Read Eochaidh - Legend of the Horsemen (Book One) for Free Online Page B

done,” she
whispered to his back. “I may have to let you live after all.”

Chapter Eight
    “So has the evil deed been done?” Lady Evaleen asked with a
teasing smile as she peeked around the doorway into her husband’s study.
    Seated behind a large oak desk, Lord John looked up from his
paperwork and smiled at her. “Ah, you are wondering if I gave Monty access to
the Holy Grail of land management, my estate books, aren’t you?”
    Slipping into the room, she perched on the edge of the
leather chair on the other side of his desk. “And did you?” she asked.
    “Well, I made him wash his hands twice,” he replied. “And I had
him put on gloves.”
    “And then…” she asked, trying to hold back her laughter.
    “And then I let him view the books from the other side of
the room,” he said decisively.
    Laughing, she sat back in the chair. “Never say that you
actually made that poor boy jump through all those hoops just to please his
mother,” she finally said, wiping tears from her eyes.
    Lord John sat back in his chair, pleased that his words
brought so much amusement to his wife. “Of course not,” he confessed. “He sat
next to me, and we went through the account books in as much detail as time
would allow.   He is a quick study, and I
would not mind considering him to become my steward when he’s a little older.”
    “I doubt his mother would think a job like steward was
keeping with his proper position within the community,” she replied. “I believe
she would like him to be lord.”
    Lord John picked up a pencil from his desktop and tapped it
against the side of his head as he reflected on her comment.   “The biggest problem I can see with granting
her request,” he said slowly, “is that I would have to be dead.”
    He stood and walked around the desk until he was in front of
his wife. “And even though I like the boy, I have already determined that there
are not enough hours in the day or days in the month or months in the years to
adequately express my deep devotion and admiration for you,” he said, as he
knelt before her, took her hand in his, turned it over and kissed her palm.
“And there are simply not enough nights in all of a lifetime to spend with you
locked in my arms.”
    Bringing his hand to her lips, she kissed the palm of his
hand and met his gaze. “Why do you consider only a lifetime of nights?” she
whispered with a saucy grin. “I find the afternoon hours quite delightful in
pursuing … marital relations.”
    Standing quickly, he pulled his wife up into his arms and
gave her a quick, hard kiss. “I have always said that you are the brains in
this relationship,” he murmured, kissing her again as he yanked on the bell
pull next to his desk.
    A moment later, Fitz walked into the study, stepped back
into the hall and coughed discreetly into his hand to allow his lord and lady a
moment to extricate themselves from each other’s arms.
    “Oh, good, Fitz,” Lord John said after a long moment, his
voice sounding slightly strained. “It seems that Lady Evaleen and I have to, er …”
    He paused and glanced at his wife.   The sight of her, lips swollen from his
kisses, hair tousled from his hands and skin flushed with passion, caused him
to forget everything. He started to step close to her again and only stopped
when Fitz coughed once again.
    “Your lord,” Fitz continued, as if nothing out of the
ordinary had occurred. “The housekeeper has mentioned that the wallpaper and
drapery in your suite seems a little out of date and worn.   I know you are very busy, but if you and Lady
Evaleen could take some time today to examine the furnishings in your quarters
and let me know what you think, I would be greatly appreciative.”
    Lord John smiled at Fitz. “Why we should do that at once,”
he exclaimed, capturing his bride’s hand and pulling her along with him. “Come
along, Evie , we don’t want to make Mrs. Gallagher
wait.”
    They hurried out the door and up