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He could almost imagine Blake s consternation when he learned the reason behind this sudden rushed
wedding. Twas the truth, neither he nor Blake cared for Bertrand. He was a greedy, selfish beast, and a
coward to boot. Many a man had died needlessly in Ireland due to that cowardice and his poor
leadership. Worse yet though they had no proof both of them suspected it was Bertrand who had
betrayed the king in Ireland and smuggled the assassins into camp the night he had almost been killed.
But perhaps that was simply their own prejudice against the man, Amaury thought now. He pondered the
incident briefly, before realizing quite suddenly that they were halfway up the stairs on the way to&
Good God! They had reached the time for the bedding. His gaze dropped to the wee woman beside him
and he swallowed anxiously, all thoughts of Bertrand fleeing.
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Lord Rolfe had taken great pains to stress his cousin s innocence. As the rumors had suggested, it
appeared she had not even been bedded once by her husband. Amaury could hardly believe Fulk fool
enough to neglect her so, and was not sure that he was pleased at the knowledge. He supposed it was
nice to know his wife had known no other, but Amaury had never taken a virgin. Being a bastard and
knowing the trials of a bastard s life, he had been determined not to produce one himself, and had
therefore lavished his attentions on camp followers and wenches, never virgins. Now, however, he found
himself in a quandary. Never having bedded a virgin, he really had no idea how to proceed.
His gaze slid to his wife s face. She looked completely unperturbed by what was coming, but he had to
wonder how long he could hope for that to last. Probably right up until the bedroom door closed, he
decided. Then she would no doubt burst into rivers of tears and fears and look at him like he was an
animal.
Sighing inwardly, he tried to remember all he had ever heard of bedding virgins from others. They were a
fearful lot from all accounts. That much was certain. And the first time would hurt too, he d been told. It
was the maiden s veil, of course. A man had to ram through it. There was said to be blood sometimes,
sometimes a great deal of it.
Swallowing once more, he felt a fine film of sweat begin on his forehead. How was he to approach this
frail and petite lady with all of this? It was impossible. He would crush her with his very weight. Might
crack her in half with his passion. He simply could not give her the tenderness she deserved, especially
not when he had thought of little else but the consummation since their wedding. At least he had since he
had lifted the veil and seen how comely a wench she was. Lady, he corrected himself. His wife was a
lady and an untried one at that.
My lord?
Amaury glanced at her with a start to find her smiling at him ever so gently.
This is my our room, she informed him quietly.
Ah. Clearing his throat, he reached for the door and opened it for her, then hesitated about entering. It
had suddenly occurred to him to wonder if it would not be more seemly to allow her a few moments
alone in their room to do whatever it was women did to prepare for bed.
Emma was halfway across the room when she realized that her new husband had not followed her.
Turning back, she found he still stood in the doorway of the room. Neither all the way in yet, nor all the
way out, he seemed deep in thought, his face pinched in concentration as he pondered whatever was
concerning him. My lord?
Her new husband looked at her then, and Emma was amazed to see uncertainty on his face. Then
understanding came to her. This was his first time, she realized, and felt her heart melt with understanding.
Up until that moment she had been working herself into a fine lather, silently fretting over having to share
her bed again. Despite knowing what to expect, it was still nerve-wracking being abed with a man for the
first time. But now that she saw how fearful he was, she found herself feeling much better. After all, if he
had never been abed with a woman before, she was the more experienced one. That being the case, she
immediately found herself taking control of the situation.
Come. Smiling gently, she held a hand out toward him. All will be well.
Realizing that his virgin wife was trying to comfort him, Amaury shook his head in bewilderment and
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entered the room, pulling the door shut behind him.
As he closed the door, Emma turned to peer around the room, her gaze landing on the screen Rolfe had
brought back to her from one of his travels. Would you like to use the screen to disrobe? she asked
when he turned to peer at her.
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