Alcarn and I walked away quickly from the center of the courtyard, and I dared not look back to see Calissande looking at me in disappointment. After I killed the camaspoza after granting her clemency, I knew my lady wife would be unhappy with me. By talking with Alcarn, I would give my fiery wife time to calm herself.

"My lord," Alcarn said to me after we had walked a distance, "I wish you to know that I lied in my confession. I said that I asked the camaspoza to open to me, but I did not. She came to me every night, my lord, and I am ashamed to say I did not resist. I was trying to protect her during my confession, only for her to turn on me and accuse me of that which is reprehensible to a gentleman. That, I can assure you, was also a lie on her part."

Nodding, I answered him. "I suspected as much. I did not believe her when she said that and it was one of many lies she told. Perhaps you will be better off without her."

He nodded.

"Now that she is not part of my decision, I will not send you north, Alcarn, but neither can I allow you to stay. First, because regardless of the circumstances, you betrayed my trust when you fucked the camaspoza, and second, because I will not allow any reminders of the camaspoza around my lady wife. Seeing you or the babe would be a reminder to her of that which is best forgotten, so you must be away from here."

"I understand, my lord. I have a small cottage left to me from my parents in their kingdom of Kurtah, two weeks' journey from here, and there I shall take my son. It is far enough away that you shall never set eyes on me again, yet not as far north as Giljan. I fear for that kingdom, my lord, and confess I am relieved not to be banished there. The talk of unrest in that region makes me think the king will need to make a strong statement there soon to suppress the insurrection rumors."

I said nothing, but I knew what plans and spies my king long had in place there. It was not knowledge for Alcarn; indeed, only a handful of us knew. It was safer to change the subject than to pursue that topic any longer.

"I will allow you time to find a wet nurse to accompany you on your journey...and I would suggest you not fuck the wet nurse as you travel to your cottage, Alcarn."

"That I will not do, my lord, on my very word. I have learned my lesson all too well."

Clasping his shoulder, I gave a short, unamused laugh. "I wish you the best, Alcarn. Despite how things turned out, I had always considered you a friend."

Alcarn left a week after our talk, and life began settling down. Calissande and I continued to repair the rift I had created in our marriage, and though I slept beside her every night, I did not push for anything to happen in our bed chamber, despite my aching cock. Some days, it was all I could do not to bend Calissande over the bed, as she had told me once she so dearly wished for me to do because I owed it to her as my lady wife. A year's wait had never seemed so long, but I was determined not to push her to show that I honored her and put her health and well-being above my own.

Felicity grew, and became more and more interesting with each passing day. She made us laugh with her demanding moods, and I would often hold Calissande on my lap while she nursed my tiny lady.

"This is about the only time she is not squawking at us," Calissande noted with a soft smile.

"She has a temper like her mother," I observed.

"I attribute her growly grumpiness to you, Carrick," she corrected me, her little nose in the air, her cheeks turning pink at the obvious lie. I was the most patient of husbands and if my lady wife did not recognize that, then I would need to remind her of her great fortune. I grinned thinking of how well that would go over with her.

A few weeks after Alcarn left, Calissande's parents arrived for a visit...and proceeded to upset the apple cart, so to speak, for which I was most grateful.

Her mother and father were much enamored of their grandchild and Calissande had someone to coo over the baby with all day while her father and his knights trained with mine.

It was after one particularly brutal training session that her father and I settled ourselves in the shade of an oak tree to rest and share a flagon of wine and some fruits and cheeses one of the servants carried out to us. We spoke of kingdom affairs, of his king and mine and the alliance they had formed, and we gradually began speaking of our families.

"I can understand, my lord, why you had only the one child," I said to him while a cool breeze washed over us. "It is extremely difficult to wait a year after the birth of a babe before resuming marital relations with your wife."

He was silent for a long moment and his look was puzzled. "I must confess, Carrington, that I have no idea what you're on about."

I studied Calissande's father curiously. How could he not know this particular tradition of his kingdom? I would imagine every man in his kingdom dreaded, if not outright hated, the custom.

"Your tradition of waiting until the child's first birthday to lay with your lady wife again. To allow your lady wife a year to recover from the babe's birth and show you place her health and well-being above your own needs."

