The Treasure of Gwenlais, page 103
part #1 of The Rienfield Chronicles Series
“Come lie down with me mo ghra,” he whispered to her.
He picked her up in his arms and laid her down carefully on his bed.
He reached down and removed her shoes and sat down to remove his boots. He placed his heavy riding coat across a chair and then slowly got into the bed lying down next to her. He began to kiss her again gently, he slipped his hand under her chemise to caress her softly and carefully across her stomach. Laurel sucked in her breath sharply in surprise of his touch.
“Shh. Do not be afraid my darling. Allow me to give you pleasure. I will not do anything to upset you. If you wish me to stop at any time just tell me. Close your eyes and take a breath,” he said to her in a calm voice.
Laurel nodded her head and complied with his wishes, closing her eyes and exhaling as she did. He began to slowly and gently caress her once again his touch light and weightless, moving back to her stomach, up to her face and neck, kissing her face the whole time, she slowly brought up her hands to run through his hair. He continued his gentle touches before asking her to turn on to her stomach. She opened her eyes and looked at him, unsure of what he wanted.
“Just lie on your stomach Laurel, I only wish to continue to love you. Does this not make you feel loved and relaxed?” Caleb said, smiling at her patiently.
“Yes it does,” she said softly.
“You have had such an exhausting week. I only wish to help you relax and show you my love. I will not go back on my word, just because I have you here in Heathwin. I shall massage your neck as I did back at the Lodge at Gwenlais,” Caleb said with gentle reassurance, as he softly kissed her face.
She turned over as he asked, folding her arms over a pillow resting her head on her arms, taking another deep breath. Caleb then began to gently massage her back and shoulders kissing the back of her neck lightly. He continued this for a few minutes allowing her to adjust to his touch. After he felt her relax he gently moved his hands down her back, lightly touching her backside and moving his hands down to gently grasp her hips as he brought his lips to the base of her spine. He began to move his lips slowly and gently up her back until he reached her neck. He repeated this several times until he heard her whimper lightly and begin to tremble. He turned her over gently to face him and was surprised to find she was crying.
“What is it Laurel? What is wrong?” he asked her softly, with concern.
“Nothing, I am just very tired, and bit overwhelmed I think. I am sorry,” she said in a shaking voice.
Caleb smiled at her tenderly and held her in his arms.
“You have nothing to be sorry for. I am sorry if I was too much for you,” Caleb said in a soft voice filled with concern. He smiled at her gently and softly kissed her face. “This is only the beginning my darling. I have so much more to give you. I look forward to showing you just how much you mean to me. For now I am more than content to give you just a taste of love here and there,” he said to her, holding her closer to calm her trembling “Just rest now, my poor Laurel. It has been a ridiculously long day. We will take a short nap and I will have dinner brought up to my room. I have shared you enough with others today. Does that sound agreeable to you?’’ he asked, as he kissed the top of her head.
“It sounds lovely,” Laurel answered drowsily.
“You answered their questions wonderfully mo stor. Father was very impressed with you as was I. I am very proud of you,” he said softly.
“Thank you,” Laurel giggled, no longer able to keep her eyes open.
Within a few moments Caleb heard her breathing softly in sleep. He smiled to himself as he gently covered her with the blankets feeling very content with how the day was ending. After they had rested for a short time Caleb woke up, and moving carefully out of the bed, lit several candles and then quietly left the room. He walked across the hall to Laurel’s room and entering it walked over to her wardrobe. He opened one of the beautifully carved doors and stood in front of it looking carefully through Laurel's things until his eyes rested on what he was looking for. He reached in and pulling out a lavender colored robe, smiled knowing that Laurel would be delighted he had thought of getting it for her. Just as he was about to step back and close the door he heard Imagin enter the room.
“Oh there you are! I have been...oh!” Imagin replied with surprise as Caleb stepped back and shut the large door of the wardrobe. “Oh. Caleb, it is you. Where is Laurel?” she asked in a confused voice.
