Page 24 of Insurrection (Guard of Six #2)

Nine Years Later

Tyr Castle

M oments like this were far and few between.

Unfortunately for them.

With four young children in the house and her pregnant with their fifth, Kent and Madelaina had to make time to be together where they could find it.

Like now.

Kent was working his breeches off in a hurry. “You are sure they are with the nurse?” he said. “They were supposed to be the last time, but somehow, Cass escaped the nurse and ended up under our bed.”

He looked stricken at the realization that the situation could repeat itself, and, as Madelaina giggled, he went to his knees and peered under the bed to make sure his eldest son wasn’t in the same room with his amorous parents.

“Well?” Madelaina said.

Kent’s head popped up. “He is not there,” he said, standing up and leaving his breeches on the floor. “I love my son dearly. He is clever and bright and talented, like me. But I do not want him in the same chamber with me and his mother as we do what parents like to do.”

His warm, big body came down on Madelaina and she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close. “And we do like to do this.”

“Aye, we do.”

He nuzzled her neck, gently kissing her as his hand found an engorged breast. She was still breastfeeding their youngest at a little over two years of age, but she was heavily pregnant with their fifth child. As it turned out, Kent and Madelaina had proven quite fertile together, and considering they couldn’t keep their hands off one another, the frequent pregnancies were to be expected. But at this stage of her pregnancy, Kent couldn’t exactly mount her like he usually did with her enormous belly, so he had to get creative.

As he suckled the tender skin of her neck and shoulder, he could feel her nipple hardening beneath his palm, and he squeezed gently, feeling her twitch beneath him. That was usually a sign that she was ready for him and impatiently waiting for him to join his body to hers. He paused a moment, putting his hand on her belly as he gazed down into that face he loved so well.

“Do you feel well enough for this?” he asked softly. “The physic has said we probably shouldn’t because you’re near to delivering the child, but if you feel well enough, the midwife says we can do as we please.”

She grinned at him. “And you would rather listen to the midwife.”

“I would rather listen to my wife.”

“Your wife feels quite well and would like for you to finish what you started.”

He chuckled, swallowing her up in his big embrace as he kissed her deeply. When he was finished getting her all hot and bothered, he stroked her cheek and continued his tender onslaught by gently taking a nipple in his mouth. He suckled on her, but that drew milk, so he tried not to suckle her too much. Their youngest child still nursed now and then, so he tried to leave some for the lad.

But it was difficult.

Shifting his big body again, he slipped between her supple legs.

There was a soft matting of dark curls down there, something he was very familiar with, and he touched her very carefully as she drew up her knees, groaning in delight. The pink flower was unfurling, doing what nature had intended it should, and he put his fingers into her body, listening to her gasp with pleasure. Kent could hardly hold himself back at that point, and he finally rolled her onto her side so he could enter her from behind.

Madelaina’s body was highly attuned to her husband’s. She lifted her leg, giving him more room to move, as he thrust into her slick and waiting body. It was pleasure beyond compare as he began to move within her, and she reached between her legs, touching him where he joined with her. But Kent had to move her seeking hand because her touch was a guarantee that he would spill himself prematurely.

And he very much didn’t want to.

Forcing her to lift her free arm so she couldn’t try to touch him again, he held her from behind, his arms around her, his hands on her pregnant belly, feeling the life that they had created together as he continued to thrust into her. Kent’s mouth was on her neck, her cheek, and he tasted of her flesh because she was sweet and delectable. Soft whispers filled her ear, telling her how much he loved her.

How he couldn’t live without her.

His pace quickened as his release approached. Usually, he could hold out for quite some time, relishing their coupling, but he didn’t trust his children not to interrupt this time together, so he wanted to make this moment mean something. He touched, he kissed, he inhaled. All of her wonderful musk, the scent that drove him mad, filled his nostrils like the most potent aphrodisiac.

It was paradise.

Somehow, Madelaina managed to get her arm down again and put her hand between her legs, feeling her husband’s powerful manhood. The flutter of her fingers threw him over the edge and his release came like an explosion, his body tensing until a burst of stars arced through his loins and belly. He released his seed deep into her body, groaning with the satisfaction of it. But even after he climaxed, he continued to move within her because she’d not yet achieved her own release, and he was soon rewarded with the spasms from her body as her climax was achieved.

