She has

It turned out that the matron of the house knew what she was talking about. It was not just the Verderer and the older son, Jarod, who appreciated this finery; from the moment she descended the stairway to the kitchen below all four pairs of eyes followed her every move, not even Erik was unaffected. No matter how often Christine pulled up the bodice, the material slid down her shoulders exposing the upper curves of her breasts and the soft white flesh did not go unnoticed. She caught Jarod, and his brother Latham openly staring at her, but it was the way Werner's eyes returned again and again to her breasts that made her tingle the most.

Dinner was a meaty stew and biscuits that melted in Christine's mouth. For a while, Christine almost forgot about her dress and the way it left her charms exposed, but when her belly was full for the first time in over two days, she began to consider the contradictions of the past day. Why was it that when the Bishop of Oldchester had stared at her breasts, her stomach had turned, but when it was the Verderer's eyes that lingered on her cleavage the feeling was so different.

As the evening progressed, she began feeling an excitement building that was not unlike the warmth she had when ridding the Verderer's gelding in the old forest. For the first time in her life Christine sensed the power that a woman could wield over men, if she could only find a way to control it. That same soft feminine body that had attracted Bishop Anthryl's unwanted attention and had been mauled by the bishop's guards mercilessly could be used to capture the attention of good men too.

To test this newfound effect, she deliberately shrugged her shoulders and leaned forward to reach for her goblet knowing that the loose bodice would gap provocatively. Master Werner had been speaking about the influx of villagers to Oldchester that resulted from the uncertainty of Prince Henry's sudden rise to power, but he stopped in midsentence unable to look away. Only after a long pull at his ale was the man able to recover and finish the thought.

With dinner ended, and the table cleared suddenly the last two day's events and their full bellies caught up with the two fugitives. Erik was the first to lay his head on the table, but Christine knew that she too was close to collapsing. The Verderer's wife directed her boys to bring young 'Franklin' up to their room, and then only the three of them remained by the dying fire."

"Where will this young lady sleep tonight?" The Verderer asked.

"Our bed is big enough for the three of us." His wife's casual reply made their sleepy young guest jerk in her seat. He too had to take a moment and clear his thoughts. Did Marielle know how tempting he found this petite woodland sprite? She must, he realized with a flash of clarity, his wife always knew him better than he knew himself. Why else would she let the pretty maid wear that dress if she didn't want him to admire her perfect young body. She must have planned this all along. Did Marielle know when he led this young woman into the kitchen how badly he wanted to explore the young woman's curves, or did something happen when the pair were alone that set her on this path?

The Verderer loved his wife more than anything, and as his eyes swept over Christine's body for the hundredth time tonight, Werner knew that he wanted this lovely pixie in his bed. Unlike his wife however, he was privy to the true identity of this pretty young noblewoman. He could no more lay with Baron Gerard's daughter than he could assume the crown of the kingdom. Especially not after the way he found the girl barely dressed and chained to the wall of that hell hole the Bishop of Oldchester had sent her to.

Werner had heard troubling rumors about the bishop's unhealthy appetite for pretty young parishioners, and her could only guess at what Lady Christine must have gone through before he found her in that hole. He would not compound the evil that this young lady had already suffered. Instead, he assigned to Christine the only safe place he could think of under his roof.

"She will sleep in Maggie's old room, above the stables." The tiny bedroom had gone unused since their serving girl had moved in with her lover several years ago. It was dark and likely full of cobwebs, but the chamber had a bed, and more importantly a heavy bar that could secure the room from unwanted visitors.

That old room hasn't been used in years," his wife protested, clearly confused by his determination to keep the girl away from him., "the bed is probably a nest of rats by now." She turned her attention to Evelyn, "Tell him, Honey." She encouraged their tired guest, "Tell him you want to join us, Evelyn, I promise nothing bad will happen as long as I'm there in the bed with you."