with him and he wasn’t allowed to touch her. Even if she was his wife.

He heard her bare feet padding over to the bed, and then the sound of her breath as she blew out the lantern.

“I’ve never had to climb stairs to get into a bed before,” she commented. The bed dipped down next to him, and he only turned to look at her once he heard her pull up the covers around her.

“You’ll find a lot of new experiences in my castle, my lady,” he said, turning back the other way.

“I see. Like the fact that your daughter hates you? And that she doesn’t want a new mother?”

Well, that put a damper on things and his mind was no longer on lust.

“Don’t worry about Winifred,” he snapped. “I’m going to handle that situation in the morning.” He closed his eyes, just wanting to sleep.

“What are you going to do?” she asked. “After all, Winifred is a young lady and at a very impressionable age.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle it,” he told her, not liking the fact she wouldn’t shut up. He kept his eyes closed, trying to sleep to take his mind off of everything now.

“Perhaps if I befriend her, that will help,” she continued.

Egads, the woman was chatty when she should be sleeping.

“Winifred won’t befriend you, believe me,” he grumbled. “I know her all too well.”

“But she is a girl,” said Rachael, as if that made any difference. “I may be able to talk to her and find out things that you can’t. Because I’m a woman, I mean.”

He flipped over on his side to face her. “You have a son, not a daughter,” he reminded her. “Therefore, I sincerely doubt you know anything at all about raising girls. It’s not as easy as you might think.”

“Well, that’s true I only have a son, but it’s not easy raising a boy either.”

“Go to sleep,” he told her, turning back the other way.

“I will try to be her friend instead of her mother. I’m sure that is why she doesn’t seem to like me. She doesn’t want anyone replacing the mother she once had.”

“Winifred is my problem, not yours,” he told her. “Now go to sleep.”

“Our problem,” she said in a mere whisper, which told Lionel that she wasn’t going to leave the matter alone. There was one thing he could do to remedy the situation, but he was sure Winifred wouldn’t like it. It didn’t matter what she liked, he decided. He was her father and would do what he felt was best. Plus, it would help solve some of his other problems as well. Aye, his decision was made. Tomorrow, he would start the procedure of finding a suitable husband for his daughter who would keep a close eye on her and put her in her place.