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"By all means," Je
Sir Eustace was with Royce and Stefan looking over some maps when he was informed by the guard that the ladies were asking for him. "Is there no end to her arrogance!" Royce bit out, referring to Je
Sir Lionel chuckled and shook his head. "I saw two clean faces, Royce, but the one who talked to me had greenish eyes, not blue."
"Ah, I see," Royce said sarcastically, "it wasn't Arrogance that sent you trotting away from your post, it was Beauty. What does she want?"
"She wouldn't tell me. Wants to see Eustace, she said."
"Get back to your post and stay there. Tell her to wait," he snapped.
"Royce, they're no more than two helpless females," the knight reminded him, "and small ones at that. What's more, you won't trust anyone to guard them except Arik or one of us," he said, referring to the knights who made up Royce's elite personal guard and were also trusted friends. "You're keeping them bound and under guard like they were dangerous men, able to overpower us and escape."
"I can't trust anyone else with the women," Royce said, absently rubbing the back of his neck. Abruptly, he lurched out of his chair. "I'm tired of the inside of this tent. I'll go with you and see what they want."
"So will I," Stefan said.
Je
"Well?" Royce said, stepping into their tent with the three men. "What is it this time?" he demanded of Je
Bre
With a sigh of impatience, Royce withdrew his gaze from Je
"Yes."
It was actually all she was going to say, Royce realized. "Very well, then tell me."
"I… we"-she cast a look of sheer misery at Je
Royce's gaze swung suspiciously to the person most likely to have conceived some way of using needles to his own physical discomfort, but today Lady Je
"Yes," Je
"Sewing?" Royce repeated, disgusted with himself for keeping them bound and under heavy guard. Lionel was right-Je
"Embroidery hoops?" Je
His eyes raked over her in disgust. "I'm afraid not-no embroidery hoops."
"Perhaps a small quilting frame then?" she added, i
"No!"
"There must be something we could use needle and thread on," Je
He swung around, looking startled and pleased and dubious. "You're volunteering to do mending for us?"
Bre
"There's enough mending needed here to keep a hundred seamstresses busy for a year," Royce said decisively, deciding in that moment they ought to earn their bed and board-such as it was-and mending was exactly the right form of payment. Turning to Godfrey, he said, "See to it."
Bre
"Disguises?" Bre
Within an hour, their tent contained two miniature mountains of clothing and a third mountain of torn blankets and mantles belonging to the men-at-arms. One pile of clothing belonged exclusively to Royce and Stefan Westmoreland, the other to Royce's knights, two of whom Je
Je
"Ten o'clock, or so," Bre
"Why do you say that?"
"Because Father will undoubtedly notify King James-maybe even the pope-that we were abducted from an abbey, and that may cause such an uproar that King James will send his forces to Merrick. An abbey is inviolable and we were under the protection of it. And so, if King James comes to our aid, we wouldn't need the MacPherson's clans, would we?"
A flame of hope ignited in Je
"Father won't know that, so he'll assume we were. So will everyone else, I think."
His brow furrowed in puzzlement, Royce stood outside his tent, his gaze turned on the smaller tent at the edge of the camp where his two female hostages were being kept. Eustace had just relieved Lionel and was standing guard.
The faint glow of candlelight seeping between the canvas and ground told Royce both women were still awake. Now in the relative peace of the moonlit night, he admitted to himself that part of the reason he'd gone to their tent earlier today was curiosity. As soon as he learned Je