“Wipe that nasty thought from your head immediately,” Eirik snapped. “If you dare to accuse me of infidelity after wearing my cock nigh down to a nub, I swear I will pull out your tongue and nail it to your frowning forehead.”
Eadyth inhaled sharply. “You are so vulgar.”
“Yea, I am.” Then he grinned mischievously. “Would you like to lie down on one of these lengths of silk and get vulgar with me?”
She shot him a look of disgust, but could not help the smile which crept over her lips. He looked so engaging, standing there like an overgrown boy, grinning happily. “Nay, I would not ruin good samite by rolling around on the ground with you.”
“Ah, ever the sensible wife!” He gazed at her fondly, then added, his eyes twinkling, “Wouldst you consider good wool?”
She laughed despite herself.
He held out his arms to her and she stepped into his embrace. She pinched his belly, though, just to show she had not lost all her anger with him.
Later, when they exited arm in arm from the secret tunnel which led to a cotter’s hut just outside the castle walls, Eadyth said, more serious now, “Eirik, I am fearful for John’s fate now that Edred is king, but I just wanted you to know…” Her voice broke with emotion.
“What, dearling?” he asked, tilting her chin up with a forefinger.
“I just wanted you to know that I am happier at this moment than I have ever been in all my life.”
He tried to make light of her serious tone by teasing, “Yea, I am rather good at making you happy, am I not?”
But she would not allow him to trivialize her sentiments. “I love you, Eirik. Nay, do not shift your eyes and look downward. I am not asking you to return my sentiments.” At least not yet. “Mayhap women are different. All I know is that I could not yield myself the way I have with you unless I gave my heart, as well.”
” ‘Tis hard for me to talk of these things, Eadyth. Trust comes hard for me, and without it, I do not think I could love anyone. Give me time.”
“I will,” she said, smiling up at him. ” ‘Tis just that I fear hard times are coming, and I wanted you to know how I feel.” She looked about then, wanting to change the subject, and said, “Look at that green pasture over there. I have never seen it afore. Do you think… hmmm… I was wondering if we might purchase a few… just a few, mind you… goats?”
“Goats?” he choked out.
Then he laughed when he saw the teasing expression on her face. “You are beautiful when you smile, Eadyth. If you had smiled once or twice when you were pretending to be old and ugly, your charade would have been over in a trice.”
“You think so, do you?”
“I know so, dearling. Even with my damned eyes, I would not be able to miss the beauty of your smile.”
“Oh, Eirik, do not speak so of your eyes. I love your eyes.” After all, it was those pale blue eyes that had drawn her to Ravenshire in the first instance.
“You do? Ah, well, they are my weakness, but—”
She put her fingertips to his lips. “There is nothing weak about you, my husband. I recognized your vision problem almost from the start, because my father experienced the same, and it never made him less a man.”
“Well… ,” he said, seeming to shrug off her words of confidence, but Eadyth could tell that he was pleased. His dim sight—his one weakness, or so he perceived it to be—was a sensitive point with her husband. And she had rankled his pride by playing on that foible with her foolish masquerade.
She gazed at him adoringly, recognizing her good fortune in having gained this man for her husband.
“What? Why are you looking at me so?”
“How?”
“Like your bloody dog, Prince.”
Eadyth chuckled softly. What an apt description!
“I do not suppose, Eadyth, that you would… oh, never mind…” He let his words trail off deliberately, arousing her curiosity. He stroked his upper lip, scrutinizing her the whole time. His eyes twinkled with mischief.