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I do not own Merlin or the characters, neither do I own Truce: The Historic Neighbor from Hell.
"Oh dear!" Gwen exclaimed, as she jumped to her feet and ducked, just as Arthur reached for her.
For some reason, she always went too far where he was concerned.
It really couldn't be helped though, it was simply too much fun to pass up.
She hiked her skirts up and ran as though her life depended upon it.
And after taking a look over her shoulder, she realized that it just might.
Arthur was chasing after her.
She shrieked, but didn't stop.
Her father had just stepped out into the hall, and was now stood in front of her, flanked by Henry and Uther Pendragon.
"Gwen?" he asked, looking stunned.
"Too far!" she said, as if those two words would explain why a grown man was chasing his daughter.
Evidently, they did, because all three men laughed and nodded knowingly.
But Gwen didn't stick around, to see if her father was going to help her. There was a madman chasing her after all.
"Guinevere!" Arthur roared.
She didn't answer, only yelped, as she ran through the kitchen.
"Stop him!" she pleaded to the servants, but one look at Arthur had them all stepping back.
'Cowards!' Gwen screamed internally, but kept moving.
She was out of breath and admittedly frightened, remembering Arthur as a boy was a formidable opponent. But Arthur as a man...was deadly.
She scooted around the long oak table, just as he entered the kitchen, hoping to keep him on the other side.
"Leave us," Arthur ordered the servants in a cold voice.
"No, don't!" Gwen pleaded.
But they weren't stupid. They fled.
She would have too, she thought, if he'd given her the option.
Nevertheless, she decided to try.
She ducked and tried to join the fleeing servants, but his hand came down on her shoulder, just when she thought that she might be able to sneak away.
"Not you, Guinevere."
She laughed nervously.
"Well, you weren't specific." She ducked away from him.
"You went too far, Guinevere."
"I-I know," she stammered, as she went back around the table.
He followed at a predatory pace, his eyes locked on her figure.
This man was frightening. Why hadn't she noticed that in the orangery?
As Gwen pondered those thoughts in her mind, Arthur stopped suddenly and looked to his left.
"Oh look, it's laundry day," he noted, in a deceptively bored tone.
She didn't want to move her gaze away from him, but her eyes wouldn't listen to her.
Of their own accord, they followed his gaze to the large laundry tub full of water, clothes and soap.
And before she knew what was happening, he had her scooped up into his arms.
Gwen tried to squirm her way out of Arthur's hold, but it was not an easy feat.
"Let me go!" she said.
"Of course, my Lady. Your wish is my command," he said pleasantly, before he released her.
"Arthur, you..."
Her words were cut off by an intake of cold soapy water, as she was dumped unceremoniously into the laundry tub.
And her 'dumper' stood tall and proud, with a smug smile on his face.
Gwen gasped as she pulled herself up, soaked to the bone and freezing.
The large fire, several feet behind her, did nothing to chase away the chill.
She noted Arthur's smile slowly faded, as his eyes narrowed on her dress.
At that, she looked down to discover, that her light blue gown was now sticking to her and was completely see through!
As if the universe was against her, she felt her nipples grow hard from the cold and were now poking against the wet material.
To top it off, she watched as Arthur hungrily licked his lips, his eyes glued to her chest.
Feeling exposed, she scrambled to get out of the tub and away from that hungry look.
She grabbed a dry, crumpled sheet from the pile near the tub and wrapped it firmly around herself, tucking it in above her breasts.
Right at that moment, Arthur stepped forward, almost as if he couldn't stop himself and just as she prepared herself for the worst, his mouth came down on hers.
Gwen tasted of soapy water and pure minx, Arthur thought.
And instead of slapping him like he'd expected, she pulled him closer and kissed him back.
Their mouths moved in a perfect dance.
Then, his tongue traced her lower lip requesting entrance and she gave it.
Afraid the servants might return at any moment, Arthur opened his eyes to make sure that they were still alone.
He still couldn't believe that Gwen was kissing him, after what he'd done to her.
Surprising him, she turned them around, as she kept kissing him.
"Anyone coming?" she mumbled.
"No, no one," he murmured against her lips.
"Good."
Gwen ran her hands down Arthur's chest to his waist, where she began to undo his trousers.
Immediately, alarm and joy shot through him.
"Minx?" he asked breathlessly, as she deepened the kiss.
'Good God!'
They were going to make love in the kitchen, he realized with a possessive growl, as he took over the kiss.
He felt his pants drop down around his boots, the same moment that he felt something hard bump against the back of his legs.
Gwen pulled back, smiling seductively up at him, as her hands traced back up to his chest, where they flattened.
"I think you need to cool off," she said as she shoved him.
"Wh..."
Thanks to his pants around his ankles and the edge of the tub behind him, he lost his balance and landed in the ice-cold tub of water.
With his pants around his ankles, he found it difficult to climb out.
"I believe now, sir, that we are even," Gwen said with a curtsy.
" You brat!" he roared.
And she stepped back, biting her lip nervously.
'Perhaps, just dumping him in the water would have made us even. I think dropping his pants might have been too much,' she thought.
After a short struggle, Arthur managed to climb out of the tub and yank his wet clothes up with great effort.
He quickly fastened his pants, just in time too, since their fathers stormed into the kitchen seconds later.