The air of the chamber was filled with her gasps of pleasure as Madelaina’s body twitched and jolted. Kent held her in his arms as she convulsed with pleasure. It was incredibly arousing and incredibly intimate. Tenderly, he put his hands on her big belly as he gently kissed her shoulder.

“How do you feel?” he murmured. “Are you well?”

She sighed heavily. “Very well,” she said. “You?”

“Never better.”

“Shall we go again?”

He laughed softly. “Give me a few moments,” he said. “Let me lie here with you in my arms and dream of those days when—”

“My lord!” A knocking on the door startled them both. “My lady? I am sorry to interrupt, but there is someone here to see you.”

Madelaina groaned, putting her hands over her face, as Kent sat up and answered. “Who is it?” he said.

The person on the other side of the door was a maid who helped keep the family’s chambers clean. With four young children, that was no easy feat. Unfortunately, she was terrified of Kent, so hearing his response had her trembling.

“Lord Ivor is here, my lord,” she said in a quivering voice. “He has Master Casimir with him.”

That had Madelaina struggling to sit up, but with her enlarged belly, Kent had to pull her into a sitting position.

“Cass?” she said, puzzled. “What is our son doing with Ivor?”

“I do not know,” Kent said. Then he raised his voice to the servant. “I shall be down in a moment. Show Lord Ivor into my solar.”

“Aye, my lord!”

They could hear her scurrying away. Kent got out of bed and went to pull Madelaina over to the edge so she could put her feet on the floor. When she was steady, he went to find his breeches.

“Kent, you really must talk to him about running off,” she said as she pulled her shift over her head. “One of these days, he is going to run away and get into real trouble.”

“I know.”

“He will not have you or your brother or one of your men to save him.”

“I know , dearest.”

“I do not think you do,” she said, flustered as she pulled her garment over her head. “You are not his mother. You did not carry him in your body for nine months and spend two days trying to give birth to him. If something happened to him, I would die. I would fade away and die.”

She was getting agitated. Kent pulled his tunic on and turned to her, knowing he had to soothe her now before the situation got out of hand.

“Nothing is going to happen to him, my love,” he said, turning her around so he could tighten the laces on her dress. “He is a smart lad, and a careful one. When we are in London, he is extremely careful. He even watches his young siblings to ensure they do not come to harm. Cass is a remarkable lad for his age.”

With her dress secure, Madelaina ran a quick comb through her hair to smooth it and fixed the bun at the nape of her neck before pointing to her shoes so Kent could put them on her.

“He runs to that old castle, and one of these days, a rock is going to fall on his head,” she grumbled, using his shoulder for balance as he bent down and slipped her shoes on. “Honestly, I would think you would be more concerned.”

“Of course I am concerned.”

“He is your firstborn!”

He stood up and kissed her. “I will speak with him, I promise,” he assured her softly. “Now, will you come down with me?”

She was frowning, unhappy at the turn of events as he led her out of their bedchamber and down to the entry to Tyr’s big keep. The castle was built on a rise, overlooking the land around it, so anyone approaching it was easy to see for miles. They descended the stairs together, hearing their children playing somewhere on the entry level.

There were three chambers down there—a solar for Kent, a smaller one for Madelaina, as chatelaine, and then a small hall where the family dined. Madelaina caught sight of the children in the small hall, with their nurse, and made her way over to the chamber to interrogate the nurse about Casimir’s appearance with the local Welsh warlord. Arthur was also in the chamber, though in his old age, he mostly slept by the hearth as the children played around him. That left Kent to proceed to his solar, where Ivor should be waiting—but, finding it empty, he headed outside.

He found Ivor in the bailey with a small escort, including Dai, who lifted a hand in greeting to Kent. Kent acknowledged the man, but his focus was more on Ivor and the two small boys at his side.

“Let me guess,” Kent said as he approached. “Hen Gastell?”

Ivor smiled ironically. “Hen Gastell.”

Kent shook his head reproachfully at his eldest son. Casimir de Poyer received his name because Kent had heard it once, belonging to an envoy from Rome, and liked it. It sounded worldly and sophisticated, a perfect name for a son who would undoubtedly grow up to be a great knight.

