But had she ever really loved Niall Burke or had she been sexually aroused? Hating poor Dom so violently had helped rum her toward Niall. What had the Skye O’Malley of ten years ago known of life, of the world, of a man and a woman?
It had been a shock to find herself summarily wed to him without her own consent. Still-and she frowned to remember, instead of accepting the positive aspects of the situation-she had reverted to the child she had once been instead of acting like the woman she had become. Was it then so surprising that he treated her like a child?
After all, he understood her need for freedom, which was a good start. He was attractive, with no disgusting habits such as swilling his food or breaking wind in public. He liked the children, and they liked him. When she thought of the type of man she might have been married to, Niall Burke shone by comparison. Still, he had sunk her boat, and he accused her of taking a lover. She sighed, having failed to convince herself that Niall was either a devil or an angel.
She returned to the Great Hall to find Niall romping noisily with Robin and Willow. She sat at the board quietly watching them, a soft smile on her lips. He was so good with her children. She thought guiltily that she had given Khalid and Geoffrey children, and was Niall not entitled to children also?
“Hungry, madam?” He sat down next to her. “Be off, you little wild beasts!” he called to the children. “Kiss your mother, and then find your beds.”
Skye enfolded the children in her arms, gently nuzzling Robin’s soft golden hair, kissing the top of Willow’s dark head. “Good night, Mama,” said her little son. “Good night, Robin. God give you happy dreams.” “Good night, Mama,” smiled Willow. “I like our new father, don’t you?” she said enthusiastically.
Niall’s lips twitched and his silvery eyes locked for a moment onto her sapphire ones. Skye flushed as his deep voice drawled lazily, “Well, Mama? Do you like me?”
“Don’t be silly, Niall!” she muttered. “God give you sweet dreams, Willow. Now run along.”
The children ran to hug Niall, and then hurried out. “Where were you?” he asked quietly.
A sharp reply sprang to her lips, but she swallowed it back. “I was below in the boat cave,” she said.
“And the signal lights from the west tower window?” So he had seen them! “Oh, I must tell Daisy to extinguish them,” she said, as if to herself. Then she turned and uttered a small white lie. “The lights are a prearranged signal to my ships on Lundy Isle. MacGuire is there.”
Comprehension dawned on Niall. MacGuire smoked a pipe! “Is that where you were the other night? On Lundy?” “Yes.”
“Why the devil didn’t you tell me?” Good Lord! She’d been with MacGuire, and he’d acted the jealous fool! A lover! “I didn’t like your manner of asking,” she answered loftily, knowing where his thoughts had led him, but unwilling to correct his mistaken impressions.
“Dammit, Skye. I’m always the fool where you’re concerned.
Forgive me, my darling.”
With this apology she felt a rush of warmth toward him. She hadn’t actually lied to him when she told him that MacGuire was on Lundy. It was he who had assumed mat she had spent her time with MacGuire. Her time with Adam de Marisco had been just as innocent, but that would be far too hard to explain. She wasn’t sure Niall would believe that she was simply friends with the lusty young giant. Better to leave things as they were.
“I forgive you, my lord,” she said sweetly. Standing and looking at him demurely, she said, “Shall we to bed, husband?” Then she walked slowly from the Hall.
He lingered for a few minutes, sitting on a bench before the fire, drinking a small goblet of white wine. She was an enigma. And he only now realized that she hadn’t told him why she was signaling her people on Lundy, or even what they were doing on the island. Well, he thought, I must learn to trust her. In time she’ll tell me.
As for now, it would appear that I’m melting the ice. When he reached his own bedchamber he found Mick waiting with his bath. Swiftly he washed, toweling himself vigorously dry, wrapping a robe about him. Then he entered Skye’s room. Two undermaids were removing Skye’s tub from the room. “That will be all, Daisy.” She wore only a shawl.
The door closed after the tub and three servants. Niall stood, momentarily hesitant, unsure of what he should do. He feared to leap at her lest he had misread her signals.
Turning from the fire, she allowed the shawl to slide to the floor.
She smiled as his silvery eyes warmed and grew wide with appreciation. Slowly she walked toward him, stopping before him to loosen the tie that held his dressing gown. One hand lay flat on his chest, the other slid beneath the fabric of his gown to move tantalizingly over his chest, teasing at his flat nipples, twining in the soft dark hair of his chest. Niall felt his breath catch in his throat. Her hand moved upward to caress his shoulder, and around to his back where her nails raked delicately downward, producing a shudder from him.
Her blue eyes held his captive, her mouth curved seductively in a little smile. Then her hands were opening his gown wide, pushing it off him, and she was pressing her own nude body against his. Her lips nibbled at his ear, her hands caressed his hard buttocks, and then he heard her murmur, “Love me, my lord husband!” “Skye…” his voice was husky, he wasn’t sure he could move, and the ache in his groin was fierce.
“Come!” She took his hand and led him to her bed, gently pushing him back onto the fur coverlet. He felt like a child, not quite willing to believe the lovely gift being offered him. afraid to enjoy it lest it disappear. Amazed, he allowed her to caress and kiss him, and then she mounted him, kneeling to capture his manhood and imprison it between her breasts. He almost sobbed his pleasure when she took him firmly in one hand and rubbed the tip of his penis around the hard nipples of her breasts. Then, while he was recovering, she raised her body and plunged downward, burying him deep within her. He lay momentarily imprisoned between her silken thighs, and then, as if he’d received a signal, he grasped her buttocks and, with a swift move, turned her over so she lay beneath him.
“It’s better the stallion mount the mare than the mare the stallion,”
he said, and then he was kissing her passionately. Her mind began to whirl. Once, so long ago that it seemed more a dream than a part of her life, he had taken her innocence. And now, just when she thought she would never do it, she had given herself to him again. It was as glorious as she remembered, and she could not understand why she had denied him for so long.
“I love you, Skye,” he said when the storm was over and he held her close. “Perhaps someday I will regain your love again, but I thank you for now.”
“I will not deny you again, Niall. As for the other, we must begin anew, you and I. What was between us so long ago is unimportant compared with what may be between us now. You must accept in your heart that I have deeply loved two other men. You readily accept the fruits of these unions. Why not the fact of them? I have accepted that when you believed me dead you turned to poor Constanza. Now these others who invaded our lives for such a short but sweet time are gone, you and I are left alone together. We will go on from here and, God willing, I will love you again.” It was enough. More, in fact, than he had dared hope for. Holding her firmly, he fell asleep, content. For a while longer Skye lay awake in his gentle clasp. She had made her peace with him, and she was glad.
The other castle inhabitants soon realized that their Countess and her new husband had made their peace. It was going to be a beautiful summer. When the Queen sent a summons requesting the Burkes’ presence at Court, Niall sent back a charmingly worded message begging Her Majesty to allow them the summer to honeymoon in private. The Queen, in love with love, returned her royal consent. May arrived, its festive first day a perfect, warm, breezeless one. The fruit trees were heavy with blossoms and the lilacs full and sweet. A maypole was set up on the village green and, to everybody’s delight, a troupe of morris dancers arrived with their musicians. Everyone from the castle and the village saw the afternoon performance. A raised dais was set up on the edge of the green and little Robert, the four-and-a-half-year-old Earl of Lynmouth, presided over the festivities under the guidance of his mother and stepfather. In attendance were Dame Cecily and Willow Small. Robbie had indeed formally adopted Willow besides making her his heiress. Robert Small had left on a long sea voyage and his sister had been feeling sad and alone.