Chapter Twenty-Eight: A Tempting Dream

When Katherine woke, she was alone. She sat up and spotted a large dress box at the end of the bed. On top was a single red rose. She climbed out of bed and came around to the foot of the bed, picked up the rose, and breathed in its sweet scent that hinted at the tartness of its strawberry cousin. Laying the flower aside she opened the dress box. An indigo and silver brocade ball gown was in the folds of black tissue. It was reminiscent of an earlier time. She touched the fine Battenberg lace collar and details along the sleeves where a white silk gown was worn underneath. It had lavished touches of the same lace and tiny seed pearls on the sleeves and front of the gown. There was a card. "Your gown for the costume ball. The first dance is mine! Nicklaus."

 "Do you like it?" Nicklaus walked in, closing the panel doors between his office and the bedroom. 

 "It's beautiful, Nicklaus!" She said. "You seem confident about things."

 He reached out and brushed her hair away from her face. "Regardless of what happens, mon coeur, we are going to be at the costume ball, and we are going to dance!"

 She laughed. "What will we do today?" She asked him.

 "Get dressed for riding," He told her, "I want you to see Gregor. You will be surprised to see him now."

 She nodded. "Collette waiting for me?"

 "She is," Nicklaus replied with a lopsided grin. "But as Dominus, I have certain privileges and one of those is to greet the lady of the house properly." He drew her to him and kissed her gently then he deepened the kiss and molded her against him, his hands going from cradling her head and sliding down to her hips. He drew back to look into her eyes and pressed her closer. She gasped as she felt his body respond to hers. "Good morning," she whispered.

 Katherine reveled in the feelings coursing through her and drew his head down so she could kiss him, "Good morning to you!" He growled softly and laughed. 

 "Hurry up and get dressed, mon coeur, we have only a few hours of this day and I want to spend it doing whatever we want!"

 "Your will, Dominus," she whispered and hurried off to find Collette.

 She dressed and came downstairs dressed in a black riding outfit. It was rather severe but striking against her blonde hair that Collette had braided in a long rope and her porcelain skin. When Vanderau watched her come down the stairs, his dark eyes grew bright in appreciation. She joined him at the bottom of the stairs, he held out his hand and she took hold of his hand, lacing her fingers in his. They walked out the door to the waiting ATV. He saw her into the passenger side and then he came around and slid into the driver's side. "Hold on, I drive faster than Etienne!"

 The ATV rumbled to life and immediately they were rolling down the brick drive and into the break in the hedgerows. Katherine reached up and held on to the bar designed especially for passengers. She saw the upcoming puddle and prepared for the muddy splash! The ATV plowed through the mud and the water flew up like wings. They were both splattered with mud. Katherine started to giggle at the mess they both were in. He grinned at her as they sped over the rough trail to the stables.

 When they arrived, Etienne came out to meet them and a look of concern replaced the welcome smile. "What happened?"

 Katherine began to laugh all over again. "A big mud puddle happened!"

 Nicklaus grinned and tucked Katherine's hand in the crook of his arm, "I did warn Katherine I drove faster than you, Etienne!"

 Etienne looked relieved if not a bit taken aback by the light-heartedness of his normally intense and aloof employer. "Have you come to see Gregor? You will not recognize him!"

 They walked into the stable. Immediately the horses poked their heads out to see who was visiting. They went past the Sun King who nickered his greeting and Vanderau went with Etienne to visit the great white courser. Katherine was drawn to the arena. She went to the gate and saw Gregor out exercising with Paulette. She had Gregor on a lunge and was calling out various commands. He was bright and shiny with health. He tossed his head proudly as he marched around Paulette. 

 "He's a fine animal," Vanderau murmured as he joined Katherine at the arena gate. "He is still a little headstrong but soon he'll be a magnificent dressage horse."

 "Paulette is good with him," Katherine said watching the interaction between the woman and the stallion. Paulette looked over and waved to Katherine. She slowed and paused the exercise and Gregor stopped and pawed the soft sand of the arena, looking haughty and majestic at the same time. 

 "Come in madame!" Paulette called softly. 

