The Deed by Lynsay Sands Read Free Book Online Page B

thing he noticed. It
     appeared more than big enough to accommodate his unnatural height, he was happy to see.
     But it was also solid black in color. Not the wood. The wood itself was a dark mahogany,
     but the linens on it and the drapes that had been pulled back to reveal the bed itself
     were both as black as the clothes his bride had worn to their wedding.
    Amaury frowned as he took it in. From what he had seen, his wife had an uncommon fondness
     for black. He would have to see to that. The room would be much cheerier with different
     bedding, he decided as he set about unbuckling his sword from his waist. Then he turned
     his attention to the rest of the room. A large fire took up most of the wall opposite the
     bed. One chair sat before it. He would have to see to another being added. The idea of
     spending cold evenings comfortably in front of the fire with his wife had some charm to
     it, he thought with a slight smile. His eyes moved over the tapestries on the wall as a
     familiar chorus rose up in his mind. Mine. Mine. Mine.
    Sighing his satisfaction, he slid his gaze over the screen behind which his wife changed.
     It was obviously foreign. He had never seen anything like it, but even so, the painted
     designs on it spoke of foreign lands and people. A rustle of material caught his ear just
     as his new bride slung her dress over the top of the screen, and Amaury swallowed,
     realizing that while he had been dallying, his wife had not. He could almost picture her
     standing behind the screen, stripping her clothes away one piece at a time.
    Feeling the stirring in his nether regions, Amaury quickly shook the image away. It would
     not do to get excited already. He suspected he had a long stressful night ahead of him in
     wooing his virgin bride. He intended on making it as easy and bearable an experience for
     her as he could manage. With that intention, he began to quickly strip. He was unsure how
     she would handle seeing him in full nudity and thought it might be best to be already abed
     when she came out.
    Best intentions aside, he had only managed to strip his tunic off before she stepped out
     around the screen and presented herself. Amaurys hands froze on the waist of his braies as
     he caught sight of her, his eyes widening in shock.
    Gods tooth, even the womans nightgown was black! Did she not own a single item of cloth
     that was not, he wondered in dismay as he took in the voluminous folds of the gown that
     covered her from her neck to her very toes?
    Emma took in her husbands wide-eyed face and tried not to fidget under his gaze. His
     expression merely assured her that she had been correct in assuming he was untried.
     Forcing a reassuring smile, she walked cautiously past him to the bed and crawled
     carefully beneath the bedclothes, then took a great deal of time and care straightening
     all the wrinkles out of them until they lay across her in a nice smooth wave. That done,
     she glanced furtively at her new husband, only to find him still standing where he had
     been, eyeing her with wide eyes. Frowning slightly, she started to speak, then realized he
     was probably
    shy.
    I promise I shall not look, she told him gently and to prove it, closed her eyes and
     covered them with both hands.
    Amaury straightened at her action. Giving his head a shake at her odd behavior, he
     stripped his pants quickly off and moved to the side of the bed, lifting the linen and
     slipping beneath the bedclothes beside her.
    Emma dropped her hands as soon as she felt the bed depress. Turning, she shone a bright
     smile on him. There. That was not so bad, was it? she asked gently. Now, just lie back.
    Amaury swallowed his shock as she pressed him gently back to lie on the bed, wondering
     what exactly was occurring. Was his wife truly taking control of the situation? His virgin
     wife?
    Once she had urged him to lie flat on his back, Emma smiled sweetly, tucked the bedclothes