The Three Kings of Cologne by Kate Sedley

Author:Kate Sedley
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Mystery, Historical
ISBN: 9780727864819
Publisher: Severn House Publishers
Published: 2007-04-01T00:00:00+00:00

Eleven

Daylight brought guilt, rolling over me in great waves, as well as a feeling of satiety and pleasure. It was the first time in nearly four years of marriage that I had been unfaithful to Adela. I turned my head on the pillow and found Juliette already awake and staring at me with those large velvety brown eyes, brimful of penitent laughter.

‘Oh dear!’ she said, raising herself on one elbow and kissing me gently between the eyes. ‘I can see by your expression that you’re already regretting last night. And it was all my fault. I’ll be perfectly honest and admit that I was determined to seduce you the moment I saw you, but I really didn’t think it would cause you such grief.’

‘Not grief,’ I protested gallantly. ‘And I wouldn’t like you to think that it was anything but the happiest of experiences. Moreover, it wouldn’t have happened if your uncle had returned, as you expected …’

She laid a finger lightly on my lips.

‘I knew he was absent for the night,’ she admitted. ‘He never intended coming home until this morning. I lied to you, Roger, I’m afraid.’ She gave a rueful, lopsided grimace. ‘Are you very angry with me?’

The trouble was that I couldn’t find it in my heart to be even mildly annoyed. I felt guiltier than ever. Later on, I would have to come to terms with these feelings and decide whether or not I was going to tell Adela the truth, but for the moment all I was aware of was Juliette’s soft body close to mine and the desire to make love to her again. She knew even before I did what I wanted and was in my arms almost as soon as the thought had formed in my mind. The rest was inevitable.

It was well past dawn and the lifting of curfew when we finally got out of bed and Juliette returned to her own chamber. She brought me hot water to shave with and directed me to the pump in the walled enclosure behind the house, and by the time I had finished dressing, a tempting smell of bacon and fried wheaten cakes was coming from the kitchen. Following my nose, I found Juliette with a skillet in one hand and a wooden spoon in the other, standing over the open fire, her cheeks delicately flushed, while Hercules sat up and begged in what he knew to be his most engaging fashion.

‘Ignore him,’ I advised. ‘He’s quite capable of foraging for himself if you’re plagued with rats or mice. If not, any old scraps will do.’

She shook her head, laughing, and cut a collop of meat in two, throwing him the larger portion.

‘Like master, like dog,’ she said, piling a thick trencher of stale bread with bacon, flanking it with wheat cakes and bringing it to the table. ‘You both have good appetites.’ She sat down opposite me and started to eat her own breakfast.

‘Mistress Gerrish,’ I began, then realized how ridiculous such a mode of address sounded in the circumstances.

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