The dancing ended and the courtiers, hot with their efforts, drank eagerly from the goblets of chilled wine passed by the servants. James moved easily among them, talking and laughing. Eventually he came to the Leslies.
'Cousins!' He kissed Cat on both cheeks.
'So, Jamie, tomorrow ye take a wife,' said the Earl of Glenkirk.
'Aye, Patrick. Though I do wish she were here rather than in Denmark.'
'Patience, lad. She will be here before ye know it, and then will come times ye'll wish her back in Denmark!'
They all laughed, and James said, 'Will ye and Cat be my guests, and stay here during the festivities? I know ye've a house in town, but I'd like to hae my family about me. Even Bothwell is back in my good graces.'
'Why thank ye, Jamie,' smiled Patrick. 'We'd be honored, wouldn't we, sweetheart?'
'Aye, sire,' said Cat 'We are most honored by yer kindness.'
James moved on, secretly exulting. Now he had her under his roof I
The following day the king's marriage to Princess Anna of Denmark was celebrated with much joy. That night the Earl of Glenkirk left for Melrose Abbey on urgent business. His countess, after a delightful evening of feasting and dancing, retired to her rooms.
Ellen helped her undress, and she then stepped into a small tub, where the woman sponged her down with warm, scented water. Dried and powdered, she held up her arms so Ellen could slip a sea-green silk nightgown over her. Climbing into bed, she ordered Ellen to bank the fire, and bid her good night.
Cat lay back on the plump pillows. It was a big bed, made bigger by Glenkirk's absence. They had rarely been apart in the nine years of their marriage, and she did not like being separated. Suddenly, as she began to doze, she heard a creaking noise. She sat up just in time to see a hidden door by the fireplace swing open. James Stewart walked through it.
'What are ye doing here?' she hissed at him.
'I should think, my dear, that the answer to that would be obvious.'
'I'll scream the castle down!'
'No, my dear, ye won't. The scandal wouldna touch me. I am the king. Ye, nonetheless, are a different proposition. Yer family would suffer badly if ye publicly refuse me.'
'I told ye I would nae be yer mistress, Jamie.' She strove to hide her fright. She had not expected such persistence from him.
'I dinna accept yer decision, madame. Besides it is nae yers to make. Today I was wed by proxy. Tonight I intend consummating my marriage the same way, and I have chosen ye to be my bride.'
'Ye hae no choice, my dear,' he said triumphantly, and stripped off his robe. 'Stand up, and come here to me!' he commanded her.
Her eyes were bright with unshed tears, and her lovely mouth sulky in defiance. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, and her anger with him excited him more than any other woman ever had.
'Tell Glenkirk?' He was amused. 'If ye want, Cat, I'll tell him myself. But remember one thing, my dear. Patrick will forgie me. I am his king. He'll nae forgie ye. Now, come here to me!'
The truth of his words horrified her. If her proud lord knew that another man had lain with her, he'd cast her off. The king had trapped her as neatly as a rabbit. 'You bastard!' she swore at him.
Laughing, James replied, 'Nay, love, that rumor was settled before my birth.' He held out his hand. Forced, she came to him. Her leaf-green eyes were blazing furiously. James laughed softly again. Oh, now she was going to fight him with her stubborn mind. Her body, however, would yield eventually. There was plenty of time, and he intended to go easily with her tonight.
'Remove the gown,' he said quietly, and was pleased when she obeyed him without question.
Standing back, he viewed her with pleasure. She had a wide, well-padded chest that moved downward into the most beautiful breasts he had ever seen, lovely ivory globes with large dark-pink nipples. Her waist was slender and long, her full hips nicely rounded, her legs long and shapely. Her tawny hair fell to her hips. He could feel desire beginning to pound.
'God's bones, cousin! Yer beautiful!'
To his surprise she blushed pink, and James was frankly delighted. It was true then. She really had never known another man except Patrick. She really was the most virtuous woman at court. He would see she was rewarded by making her a lady of his wife's bedchamber. She would be an excellent influence.
Taking her hand again, he led her across the room to their bed. Picking her up, he placed her on it. The tempting triangle between her legs was plucked and pink, as befitted a lady, and at the top of the cleft sat a little black mole. 'The mark of Venus,' he murmured, touching it. He bent over and kissed the mole.
A great shudder ran through her, and James smiled to himself. He was going to take her quickly, for once the deed was done her foolish resistance would crumble. Gently but firmly, he parted her trembling thighs. Her eyes widened, and she gasped in surprise when he gently pushed into her. Like most male Stewarts, James was overly endowed. The suddenness of his attack made it impossible for Cat to struggle, so she decided to lie quietly while he satisfied his lust.
James, however, was too skilled a lover to allow passivity from his partner. Teasingly, voluptuously, he moved within her, deliberately rousing Cat's passion and making it nearly impossible for her to resist him. Only a supreme effort on Cat's part helped her to lie still beneath him. Her hands were balled into fists by her sides. By concentrating on the sharpness of her nails digging into her palms, she could blot out enough of what he was doing to her to remain a nonparticipant.
Discovering this, the king said, 'Oh, no, my love,' and, laughing, drew her arms up over her head. He held them there with one hand. Now his sensuous mouth found her fragrant but unresponsive lips. His insistent tongue forced first those lips and then her teeth apart, thrusting with skill. She sobbed, and another shudder shook her. She was close to yielding, for he had breached her defenses. Her lovely body, used to regular lovemaking, was simply not conditioned to resist pleasure. He increased the tempo of his movement. 'Yield to me, love!' he whispered insistently.
'Never.' But her voice was shaking.
'The deed is done, my love. Yield, and take yer pleasure of me as I take my pleasure of ye.'
She would not answer him, but he could feel her fighting down the movement in her hips. Then it occurred to him what he must do. Loosing his hold on her hands, he said, 'Put yer arms around me, my love.' And he looked down into her leaf-green eyes. They were glistening with tears. 'If Patrick walked into this room right now, Cat, and found me planted in ye, he'd nae stop to ask if ye were resisting me, or enjoying me. Dinna fight me any longer, my love. Yer beautiful body aches for me! Nothing can change the fact that I already possess ye! Yield!'
She still said nothing to him, but her eyes closed, and hot tears rolled silently down the sides of her face. Then her arms tightened around him, and her hips arched to meet his every thrust. Victorious, James Stewart lost himself in the deliciousness of her surrender.
Afterwards, propped on one elbow, he looked down on her, but she closed her eyes and would not look back at him. 'This is how I've always imagined ye,' he said to her, his voice low. 'Yer eyelids purple wi exhaustion, the lashes wet on yer cheeks, yer body weak from love, and yer mouth bruised wi my kisses.' He bent and kissed the nipples of her breasts.
Her eyes flew open. 'I'll nae forgie ye this, Jamie Stewart!'
He smiled charmingly at her. 'Why, of course ye will, my sweet love. Of course ye will!' Cradling her in the curve of one arm, he began to fondle her soft breasts. She tried to squirm away.
'Please, sire! Ye've had yer pleasure wi me. Now, find yer own bed!'
'Why, Cat, sweet.' His voice held genuine surprise. 'Surely ye dinna think that one taste was all I wanted? Nay, my darling! We hae the whole night ahead of us.'
'Oh, no, Jamie! Please no!' She began to struggle against him.
He held her fast, and said regretfully, 'My dear, I had hoped ye would see reason now that our preliminary bout is over. It will make no difference to Patrick whether I hae ye once or a dozen times. The simple fact that I've
