A Love Worthy

Chapter Sixteen

 

 

                He woke early and was immediately aware of the small, feminine body pressed against him. Dorian tightened his arms around Ginelle as she slept peacefully, his body responding automatically to her nearness.

            He reached out and plucked a strand of silver-blond hair from the pillow, teasing the silken tresses between his thumb and forefinger.

            He had taken her maidenhead. He relished in that notion for no man had, had her and no man would. She belonged to him; he would make sure of it.

            He arose from the bed and proceeded to get dressed, all the while, his eyes straying towards the bed. He wanted nothing more than to crawl back beneath the coverlets and take her over and over as his body so badly yearned to do.

            Instead, he finished dressing and reluctantly left the room. He would spend most of the day in the fields but his thoughts would continuously stray towards Ginelle and how he burned to claim her over and again.

            It was nearly noon when her eyes fluttered open and she was immediately aware of a sudden soreness between her legs. Ginelle sat upright in bed and was overcome with disappointment at finding Dorian gone.

            An abrupt knock on the door startled her and she stiffened as she bid them entry. Almost immediately crimson stained her cheeks as Lucile entered, yielding a tray.

            Ginelle half expected the older woman to vent her shock at finding Ginelle in Dorian’s bed, or at least cast a look that would indicate her horror, but the older woman said nothing, her pinched face remained expressionless as she crossed the room and set the tray down on the table.

            When Lucile turned to face her, she tensed, bracing herself for the housekeeper’s rebuke. “Monsieur Dorian has asked that a bath be prepared for you, will you need my assistance?” she arched a brow and Ginelle blushed even redder.

            “Vera’ well.” The older woman said, taking her prolonged silence as an answer.

            Ginelle frowned after Lucile had left. Dorian must have said something and the thought made her blush darken. Surely every habitant within the manor was now well aware that she had been in Dorian’s bed.

            Hesitantly, she peeled away the coverlets and gasped for dry blood coated her inner thighs, a clear indication that symbolized her loss of innocence.

            She slipped from the bed, dragging the coverlets with her to shield her naked body. Her heart thundered in her chest as she turned and stared at the rumpled bed. Dorian’s absence was like a splash of cold water.

            What had she done? She had given herself to a man whom she barely understood; Who had proclaimed no affections for her? What did she expect?