Droit De Seigneur Read Online Free Page B

entranced now. He was a fine piece of horseflesh, and she wished he was her own. She never dreamed she’d have a chance to ride him, but soon found herself atop the thing, if at a terribly awkward angle – he’d lifted her so that she wasn’t astride or even side saddle in front of him or behind – she was lying horizontal over the horse like he was going to wallop her as they rode, with her bottom facing south and her head facing north across the saddle!
    Luckily, he kept his mount at a slow pace, or she would have lost what little contents she’d had of her evening meal, but that wasn’t the worst of it by far, because she was naturally presenting him with a perfect target, which he was not wont to resist in any way. So as the horse picked his way delicately through the English countryside, she could hear the echoes of her own punishment, for what she wasn’t quite sure, ringing loud and true back to her own ears.
    She only kicked her legs once. Piers stopped the horse and took the very ends of the reins, hauled her tunic up and flailed her bottom mercilessly with them. “Do not kick this horse, Amber. The next time you do it, I’ll let my soldiers each have a turn at spanking you themselves.”
    Amber was stunned into instant obedience at that threat.
    She recognized the direction they were going, but kept hoping they weren’t going to end up where she thought they were going to. When he finally pulled the horse up short, and a stable boy came out to cool him off and put him away, they were where she’d feared: Fordwick Castle.
    It wasn’t much of a castle any more, which was why there was a new one being built, but this was the closest thing they had, so they were making do with it for now. His men would be joining him by the morning, and they would be at least a thousand strong to protect this area for King William.
    He helped her down from his big charger and she looked around hesitantly. It was the first time she’d been out of her little village, and it made her feel much smaller than she liked.
    Even though it was the middle of the night, the place bustled with activity.
    “I want you to work in the gardens here, Amber. We have need of a woman who is good with medicines to see to the needs of the soldiers and others who work here. You shall have a room in the castle, and in the new castle when it’s built. You’ll be working for Mrs. Tulane, who will show you around in the morning.” He had an idea that giving her something productive to do might keep her from stealing wineskins and slashing stirrups, too, as well as wandering the forest against her father’s wishes. That poor man must’ve had his hands full with her. He’d seen two other girls at their table. All Piers could wish for him was that his other two daughters were more docile than his first.
    Amber didn’t know what to say, and then she imagined she didn’t have much choice about what to say. She was here, and he was her Lord. He wasn’t going to just let her say no and go home.
    He took her to the kitchen and introduced her to Mrs. Tulane, who seemed a nice woman, and then he disappeared. Amber wondered if she’d ever see him again, to say nothing of her father and her family.
    It was a strange thing to have been plucked from one’s home and transported far away, but her love of plants was strong enough that she settled in all right to her new surroundings, although life here was certainly different from what living with her family had been. She and Mrs. Tulane got along all right, although the woman could be a bit bossy, and she was already getting to be well known as the person to come to with wounds and medical problems. Piers’
    men had arrived, and Fitzwilliam had come to thank her for treating him, which she felt very awkward about, since she’d been the cause of his misery in the first place.
    Troy had taken to tagging along with Fitz when he came to see her. Amber did not like Troy at all, but Troy made it very clear