“Thank you, Loretta.”
Freya handed Alymer back to her maid, who would see the babe asleep for the night. It had been more than a full phase of the moon since he’d been born, and Freya had finally been convinced to allow him to sleep in the nursery this eve.
“Rest easy, my lady. Enjoy your evening.”
But Freya had changed her mind. “Perhaps the wet nurse could bring him here after he feeds.”
“Nay, she cannot. Allow the poor woman to remain in one bedchamber for the eve.”
Each night when Alymer awoke, Rory would go to the nurse to bring her here to feed. Freya had tried herself, against the advice of the physician, and was unable to properly do so. But Freya did not wish for Alymer to sleep apart from her nonetheless. There would be time for him to do so, but now, she wished him with her.
Except for this eve.
She’d agreed to allow him to sleep with the nurse the full night to gain some much-needed rest. But now she was not so certain.
“My lord, speak to your wife.”
Rory had just come into the chamber carrying two goblets and a pitcher of, presumably, wine.
“Is she attempting to keep him?” her husband asked. He placed the wine and goblets on a table and held his hands out. Loretta handed their son to him.
Would Freya ever become accustomed to seeing the way he looked at Alymer? To the rest of the world, Rory offered a “cocksure smirk,” as Haydn referred to it. With her, Rory’s smile was somewhat tamed, though ofttimes still bordering on arrogant, especially when they were with others. But for their son, it was nothing but one of pure joy and never overconfidence. In fact, ’twas the opposite. It had taken him nearly a sennight to be convinced he would not break the babe.
“Wife,” he said, kissing Alymer’s forehead, “he is going with Loretta. I spoke to the physician, who assured me I may safely make sweet love to you all eve.”
“Rory!” she cried, hardly noticing he’d given Alymer to Loretta until the maid began to leave their chamber. “I do apologize for my husband’s crude words,” she began, until Loretta made a noise and winked at her husband.
“Many thanks, my lord,” she said as she whisked their son away.
Watching them go, Freya did not notice Rory until he stood nearly atop her. And then he was quite difficult not to notice. He tilted her chin up to him and looked at her, saying nothing for a time. Leaning down to her, Rory kissed her softly on the lips.
“I was speaking to the blacksmith this morn,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. “We talked of marriage and children. He told me that he met his wife when she came into his shop asking for nails to be made for her father.”
“He’s been with us for many years,” Freya said, holding on to her husband as if she’d never let go. “Thank you for making Edyington our primary residence. I’ve never been so happy in all my life, Rory. Despite what’s happening outside our walls.”
“Nor have I,” he said, grinning. “The smith,” he said, returning to the topic, “asked how we met.”
Her cheeks hurt from grinning, as they did each time Freya thought of it. “Did you tell him you pinned me to the bed and forced me to come with you?”
“You’re remembering it wrong. That came days later. I did not force you to come, Freya. Merely suckled your finger a bit. You did the next part all on your own.”
“You are more of a rogue than any man I know,” she said. “And in your family, there are many of them.”
“Aye,” he agreed. “But you will admit I say nothing untrue.”
To this day, when she thought of their time in Pucker’s Mark, Freya blushed. “Perhaps not.”
“Perhaps?” He lowered his head, capturing her lips once again. As long as she lived, Freya would never tire of kissing him. Unfortunately, he pulled away. “This talk of suckling and coming gives me an idea.”
“Ha! As if you’ve had the thought just now and have not been asking the physician daily when it might be safe again.”
“You’ll be pleased to know, he said ’tis safe now.”
Despite her teasing, Freya was more than ready herself. “That does please me. You please me.”
“Not nearly as much as I will in just a few moments,” Rory said. And since he never made a promise without carrying it through, Freya knew she was unlikely to sleep very much that night, even without Alymer in their chamber.
“Take pleasure when you can get it,” Rory always said. Indeed, she would take his advice this very moment.
……
Get ready for Conall’s story coming this spring with a new release notice.
