The Welsh Lord's Convenient Bride by Lissa Morgan

Author:Lissa Morgan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-03-07T15:13:17+00:00

* * *

Rhun stared into the fire. His chamber was empty without Cai, the hearth offering neither warmth nor companionship now that he sat there alone. He lifted his cup to his lips and found the ale that filled his mouth had gone cold. His head still ached from the noise at supper, where everyone had been talking at once, not in whispers but at the top of their voices, about the coming rebellion.

Only he and his wife had sat in silence, as if each of them was pondering on all that had happened that day. Or perhaps wondering what would happen next. And above all of it his overwhelming longing to reach for her had made his body ache too—so much so that in the end he’d muttered an excuse and retired early to his chamber.

But the aching continued, not even the ale he’d drunk easing it, and Rhun knew that only one sort of ease remained to him. Putting his cup down, he got to his feet, his knee stiff after sitting so long.

It was only a step from his threshold to Eleanor’s, and at his knock the door opened at once.

Eleanor’s eyes widened, yet it wasn’t with surprise. ‘Come in, Rhun.’

As he passed into her chamber Rhun saw two things immediately.

The first was that she’d made it her own, replacing the faded tapestries with newer ones and hanging fresh linens at the windows. There were more sconces in the walls, making the room bright with candlelight, and the aroma of herbs—lavender and camomile and others he couldn’t name—rose up from the floor rushes to greet him. There was a little prie-dieu in the corner that hadn’t been there before since, unused to praying himself, he’d never thought to provide one. The curtains hanging around the bed were also new, of thick green velvet embroidered with gold, and the fire that blazed high in the hearth made the chamber warm and welcoming.

The second thing he noticed was that Eleanor was alone.

The door closed behind him and she went to stand before the fire, her plaited hair falling to her hips. The flames behind her illuminated the saffron-coloured chamber robe she wore. The garment, although it reached from neck to toes and was thickly woven, didn’t hide the curves and lines of her naked body beneath.

Rhun swallowed as she turned to face him and his body began to sing with anticipation. ‘Where is your maid?’ he asked.

A little smile played on her lips. ‘With Huw ap Gruffudd, I don’t doubt.’

‘My steward?’ He felt his brows shoot up. ‘Is that fitting?’

‘Why not? Alice is the daughter of a knight, and therefore a suitable match for Sir Huw.’

He shook his head, his loins heating as the warmth of the room reached out and enveloped him. ‘No, I meant, is it fitting that she should leave you alone?’

‘I gave her permission to go.’

‘Why?’

‘Because I knew you’d visit me tonight.’

Rhun stared at her. It wasn’t what she’d said but the way in which

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