 Katherine lifted the latch and slipped into the arena. Gregor immediately alerted on the new arrival and then called out a low whinny that made everyone smile as they came to watch the reunion. Paulette detached the lunge and Gregor made a beeline for Katherine, his head dropped as he approached. He stopped a few feet from her, and she walked up and stood at his side. "Gregor, you're happy in your new home, aren't you?"

 He stepped closer and she laid a hand on his shoulder. His hide did not quiver and he leaned into her hand, and they walked around the arena. They returned to where Paulette waited. "He's feeling good about his place," Katherine commented. 

 "He is settling in," Paulette said. "I think soon he will be ready to accept a rider, but not for a while yet. He enjoys prancing around the arena."

 "How does he get on with the Sun King?" Katherine asked.

 Paulette smiled at Gregor. "They tolerate one another, but we still have Gregor in his pasture."

 "I understand," Katherine replied and looked up into the soft brown eyes of the black stallion. "You listen to Paulette, she is a good person."

 Gregor huffed and tossed his head. Vanderau smiled as Katherine returned to him. He opened the gate and pointed to the entrance, "Aramis and Athos are waiting."

 Athos was the darker of the two dappled greys and Aramis was a mount favored by Vanderau. Etienne held the reins of each horse, and he handed Athos' reins to Vanderau. Katherine remembered exactly what to do and Vanderau caught her calf and ankle and on the count of three, he boosted her up. Once she was astride, Vanderau adjusted the stirrups and Katherine adjusted her seat and position. Athos stood patiently as Etienne handed Aramis' reins to Vanderau. He stepped up into the saddle and glanced at Katherine, "Shall we go explore a little?"

 "Yes!" 

 Together they walked down the trail and headed out toward the open fields. Katherine caught the one-two beat and began to sync into Athos' movements. Vanderau nodded his encouragement as they moved into a trot. "Just like a waltz, mon coeur," he told her. "Up, two, three. Up, two, three."

 They rode up into the hills surrounding the pastures and slowed as they reached a shaded area with hardwood trees already showing their bright fiery colors of Autumn. A patch of warm sunlight filtered through the trees and revealed a picnic. She looked over at Nicklaus and a slow smile grew on his face as he saw how delighted she was. "I thought you'd like a bit of privacy."

 "It's lovely!" she said.

 He dismounted and Aramis walked off a few paces to sample the tender grasses. Vanderau came up to catch Athos' reins, he spoke a word softly to the horse and he stood still, ears listening. Nicklaus looked at Katherine, "Swing your right leg over his head, and I'll catch you."

 Katherine did as she was instructed. She swung her leg over and turned in the saddle. Nicklaus' hands slid up her thighs to her hips as she leaned down, placing her hands on his shoulders. He caught her up against him and slowly let her slip down his body to the ground. He pulled her to him, cradling her head in his hands, his mouth finding hers and kissing her gently at first then as Athos moved off to join Aramis to nibble at the grass, his mouth grew more urgent and passionate. Oh, how he wanted her! But he had to force himself to withdraw, and she clung to him, and he froze, his dark gaze holding hers for a dozen or more heartbeats. Neither one said anything, just gazing into each other's eyes. 

 Vanderau took Katherine's hand, and they walked to the large rug spread out on the ground with cushions. They talked and laughed and sampled the fruit, cheeses, and bread. Drank wine from crystal glasses. Finally, their talk turned to more serious matters. Katherine was curious about how things were to unfold later in the evening. "Nicklaus, what happens later? Sauvageon hasn't told me anything beyond that I am to be prepared for anything when I enter the Oculus."

 He swirled the contents of his wine glass, then drank it down. "Well, sometime after dinner, a car will arrive. Martine and Vincent Thys will be in the car. It is a fortified vehicle, with bullet-proof glass, and reinforced door panels – the works. Martine will stay in the car, Vincent will come and collect your overnight bag," He set his wine glass out of the way and readjusted his cushions. "Collette already knows what to pack. Then you, Sauvageon, and I will get into the car, and we will ride down to Lake Geneva to the Oculus and the complex that keeps it hidden from view." 