If he lived that long.

Casimir looked at his father with as much courage as he could muster. He had dark hair, longer, with half of it over one eye. He was brave to a fault, brilliant, empathetic, and generous. He was also conniving, aggressive, and stubborn.

Kent couldn’t have loved the boy more.

“Your mother is very unhappy, Cass,” he said grimly. “You were supposed to be with your nurse, yet you clearly escaped her. Lord Ivor had to bring you home. Well? What do you have to say for yourself?”

Casimir indicated his younger, auburn-haired cohort. “Yestin and I were playing, Papa,” he said. “It is very important.”

“Why?”

“Because I hold Hen Gastell.”

“What do you mean, you hold it?”

Casimir sighed, exasperated. “That is what I am trying to tell you,” he said. “I have taken it for England. If I do not defend it, Yestin will sack it and take it back for the Welsh. And I cannot allow that to happen.”

Kent pursed his lips doubtfully. “Why not?” he said. “What happens then?”

Casimir spoke to his father as if the man knew absolutely nothing about castles or marches or anything else. “ Then it belongs to Wales and we have to get it back,” he said. “Yestin and I have a pact.”

“What pact?”

“We meet every seventh day and we fight for the castle,” he said. “Yestin had it for a while, but I got it back when I ambushed him.”

Kent looked at Ivor, who had his hand over his mouth so the boys couldn’t see him smile. That had Kent fighting off a smile as well.

“Ambush him, did you?” he said. “How unkind. Yestin is not our enemy.”

“How else am I to get the castle back?”

He had a point. Not knowing what else to say, because he honestly couldn’t get angry with his son, Kent motioned toward the stables. “We will discuss this later,” he said. “For now, take Yestin over to the stables and show him the puppies. Mayhap his father will let him have one.”

Yestin lit up, looking at his father with great hope. Ivor was fully prepared to deny him, to argue the point with him, but he knew sheerly from the expression on the lad’s face that, in the end, he would fold. He was an idiot and he knew it.

What a pathetic man he was.

“I suppose one puppy would do no harm,” he said. “But only one. And you will be responsible to feed him and bed him. Do you understand me?”

“Aye, Papa!”

The boys took off at a dead run. When they were out of earshot, Kent and Ivor broke down in soft laughter.

“My God,” Kent said. “They are just like us. How can I become angry when I did the same thing to my father?”

Ivor shook his head. “I knew where they were,” he said. “But Roxhanna is like Madelaina—she worries for them playing in those old stones, fearful one will fall on them, so she sent me out to find them.”

“How are Roxhanna and the new babies?”

Ivor puffed up proudly. “They thrive,” he said. “Two boys at once, Kent. Not even you and your prolific wife have managed that.”

Kent chuckled. “Nay, we have not, at least not yet,” he said. “Maddie is due to give birth any time now. She is ready for the child to be born so she can see her feet again.”

Ivor grinned. “Well do I remember Roxhanna when she was due to deliver our children,” he said. “It is difficult for women. They have my sympathy. And speaking of sympathy, I’ve not heard from Cheppy lately. How are he and Celyn faring? She was due to give birth, the last I heard.”

He used the nickname for Bennet that Orion had started. It was something that had spread throughout the Six, a name Bennet had once associated with pain, but now a name that he associated with camaraderie and acceptance. Funny how the years had made it something to treasure, much as Orion no longer had a problem with being called Monty.

Something he, too, saw as acceptance.

“They are well,” Kent said, motioning for the man to follow him to the keep. “Celyn had another girl.”

Ivor laughed softly as he took up stride beside him, heading toward the big, square keep. “A fourth girl,” he said. “Poor Cheppy. Surrounded by women.”

“I don’t mind being surrounded by women.”

Ivor continued chuckling. “You do have your share with your wife and daughters,” he said. “How long do you intend to stay at Tyr this time?”

“Until Maddie delivers,” Kent said. “We’ll return to our home in London when the baby is old enough to travel.”

“It is wise that your children should be born at your properties,” Ivor said. “Henry does not miss you too badly?”

Kent shrugged. “He has Stefan and Orion and Bennet now as part of his personal guard,” he said. “Bennet and Celyn’s children have been born in London, and they have a good life there. They seem very happy.”

