Page 24 of Knight of Havoc
“Aye. What do you have planned?”
He came rushing back to her and kissed her hard as though taking possession of her this very day instead of months from now. She could only stare up at him in wonder when he finally let her make an attempt to catch her breath. ’Twas impossible for he had stolen it from her. She watched him return to the door to leave as she waited for his answer.
“I plan to win!” A cocky grin lit his entire face. He gave her a hasty salute and left her standing there in awe.
Her handsome knight had a plan after all and the coming months would be sheer torture whilst she awaited the day she would learn exactly who would be her husband.
Chapter Seventeen
Reynard reined inhis horse at the approach to Oxford Castle. The winter months had all but crawled by and what little time he had been allowed to spend with Elysande had been mostly in the presence of others or during a dance in the great hall. Their moments together were fleeting and unfortunately there were other knights who constantly vied for her attention, hoping that she might favor them.
There had been many changes to Oxford’s grounds in preparation of the upcoming tournament with tents erected with the standards of nobles flying to depict their houses. His return to the castle after leaving to travel to Devizes with the Empress had been impatiently awaited, at least on his part. They had been gone for far longer than he wished to be away from the lady who had all but crept into his heart.
But the empress had insisted Reynard travel with her to meet with her half-brother Earl Robert and her other advisers. That he had been privy to such private conversations should have humbled him but the news that he heard only warned that a resumption of this war between the empress and Stephen still lingered on the horizon.
Empress Matilda had admitted she would need to find another way to gain the throne, having come to the realization that England was not ready for her to rule. Her oldest son Henry recently celebrated his ninth birthday. She had learned that herhusband Geoffrey had begun campaigning on their son’s behalf. Geoffrey had already been busy in his attempts to conquer all of Normandy in her absence whilst Matilda fought to gain England’s throne. If Geoffrey were to succeed and become duke, he would then remain in this important position until Henry gained his majority, at which point he would then resign in his son’s favor.
But until such a time, the empress’s position was precarious. She did not have the resources for a convincing war against Stephen nor was the church on her side any longer. Their only solution was to raise more troops. The empress hated the idea of asking her husband for help, but she was left with no choice. A missive would be sent to Geoffrey but his response could take months to be received back in Oxford.
Now they had returned almost to the day when the empress had told those left behind to ready the grounds for the tournament. Reynard had not had the opportunity in the recent weeks to spend any time on training, and he felt weak, which would do him no good in his quest to win the various matches and become victorious. Much was at stake, and he was in no way willing to lose the fair Elysande.
As he entered the inner bailey, a vision flew from the keep’s door and down the stairs as she ran to greet him. Her black hair floated in the air, making her look like an angel come down from the heavens.
“Reynard,” she called out with a bright smile, and he leapt down from his horse as she flung herself into his arms. He lifted her and buried his nose in her hair to breathe in the scent of roses that always reminded him of her.
“Elysande… you have grown more beautiful since I last saw you,” he said in a husky tone that made him wish they were behind closed doors.
“I have missed you,” she whispered whilst she held tightly around his neck.
“I can see that you have, and such news brings me much pleasure, my lady,” he replied with a chuckle before he handed the reins of his steed to a lad who took the animal toward the stable.
The empress’s wagon halted in the courtyard and her voice called out to the pair. “I can see for myself who she favors, Norwood, but release the lady before I take you to task for mishandling the woman.”
He stepped back and raised Elysande’s hand to his lips. He gave her a wink and was pleased to see her smile brighten. “Forgive me, Empress, but I have missed the lady,” Reynard proclaimed as he went to the wagon to help the empress down. Once he set her on her feet, she waved her finger at him.
“Just remember you are not wed to her yet. If you want her, then you best win at my games,” the empress said as a warning but then she made the mistake of allowing a short laugh to escape her lips, making it clear she was more amused than annoyed.
“I plan to do just that, my Empress,” Reynard said with a nod of his head.
The empress waved her hand to dismiss him whilst pulling a linen handkerchief from her sleeve. She pressed the cloth to her nose. “Off with you then but you best clean up before I see you next, Norwood. You smell like your horse.”
“Of course, Empress,” Reynard replied with a bow and watched as Elysande fell into a curtsey before the empress left them.
Elysande took his arm. “I have much to tell you.”
“Can it not wait until I do as the empress bids and wash the dirt away? I am certain she was correct when she mentioned I am not fit company after my travels.”
Elysande shook her head. “I care not for any of that, Reynard, only that you are back. Come with me…”
She gave him little choice as she firmly took hold of his hand. He followed her along as she made her way down a path and into a secluded area of the garden where they would be out of sight. Before he could guess her intent, she pressed herself fully against him and he experienced the bliss of every inch of her body nestled close to his own. A groan escaped him. Something so simple yet there was nothing simple about the fact that her breasts were pressed against his chest. He peered down at those creamy orbs where her cleavage was appearing above the neckline of her gown. She was going to be his undoing.
And then he lost all thought when her arms made their way up and around his neck. “Kiss me, Reynard,” she whispered so softly he almost missed her words.
How could he refuse? Bending forward he captured her lips with his own and began to explore what she so willingly offered. Did he feel the world tilt on its axis when their tongues began to dance together? Aye, he did. Surely, somehow, his whole world just shifted for he could not imagine letting this woman belong to anyone else but him.
How long this exquisite torture went on he could not say. Time seemed to stand still. When he at last put a halt to their play, her lips were red and swollen. He knew he had done something right if her look said anything about how much she wished to continue.
“Why did you stop?” she asked with wide eyes.
