Page 56 of The White Enchantress

“Did you love them?”

“No. They were just temporary.”

I feel strange. Hearing Guinevere speak casually about the relationships she had with other men, men she did not love nor didshe have plans to wed them. “And your parents, they did not mind this behavior?”

“No. Well, my dad didn’t like me dating anyone for fear that they would use me for my position of power and wealth. My father named me his heir apparent. I would have become the first Lady of Lancaster. I think that would have been my title.”

“You were to be his successor?”

“Yes. Though I am not sure I wanted that. It was a life I wasn’t born into. My mom raised me in America, far from my father and his earldom.”

“America? Where is that?”

“Oh shit, I forgot who I was talking to for a second. America, uh, it’s currently an undiscovered land across the ocean to the west. It won’t be discovered until 1492, so don’t tell anyone about it. Thousands of people from Europe will flock there, searching for a new, better life, the American dream.”

“Why did you live there with your mother? So far from your father.”

“That’s a long story. I’ll tell you another time. Can we go back to my question? How many women have you been with?”

“Guin, why do you wish to know this?”

“I’m just curious. Did you love any of them?”

“No.Theywere temporary,” I repeat Guin’s own words back at her.

“Did any of them suck your cock?”

Her question shocks me. The word she used was unfamiliar but I could understand what she said. Taking a moment to recover, I think of the few times I had received such pleasures. I do not want to tell Guinevere about these women though, or any of the other women I have bedded. She is the only one that matters. Still, her eyes drill into mine, seeking answers. Seeing that I will not divulge any to her, she gives up, removing her piercing green gaze.

Her hand then travels downward under the blankets. When she reaches her target, I let out a sigh which quickly becomes a moan of pleasure as she gently rubs my…cockto life. She slides her body down until her face is level with her hand. I stop her, saying, “Guin, no. That is something befitting a whore or a loose woman.”

“I’ve been called worse.” A devilish smile appears on her face before she takes me into her mouth. I want to hate everything she is doing to me as I feel it would be degrading for her. But Guin seems to be enjoying it as much as I am. I let the pleasure wash over my body, giving it to her, letting her have me in whatever way she wishes.

Guin brushes her tongue against the root of my hardened cock up to the tip before swallowing me whole, repeating this sweet torture until I release my seed into her mouth. My eyes are closed when she places her lips to mine. She kisses me softly, whispering, “Good night, husband,” before laying her head on my chest.

Chapter 27

Guinevere

With Arthur gone fromour home, Lance and I settle into a domestic routine. Though he has errands to run throughout the day, Lance always arrives in the dining hall for mealtimes, taking his place next to me at the head table. It is strange how much I have accepted this new life. But I feel like I belong at Joyous Gard. This castle by the sea was meant to be my home. And knowing that it is Lance’s home gives me a sense of being I hadn’t felt since before my mother died.

Eden Manor was where I had lived for the past six years, but it never felt like home. My father, how I miss him, tried to make it a home for me while Cecily and Charlotte made it a hellish place to live. Even the staff there looked down on me as though I was discarded trash left to wander around their pristine estate. As I grew older, I began to notice these vile people and the looks they would give my mother and me. We didn’t belong. We never would belong.

Besides my father, Uncle Al and Leo, Mrs. Bingham was my only other ally. She ran the show at Eden Manor, though Charlotte would have the entire United Kingdom believe otherwise. On days when my grief made it too hard to function, Mrs. Bingham would bring me tea and biscuits filled with chocolate. She would never look at me with sorrow and pity in her eyes. Only offer a smile and a little wit to get me through my day.

Here, at Joyous Gard, I have another Mrs. Bingham in my life. Faina. She is only twenty years older than me but is already a grandmother of three baby boys. A hearty woman with wiry, brown hair and a deep boisterous laugh. She runs the kitchens with an iron fist, ensuring that Lance and I are always served heaping amounts of food at every meal. There is just something about Faina that made me trust her immediately.

While Lance is off on one of his daily errands around the castle, I sneak down to the kitchens. I have been craving pizza for months and am hoping that Faina will be able to help me bake a bubbly, cheesy pie. She lets me rummage the pantry for ingredients. I have no idea how to make a pizza from scratch, but Faina can make bread blindfolded with her hands tied behind her back. All I need to worry about are the toppings.

The cheese we have in stock is soft and creamy, almost like ricotta. I grab a head of garlic, something that looks and smells like smoked bacon, mushrooms and squash. Before collecting these ingredients, I had described the consistency of pizza dough to Faina. She is already kneading the dough when I step back into themain kitchen area. I immediately get to work mincing, chopping and slicing, hoping to have some pies ready for dinner with Lance.

Faina mutters some nonsense about my strange request for a dish she has never heard of. Looking over at me with my random selection of toppings, she just shakes her head, pounding her fists into the soft dough.

Three hours later, we are pulling a pie out of the wood-burning brick oven. It smells incredible, and I am ravenous. “Let’s have a slice now before Lancelot returns.”

“Oh, I could not eat the food I prepared for his lordship. He has not even tasted it himself.”

Faina is mortified. But I assure her it would be all right. “If my husband gets angry for such a silly reason, I will gladly take the blame and tell him I forced the food down your throat.” Faina laughs heartily while cutting into the pizza, offering me the first bite. And I do not hesitate in taking a glorious bite.

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