The Warrior's Princess Bride by Meriel Fuller

Author:Meriel Fuller
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: 0
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

The pallet in the corner of Benois’s chamber had been furnished with a sturdy, horse hair mattress, before being made up with fine linen sheets and furs. Tavia curled on to the mattress, pulling the covers tightly up to her neck. A sadness clung to her heart, a sadness beset with Benois’s raw, stricken expression as he stared across the chamber towards her. Yet despite his brusque, curt behaviour, she knew, she knew that deep down, there was the faint gleam of something she could hold close to her heart.

She forced herself to remain awake, resolutely holding open her aching, exhausted eyelids until she could hear the deep, even breathing from the bed. Under the suffocating mound of bed clothes, her skin prickled uncomfortably; she had climbed under the covers fully dressed. She shifted her head on the pillow, trying to make out Benois’s shape in the cloying darkness; he appeared to be sleeping soundly. She slid out from beneath the bed covers, hesitating fractionally as the straw within the mattress rustled with her furtive movement. With the wooden shutters clamped firmly over the window embrasures, and no light coming from the corridor outside, the room was lit only by the faintest glow from the charcoal brazier, on the other side of the room. Standing up, she used her fingers to finish the work that Benois had started, fumbling for her side-lacings. Feeling the fabric slacken off around her waist, she bent down and pulled the whole gown over her head, throwing the hampering fabric on to the pallet with a sigh of relief. Checking that Benois still slept, she bent over once more and grabbed the hem of her under dress, again drawing the whole garment upwards, struggling with the tight sleeves over the bulkiness of her bandaged hand.

She had already kicked off her shoes before flinging herself on the bed, and now she rolled down her woollen stockings, bundling them up individually to tuck them neatly in her shoes. Clad only in her loose white shift, Tavia stood for a moment, savouring the soft air flowing about her freed arms and legs. She lifted her good hand, absent mindedly kneading the muscles at the back of her neck. If only she could have a bath!

Searching the darkness for some alternative, she spotted a jug and basin set on an oak coffer, next to the charcoal brazier. The temptation of cool water against her skin loomed too large to resist, and, praying ardently that Benois would not wake up, she tiptoed over to the other side of the room, relishing the feel of the polished oak floor boards beneath the bare soles of her feet.

Lifting the heavy jug awkwardly, Tavia poured the water as quietly as she could into the basin, her fingers seizing on a pristine wash cloth. Dipping the cloth in the water, letting it float for a moment to absorb the cool water, she wrung it out, uncaring that she soaked the bandage around her hand.

Pressing

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.