stretching, no doubt to remove the kinks from all the bending she’d been doing.
A part of Toste’s body stretched, too. His favorite part. “Have you no love at all for your father or brothers?” he inquired as coolly as a man with a growing arousal could inquire. He would have crossed his legs if he were not still kneeling.
“Hah! I have no use for any man, truth be told. Belch and boast, belch and boast, belch and boast, that’s all they are good for.”
Toste stifled a smile. The lady has a sense of humor. How…well, refreshing! A wicked tongue, breasts, a nice arse, and a sense of humor. The nun was looking better and better.
She was making a jest, wasn’t she? “Has your father made actual threats?”
“For a certainty, he has…both by word and deed.”
Toste peered at her a little closer…a comely woman, even with her drab garb. “What mean you?”
“I mean that he has been threatening me for years, and that lately there have been numerous near-accidents involving myself that cannot be explained.”
He frowned in disbelief. “Such as?”
“Severe stomach cramps that the healer claims to have been due to poison. A push down dark stone steps at night. A snake in my bed. Little things like that.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Why are you asking all these questions? Even worse, why am I bothering to answer?”
“Because I am bored. Because you cannot resist my charms, despite being a nun.” Toste still could not accept a family that would do such things to a mere woman, without provocation. There were evil men in the world, though. He’d met a few. “What will you do?”
“About resisting you?”
“Nay, you saucy nun,” he said with a laugh. “About your father.”
She shrugged and pushed a strand of hair off her face with a dirty hand. Now she had a smudge of dirt on her cheekbone that made her appear ten years younger…not like the subject of some bloody intrigue. “I will survive, one way or another, as I always have. Or mayhap I will take my vows in the end. It is not such a bad life.”
“Vows? You have not yet taken vows?” Little bells went off in Toste’s head, and not the churchly kind that had been plaguing him of late. Ting-a-ling, ting-a-ling, ting-a-ling! these bells said, Not a nun! Not a nun! Not a nun!
She shook her head. “I haven’t taken the final vows after ten and more years within these walls. If I do, Evergreen will go to my father. Some say I am the oldest living novice in all Britain.” Her rosebud mouth drooped dolefully as she spoke.
Toste’s lips twitched with mirth.
“’Tis not funny.”
“Yea, ’tis.” He rubbed a palm over his mouth to wipe away signs of his amusement, probably to no avail. “Are you a virgin?” he asked suddenly.
“Of course,” she replied, then added, “Your question passes the bounds of decency. It is none of your business.”
“I was just thinking—”
“Some men shouldn’t think. It strains their brains.”
“Tsk tsk tsk!” Someone needed to teach this nun-wench her proper place: beneath a man. Mayhap later he would undertake the job. “What I was saying before you rudely interrupted was that you should be more worried about being the oldest virgin in all Britain, not the oldest novice.” There! I got my jab in .
She swatted him on the face with the peacock feather.
He pretended great pain.
“I have noticed that you are an over-jestful man. Do you think everything in life is worthy of jest? Must you laugh at everything?”
“Life is hard, m’lady. Sometimes you must laugh, lest you break down and cry. That I will not do.”
Just then, a five-legged piglet ran by, being chased by Sister George, the resident animal rescuer at the nunnery. The pig’s gait was lopsided, like a drukkinn Viking after a long voyage. The nun’s gait was equally lopsided, but only because she was attempting to lift her gunna to her knees with one hand as she ran and hold on to her flying veil with the other
A part of Toste’s body stretched, too. His favorite part. “Have you no love at all for your father or brothers?” he inquired as coolly as a man with a growing arousal could inquire. He would have crossed his legs if he were not still kneeling.
“Hah! I have no use for any man, truth be told. Belch and boast, belch and boast, belch and boast, that’s all they are good for.”
Toste stifled a smile. The lady has a sense of humor. How…well, refreshing! A wicked tongue, breasts, a nice arse, and a sense of humor. The nun was looking better and better.
She was making a jest, wasn’t she? “Has your father made actual threats?”
“For a certainty, he has…both by word and deed.”
Toste peered at her a little closer…a comely woman, even with her drab garb. “What mean you?”
“I mean that he has been threatening me for years, and that lately there have been numerous near-accidents involving myself that cannot be explained.”
He frowned in disbelief. “Such as?”
“Severe stomach cramps that the healer claims to have been due to poison. A push down dark stone steps at night. A snake in my bed. Little things like that.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Why are you asking all these questions? Even worse, why am I bothering to answer?”
“Because I am bored. Because you cannot resist my charms, despite being a nun.” Toste still could not accept a family that would do such things to a mere woman, without provocation. There were evil men in the world, though. He’d met a few. “What will you do?”
“About resisting you?”
“Nay, you saucy nun,” he said with a laugh. “About your father.”
She shrugged and pushed a strand of hair off her face with a dirty hand. Now she had a smudge of dirt on her cheekbone that made her appear ten years younger…not like the subject of some bloody intrigue. “I will survive, one way or another, as I always have. Or mayhap I will take my vows in the end. It is not such a bad life.”
“Vows? You have not yet taken vows?” Little bells went off in Toste’s head, and not the churchly kind that had been plaguing him of late. Ting-a-ling, ting-a-ling, ting-a-ling! these bells said, Not a nun! Not a nun! Not a nun!
She shook her head. “I haven’t taken the final vows after ten and more years within these walls. If I do, Evergreen will go to my father. Some say I am the oldest living novice in all Britain.” Her rosebud mouth drooped dolefully as she spoke.
Toste’s lips twitched with mirth.
“’Tis not funny.”
“Yea, ’tis.” He rubbed a palm over his mouth to wipe away signs of his amusement, probably to no avail. “Are you a virgin?” he asked suddenly.
“Of course,” she replied, then added, “Your question passes the bounds of decency. It is none of your business.”
“I was just thinking—”
“Some men shouldn’t think. It strains their brains.”
“Tsk tsk tsk!” Someone needed to teach this nun-wench her proper place: beneath a man. Mayhap later he would undertake the job. “What I was saying before you rudely interrupted was that you should be more worried about being the oldest virgin in all Britain, not the oldest novice.” There! I got my jab in .
She swatted him on the face with the peacock feather.
He pretended great pain.
“I have noticed that you are an over-jestful man. Do you think everything in life is worthy of jest? Must you laugh at everything?”
“Life is hard, m’lady. Sometimes you must laugh, lest you break down and cry. That I will not do.”
Just then, a five-legged piglet ran by, being chased by Sister George, the resident animal rescuer at the nunnery. The pig’s gait was lopsided, like a drukkinn Viking after a long voyage. The nun’s gait was equally lopsided, but only because she was attempting to lift her gunna to her knees with one hand as she ran and hold on to her flying veil with the other
Similar Books
