His Lady of Castlemora(32)

* * *

They reached the stables a short time later. The foal and her dam were  in a loosebox at the far end. Looking at the new arrival Isabelle  couldn't help but smile. It was a filly. With her spindly legs and  woolly coat and absurd little tail she was thoroughly engaging. As yet  she was still shy, staying close to the mare, but curious too, regarding  the visitors with huge liquid brown eyes.

'Beautiful, isn't she?' said Ban.

Isabelle nodded. 'I think she's wonderful.'

'She was born last night.'

'What colour do you think she'll be eventually?'

'My guess is bay like her dam. She'll likely make the same size too, or a little more.'

Robert looked up at his uncle. 'Can we ride her soon?'

Ban shook his head. 'Not for some time yet. Not until she's grown bigger  and is strong enough to carry a rider.' Seeing the child's  disappointment he added, 'You'll be a lot bigger yourself by then.'

'Will I be big enough to learn swordcraft?'

'Aye, you will.'

Robert beamed. Then Jamie drew his attention and the two fell into their  own conversation. Isabelle surveyed them for a moment or two and smiled  sadly, thinking that Ashlynn was fortunate indeed.

'Now that I'm on the mend we must go out for a ride,' said Ban. 'I'd like to show you the rest of Glengarron.'

'I'd like to see it, but not until your shoulder is up to it. I'd hate to be responsible for your suffering a relapse.'                       
       
           



       

'It's improving all the time. Exercise can only do it good.' He surveyed  her speculatively. 'Of course, the pace might have to be slower than  you're used to, for a while at least.'

She laughed. 'Ouch. I suppose I deserved that.'

'Let's just say that your predilection for speed is...memorable.'

'I shall not indulge it just yet.' She let her hand rest a moment over  the site of the injury. 'The healers might take a terrible revenge  otherwise.'

Her touch was light and fleeting but his pulse quickened a little in response.

'It might be unwise to cross them,' he replied. 'They have a formidable collection of medicines at their disposal.'

'I shall heed the advice.'

They left the stables and, while the children ran on ahead, strolled back towards the tower.

'Are you feeling a little better now?' he asked.

'Much better, I thank you.'

'You've had a bad time, and then been uprooted as well. I realise it hasn't been easy for you.'

'No, but everyone has been most kind.'

'I remember I felt like a fish out of water when I first came here.' He  smiled ruefully. 'I had made up my mind to leave and seek service with  the king, but then Iain invited me to stay and ride with him instead.'

'You have never regretted it, I imagine.'

'Never. He's a man I esteem very highly.'

'His reputation doesn't exactly tally with the man I've met,' she replied.

'Marriage has mellowed him somewhat, but don't be fooled. There's still an iron hand in the velvet glove.'

She smiled. 'Your sister is a remarkable woman nevertheless.'

'Yes, she is. And so are you.' They reached the tower doorway and he  paused at the bottom of the stairs. 'Kindred spirits, I'd say.'

His words produced a golden glow deep inside. Nor could she fail to be  aware of his nearness now or their relative isolation. Would he kiss  her? It was painful to realise how much she wanted him to, how much she  had missed close physical contact with him in the past few weeks.

For a moment or two he didn't move and her heart sank. Then, slowly, he  reached for her waist, drawing her to him. His lips brushed hers,  tentative, searching; then gradually becoming more insistent. Isabelle  swayed towards him, closing her eyes, yielding to the embrace, her need  keen, revelling in the familiar taste of him, in the musky scent of his  skin. Pressing her hips against his she let her tongue probe his mouth,  no longer caring if her manner appeared bold, knowing only that she  wanted him, demanding his response.

It was instant. He crushed her closer and the kiss grew passionate. Deep  inside a small spark flickered into life and created its own pool of  warmth. And then she was kissing him back with equal abandon, avid,  hungry, her hands clasping his buttocks, pulling him nearer. Almost  immediately she felt him grow hard. Lifting her feet off the floor he  carried her across the passageway and into the small storeroom beyond,  heeling the door shut behind them before tipping her backwards on to a  pile of filled sacks and following her down.

