"To be sensual, I think, is to respect and rejoice in the force of life, of life itself, and to be present in all that one does, from the effort of loving to the making of bread."
James A. Baldwin
CHAPTER LI
"You're lying," Athos said hoarsely. "She would never go anywhere with you."
Rochefort laughed—a deep, malevolent laugh that made Athos nearly lose his composure.
"You are so naïve, Athos…just like your trusting little Charlotte. How I am going to enjoy taking her…and I will be sure to give you all the details later. Sweet dreams, my friend." An instant later, Athos felt a crushing blow strike the side of his head, and knew no more.
xxxx
The weather was warm and dry—perfect for a journey into the forest. Athos had dreamed of taking Charlotte to his family's hunting lodge since the day they had married. She was in the middle months of her pregnancy now, finally free from the nausea she had experienced early on.
They were on his horse, making their way across a broad meadow filled with narcissi. Charlotte carried a loose bouquet of the delicate white flowers. Athos had stopped to pick them for her, gallantly presenting them on bended knee.
"I can't believe we will finally have time to ourselves," she murmured, leaning back to kiss him. "No garrison. No missions. No Porthos, Aramis, and d'Artagnan—much as I love them," she added hastily.
"It's heaven on earth, is it not?" The teasing tone of his voice made her smile.
"Perhaps." She slanted her eyes up at him. "I reserve judgement until I see exactly what you have in store for me."
"You doubt my ability to please you?" He tilted his head, giving her the look that always made her weak in the knees. "Really?"
"I did not-" She began to laugh, but he covered her mouth with his, silencing her in an instant. When he finally drew away, Charlotte stared at him, her eyes filled with desire. "Show me."
"With pleasure," he murmured, spurring the horse into a canter.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the edge of a forest. Athos tugged on the reins, slowing his mount to a walk.
The tall pines soon surrounded them. After the heat of the open meadow, the cool breeze was welcome. Charlotte felt a trickle of sweat trail down the small of her back, and she shifted slightly in the saddle.
"Getting a bit warm?" Athos nuzzled her neck, then looked down at her. His cool, magnetic voice seemed to penetrate into the very core of her body.
"Perhaps. But you are doing nothing to help the situation," she retorted.
"I wouldn't be so hasty to judge." He reined in the horse, then swung down, extending his hand to her.
She locked eyes with him, and felt a familiar tingle of anticipation begin to penetrate into her belly. "Surely you-"
"Trust me."
He swept her into his arms, then set her lightly on the ground.
"Always," she whispered.
They walked along a narrow path, their steps cushioned by the pine needles that lay underfoot. He felt light and carefree for the first time in months, and his spirits lifted further when he saw Charlotte relaxed and happy. After five minutes or so, the sound of rushing water came to their ears.
She glanced up at him, her eyes questioning.
"Come." He took her hand, and led her into a small glen. A circle of stately aspen trees surrounded them, their leaves rustling in the breeze. The soft, lush grass was dotted with small purple wildflowers.
"It's lovely," Charlotte murmured.
"Ah, but there's more." Athos guided her to a long, flat rock at the far end of the clearing. "Look."
The view took Charlotte's breath away. Directly in front of her, a small waterfall cascaded into a pool of crystal-clear, azure water. "It looks so inviting," she said wistfully. "If only…"
She heard a movement behind her, and turned to see that Athos had removed his boots. An instant later, he had stripped off his shirt.
Pushing her damp hair off the back of her neck, she gave him a reproachful look. "That's not exactly fair."
"Why not?" He slid behind her, and began to undo the elaborate lacing on the back of her dress. "Once we get this heavy material off, you'll instantly feel better."
Charlotte's eyes darted around the clearing. "Athos, do you really think…"
"We have absolute privacy," he said, his voice soothing. "These are my lands, after all. I left strict instructions for us to be left undisturbed for the afternoon. Your only task is to allow me to care for you."
The moment her dress slid to the ground, she relaxed, and leaned back against him. As she closed her eyes, the wind stirred the soft folds of her chemise. Her hands went to her softly rounded belly.
"You've pleased the little one," she murmured. "He-or she-seems to be settling down."
Athos laced his fingers through hers, and chuckled as he felt a little flutter beneath the pad of his thumb. "Perfect timing." He kissed the side of her neck. "Here, why don't you sit here on the edge of the rock? I'm going to test the water."
He peeled off his breeches, and waded into the water, clad only in his braies. Taking in a deep breath, he submerged for an instant, then surfaced. The water sluiced down the hard muscles of his chest as he stood up, pushing his hair off his face.
"I'm enjoying the view!" called out Charlotte sweetly. "The extra training you've been giving d'Artagnan has definitely paid off in terms of your physique. In fact-" she stopped for a moment, her eyes sparkling with mischief, "-if you keep it up, you may actually give Aramis some competition."
Athos sliced through the water with a few swift strokes, then hauled himself onto the rock. Charlotte squealed as he stood over her, the cold water dripping on to her chemise.
"You're going to give me hypothermia!"