He reached, out took her hand, and pulled her down to the cushions he had positioned so they could recline comfortably. She laughed as she rolled into his arms. The wine had made her feel tipsy. , He positioned her more comfortably against his side, her head resting on his shoulder. "We will be escorted to the complex and met by the Chamberlain. From there, I don't know what the Chamberlain has planned. I believe he will give us all instructions on what to do next."

"Will we be separated?" Katherine wanted to know.

Vanderau grew still. Then he twisted to the side and leaned over her, his face inches from hers. "Yes, and I am sorely tempted to take myself out of the testing, make love to you – make you mine!"

Her eyes locked with his and she reached up and drew him down to kiss him, but then she pulled back. "You know as well as I do, that you must continue as Dominus and I will become your blade, Nicklaus!"

He groaned as if in pain and rolled to his back. "I know, dammit!"

Katherine sat up, "I know how you feel, Nicklaus. I've wanted you the moment I heard your voice on the conference call."

He sat up next to her. "You have?"

She nodded. "Maybe even before then. I've had dreams about you long before I knew what was happening." She looked over her shoulder at him. "I had vivid dreams at least two years before Vincent appeared on my doorstep. It's what Taylor convinced me it was some mental thing that only a psychiatrist could help me with."

Nicklaus scoffed. "What an ass!"

Katherine laughed. "Oh, I can't put all of it on Taylor – I couldn't help that I found my dreams far more satisfying than him – on many levels. I can't blame him for finding a woman who would be more compliant, and malleable than prickly Katherine Van Dermeer!"

"Were you prickly?" he murmured close to her ear.

"Like a porcupine," she said. "So, he found Kim, his office manager, young and devoid of any thoughts of something more out there waiting. Taylor wanted someone who orbited around him and his career. I wasn't that."

"What drew you together?" Nicklaus asked.

"It was a student of mine," Katherine replied, she shifted around to sit on a cushion. "He was troubled about many things, mostly because of having lost his mother to cancer. The school counselor sought Taylor out and he came to my classroom to observe. We had one little troubled boy in common and we mistook our concern for him as something we could build a life on together."

"And now here you are with another set of circumstances that will throw you into a situation that will benefit everyone but you," Nicklaus told her. 

"If my dreams are clairvoyant like Sauvageon says, I will benefit in ways that no one ever could imagine!" she declared. "I've found my purpose and I have found you, Nicklaus. I don't know what happens – but even if you go off and marry someone and have ten children, I have found you!"

He chuckled at the thought of ten children! Then he reached out and took her hand in his. "I will not be going off anywhere and marrying anyone! And I certainly will not be having ten children! You are my heart, Katherine!"

"Then we have to wait just a few more hours and then –"

"Then you are mine!" Vanderau declared.

They spent the rest of the day out on their hill. No one bothered them and when the Range Rover rolled up on the hillside, Vanderau and Katherine mounted their horses and rode back to the stables. 

Their drive back to the Sun Maiden was a mad dash at the mud puddle and they were once again splashed with mud and water. Collette was horrified when they drove up. "Madame, are you hurt?"

"No, just a bit of mud!" Katherine said.

Vanderau came around and held out his hands to her, which she held on tightly as he helped her from the ATV. He turned her over to Collette and met Sauvageon in the entrance hall. "You two look like you brought home the pasture!"

Katherine's sparkling laughter sounded from the top of the stairs. "It was glorious!"

"Yes," Nicklaus whispered, "It was glorious."

"It will be a pairing like none before," Sauvageon told Vanderau as they strolled through the front gallery to the tower. "I don't think there have ever been nuptials between a sitting Dominus and their Blade."

"There is a first time for everything, Pierre," Vanderau replied with a relaxed grin.

"I am glad for you and for Katherine," Sauvageon responded. "I am also glad you have resisted your desires until after the testing."

"It wasn't me doing the resisting," Nicklaus said, raking his hand through his hair in frustration. "Katherine has managed to keep me focused on the task at hand!"

Sauvageon chuckled softly. "It would be a shame to have come this far to let it all go for a night of passion."

"Ah but what a wonderful night it would have been!" Nicklaus sighed and then laughed heartily when the old gladio began to laugh merrily.