Chapter 7
Anne rode the mare around the estate. The estate was not so large that she was ever out of sight of the manor house. A groom rode a discrete distance behind her and worried that if she so much as stubbed her toe that Ahgur would cast a spell on him and turn him into a dog. It was rumored that many of the stray cats and dogs running around the castle grounds were former enemies of Ahgur.
The mare was as Benjamin had said. She was a bit smaller than normal and she was very gentle, but the mare suited Anne perfectly. Within minutes horse and rider were as one spirit and each loved the other. Anne felt as if the mare was an extension of herself. She loved the estate and Benjamin was doing everything in his power to make her and Nora feel at home. Nora's apparent infatuation with Benjamin made Anne a little uneasy, but she was sure that Nora would not do anything foolish like making a play for him. Besides, Anne had plans for Benjamin herself. She often imagined herself as the mistress of the estate. Benjamin and Anne would make the perfect husband and wife. Yes, she liked the sound of that.
Anne motioned to the groom that she was going to head back to the stable. She turned the horse's head toward the manor house and took of at a slow trot. The horse seemed to anticipate her desires and would respond immediately to her commands. It was a spectacle to see the tow of them.
As she tied the mare in front of the stable she saw that Benjamin was putting the finishing touches on the stall that the mare was to use. She laughed when she saw that he was straw and hay from head to foot. When he saw her, he quickly tried to brush the straw and hay from his clothes.
"Sire, you do get into your work. You have more hay and straw on you than a scarecrow."
Anne ran to him and put her arms around him and clutched him to her.
"She is everything that you said. She is perfect. If I didn't know better, I would swear that the mare understands our language, yes, even our thoughts."
Benjamin held her to him and felt her breasts poking him in this chest. She pulled back and kissed him on his cheek.
"Thank you so much for the mare. She is better than any jewel or riches that you could give me."
Anne pulled away and ran to the house to tell Nora about her ride. She wanted to lord Benjamin's gift over Nora more than she wanted Nora to share her joy.
Nora listened to Anne babble on about the merits of the Mare and the generosity of Benjamin. Anne went on about the beauty of the estate and the impeccable manners of its owner. Nora started to fume. It was as if Anne had discovered Benjamin and took it on herself to inform every one of his merits. She smiled and wished that she could tell Anne about Benjamin's gifts to her. Anne would die of envy if she knew that Benjamin had bedded her twice. Nora knew that the young girl was head over heels in love with the blonde headed warrior. A bit of anger crept into Nora's breast-Benjamin was hers!
Anne noticed the change in Nora's demeanor and thought that it was just jealousy. She turned on her heel and left for her quarters to clean up for lunch.
After lunch Anne spent the afternoon grooming the mare and redoing the stall. She was determined that the mare would have the best of everything and that only she knew what the best was. She chastised several of the stable boys for the condition of the stalls next to her mare and supervised the their cleanup.
Nora and Benjamin took naps for the better part of the afternoon and Anne took this as proof that Benjamin needed a wife to share the duties of running an estate. The teenager fancied herself as the perfect wife for him and set her cap to win him over. She knew that he had feelings for her. He had demonstrated this by giving her the mare. She smiled and thought to herself that she would bear him many fine sons. She resolved to give him her virginity at the first opportunity. The naïve young girl knew that she could win his heart with the gift of her maidenhead.
Benjamin had ordered that a feast be prepared for the evening meal and his cook prepared a sumptuous dinner. The conversation at the dinner table was lively and Anne could not stop talking about her mare. Nora found it hard to get in a word. She tried to catch Benjamin's attention several times but he seemed to hang on Anne's every word. She started to seethe. What was the child doing? Nora knew that Benjamin was not the least bit interested in the teenager, he needed a real woman.
Nora put her hand to her mouth and yawned, "I think that I will soak in a hot bath and then go to bed early."
She rose and excused herself from the table. Benjamin escorted her from the dining hall and walked with her to the bottom of the stairwell. She turned to him and traced the outline of his strong jaw with her delicate fingers. The drop of expensive perfume that she had put between her breasts wafted to him and imprinted itself into his senses.
She looked into his eyes seductively, "Will you come to me tonight?"
"My Lady, you must think me a better man than I really am. You have exhausted me. I will awaken you in the morning with a proper greeting for the new day."
She smiled at him demurely, "I will hold you to your promise. I doubt that I will sleep tonight thinking of your caresses that await me in the morning."
Benjamin took her hand and kissed it. Nora tried to hide her disappointment but did a poor job of it. She smiled at Benjamin and kissed him quickly lest the house servants see them and went to her room.
Benjamin returned to the dining hall and poured Anne and himself a glass of Brandy. Anne had only had sips of any alcoholic drinks and was flattered that the master of this estate thought her mature enough to share an after dinner Brandy. She took this as further proof of his affection for her. She resolved to plan his seduction for this night.
"Sire, I must thank you for your gracious gift. The mare suits my temperament perfectly and she seems to know my wishes before even I do. I must also thank you for your hospitality. I feel very much at home, thanks to your concerns for our well-being. As you promised, we want for nothing."
Benjamin put his hand over hers, "Lady Anne, My greatest fear is that your slightest wish is not taken care of while you are under my protection."
Anne blushed and smiled at him. This gentle man would be hers tonight. Her teenaged mind knew that it would then be a simple matter to get him to wed her.
"Sire, I find it hard to believe that a brave warrior as yourself would be fearful of the silly wishes of a woman."
She finished the Brandy and Benjamin poured her another. The first Brandy was already going to her head and she felt a little light-headed. Her talk became a little more animated and Benjamin smiled and listened as she rambled on. He continued to hold her hand in his and she made no attempt to remove her hand from his. The Brandy mellowed her more and she knew that she should retire to her room to prepare herself for him.
"Sire, I think that I should retire. This has been a full day for me and the ride was exhilarating but tiring. I do wish to ride the mare again tomorrow.
She rose and Benjamin took her hand and walked her to the stairs. She turned to him and he swept her into his arms and kissed her with great passion. His hands moved over her body and caressed her. If he had not such a firm hold on her she would have collapsed to the floor in front of him. Her legs seemed to be made of water. He pulled away and looked into her eyes. She put her hand on the back of his head and pulled him to her again and kissed him with as much passion as he had shown her. Benjamin could feel her firm breasts under his hands and she moved her body into his to be closer to him, although that was impossible as they were as close as possible.
Anne pulled away to catch her breath. She put her face in his chest. She was embarrassed that she had shown so much passion so quick and worried that she would scare him off. Worse, she feared that he would see her real intentions and push her away before her plan succeeded. She looked into his eyes and pulled away and moved to the stairs.
"Would you check on the fire in my room before you retire? The night will be quite cool and the room will soak up the chill."
"Lady Anne, I will attend to your fire as soon as I close up the house and make sure that the servants have instructions for tomorrow," he said with a smile.
Anne smiled and started to climb the stairs. She caught the double meaning in his words and she knew that she would become a woman this night.
Anne entered her room and closed the door and leaned against it. She was breathless from the kiss and her passion and became a little fearful that she would not be satisfactory to Benjamin. She knew that he was experienced with women, she had heard talk in the court. After tonight she knew that he would never want another woman but her.
She walked to the bed and removed her clothes. The servants had
prepared the fire and the blaze took the chill off of the room. She
stood before the fire and let the heat from the burning logs soak into
her bones. She wrapped her arms around herself and a trace of a smile
crossed her lips. In a short while, his arms would be around her. She
decided against wearing nightclothes and crawled into bed to await her
lover.