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Chapter Twelve - Insulted
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The Conqueror's Royal Slave Chapter Thirteen - Ravished
The time she had been dreading had arrived. She was back in the guest suite with Xander, sharing the wooden tub with him. At least he had had the decency – if that was the right word – to wait until dusk. “Your shyness is enchanting, my sweet,” he told her, running the washcloth over her breasts. She shivered. “I have rarely met such an inexperienced female.” “It won’t stop you taking what you want from me, though, will it?” “Rather me than anyone else,” he said. “I only wish Ephron had told me you were so young.” “You probably wouldn’t have believed him. After all, Mama was very convincing about my so-called precocious exploits.” “I didn’t believe a word of it, Eithne.” “And if I said I was looking around earlier in the bathroom for a concealed mirror?” His eyes narrowed. “How did you know?” he asked. Her outraged gasp told him she hadn’t. “Some distinguished guests my father had. I thought they were interested in the books when all the time … ” “I didn’t sneak a peek as you
The Conqueror's Royal Slave Chapter Fourteen - Dancing
She woke to the clatter of maids and heard her mother’s strident voice raised in complaint. That was one sound she hadn’t missed. Someone squealed and she guessed Edgar had goosed one of the women. In her opinion the girl had gotten off lightly. Xander was not in the room. In some ways that was a relief, in others not. Eithne felt vulnerable, unprotected. Throwing back the coverlet she rose and went into the bathchamber. Everything was still and silent, except for the nearby chatter and the sound of weapons clashing in the training area. Had he gone to oversee that, perhaps to participate? She told herself she didn’t care. Using some more of the water he’d inexplicably fetched for her, she washed as thoroughly as it was possible to do without immersion. A knock at the door sent her into a panic, but she knew it couldn’t be him and an intruder wouldn’t have taken the trouble. Not wanting to use her voice in case it fetched her mother, she went cautiously to the door, clutching the r
The Conqueror's Royal Slave Chapter Fifteen - Saviour
Flavius did not linger anywhere until they had left the palace entirely. As they crossed the courtyard, he squeezed her hand.“There’s no need to fear me, little one,” he said.“I – I wish I could believe that, messire.”“Oh, I’m not worthy of that title. And the names we used in the place of shame are taken from tombstones, as like as not.”He was right, she reflected. Place of shame about summed up the whole palace at the moment. Or was he just referring to the one room?“What do they call you?” she asked.“Bastard, mostly.” He smiled without humour. “Iain. No surname. As I said, I’m as illegitimate as the next.”She sighed. “I wish this horrible nightmare were over. Since the conqueror arrived things have gone from bad to worse.”“Do you mean Xander?” Iain snorted. “He’s just a jumped up mercenary.”“I thought so.”What was that lump in her throat?“But the way he looks at you, Princess. I’ve never seen him like that.”“The hate, you mean. The … ” She couldn’t bring herself to say
The Conqueror's Royal Slave Chapter Sixteen - Re-training
Xander had already primed his band of mercenaries what to expect. He had not missed the tremor which shot through the Princess at his words. Leaving her to suspect the worst wasn’t his intention but it couldn’t be helped.Neither he nor Flavius could have predicted what was about to happen after the morning meal yet it had worked out fine and at least Eithne had some respite from the relentless cruelty he had played his part in inflicting. The problem was, she was just too lovely a creature for him not to take advantage of her ripening beauty.Quite why he had told the Princess she was a disappointment after deflowering her was something he was loath to examine. It had been a despicable thing to do and not his finest hour. He refused to put it down to guilt, yet what else could it be?Had he shouted it out solely to impress Clara? If so, he really needed his head examining.This further ‘training’ session was designed to keep her from being exploited by Clara. In reality, though she w
The Conqueror's Royal Slave Chapter Seventeen - Danger
Eithne didn’t know what to think any more. Xander was confusing. The hate she had felt was buried in a dark chamber of her heart while she assessed the few positives she knew about. The mercy killing had been a necessary evil and he didn’t have to honour them with his cloak in lieu of a shroud. He’d defended her to Clara and even permitted her to spend the night alone in her chamber when she knew his preference would have been to use her as his plaything.This latest charade of training under the guise of keeping her safe from whatever else her mother might have planned was close to unbelievable. And yet, she could just about find it credible. He’d even hired a lady of the night, presumably to throw Clara off the scent. Fortunately, she hadn’t had to witness her pleasuring the men or hear her wanton cries.None of this mattered now when their very lives hung in the balance.“If we get separated in the confusion, find Flavius. He’ll protect you. If all else fails, go to Jocasta. She wi
The Conqueror's Royal Slave Chapter Eighteen - Reflection
Though it was a wrench to leave the area, Eithne knew it was for the best. Seated on the donkey, it was easy to pretend she had been born to poverty. Flavius had taken his leave of them some leagues back and the two women made their way to a distant village largely in quiet companionship.Jocasta often whispered to her own beast of burden but she had no inclination to do the same.“I hate him,” she said, on one occasion as they stopped to top up their water flasks.“Who? Your brother?”“Xander,” she replied, not meeting the older woman’s eyes.“Did he beat you, pass you to other men? Was he a vicious and brutal lover?”“I – ” She could not frame the words now, knowing she had probably gotten off lightly, though not by the standards of royalty.King Stephen had talked often of a code which meant that invaders with breeding would afford their peers respect. As a princess she had not expected to be treated like a common slave. Well, now she knew how the other half lived. Maybe she could
The Conqueror's Royal Slave Chapter Nineteen - Ginny
Over a hearty meal of vegetable soup and some of Jocasta’s fresh bread, the girl eventually opened up about her older sister.“Don’t think you’ve been abandoned, Princess,” she said, placing her elbows on the table. “Someone will come for you when the time is right. I do what I can nowadays to make up for not being able to do anything to help my kin.”She had to ask. “How old are you?”“Seventeen. Got a birthday coming up in a few weeks.”“You look so young,” she said, taking in the round face and rosy lips, the fair hair and occasional glimpse of dimples.Becca snorted. “Have you looked in a mirror lately, my lady?”“Call me Eithne,” she said. “I insist.”After several attempts, the girl mastered the pronunciation. She poured them both some hot cider before starting to put flesh on the bones of her tale.“In Arcadia, the gambling city, they say it is possible to overcome poverty in many ways, not all of them legal. You just need something to sell. Women with no protector are fair gam
The Conqueror's Royal Slave Chapter Twenty - Seized
The village wasn’t all that stable. Becca had told her that much as they went for what was probably an ill-advised walk along the cliff top a few days later. Eithne just had to get out in the fresh air for a while. She knew she was probably tempting Fate and possibly endangering her companion, but she hadn’t obliged her to come along. Unless … had Jocasta charged her with keeping her safe? When she asked what had changed, the girl volunteered there were more cutpurses about and, she had heard, slavers. Eithne’s heart began to beat faster. “We should go back,” she said, pulling the borrowed shawl more tightly around her shoulders. The gannets were especially noisy now, though she didn’t mind that. Plucking wildflowers, once a no-no, was a delight since she knew they wouldn’t wilt on the way back. So often as a child her daisy chain had withered, her miserable face leading Clara to impose a ban. Whether that had ever been for her own good she couldn’t be sure. Maybe she was jinxed,
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