He drew up her skirt and slid a hand between her thighs, a touch that  set every nerve alight. The spark became flame and its warmth expanded,  forming a coil of tension. It elicited a faint unexpected ripple of  sensation that was shocking and wonderful. Wanting more she relaxed her  thighs a little to facilitate him. His fingers found the nub they sought  and teased gently. She drew in a sharp breath as a wave of warmth  flared in her abdomen. At its heart was the growing coil of tension. It  tightened further sending a tremor through her. As the delicious  stroking continued the sensation increased and then rippled outwards in a  wave of pleasure. She gasped, her eyes widening with astonishment.

'Holy God!'

He smiled and continued. Her body shook as successive shock waves hit her.

'Ban, please...'

The words were involuntary since she had no real idea of what she was  asking him for, only that he held the key to something just out of  reach. Something elusive and magical. Isabelle writhed, her body bucking  beneath his hand.

He shifted his weight, pressing her down, parting her legs wide. Then he  thrust into her. Excitement intensified, her body quivering in response  as he began to move inside her, with long slow strokes. Impatient now  she closed her legs around him, pulling him deeper but he refused to be  hurried, making her wait, letting the rhythm build gradually. Isabelle  writhed beneath him, feeling the core of tension expand and rise,  carrying her with it. She had no idea what it was carrying her to, only  knew that she wanted this more than anything in her life before.                       
       
           



       

'My lord, I beg you...'

The rhythm increased, lifting her higher, carrying her towards the edge  of a precipice. He thrust deeper and she cried out in ecstasy, arching  against him. An answering fire flared in him, searing, hot and  possessive. Still he controlled it, carrying her with him to the brink.  Then he let go of all restraint and then they went over together in a  rush of pleasure so intense she thought she might die.

'Dear God!'

Ban closed his eyes, breathing hard, his skin sheened with sweat. It had  never taken much for her to inflame him but this was different again.  Nothing had prepared him for the sheer heart-stopping delight he'd just  experienced. He looked into her face and saw her smile at him, her  lovely eyes dark with passion. The effect was sultry and powerfully  erotic holding a promise of things to come. The implications created a  thrill of anticipation. Unwilling to let her go just yet he remained  inside her, holding her there at his pleasure. Most definitely at his  pleasure.

He grinned. 'That was incredible.'

'Yes, it was.' Privately she thought that incredible didn't begin to  describe the experience. Her entire being thrilled with it. Every last  expectation had just been turned on its head. In that moment she  understood exactly how lacking her former marriage had been, how barren  in every sense of the word. Tears pricked her eyelids. 'Thank you.'

He kissed her gently. 'You're welcome.'





Chapter Fourteen


The revelation of that marvellous impromptu tryst refused to go away. It  was as though she had awoken after a long sleep and found herself in a  different world; a world she was desperate to explore further. Nor could  she help thinking about the man who had taken her there. He filled her  thoughts and her heart. Only now, in retrospect, did she understand the  extent of his skill and his patience. It's going to get a lot better. At  the time she'd had no idea what he meant, a depth of ignorance that was  scarcely creditable now. Had Alistair Neil lived she might never have  made the discovery at all, would likely never have met Ban. Her heart  constricted. The idea of being without him was unbearable. He had given  her life meaning. One day she hoped that she might come to mean more to  him, that one day his love-making might be motivated by more than just  physical desire.

* * *

Later she joined Ashlynn and the two of them spent an enjoyable hour  examining gowns, eventually settling on one in deep-blue velvet.  Fortunately they were much of a size, so it would be a simple matter of  letting down the hem to allow for the fact that Isabelle was taller.

'It is kind of you to do this,' she said. 'I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.'

'I'm glad to help. I know what it's like to lose everything.'

'It still has an air of unreality about it.'

Ashlynn nodded. 'It was the most terrifying period of my life. To be  cast into the world without family, friends, money or help is  unspeakable. I still have nightmares about it sometimes.'