The men took one look at the both of them and started laughing.
"Run," Arthur said, in a harsh, cold voice.
"Exactly my thoughts on the matter," Gwen said, as she turned and bolted passed her father.
"Too far?" her father asked, laughing.
"Yes!" she squeaked.
Arthur watched Gwen leave.
If he took one step after her, he was sure that he was going to kill her...with sex.
Even after an ice cold bath, his excitement for her wouldn't diminish.
God, she was wonderful and he was going to enjoy getting back at her, he decided.
"I don't like that smile, Arthur. Just promise me that you won't kill her," Lord Abbot demanded, still looking amused.
"I promise, my Lord," he said.
And that was the only promise anyone would get from him, where Gwen was concerned.
Uther Pendragon slapped Lord Abbot on the shoulder, and said,
"At least our time here won't be boring."
Lord Abbot laughed in agreement, as they left the room, leaving Arthur to plan his revenge.
"That's lovely, my Lady," Janet, Gwen's maid, said.
Gwen looked her dress over. The neckline was low, but not too low to cause a scandal.
And she liked the color...a lovely shade of blue...which reminded her of Arthur's eyes...which was not the reason she chose to wear this dress, not at all.
She hated the man, after all.
It was his fault, that she'd been forced to hide in her room for the last week, pretending to be sick.
She would have stayed longer too, if her father hadn't put his foot down and called her a coward.
She was not a coward.
She just wasn't foolish enough to come out and face a madman waiting to kill her.
Self-preservation was at fault here.
She had to go out tonight anyway.
It was the Woodward's annual ball and her mother would never forgive her if she missed it.
It was one of the more popular balls, and only the elite were invited. No one dared miss it, or they risked being snubbed next year.
But there was a small token...at least for tonight...as she was guaranteed an Arthur-free night.
Earlier, Janet told her, the gentlemen were all going to their clubs tonight, saying something about a card game.
That meant, she would be able to enjoy a few hours without living in fear.
For the past week, she'd thoroughly inspected all her food, for anything nasty that he might have added, before she ate it.
She also checked her bath water, to ensure there wasn't any dye waiting to turn her blue.
The man was devious, after all.
Gwen quickly made her way downstairs, while keeping an eye out for traps.
Her nerves were frayed.
'Damn that man!'
As soon as she was downstairs and she was positive that he wasn't waiting for her, she went straight to the protective bosom of her mother and Lady Pendragon, who were waiting patiently in the foyer.
Victoria was already gone.
She was now officially a spinster.
It was a shame, and although it was her future as well, she would never be anyone's companion.
She would be her own master.
"Shall we go?" Gwen asked with a forced smile, as she rushed her mother and Lady Igraine Pendragon out the door.
"You're certainly excited tonight," her mother noted approvingly.
Normally, it was like pulling teeth to get her out of the house for one of these affairs, but tonight, she welcomed the safety that a ball offered.
In fact, she fully planned on staying, until they kicked her out.
Gwen waited anxiously, as her mother and Lady Igraine climbed into the dark carriage, with the help of a footman.
Her job, in her mind at least, was to keep a lookout for Arthur.
He was sneaky, after all.
"Lady Gwen?" the footman said, waiting patiently for her to climb in as well.
"Thank you, Wilfred," she said, accepting his help.
Once inside the dark carriage, she immediately saw the other two women sharing the bench riding forward.
With an inward sigh, she sat down on something rather firm and warm, that definitely didn't feel like a bench.
"I believe this seat is taken, Lady Guinevere," Arthur drawled, startling her and making her jump off his lap.
Somehow, she tripped over her skirts in the process and would have landed on her mother and Lady Pendragon, if he hadn't reached out and grabbed her by the waist.
Before she could swat his hands away, he planted her on the seat beside him.
"What are you doing here?" Gwen rudely asked, not really caring if she offended Arthur.
"Gwen!" her mother hissed, as Lady Igraine was trying her best to hide a smile.
"I'm here to escort two very beautiful women to the ball," Arthur said, winking across the carriage and making the other women giggle.
Then, he slid a sideways look her way and grinned.
Gwen was beyond annoyed, but the other women didn't seem to notice or care.
That was fine by her.
She could sit here and ignore her nemesis' very warm body and the way he made her body tingle with anticipation of his touch.
Once she was at the ball, she would avoid him all together.
Well, it would have been easy to ignore him, if he hadn't started to use his weight to push her against the wall.
"Stop it!" she hissed.
"Stop what?" Arthur asked innocently.
"You're pushing me."
"You must be imagining things. I haven't moved."
Gwen rolled her eyes.
"Fine. We're almost there anyway."
Arthur pushed her again, but she ground her jaw and accepted it.
If this was his idea of revenge, then it was pathetic.
But she'd let him have it.
It was simply childish. He'd certainly lost his touch over the years.
"We're here!" Lady Pendragon said cheerfully.
And Gwen smiled in relief.
The faster she was able to get away from Arthur, the better.
Arthur jumped out, to help the other women out of the carriage first.
When it was Gwen's turn, he held his hand out for her and she reluctantly took it.
Once down, she straightened her skirts and froze.
Was there a draft?
Uh-oh! Stay safe and enjoy 2021.