Amongst Silk and Spice by Camille Oster

Author:Camille Oster [Camille Oster]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2014-12-24T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18:

* * *

Hugo woke alone with images of the things he'd done flooding his head. His head ached and his mouth was dry, and there was still a slightly floating feeling when he moved, sitting up on the pillows around the table where they'd dined last night. But none of these things compared to the things he'd done and the implications of spending a night in the delicious and willing body—albeit coerced by draft—of his charge. Eloise was nowhere to be found.

Resting his elbows on his knees, he stroked through his hair, still not believing what he'd done. He remembered it so clearly, but for some reason, he had thought it a good idea at the time, even knowing it was the draft of poppies and belladonna, and whatever else was in there, that had made him lose his conscience entirely.

Quickly, he searched for her but she wasn't there. Instead, a servant stood by the door waiting for instruction.

"Where is she?" he asked.

"The girl has gone to bathe," the man said in Latin.

"Please carry a message saying we are leaving," Hugo said, standing to note that his robes were barely tied in place. His body didn't feel as weary as his mind did, but that might be the weight of the memories pressing down. There was also a lightness and energy resulting from spending his seed in such a delightful manner. Hugo cringed at the thought. While it was a night he didn't want to remember, neither did he want to forget it. It was the work of his own sin, but it had its reward. The servant nodded and started to leave. "And I will need my clothes."

Hugo walked over to the wall and looked over at the city below. It looked like it was mid-morning and the sun was already beating down harshly on the open balcony that had been their dining hall last night. They would leave the city today and travel north. Truthfully, he couldn't escape quick enough, having succumbed so completely to his most carnal instincts, and the fact that it had been the most profound exercise of those instincts he could ever recall. He tightened painfully just remembering, then cursed himself for his weakness.

He knew things about her he should not know and he'd done things he had no right to. If he ever needed to confess and do penance, it was now, but he had to continue with this journey. He would pay for his sins when he had the leisure of doing so.

The servant returned with his clothes and Hugo dressed, hiding away his nakedness and base instincts behind a barrier of clothes—knight’s clothes with mail. He would love to leave the mail off, but these were not inherently friendly lands to persons like him and he had to be prepared for an ambush.

He followed the servant down to an outer courtyard where his horse stood, saddled and ready, chewing on hay. Even their water pouches had been filled. "The governor cannot see you off, but he wishes you a speedy and safe journey," the servant said, bowing deeply.

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