The King, The Duke, and The Lady

A Story of Friendship, Love, and Lust

Chapter 3

The Duke of Suffolk was alone enjoying a late breakfast outside in the garden. He appreciated the way that Brianna's servants were so attentive to his needs, especially since he had brought only one chamberlain with him on this quick visit. The grounds were beautiful in the daylight. He sat at an iron table in the midst of the garden in bloom with flowers and carved hedges. Beyond the garden he could see a trimmed grassy area and then the forest beyond. It was a beautiful property and he understood why the Lady enjoyed being here. He thought back on their conversation the night before. So many surprises…or were they? He was definitely surprised by her claim of virginity, especially given her forwardness in private and the passion of her kiss last night. But he also had no doubt she was telling the truth.

The idea of love was the thought he wondered on the most. Did he love her? He certainly had feelings for her beyond a passing lust or fancy. She had been back at Court for six months and in those months they had spent quite a bit of very enjoyable time together, more than he had ever spent with another woman before. He knew he looked forward to the opportunities that presented themselves to him to enjoy her company. He remembered every dance they had ever shared, the way he would get lost in her indigo eyes with lashes that were impossibly long. Her eyes constantly seemed to tease him with their amusement and some kind of private thought behind them. Was that private thought she kept so shuttered behind her eyes her love for him? Apparently so, as she had ambiguously declared it the night before. And what of that kiss? He had never waited for so long to kiss a woman before. Brianna had never provided the opportunity and had kept her distance, keeping him unknowingly chained to her he realized now, but without a word or a sign except that look in her eyes, the touch of her hand, and the occasional whiff of lavender in her hair as she passed by. Now, after tasting her last night, touching her creamy skin, bruising her ripe lips and brushing against her plump breasts he was sure he could not live without her. She provided him with so much that no one else ever had… intellect and wisdom that was far above any other woman and far above almost every man he had ever met, graceful and quiet charm, the sudden laugh, the joy that she seemed to have in his presence and he in hers, and the constant ability to surprise. He laughed against his finger poised on his lips remembering hers pressed to his. Their first kiss had been a brutal and unbelievably passionate one. He had been angry and stirred in passion and he took her lips and her mouth by storm. And she gave as good as she got. It may have been her first kiss like that, but she was unafraid and just as desperate for him as he was for her. He felt himself aroused just thinking about her.

"Good morning, Your Grace. Enjoying your breakfast I hope?" Brianna had quietly crept up behind him, hoping to surprise him out of his apparent reverie. She was rewarded with a slight jump from him and a rapid rise to meet her.

"My Lady," he said slightly breathlessly as he had been caught so off guard. "Breakfast was delicious and the surroundings could not be more beautiful, much like the woman who lives here."

Brianna smiled in acknowledgement at his compliment and sat at the small table in the chair opposite him. She poured herself some hot tea, adding honey, and chose a few pieces of cut fruit. "You looked like you were deep in thought? Want to share?" Her voice held that light amusement that she always seemed to have, like she was in on some private joke that no one else knew about.

Brandon took in her morning attire, again surprised by her uninhibited style. She was completely alone with a man not her husband (at least not yet he thought in passing) dressed only in her loosely woven cotton nightdress with a sapphire gown partially buttoned over it, indecent and hardly respectable by court standards. And it just endeared her to him more. "I was thinking about friendship, love, lust, and you, milady."

"Ah! Some deep thinking indeed, Your Grace. Anything specific you would want to discuss or were these just general ramblings of the mind?"

"We have been friends a long time, Bri. From our childhood and I'd like to think we picked up where we left off in our more recent relationship, last night taking it too a much higher level. You told me last night you expected love from me and that I would know it when I felt it."

