Betrayal by Fiona McIntosh

Author:Fiona McIntosh
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
Tags: Fiction
ISBN: 9780732282790
Publisher: Orbit
Published: 2001-01-02T05:00:00+00:00

16

Tor’s Journey

The girl played with the thong which held his breeches on his hips and pouted.

‘Why so soon?’

Tor kissed her softly. ‘I am expected back at the Palace for my duties.’

‘You have duties here, physic.’ She pouted even more.

‘Cassandra, I’m ashamed for you.’

He continued to fasten the black glass buttons of his white collarless shirt which marked him as a man of medicine. Cassandra continued with her attempts to undo them just as quickly.

‘Now stop!’ His voice crackled with humour. ‘I’ll see you again soon but I must away now, my sweet lady.’

Tor twisted away and looked around the room for any stray belongings which might have got cast into some corner during the evening’s pleasures. He spied his black jerkin.

Cassandra’s voice had hit a whine. ‘You always say that. Yet I must wait and wait and queue behind Dorothea or Shally, and Betsy even told me you made a promise to Sissy Beaton. I’ll kill you if you lay with Sissy!’

Tor laughed. He found his hat, pecked her cheek and squeezed her young breast gently. ‘Just remember, Cassy. I love you best of all.’

She picked up a cushion and hurled it towards the door as he opened it.

‘You are irresistible, you know.’ With a parting wink, he closed the door and took the stairs two at a time.

Girls in various stages of undress called their farewells, most reminding him it was their turn when he was next in the city for a night of fun. Tor stepped from Madame Grace’s brothel and winced at the sharp daylight. A large falcon landed soundlessly on his shoulder. No one reacted. All were used to seeing Tor and his majestic bird.

The falcon preened its feathers and linked with him. Carousing with the ladies is your business but being late for your Palace rounds will raise Merkhud’s blood to boiling. The bird stopped just short of clicking its tongue with exasperation.

Tor’s success with women was well known in Palace circles; in fact he was something of a mascot for the King’s Guard. Tor did not mind this reputation one bit. Ever since that night with Eryn he had derived immense pleasure from the company of women. He was a generous and considerate lover and the girls at the brothel, like Cassandra, often felt jealous if he did not spend his whole evening with them. His manners and gentle ways enamoured them of him quickly; it almost did not matter that he had matured into an extraordinarily good-looking man. For the working girls, this was a bonus.

Tor’s dark, thick hair was now worn longer. Whilst his face had hardened and thinned to make him a handsome man, it was his eyes which caused most comment. They were a remarkable blue, their brilliance often unnerving for those meeting his gaze for the first time. Not intimidating though. Tor’s smile lurked within his eyes constantly and his hearty laugh was infectious.

The last few years had seen him mature into a confident man. Those blue eyes no longer looked awkwardly down.

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