Her father looked at me for a long moment, and then burst out laughing. "Where did you hear such utter bosh and nonsense? It is our tradition that we wait until the babe's fete, at around six or seven weeks after the babe is born, before we lay with our lady wives again."

He burst out laughing again, laughing so long and so heartily that tears began streaking down his cheeks.

"God's mercy, Carrington, not one man in our entire kingdom would put up with such rubbish. A year!" Then he began laughing again as if what I had said was the funniest thing he had ever heard, although I know not why since it was decidedly not funny.

We ate the evening meal that night, and I said not much, but I did send glances at my deceptive little lady wife sitting next to me so innocently.

We gathered around the fireplace after the evening meal to discuss matters both great and small, and I said not much, but I did send glances at my deceptive little lady wife sitting on her chair so innocently.

We listened to the musicians sing their ballads and play their music, and I said not much, but I did send glances at my deceptive little lady wife watching them so innocently.

We walked up the stairs to our bed chamber after the evening's entertainment, and I said not much, but I did send glances at my deceptive little lady wife climbing the stairs beside me so innocently.

Mrs. Keystone and Jannip had Felicity in the room that had been my lady wife's, and when Calissande made to go check on our daughter, I stayed her.

"I would like to speak with you, my lady wife. It would please me greatly if you would wait until after our discussion to look in on Felicity."

She nodded and smiled at me, and I held the door open for her to enter the room, then I shut it behind us.

And locked it. Then I walked to the door adjoining the master's bed chamber to the lady's and locked that as well. Then I turned to my lying little lady wife whose smile faltered at the look on my face.

"Calissande, I must ask your advice on a matter of grave importance."

A look of relief crossed her face. "Yes, Carrick?"

"I think I will always like to hear my name on your lips," I mused. "I am glad you feel you are to the point where you can call me by name again." You devious little vixen.

She smiled at me and I crossed the room to her. "You will be very distressed to hear that I discovered someone very close to me has been lying to me."

"Oh, no! Who, my lord?"

Waving a hand, I dismissed her question. "That is not important at the moment. I would ask your advice as to how I should deal with this person."

Her pink little lips pursed as she pondered the matter. "Well, my lord, I suppose it would depend on the severity of the lie."

I pretended to consider the matter. "I consider it a very serious lie, my lady."

"Was there a reason for the lie? Was this person scared to tell you the truth?"

"No. This person is not at all scared of me."

After a moment of serious consideration, she looked up at me. "I believe you should talk with this person before taking action, my lord."

"And what if I am not satisfied with the reason for lying after we talk? What if it was, as I suspect, a way to strike back at me for a wrong I committed?"

"I cannot imagine your men being so petty, my lord."

"Who said it was a man, Calissande?" I asked as I stepped toward her.

Frozen in place like a mouse caught by a cat, my lady wife's eyes met mine.

"So, I have been advised by one dear to me to ask you for the reason for your lie."

She attempted to brazen it out. "What...what lie, my lord?"

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Is there more than one?"

Calissande shook her head and bit that lower lip that I would soon be biting.

"Imagine my surprise, if you will, when I discovered today that it was most assuredly not your kingdom's tradition to wait until the baby's first birthday before marital relations could resume."

"My...my lord...Carrick," she began, but I pressed a finger to her lips.

"Tell me," I asked her softly as I bent to feather soft, biting kisses up and down her neck, "what punishment should a lady wife face for lying to her lord husband about such an intimate matter?"

"I think...I think..."

"Yes? You think what?" I asked right before I bit that soft place where her neck met her shoulder.

She gasped. "I think...she should apologize and the matter should be put to rest."

I tugged her skirt up until my hand could stroke her thigh and begin working its way up to that delicious, guarded place she had kept from me for so long.

"I do not think it sufficient punishment, Calissande. For many months have I suffered being without you. A mere apology will not erase the pain and hurt I have felt at being deprived of my lady wife's charms."

For a moment, I eased back from her. "I give you credit, Calissande. You cannot defeat me physically, so you fought like a true warrior with the weapons you had at your disposal. Very clever of you, and I laud your thinking of alternate ways to best me."

She relaxed, thinking we were done.

We were not.

Without warning, I took my hand from under her skirt, stepped back and and crossed my arms over my chest.

"I am about to give you everything you told me you feel is owed to you, Calissande. Bend over the bed. Now."