Her face partially hidden by her tea cup, she raised an eyebrow in an unspoken question. He continued, "I have never been a man to examine his emotions carefully. I know my own thoughts and opinions well, but emotions have never really had a place, especially with regards to women. I no longer relish the reputation I have inadvertently built regarding women. I was careless and casual in all my relationships with women, never staying in one long enough to cause an attachment of any kind on either person's part. I realize now that my relationship with you has been anything but careless or casual. I have been cautious of your reputation where I would not have been with others. I have sought out your attention and private time with you while I would have expected another to seek me out. I have walked a fine line in holding the friendship between you, me, and The King as sacrosanct but have been unwilling to simply capitulate to him with regards to you. We are competitive yes, and he never expects me to let him win unfairly. He gives his all as do I and we are well matched. His attentiveness towards you has not gone unnoticed by anyone including the Queen, but somehow you have managed to keep the friendship balanced and fair without falling for either of our rather prodigious charms."

Brianna broke his very serious speech to her with a loud laugh. "Prodigious charms indeed Charles, ones that you have both perfected over the years. As you have apparently perfected your pride. And while you are quite proud and your charms are disturbingly mighty, I do appreciate the care you have taken in furthering our relationship." Brianna leaned over the table and took his hand, a serious smile on her face. "And my Lord, I do appreciate you sharing your thoughts with me this morning." He intertwined their fingers while looking intently into her eyes, while she continued, "And now, perhaps a vigorous ride and picnic, Charles?"

Brandon got up slowly, still holding her hand and stepped to her side of the table leaning over her tilted up face. He brought his lips gently to hers placing a carefully passionate kiss on her still slightly swollen lips from the night before. He raised himself up and looked into her eyes. "Perfect," he said softly.

Hand in hand, they walked slowly back to the house to prepare for their ride.

Sometime later she found the former King's Master of the Horse in front of the house with their two horses and a blanket and picnic settled on the back of his horse. He must have arranged for that before dressing. Brandon's horse was a large, black, comely horse, fierce in battle and jousts and a wonderful ride through the countryside. Hers was white with black hooves, and excellent and spirited animal for riding and hunting, but much smaller in stature than his larger horse. She smirked at him as he showed off a bit turning his horse around quickly and at the surprise on his face as he took in her riding attire. Unlike at court where she had to ride side saddle in a dress with a hat and all sorts of burdensome petticoats, she had on a smaller version of men's pants sewn out of white soft suede and laced up the front with leather string. Her riding boots were black and fit tightly up past her knees. The top she wore was again a smaller copy of a man's open-necked peasant shirt, laced with a leather tie that went quite low on her chest and of black cotton. He wondered indelicately as to just what she wore under it as he saw a hint of red as she lifted herself onto her horse. He had been surprised when her groom put a regular saddle on her horse, but thought he would know best what she would prefer.

As she came up beside him on his horse, he gave her a suggestive look taking in her smooth fitting riding outfit and her well-displayed body, saying, "Casual country attire indeed. You would positively scandalize the court dressing the way you do here."

"As long as I positively scandalize you I wouldn't care," she laughed as she took off at a gallop towards the woods. She heard Brandon's delighted laugh behind as he quickly sought to overtake her.

For more than an hour they challenged each other, jumping snags and fallen logs and racing through clearings each chasing the other as they would gain ground and pass and then lose their place in front again. They were well matched and laughed when they overtook the other or as they passed with a fleeting tease and let out frustrated sighs when they were defeated. Eventually the horses as well as their masters tired. The riders dismounted and, leading their horses, walked quietly along the small creek that flowed through Brianna's land. Charles loosely put his arm around Brianna's shoulder, pulling her under his arm. He was pleased when she didn't resist and just smiled gently up at him. They walked in a companionable silence broken only by the sound of a bird's song, a hawk's cry after food, or the trickling of the lazily flowing water.

Finally, they came upon a wide shady spot close to the creek where their horses could drink and rest and they could spread out the blanket and picnic. They had both worked up an appetite and the hearty Ploughman's lunch with refreshing brewed beer pleased them both. They lay on their sides with some food between them alternately talking quietly and feeding each other. Finished eating and growing sleepy after their ride and meal, they repacked their food and lay on the blanket together. Charles lay on his back while Brianna laid her head on his warm chest, his chest hair ticking her nose. Charles lazily looked up at the sky through the tree branches while absent mindedly stroking Brianna's silky soft hair.

