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That night, after she'd eaten, Je
"Then try asking me," he said shortly "not telling me.
Je
"No."
"Why in God's name not?" Je
His eyes sparked with laughter. "Because," Royce commented, enjoying sparring with her even though he'd decided to keep her at arm's length physically and mentally. "As I've already told you, you are a bad influence on your sister. On her own, without you, she'd never have imagination or courage enough to plan an escape. And without her, you can't consider leaving."
Je
"Are you willing to do that?"
"Yes. Now may I see my sister?"
"No," he rejoined politely, "I'm afraid not."
"I find it amazing," she a
His mouth tightened, but he said nothing, and immediately after supper he left and did not return until long after Je
The following morning, Je
After embracing warmly, Je
"How have you fared, sister?" Bre
"Very well," Je
"What?" Bre
Je
Bre
"Wolf!" Bre
"No, I'm almost certain as I reflect on it, that 'twas a horrible wolf! But the point is, we're safe here-we'll not be murdered or molested as I originally thought, so there's no reason for us to risk trying to escape and find our way home on our own. Soon enough, one way or another, Papa will gain our release."
"Oh, yes!" Bre
As Je
And so, albeit with some instinctive misgivings, Royce ordered the guard around his tent reduced from four to one, and that guard was Arik, who was there solely to ensure the captives' safety. No sooner had Royce given the order than he found himself stopping, wherever he might be in the camp, to look at his tent-always expecting to see a tousled mass of red-gold hair trying to creep from beneath it. When two days passed and she remained obediently within the tent, he reversed his other edict and told Je
Je
The following night, fate handed her the ultimate chance, and Je
Had Je
The ploy worked magnificently. That night, Royce, Stefan, Arik, and the Black Guard gathered to discuss the plan to break camp the next day and begin marching thirty miles northeast to Hardin castle, where the army would rest while awaiting fresh reinforcements from London. During the discussion and the meal that followed it, Royce Westmoreland's behavior to Je
Je
As she gazed into those fathomless silver eyes, some instinct warned her his offer of a truce could make him more dangerous to her than he had been as her foe, yet her mind rejected that notion, for it made no sense to her. Surely she could only benefit from a surface friendship between them, and, in truth, she'd rather enjoyed their lighthearted banter as she stitched his wound the other night.
She opened her mouth to thank him for his offer, then stopped. It seemed a betrayal to thank her kidnapper for his leniency, to pretend that all was forgiven and that they were-well-friends. Furthermore, although she was relieved that she had apparently made him trust her, she felt ashamed for the trickery and deceit she'd used to accomplish it. Even as a little girl, Je