Caleb smiled wryly at the girl, knowing she did not expect him to be here.
“She is resting,” he said casually as he began to leave the room.
“Resting? Where?” Imagin asked following him out of the room.
“Does it matter?” Caleb asked her pointedly.
“Ah... no. I suppose it does not. It is just that I have not seen her all afternoon and I was just concerned,” Imagin said, in her typical honest fashion.
Caleb turned and smiled at her, pleased that she had grown so close to Laurel.
“She has had a very long day, and her temper and nerves were a bit frayed. She is resting now and I am sure she will be her usual adorable self tomorrow. You do not have to worry about her anymore this evening,” Caleb told her reassuringly.
“Is there something I can do before I leave to go home?” Imagin asked, hoping to see Laurel before she left for the evening.
Caleb looked at her with a smirk, knowing what she was trying to do.
“Actually there is something you can do,” Caleb said, as Imagin’s face brightened up. “You can go to the kitchen and tell the servers that Laurel and I will be having dinner in my room this evening,” he said, with a knowing grin.
Her face instantly fell to a sulky pout with Caleb’s instructions.
“Very well. If that is all I will go now,” Imagin said, looking and sounding very crestfallen.
“Yes that will be all thank you,” Caleb said, watching her sulking and walking slowly away.
“And I would appreciate it if you made to it the kitchen this evening,” Caleb finished, raising his voice a bit to make his point.
She then picked up her pace and made her way down the stairs. Caleb smiled shaking his head as he walked back to his room. He was pleased to find Laurel resting comfortably in his bed, smiling at him when he walked back in the room.
“I have brought you a robe my love. I assumed you would want one. I also saw Imagin before I came back. She was quite surprised to find me in your room,” Caleb said smiling as he walked to the bed, as he leaned down and gently kissed her face.
“Poor Imagin. I hope you did not tease her too badly,” Laurel said, smiling at him.
“No more than necessary. I had her tell the servers to bring us dinner in here this evening,” Caleb replied kneeling down next to her, playing with her hair.
“Caleb are you sure that the family will not mind us not joining them tonight?” Laurel asked softly.
He smiled at her knowing her real concern was for Phineas.
“I am sure everyone will be fine this evening, and so will Phineas. I will check on him myself later, then you will not have to give it another thought,” he said in a soft voice.
“Do you not think I should go and see him myself Caleb? I feel so badly for what he went through,” Laurel said with remorse.
“Phineas is fine Laurel. I told him not to become angry when the Chieftains spoke with you. That they would just continue to bait him. He did what he felt he had to and they enjoyed their little game. I do not want you to become upset anymore tonight. So after dinner, I will have the servants ready a bath for you, while you relax I will go and see Phineas, reassure him you are fine, and then I will come back, and read some lovely poetry to you. Does this meet with her Highness approval?” Caleb asked her smiling warmly at her.
She touched his face and smiling at him leaned over and softly kissed his lips. He smiled with surprise at her gesture, as she did not usually initiate their affectionate attentions.
“It does indeed,” she said lovingly.
Just then there was a knock on the door, Caleb walked over and opening the door allowed the servants to bring in their dinner. They placed two trays on the large table in front of Caleb’s room. The two women smiled at Laurel before leaving.
“Well this will give the servants plenty to talk about,” Caleb smiled broadly at Laurel.
After putting on her robe, Laurel walked quietly over to the table. As they began to enjoy their meal Laurel paused and looked thoughtfully at Caleb from across the table.
“What is going through that lovely head of yours?” Caleb asked her smiling.
“I was just thinking about something you said to me earlier and I was wondering if you were just teasing me or did you mean it,” Laurel said, with a thoughtful expression “I am ashamed to admit that I tease you far too often to remember anything specific,” Caleb said smiling, reaching over to take her hand.