Brianna asked in almost a whisper, "Penny for your thoughts…" [A/N: this phrase did come into popular English culture early in the 16th century, it is not an anachronism]

In an equally hushed voice, Charles replied, "I think I have never been as content as I am right now." Sincerity pulsed through his voice and Brianna was moved. She lifted her head and looked at him, unshed tears in her eyes.

"Me too."

"Is this what love is?" Charles asked softly.

"I think being content and comfortable and happy with another is a part of being in love," Brianna answered.

Charles was quiet for a few minutes as they lay there in silence. Brianna could tell he was pondering something and didn't want to intrude on his thoughts. Her fingers absentmindedly toyed with the leather laces of his shirt, touching the light coating of dark hair on his chest. With his eyes closed, he felt Brianna's silken hair flow through his hands and her fingers toying with his shirt and lightly touching his chest. He sighed with satisfaction. "Well then, I must be in love."

Brianna heard him and gently snuggled in tighter to him, embracing him with one arm across his chest. His hands move out of her hair and down the back of her shirt, stroking her back lightly. His arm was long and soon his hand reached her suede covered bottom, feeling a smoothness there that belied any underclothing and a tightness that promised a wonderful view. His hand lightly came back up her body and upon reaching her face, lifted it to his.

"I do love you Brianna. There may come a day when I may make you sad, but know that I would never do so willingly. In all things honest and good and holy, I will be true to you Brianna." His voice was soft and urgent, begging her to believe him, to believe in him. "I wouldn't blame you if you didn't believe me," he paused looking deeply into her eyes, his hand holding her face in place and pinning her eyes to his. "Do you believe me?" His sounded like a young child's voice, desperate for approval.

Brianna smiled thoughtfully at him. "I want to believe you Charles, and I do believe you mean what you say and you will try to keep your word. And while we cannot know the future, love can see us through almost anything." She leaned out of his hand and softly met his lips with hers. When she pulled back she said, "You are, I think, a high-risk proposition, but one likely to worth taking."

Charles smiled happily at her and pulled her head down for another kiss, a deep soul-searing kiss that allowed all the love and the passion to escape from his heart into hers. He gently rolled her under him enveloping her mouth and her body within his. She returned his passionate kiss, pressing her body against his. Their clothing was light enough without the bother of petticoats and the like and they enjoyed the feeling of their bodies pressed together with little cumbersome material to inhibit the sensation of the other's response and heat. Charles' mouth and tongue continued its hungry caress along her cheeks to her jaw and down her long swan-like neck while Brianna found herself unabashedly arching her body against his and opening herself in response to his kiss. One hand held her head to his lips while the other stroked her now bare shoulder, finding the leather laces of her blouse, quickly loosening them with his fingers. He pulled his head back from her kiss, his heated eyes now mesmerized by her skin and the bareness of her shoulder, chest and heaving breast straining against her red corset. He laid her head back against the ground with his hand still providing a cushion for her comfort, while his other hand caressed and touched her unblemished and to-date untouched skin. Gaining control of himself, he slowly lowered his lips to her bareness and leisurely kissed her soft skin. The peek of red cloth he could not see much of earlier was a corset held up with straps holding her firm bosom. Brandon wanted to devour her completely and only through terrific willpower was he able to satisfy himself with just small kisses along where her clothing and skin met. He pulled himself away slightly from his passionate embrace of her body to look into her equally heated eyes. Through the thin cloth of her pants he could feel her heated core and his body responded in kind. Trying to cool a passion he barely controlled he kissed his way back up her body bit by bit, his wandering hand stilled as he cupped her breast. Her rapid breathing started to slow although through the hand settled at her breast he could still feel her heart race.

When he broke his kiss at her mouth, he laid his head tenderly on her stomach, letting his own breathing and heart rate slow.

She spoke first, taking a sip of beer to wet her parched throat. "God Charles, is it always like this?"

She felt Charles smile against her stomach before he raised his head slightly and looked up her body into her eyes. "No my love. It is never like this, at least it has never been for me before. There has been lust, and with it passion, but there has never been an all-consuming need to possess, even absorb another into my body. Even after such a brief encounter, I know I will never be able to let you go." He sighed and climbed up her body so she could lay her head on his chest.

