Page 54 of Promises Made at Midnight
“Lady Bridgette,” Helena finally said, although Ulrick could see ’twas done reluctantly. “Welcome to Dunster Castle.”
Ulrick then introduced his brother and sister. “And these are Rowan and Seraphina.”
Seraphina stepped forward to give Bridgette a hug. “I am so excited to have you here, Lady Bridgette. I have always wanted to have a sister!” she rejoiced, her excitement brightening her entire visage.
“I am certain we will become good friends,” Bridgette exclaimed before turning to Rowan. “’Tis also a pleasure to meet you.”
“My Lady Bridgette. The pleasure is mine,” he said, with a roguish smirk, and Ulrick gave a warning look to his sibling, who only laughed.
Rowan threw up his hands as though backing down from a foreseeable argument. “Nothing to fear here, brother. You have done well with your bride. She is exquisite.”
Bridgette gave a brief nod before turning a bright smile toward the children next to her. “And these are our children, Eustace and Eva.” Eustace gave a short nod of his head, clearly uncomfortable in the presence of new people. Eva only stuck her thumb in her mouth and grabbed hold of the edges of Bridgette’s gown.
Helena turned from the group and headed toward the door. “You must be tired after your long journey. Come inside and I shall see the rooms I ordered for you have been prepared,” she said over her shoulder, before proceeding inside.
Ulrick took Bridgette’s hand to his lips. “All will be well,ma chérie,” he whispered when he felt her fingers tremble.
“Will it? I am not so sure, Ulrick. I feel like we have just walked into a hornets nest,” Bridgette answered as they followed his mother inside the keep.
“’Twill not be so bad,” he answered, hoping that his words of reassurance would come to pass. “Let us see to getting everyone settled and then I can show you about the keep if you feel up to it. We can save the rest of the estate and village for another day.”
His wife gripped his elbow tightly and he could tell she was nervous. How could he blame her? His long-awaited arrival at Dunster had not been a very welcoming one. He could only ponder what his mother would do next in order to bring further strife into his life.
He did not have long to wait for his answer when his mother showed him to his old bedchamber and not the one belonging to the lord of the keep. She began making excuses even whilst he demanded her belongings be removed to one of the lesser chambers. He then ordered fresh linen for the bed and a thorough cleansing of the room. He would not begin his time at Dunster as a doormat for his mother. The sooner she realized her right to run the estate as she saw fit was over, then the better. He was now home.
CHAPTER38
Bridgette sat upon their bed with her legs crossed beneath her waiting for Ulrick to join her. The day had been…interesting for lack of a better word. She had seen Helena’s attempt to control her son from the moment they were shown to a room, but this didn’t only extend to where they would sleep. She continued to assert her dominance while showing them the keep, but luckily Ulrick put an end to her assertions. He had actually gone so far as to tell his mother that if she didn’t like the fact that he was now home and Dunster was under his control, then he would have her moved to her dower house. She sputtered an angry reply before she finally told him that wouldn’t be necessary.
Bridgette wasn’t completely convinced that their life from this point forward would be full of unicorns and rainbows. Ulrick’s brother and sister were a delight… his mother was another matter, and she could see that day-to-day living with the woman was going to try Bridgette’s patience.
All Bridgette wanted at this moment was for Ulrick to return to their chamber after he finished whatever business he was still concluding for the day. Her children had been settled down two chambers away and they knew where to find their parents if they needed them. Bridgette needed her husband to come and lay down beside her and make everything right in the world. She didn’t care about the past argument from the event at Bamburgh. She wanted to put that all behind her so they could look forward to their new life together. That wasn’t too much to ask or was it?
The man of her musings opened their door as though she had magically conjured him up because he knew she needed him. “Ulrick,” she cried out before leaving the bed in a rush and launching herself into his arms.
She heard him chuckle while he held her lovingly in his embrace. “Have you missed me, wife?” he asked, before tipping up her chin from his chest so he could gaze upon her. He gave her a wicked wink with one of his hypnotic blue-grey eyes before she returned her head to the placement on his chest and again grasped him firmly around his waist.
“You couldn’t tell?” she asked in a breathy whisper.
“Aye. I suppose I can, but I was not far if you had need of me. The lord’s solar is but down the passageway past the children’s room. Is there anything wrong?” he asked, as he put the bolt in place. He picked her up and her arms wound around his neck to play with his hair. Kissing her upon her lips, he carried her to their bed to lay her down upon the pillows. She moved them against her back so she could prop herself up and watch him undress.
“No. Nothing is wrong other than being in a place I’m not familiar with. It’s been a long day.” She watched him carefully and he gave her a nod.
He took the belt off around his waist and placed the scabbard holding his sword against the wall near where he would sleep. He then sat down on the edge of the bed and his boots dropped to the floor with a thud as he took them off. She couldn’t help herself from going to him and molding her body against his back.
“Gosh, how I’ve missed you, Ulrick.”
He took her hands and again brought them to his lips. “I have missed you as well, Bridgette, and the closeness we shared at Berwyck,” he began, before pulling off his tunic.
She sighed in pleasure to now feel his warm skin beneath her hands. Her fingertips traced over his broad shoulder blades and his muscles flexed at her touch. “We can have what we shared again here, my love,” she replied quietly waiting for his response.
“You wished to talk about Bamburgh and the turret.” His flat tone almost broke her heart.
She shook her head in denial, although this had been true earlier in the day. “I don’t care about any of that now, only that you believe me when I tell you I never meant to leave you. Not then… not ever.”
“Your words give me strength after I was too stubborn to listen to you prior to us sailing. I must needs admit, when you told me you had been dreaming the whole thing, I reacted poorly,” he confessed as he stood to remove the rest of his clothing.
Bridgette took off her robe and climbed over the bed before turning down the coverlet so Ulrick could join her. “I really didn’t understand why,” she said, reminding herself how heart-broken she had been at the time.
