Chapter III

Eva was staring at the ceiling when she heard the thud. It was coming from downstairs. No, she told herself, she should not go. What if it was just a servant? She hadn't even been properly introduced to them. As she pondered her actions she heard another thud, and another. Drat it, she was going to look and if it was truly a servant she would just introduce herself and say she wanted.... tea. Yes, she wanted some tea. Determined and prepared with a plausible excuse, Eva quickly donned her robe and proceeded towards the origin of the thud.

She was just about to descend when she saw a darkly form sprawled on the stairs.

"Goodness" she whispered, praying the person in question was not dead.

She quickly went to his side and she tried to turn him so that she could check if he was still breathing. She managed to place his head on her lap and she was startled to see it was her husband. His eyes were closed and his breathing quite hard. Well that settled something didn't it? He was still alive. She watched him for a moment, trying to think of a way to carry him upstairs. His face looked so serene in his sleep, even angelic. She brushed away the hair from his forehead and tentatively stroked his cheek. I could fall in love with a man like this, she thought. Then I would be in so much trouble.... She tried to shake away those thoughts. No falling in love. She could not open her heart just to be hurt. She was already a shell of what she had once been. She could not afford to lose the last bit of sanity she had left.

She decided to slowly drag his body to the end of the staircase and then to move him further in one of the closest rooms.

He was a big man...Her husband, she observed. He could crush her in a second if he wanted to, a fact that made her shudder. No, she would think positively.

She continued to drag his body, all the while paying attention not to hurt him. She had an excellent physical condition, as she had taken every opportunity to ride, swim or run around the country estate - when no one was about of course. She had been, after all, a shameful secret - a prisoner.

Maybe now that she was married she could have more freedom... It was a nice thought, to be able to ride when one pleased and not to do it surreptitiously in the middle of the night... to wander about... That would be lovely.

She managed to get him to a room which she guessed was only a guestroom, but it would have to do. She pulled his boots and threw them to the floor and then she proceeded to take off his coat.

"Oh good" he mumbled, his hand reaching for something.

"Ah this feels so good"

Eva was not certain what felt so good but she was almost certain that she should leave. As she was rising from the bed he caught her hand and dragged her hard against him.

"You smell so good..." He whispered his mouth so close to her ear that she had to fight the urge to scream and bolt. She lay stiff next to him, terror engulfing her. What if he was awake? But that was not the case as she realized his breathing was even. He was just dreaming... Eva tried to raise herself again but his hold was too strong.

"Well... at least he is sleeping." She muttered to herself.

As the sun rose robustly into the sky, Eva's eyes pried open and she warily surveyed her surroundings. She was in a foreign room... It took her a moment to recall all that had transpired the night before and startled, she looked to find her husband next to her, deeply asleep.

She bit her lip a and thought about everything. She was to spend her life with this man. This man who looked so harmless in his sleep. Was he really not a danger to her? He had not hurt her yet, he had not forced himself upon her when his attentions had been unwelcome. Maybe there was a chance...

He stirred a bit and she realized she should get back to her room, before he awoke, before he started asking questions. She quickly disentangled herself from the sheets and left the room. It was still very early, as she noticed there was a complete silence about the house. The servants had not risen yet. She made her way into her room and into her bed. She had to find a way to make this work... but for now she just wanted to forget.

Christian thought his head was going to burst open at any given moment. Damnation! He was used to indulge in spirits every now and then but never to this degree. Well, he guessed that it was not every day that one's wife spurned one's advances so blatantly. He remembered taking the wench to a nearby chamber. He remembered a commotion in the hallway but after that everything went blank. His hand went to his head in a futile attempt to mollify his damn ache. Where was he now? He looked about, all the while trying to avoid the light. God, he wasn't sure he was going to last much longer with this bloody pain. It was excruciating! He suddenly sat up, noticing the rumpled sheets next to him. A shape was slightly contoured, suggesting he had not been alone. But this was his home wasn't it? It bloody looked like one of his guest rooms. Surely he hadn't taken the wench home. He rose and went to the door but hardly did he open it when the somber face of his valet greeted him.

"Damn it, Hutchins!" he muttered "How did I get in here?"

"That I do not know my lord but I just saw her ladyship exit the room and since it was your...ahm. ..wedding" he coughed "...night"

"My wife?" He asked startled. That was the last person he would have expected to have been with him. Had they? It certainly stood to reason. He was just barely dressed and the sheets...they looked tangled enough. There was no blood, a small voice said. But of course there wasn't, he chided himself. His wife had not been pure. But still it amazed him that she had reconsidered and gone to bed with him since she had seemed extremely adverse to the idea. More the pity he didn't remember, she was definitely a splendid specimen, meant to be worshiped, adored. He smiled to himself. If he had her once why not a second? This time he would definitely be awake and he would savor her slowly. He just couldn't wait.