“That is good to hear,” Ivor said. “And you? Are you still very happy?”

Kent’s smile was immediate. “Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like had you not been in it,” he said. “You have become part of my fabric. You made it so I could be the happiest man alive with the best wife a man could ask for. Am I still very happy? Maddie has never shown me anything else.”

Ivor smiled because Kent was. “And I would not have met Roxhanna had it not been for you,” he said. “Bennet is a great man. I admire him tremendously. But his sister belongs to me. Who knew I would marry a Saesneg?”

Kent chuckled. “It seems strange that Bennet is my father-in-law,” he admitted. “Maddie doesn’t really treat him as her father, however. More like an uncle. Since he did not raise her, it’s a relationship they are both comfortable with. She does, however, treat The Bryn like her father and probably always will.”

“I know,” Ivor said. “Do not forget that Yestin works with him in the apothecary shop. I do believe my son will be the next apothecary of Penderyn.”

“And you are content with that?”

Ivor shrugged. “I want my sons to have a life that makes them happy,” he said. “If that makes Yestin happy, then so be it. But the twins—Colin and Garan—mayhap will follow in my footsteps. We have a great legacy to continue, so mayhap it will be continued through them.”

They’d come to the stairs of the keep, heading up the steps. “I’ve offered to let the boys foster here,” Kent said. “I would be happy to train them as warriors.”

Ivor nodded. “I know,” he said. “And I appreciate your offer. But you are not always at Tyr, and I do not want them traveling to London.”

“Henry is here,” Kent said. “My brother is an excellent knight. He will train them well.”

Ivo smiled with gratitude. “I shall think on it,” he said. “I will speak to Roxhanna and we shall decide.”

“You will let me know.”

“Of course. And thank you.”

They came to the top of the steps. From this vantage point, one could see the valley below, the vast green space, the hills as they met the sky. They paused for a moment, looking out over the wide expanse.

“Those years ago when we first met, I never imagined that we would still be friends as adults,” Ivor said. He snorted. “Honestly, I did not know if I would reach adulthood. It is still amazing to me that I am a husband, a father. What a great responsibility we have. What a great responsibility our fathers had.”

Kent nodded, leaning on the railing as he surveyed his empire. “It is true,” he said. “I’m fortunate that my father is still alive. I am so glad he got to see his grandchildren born. But every time Cass runs off to Hen Gastell, I think of those days when you and I would play for hours and hours, pretending to control the world. Those were good days, Ivor.”

“I agree,” Ivor said fervently. “They were wonderful days. Days that remind me of that song.”

“What song?”

Ivor started to sing, off key.

Summer days and summer stars,

And a deep blue sea that glistens like silver.

All at once, the past has turned to shadow,

And the future gleams like diamonds.

When he was finished, Kent looked at him, grinning. “You never could sing very well,” he said.

Ivor put his hand over his heart. “I sing it as purely as a song has ever been sung.”

Kent chuckled. “True enough,” he said. “That’s an old song, but when I think on the words, they have a new meaning to me. A past that has turned to shadow and a future that gleams like diamonds. My future with Maddie has never been brighter.”

“Kent? Ivor?”

Someone was calling to them. They both turned to see Madelaina through the open door, standing near the entry to the small hall where children were screaming and playing.

“My dearest?” Kent said.

Madelaina waved him in. “Come in, both of you,” she said. “I’ll send for refreshments.”

“Not for me, Lady de Poyer,” Ivor called back to her. “I should return to—”

“Inside, both of you!”

Without hesitation, Ivor was the first one through the door. “Aye, my lady.”

Kent chuckled, watching the man go inside, threatened by the shout of a pregnant woman. He saw Ivor take Madelaina’s hand and kiss it sweetly, grinning at her as she smiled in return. Old friends, dear friends.

Family.

Kent could have never imagined a life like this for himself. Those years ago, when only his career in the Guard of Six mattered, seemed like another lifetime. Part of his past that had indeed turned to shadow. The past where a lonely, focused man lived. Now, for the man who bore Insurrection , the only thing for him was a future that gleamed like diamonds, and one diamond in particular.

Madelaina.

The most beautiful diamond he’d ever seen.

And a love that would last for eternity… just like a diamond.

* THE END *