Bond of Passion by Bertrice Small

night, thanking Pastor Blaine for his service and the blessing he had offered earlier.
    Then she joined Jean, and the two women departed the great hall, hurrying upstairs to Annabella’s new apartments. Once there, Annabella could not suppress her yawns as Jean divested her mistress of her beautiful garments. The bride quickly washed her face and hands, rinsed her mouth with mint-flavored water, and was dressed in a silk-and-lace night garment.
    She almost fell asleep as Jean brushed out her long hair, undoing any tangles it might have encountered during the course of the afternoon and evening. “Shall I braid it?” she asked, and her mistress nodded sleepily. Jean’s quick fingers wove the long, thick hair into a single plait. Then she tucked Annabella into the big bed with its lavender-scented sheets and down pillows. “Don’t be afraid, Annabella,” she told the younger woman. “Angus is reputed to be a skilled and thoughtful lover. He will treat ye gently, for he knows ye’re a virgin. Would ye like the taperstick left burning, or is the firelight enough for ye?”
    “Snuff the stick,” Annabella said. She struggled to remain awake. She had one more duty to perform this day, and she would not shirk that duty.
    “Good night then,” Jean said, and she hurried from the bedchamber, closing the door softly behind her as she went.
    It was such a big bed, Annabella thought. Her sisters would fit quite comfortably into it. Her sleepy eyes scanned the chamber. It was a gracious space at least four or five times the size of the little room she had inhabited at Rath. Jean had not drawn the bed curtains. The hearth opposite her bed burned brightly, warming the room. There was a large upholstered chair set at an angle by it. The floor, like the one in the dayroom, was covered in a wool carpet, this one dusky blue and cream in the firelight. She would be interested to see whether the colors held in the daylight. It was a lovely room.
    Hearing the click of a lock, she turned her head toward the sound. The earl stepped into her bedchamber through a small door that had been hidden in the paneled wall. He was wrapped in a brocaded robe, but his feet were bare. Annabella realized that beneath the dark silk he was undoubtedly naked. He must have worn the garment for her sake, believing that the sight of a male body might frighten her. She felt her fingers clutching at the down-filled silk coverlet as he seated himself on the edge of the bed.
    “We have one final duty to perform this day, madam,” he said.
    “I know,” Annabella replied.
    “And ye are prepared to fulfill it, madam, are ye not?”
    “Aye, my lord, I am,” she answered him.
    “Yer mam has told ye what is required of ye?” He waited for her reply.
    “I am to lie upon my back with my legs open to ye,” Annabella responded.
    “God’s blood!” he swore softly, and then he laughed. “I think, madam, we shall leave this duty for another time,” the earl told her. “Ye’re exhausted by yer long journey, and coupling wi’ a man ye have known but a few hours will not be pleasant for ye. I have no desire to have to deal wi’ a tired little virgin tonight. We both understand that the purpose of our union is to create heirs for Duin. There is time enough for that, lass,” he finished as he reached out and stroked her face with a gentle hand.
    But instead of being reassured by his words, Annabella was horrified and found herself near tears. “Is it that ye find me so displeasing, my lord, that ye canna bring yerself to do what needs be done?” she asked him in a tremulous voice.
    “Nay, nay, madam,” he sought to reassure her. “I am a man of great carnal appetites, lass, but never have I forced a woman to my will. That is what I would be doing tonight if I insisted on deflowering ye. I want us to get to know each other better, and when we do what will come next will come naturally to both of us. I dinna find ye displeasing at all. Ye have surprised me