𝑂𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑙....
In a world of bloody war and misgivings that lead to treason, there is only one thing Catherine Percy can be sure of and that is danger.
Her life had not always been thus, f...
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~The Edge of Desire~
July 1467, Middleham Castle....
The solar was the Countess of Warwick's domain, as it was the ruling Lady's in every castle. It was her realm, the one chamber that belonged to she and she alone. It was warm, with a fire blazing in the hearth, but the air always had a chill to it when the Countess was there. She sat in a large chair by the window, embroidery in hand while her cold eyes stared at the tiltyard below, all-seeing, always ice.
Catherine hardly ever entered the solar when the Nevilles resided at Middleham, after all, she was no favourite of the Countess. Anne Beauchamp looked upon her as if she were a burden and the young girl had certainly been looked at that way enough times to avoid it when possible.
But when the Nevilles departed it became her domain, her realm.
The residence of a Royal Duchess.
It became a place of warm relaxation, of conversations uttered only by candlelight while friends lounged upon cushions, watching the day darken to night. In this small chamber, Catherine and Richard often sat together, she placed happily on his lap while they kissed and whispered their love.
One summer's night, they lay before the fire, propped up on pillows while Catherine placed her head on Richard's chest. His fingers danced through her golden curls, almost as if to commit them to memory, touching each strand, each wave. A dog lay sleeping beside them, his ears happily down and his scraggly grey coat turned almost white in the glow of the fire. Roland was his name, a gift from Richard's Father just months before he'd died and the young Duke treasured him.
"He is my line between life and death" He would say, almost always having the large dog trotting at his heels. Catherine had, at first, been wary of him but grew to think of him as her friend, her protector and she smiled at the sight of his messy mop of hair.
Shuffling slightly to the side, she peered up at her husband to see he was already gazing down at her. His eyes were not clear but clouded with an emotion Catherine's remaining innocence could not decipher. It was a look she had seen in the past months only directed at her and not just by Richard.
And she could not deny she felt there was some connection in the way he looked at her, and the way she felt when she caught him doing so. Something hot pooled in her belly and she would feel giddy, excited, almost like when she had had a little too much to drink. All she wanted was him but what she wanted him for she had no clue. When they kissed, it no longer felt enough. It was sweet, loving but she wanted more and she could tell he did too.
If only she knew what more was.
"What is it?" She asked quietly and the emotion in his eyes faded until they returned to their normal blue. Leaning down he pressed a soft kiss to her lips, one calloused hand cradling her cheek.
