He pulled back to take in a breath. His callused hand moved gently down her arm on its way to what she thought might be her breast. Or at least her breast seemed very hopeful as it swelled and her back arched even more to push it higher. Opening her eyes a sliver, she looked at him through a glossed haze to see the corner of his mouth tick upwards as he watched her response. A grin of triumph. A smirk of conquest.
The excitement building in her crumbled on its shaky foundation. That smile broke the spell he had cast on her far faster than anything else could have. He was using her and why wouldn’t he be? She was his captor and a veritable fool to have succumbed to her curiosity. She would be damned if she would allow him to gloat over it.
Using his inflamed opinion of himself against him, she moved quickly, knowing that he would think nothing of it, and drew back as far as she could in the cushion of straw at her back before swinging her head forward so that her forehead caught him on the bridge of his nose. He let out a cry as he released her to bring his hands up to his face. Taking advantage of his momentary incapacitation, she wiggled free and drove her knee into his stomach. He let out a guffaw of air as he crumpled to the straw. His hand shot out to grab her ankle, but he was too late, grabbing only a handful of her skirt before she was able to jerk herself free and hurry towards the door.
Her hands were trembling as she fumbled for the key at her waist and shoved it into the lock. The stubborn thing was old and unused, so it stuck, but she still managed to turn it, sliding the bolt into place with shaking fingers. He was rising by that point, but she did not dare wait for him and say the things she wanted to shout at him. She hurried down the short corridor and up the steps, his roar of outrage following her as she fled.
Cedric was waiting for her outside the door at the top of the steps. He had insisted on it since she had refused to allow him to go downstairs to see to the prisoner. She could have called out at any time and he would have come running to help her. She had not done so, because she had been so certain that she could handle the Norseman. Only, she had not planned on that kiss. Her face flamed as she imagined Cedric finding them like that.
What had she been thinking? How had she allowed that man to put his mouth on her? She waited for disgust to roil to life within her, but it didn’t. Even now her lips tingled pleasantly.
‘What happened?’ Cedric’s hawk gaze seemed to see everything.
Dear Lord, were her lips swollen? She touched them with her fingertips as she shook her head and locked the door behind her. ‘He’s doing well. Still not talking about who he is or why he’s here.’
‘But we already know that, do we not?’ Cedric raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest.
‘We do.’ It seemed trifling for him to point that out, or perhaps she was overly sensitive because she did not know how to proceed. This inability to decide was something new for her and she did not enjoy how vulnerable it made her feel. Doing her best to appear busy sorting the keys at her waist so that she could avoid Cedric’s knowing gaze, she said, ‘I shall retire to my chambers after checking on Wilfrid.’
Cedric gave a huff of disdain when she stepped away. Whatever had made her think that he could be put off so easily, she did not know. He had never once been put off easily in all the years she had known him, so she paused and added, ‘I know we cannot keep the Norseman prisoner for ever. I will decide by morning what is to be done.’ Though how she would accomplish that she did not know. She could not bring herself to order his death, but there was no other obvious answer.
The creases between Cedric’s brows relaxed and he nodded. ‘That is wise. The sooner we have this business done with, the better.’
Annis gave him a nod of assent and hurried away. She looked in on Wilfrid only to find him in bed already, snoring soundly. Still shaken from her encounter with the Norseman downstairs, she hurried to her own chamber and suffered through the brisk administrations of her chambermaid. The girl had only been with Annis a year, taking the place of her mother who had served Annis all these years. Annis enjoyed Goda’s company, but sometimes missed the wise words of the girl’s mother. Perhaps she could have confided in her. She discarded the thought almost at once. She was in this alone. She could not endanger anyone else with the truth.
After she was changed into her nightdress and her hair was thoroughly combed and plaited, she bid the girl goodnight and took a candle to her bedside. Climbing up on to the down-stuffed mattress, she lay back and pulled the coverlet over her as she pondered what to do. Cedric was right. Death for the Norseman was the only reasonable solution. But it was so