“You said to give you a reason why you should not take me to your room and spank me. Would you have? If you had been angry? You have once before when I sassed you at the stables when I was little,” she asked, with frank honesty.
“Could you not tell I was playing with you?” Caleb asked her, with a hint of sadness in his eyes, as he reached over and touched her face.
“Yes, I suppose this time I could. But, I do know that it is not unheard of, for some men to not have an issue with being that way. You were also very angry with me in Gwenlais, after seeing me without an escort. You threatened to punish me then Caleb,” Laurel looked at him, with a sad and heartbroken expression.
“There is a complete difference with the incident at the stables mo stor. I was giving a naughty insolent child, a few swats on the bottom. What happened in Gwenlais was a very unhappy misunderstanding between us. I was completely unaware that your father had not warned you and you were pressured by Suri to leave without an escort. We had just found and fought with the Rabkins that were there waiting for you. So, needless to say I was more than distraught. I simply let my emotions get the better of me. I just wrongfully assumed you were being stubborn and insolent. Sadly that is more of the personality I was used to dealing with for a time. I am well aware that there are men who have no issues treating their wives in that manner. My grandfather and uncles were those type. My father taught my brother and I that is was overly harsh and wrong, as he had witnessed his father striking his mother several times. As I have grown, I have come to agree with him. Morene knew I felt this way, which I feel is why she would often act the way she did. She pushed me too far one day, by fighting with me yet again, in front of the Patrol. Berating and humiliating me, to the point I was beyond caring how my father may have viewed my actions. When we returned home that night, I punished her for it. She was shocked and humiliated, and the next morning left for several days. Her father sent her back to the Lodge telling her it was within my right, as I was not brutal to her, where she might gain sympathy. I simply embarrassed her, by spanking her like a disrespectful child, though harder than I ever would a child. I left the door open and everyone was fully aware of what occurred, which is why she was so humiliated. I nonetheless, felt badly about it, I apologized and never punished her again. She took it as a sign of weakness and just became more belligerent. I knew after that, our union would not last much longer,” Caleb said, looking away from her, for a moment.
Laurel watched him, her eyes becoming sad and tearful. Caleb took her hand and brought it up to his lips and kissed it gently.
“I will never give you reason to be afraid of me Laurel. I am aware how sensitive you are, my sweet girl, especially what happened after the Rabkin incident in Gwenlais when I returned from Patrol. I know I told you I was going to punish you then, but after what occurred and your reaction, that is something I feel I will never bring myself to do. Though I am asking you, to please never do what you did today again. They thought you were amusing today, they will not always feel that way. I will never humiliate you in front of anyone, and they will expect me to do something, and I will not. They also will not respect you. Do you understand how important this is?” Caleb asked her, with a soft sad tone.
“I do. I am so sorry I lost my temper in front of the Chieftains and at the river. I did not mean to shame you,” Laurel said, tears streaming down her face.
Caleb smiled at her lovingly, “Come here my love,” he said softly, as he gestured for her to stand.
He pushed out his chair, pulling her gently onto his lap. He put his arms around her as she draped her arms about his shoulders, laying her head against the side of his neck.
“After all that you have had to endure, and everything you have been through, losing your temper in defense of a friend is hardly anything that would shame me. As far as what happened at the river, all the men were well aware of what was the cause of that. You almost drowned, lost something precious to you, and you were soaked and freezing, not to mention, hysterical, and going into shock from the cold. I look back on it now and realize I treated you a bit roughly in the beginning, but that was unintentional. I was only concerned with getting you out of that freezing soaked dress and getting you warm,” Caleb paused thoughtfully for a moment. “I must have frightened you that day,” Caleb spoke quietly, turning his face to kiss her forehead.
“I was a bit nervous, I was afraid I had taken my temper too far and that you would be upset with me, for cursing at you in front of the men. Phineas himself was concerned, he felt at first you might not have a choice but to save face and act accordingly. He told me the men in the Western realm have that reputation,” Laurel admitted to him, in a shaky voice.