She smelled the musky scent of his arousal and the sweat of the ride along with the scented soap from his bath last night or this morning. She closed her eyes sleepily, resting on his chest, when he continued, "Will you marry me, Brianna my love?"

Now was her turn to lift her head and look into his eyes, "You are sure?"

He nodded, "As sure as I have ever been before of anything."

She smiled at him softly, almost shyly he thought, "Then yes, I will marry you." Then amusement crept into her eyes again, "But, Your Grace, I expect you to ask me nice and proper again, complete with a suitable ring and the blessing of my father and the King secured."

He laughed and hugged her to him. "I wouldn't have it any other way. But, you should be prepared milady, Brianna, that having to wait to secure your passions with much more of this unabated tension, I am likely to take your body by storm on our wedding night. Like our long awaited kiss last night, it could be rough and brutal."

Brianna laughed delightedly. "Have a care Your Grace," she loved using his title to tease him, "before brutalizing my body, you will still have to take my maidenhead and I have been led to believe that can be painful. Once we pass that hurdle, then making love however we need or feel would be welcome. I do not fear you, although from what I have felt between us so far, I think you will be quite intimidating to my virginal passage." She paused and then asked curiously, "Have you ever had to wait Charles?"

Brandon snorted, "Never Brianna. This will be an entirely new experience for me as well." Charles laughed again, practically giddy, "Intimidating indeed. I will have a care for your maidenhead my love. That will bring me great joy and I will make sure you enjoy it as well. I will bring the matter of marriage up with your father when I return, and then with the King as is possible."

Brianna asked quietly, "I have no real unease where my father is concerned. But what of the King?"

Charles hesitated before answering her, the question a serious one. "The King is very attached to you, both as a friend and as a woman. We both know that. He is competitive as well and may not take kindly to my success at capturing your hand and your heart. You have told him clearly, although not in so many words, that you have no wish to be his Queen or his mistress and it may take telling him that several times before he is willing to relinquish his perceived rights to you. In the end he will likely give his blessing, and if not, we will be banished from court I'm sure."

"You would marry me without the King's blessing?" Brianna looked up at him surprised.

"I am the King's man through and through, but yes, in this case I would act with my heart."

"It would be difficult for you to be banished from court Charles. For me, it would be a welcome relief, but for you as important as your position is to you and as much as you thrive in court life, that would be a terrible burden. I would not want that for you. You would simply begin to hold me accountable for your unhappiness."

"In everything but you I would chose to serve the King. And we will hope that he will give us his blessing before starting to plan if he does not." Charles replied seriously.

Brianna sat up against Charles and much to his surprise swung one leg over his body, bringing his manhood up against her still heated and damp center. Charles groaned at the sensation and his eyelids drooped while his eyes became heated again. Brianna leaned into him sliding herself against his large staff while probing his lips with her tongue. Gently biting his lower lip caused him to eagerly open his mouth to receive her warm tongue and their passion quickly reignited. She continued to rub her hot, damp core against him while kissing him fervently. Mimicking his actions earlier, she broke their kiss and let her mouth travel along his lightly bearded chin and down his neck, leaving small bite marks along the way, her passion and desire for him being increasingly stoked by ever moan and sound he made. She felt powerful and wanton, which she thought given their positions she supposed she was.

She reached the laces of his riding shirt and nuzzled her face and lips into his slight but soft chest hair, loving the feeling of it against her chin. She looked up at him smiling wickedly, her wild thick hair spread across his body like a silk sheet. He thought he had never desired anyone or anything as much as he did right then. She looked every bit the wanton temptress despite her current virginity. Her voice came to his ears deep and dark with passion, "I do not have a solution for our King, but I just might have something we can offer our friend Henry…"

TBC

Remember reviews feed the muse. I have another story I urgently need to get back to that has a storm of readers and reviewers feeding the muse and desiring my attention to return. This little plot bunny may have a hold on me now (or perhaps it is just Henry Cavill—have you seen the Dunhill Black commercial on YouTube?…I'm going to buy my husband that fragrance just because of the commercial. The man was born to play James Bond.), but feed the little energizer bunny the power of your reviews and encouragement to keep us going!