Page 51 of The White Knight

Elaine brushes by me to sit on the edge of the bed where Guin is lying. She presses her hand against Guin’s forehead, then takes the cup of water from my hand. “You may go now. I will see that Guinevere is rested and well enough to attend the games later today.”

Arthur and I remain motionless. Guin is pregnant. I do not wish to leave her side for a single moment now. I had missedso much with her. I want to be the one to take care of her now. Elaine might have suggested knowing our secret, but I do not want to give her visual evidence of it. Still, I am desperate to take Guin in my arms and never let her go. Guin is pregnant.

A smile perks the edge of Guin’s mouth as our eyes meet. I relax, not realizing I have pulled my shoulders back so tightly. Arthur sighs, “Guinevere, will you be all right?”

“Of course. I’m in a much better emotional state than my last pregnancy. I will be fine. You guys go. There is much to do today. And you have to prepare for swords today, Lance.”

I kneel next to the bed, not caring what Elaine sees. We can trust her. She is an ally. I place a gentle kiss on Guin’s forehead. “Will you be there?”

“Even if I have to bring my puke bucket, I will be there. I wouldn’t miss it. You are going to kick ass.”

I laugh. The breath from my mouth tickles Guin’s skin, causing it to pucker. “I love you,” I say in English. “I know you were not ready for another child yet. I know you are scared. I am too. Still, I cannot help but feel overjoyed. I have dreamed of holding our baby in my arms.”

Guin gently touches her fingertips to my face. I grab her hand with mine and press her palm to my lips as she says, “I love you, Lance.”

When I look at Elaine, she is studying Arthur’s face. He is smiling at Guin, a smile so full of love, pride, joy. Not the look of a man watching another fawn over his wife. Arthur truly loves Guin, me, us. I place my hand on Guin’s belly, still in shock that our child exists inside her. All I want to do is hop back in bed with my wife for the rest of the day. Instead, I stand up and walk over to Arthur on the other side of the bed. He places an arm around my shoulder as we exit Guin’s room. I hear Elaine tell Guin to explain herself before closing the door.

I part ways with Arthur as he makes his way to his bedchambers, and I head for my room downstairs. I pause mid-way. “Arthur,” I call up to him. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For giving me a family. Letting us be a family.”

“You will never have to thank me for such a thing, Lance. You have given me a family too.” Arthur walks down to where I stand on the stairs. “What we have is special. Though part of me struggles with the idea that we are all living in sin. Lies and deceit are not the worst of it. But how could something so good be bad? I know what we are doing could destroy us all. It could be the end of Camelot. Still, I cannot deny my happiness and that of my family. We deserve that much, do we not?”

I nod, my words stuck in my throat. “Can we trust Elaine?” Guin seems to trust her. But I need to know her motive. Why she has become so close to Guin.

“Yes.” Arthur chuckles. “Elaine is one of our spies.”

“A spy? Who would trust her when she is loyal to you?”

“Mordred. He is in love with her. Well, perhaps not in love. But he wants her.” Arthur glances back at Guin’s room. “She pretends to be interested.”

“Interested? How?” I do not understand why I am suddenly angry. The idea of Elaine using her body to get secrets from Mordred makes my blood boil. Not because I am jealous. I have known Elaine since my youth. We are childhood friends. She deserves more than Mordred.

“I never ask for the details. Elaine is a lady, after all.”

I think about how she threw herself at me, coming at me in a moment of weakness. My cock slamming into her mouth. I am just as ashamed as I was then. To think of her doing that to Mordred fills me with more shame. Elaine deserves more than being used like I had used her, like Arthur is using her.

Sensing my concern, Arthur grabs me by the shoulders. “Elaine put herself in this position. She wanted to be useful, and when she saw an opportunity to gain Mordred’s trust, she took it.”

“How long has she been spying?”

“Since before you came back from the dead.”

“Mordred does not suspect a thing?”

Arthur shakes his head. “Guinevere gives her some things to say to Mordred. Little things that pique his curiosity.”

“Like what?”

“About still being in love with you. Pretending that I am you when we are in bed together. Only things Mordred can speculate, not accuse.”

I am still unconvinced by this situation. “And why was I not informed that she was a spy?”

“There are some secrets I need to keep from you, Lance. I am king.”

Chapter 32

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