“Is that why you were so timid of me that first night? When you asked if I was angry with you?” Caleb asked her, with a serious expression.
Laurel did not speak, but answered by slowly nodding her head.
“I do not appreciate he told you that, but I have to admit it is true. I hope to change that mind set in time. I am sorry you were concerned about my being angry with you then. It was nothing you had to worry about at all. Again my love, I will never hurt you, not intentionally, and never if I am angry,” Caleb then held her closer, softly caressing her back.
He then grinned at her with a gleam in his eyes. Looking at her before he spoke.
“I will however not be able to promise you that, I will not tease you and still play these little games with you. You are already far too good at it and too hard to resist. I know you too well mo stor, and you will not be able to help yourself. You are bound to do something naughty and insulting, and I will find myself giving your little bottom a swat or two. But never in front of anyone, and it will only be because I am playing with you, never to punish you. If there is ever an occasion that you feel I am being too rough, just tell me,” Caleb smiled, at her lovingly.
Laurel smiled at his remark, knowing it was impossible for them not to tease and jest with each other quite often. Also Caleb, given his passionate nature, tended to be quite physical in how he played with or teased her. Taking comfort in his reassurance he would never do anything to hurt her purposely or in anger, she allowed herself to relax and enjoy being with him. They both looked up towards the door leading to the bath as they heard the servants beginning to prepare the room for Laurel’s use.
“Why do you not go to your room, and get what you need to wear for sleep. I will go to see Phineas and the rest of the family, who must be in the sitting room at this point. I will let them know you are fine and will be retiring after your bath. Then I will meet you back here after that,” Caleb suggested.
“I thought you would be reading me poetry tonight,” Laurel said, sounding a bit disappointed.
“I am, right after you have had your bath. Just walk through the door,” Caleb said smiling at her, gesturing to the door on the other side of the room.
“But you just said you were telling everyone I would be going to sleep after my bath,” Laurel said, looking slightly confused.
“You are. You will just be sleeping in here tonight,” he said in a low enticing voice. Noticing Laurel’s shy expression as she bit her lip again, he then added, “It will not be the first time we have shared a bed mo ghra,” smiling wryly.
“I know. It is just that we are so close to our wedding day. It just makes it more significant, because this will end up becoming my room as well,” she said her face blushing brightly.
He smiled at her warmly and softly kissed her lips.
“I look forward to that time. I am afraid though that after tomorrow between Phineas and my mother, we will have hardly any time alone, until after our wedding. So I will just have to steal you away whenever I can,” Caleb said, in a deep whispery voice, as he kissed her again.
Laurel felt her stomach flutter at the mention of their wedding day, as it was only little less than a fortnight away. The door leading out of the bath to the corridor, could be heard closing.
“Well that means they are done. Why do you not get your things and I will go to say goodnight to everyone for us. Then I will meet you back in here shortly,” Caleb said as he kissed her one last time, helping her to her feet.
“You are not telling everyone that I will be spending the night in your room, are you?” Laurel asked, with a bit of concern.
“No, I think Phineas has suffered enough trauma for one day. I will just tell him what I said earlier, you will be going to bed after you have bathed, he does not need to know where that will be,” Caleb answered smiling wryly. “Now, no more concerns about anything else tonight. Just go and relax for a bit and I will take care of everything,” Caleb said as he left the room.
As Caleb walked down the hall towards the sitting room he could hear loud laughter coming from the sitting room. His brows knit together a little confused by what he was hearing, for it sounded like McCullan and Remy were in the room with the rest of the family. As he entered the room he was surprised to see that they were indeed in the sitting room. His father and Aiden laughing, as his mother looked on with an annoyed expression, and Phineas still bruised and swollen, just sat smiling, quietly enjoying a glass of wine. Dinner had been set out for everyone and they were just finishing the meal when Caleb walked in.