"And you, my sweet wife, will pay a forfeit for your injudicious comment."
"I was just teasing!" she protested, scooting away from him.
"Nevertheless, you must be taught a lesson," he murmured. In one swift movement, he bent over and scooped her into his arms.
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Wouldn't I?" he responded, the corner of his mouth quirking up into a smirk as he waded into the water with her. "After all, I've seen far too little of your exquisite body these past few weeks. Treville has kept me so busy that time for lovemaking has been scarce."
She squirmed in his arms, making a futile attempt at escape. "If your idea of getting me in the mood is carrying me into a glacial body of water and making me beg for mercy-"
"There will be no mercy for you today, my sweet. Besides, you'll thank me later." With that, he tossed her into the water.
She pierced the surface with a shriek. "You will pay for this, Comte or no Comte!" She circled around to his back, and looped her arms around his neck.
"And just how do you propose to do that?" he inquired calmly, pulling her under the water with him one more time.
"Let me go!" she spluttered as they resurfaced.
"You were the one who grabbed me!" He was laughing now, entertained by the piqued look on her face. All of a sudden, he eyes swept over her, and his expression changed. "I must say that I have been amply rewarded for my knavery. Your wet chemise leaves little to the imagination."
"Then you shall have an afternoon of unbridled visual enjoyment ahead of you, for I am unlikely to dry off before dinner!"
He shook his head reprovingly. "Now, that is just not true. Once we lay it out in the sun, it'll be dry in no time."
"You're not suggesting..." Charlotte broke off, staring at him in disbelief.
"My love, once the baby comes, it will not be so easy for us to slip off like this."
"You are telling me that you-a seasoned musketeer-will not be able to engineer a romantic interlude with your wife while someone watches the baby? I wasn't born yesterday, Athos. You just want to get my chemise off, right here, right now."
He grinned, then shrugged. "Okay, so you've found me out. Will you do the honors, or shall I?"
"At least allow me the dignity of undressing myself," she said, giving him a dark look. Keeping her eyes on his, she reached down, then lunged for him. Before he knew what had happened, his braies had slipped down to his knees.
Charlotte dissolved in a peal of laughter as Athos decorously stepped out of his undergarment. "Two can play at that, my lady." She began to scull backwards, still giggling, but he was on her in an instant. The filmy material of her chemise was around her ankles seconds later.
"When did your breasts get so big?" he asked hoarsely, unable to take his eyes off her body.
She began to laugh once again. "I think you have asked me that at least once a week for the past few months. Am I getting to be too much for you to handle?"
"Oh, I think I have the situation under control," he murmured. As he lowered his mouth for a kiss, his hands began to roam over her body. After eight months of marriage, he knew exactly how to stoke her desire for him.
Charlottes breathing quickened. "I don't feel so cold anymore."
"Good." He lifted her off her feet, prompting her to wrap her legs around his waist. Striding through the clear water, he carried her to a small ledge just behind the cascading waterfall.
A curtain of mist floated around them, curling tiny wisps of hair around Charlotte's temples. As he settled her on the smooth rock, his voice became husky. "How I love those sweet little curls."
"You look quite handsome yourself." Her brown eyes warmed as her fingers glided over the bristle of his beard. "Have I ever mentioned how much I love your beard? Promise me you'll never grow a goatee."
"Done," he muttered. "But enough talk. I demand satisfaction for your behavior earlier."
"And is this satisfaction to be mutual?" she inquired.
"Give me a few minutes, and I think the answer to that question will be apparent."
An hour later, they lay wrapped in a blanket on the soft grass. Charlotte had fallen asleep nestled against his chest, and Athos had tucked a narcissus behind her ear. As he looked down at his wife, he could not help but think that he had never seen her look more beautiful.
The sun shone down through the trees, and its sweet warmth soon lulled Athos to sleep. Sometime later, he awoke, and became conscious of an unpleasant heat on his back.
He went to roll on to his side, sure that he had sustained a sunburn. However, he found that he was pinned down, and unable to move. The heat moved from his right to left shoulder blade, crescendoing into a terrible, piercing pain. He gritted his teeth, refusing to allow whatever-or whomever—was behind this to see his torment.
"Think you're tough, eh?" The deep voice was laced with venom. "You ain't seen nothin' yet, musketeer." With that, a rod was pressed against Athos' spine, and the nauseating smell of burnt flesh filled the room.
Despite his determination to remain stoic, a cry escaped Athos' lips. The sound was wild and awful, even to his own ears. After what seemed like an eternity, the rod was lifted from his skin. Athos felt as if crushed glass had infiltrated into his spine, with even the most minute movement causing excruciating pain.
The rod clanged to the ground behind him, and his captor's voice became more feral. "Now it's my turn with your pretty little wife. The boss said she put up quite a fight initially, but she's more—placid now, shall we say?"
As he opened the door, a woman's scream was heard to reverberate down the dark hallway. "ATHOS!"
He stiffened, but by the time he called out, the door had slammed shut, and all was silent.
I am doomed, he thought, sagging against the chains. And so is the love of my life.
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