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Chapter Ten
Seated beside Je
She had deliberately set herself out to charm, and as Royce idly turned the stem of his silver wine goblet in his fingers, it was that effort which both amused and exasperated him.
She had made a glittering affair out of a rather tasteless meal that included roasted mutton, goose, and sparrow, as well as trenchers of greasy stew and pies filled with something that reminded Royce of brown gruel. The food at Hardin, he reflected with disgust, was little better than he'd had on the battlefield.
If Je
Je
For the last hour, Royce had been willing to indulge her, using the time to enjoy her company and to savor the anticipation of what was to come. Now, however, he was no longer interested in anticipation.
"Royce-" Godfrey said, laughing heartily, "wasn't that an amusing tale Lady Je
"Very," Royce agreed. Rather than rudely arising and putting an end to her socializing, Royce chose a subtler method: He gave Godfrey a look which clearly stated that supper was over.
Too occupied with her own worries to notice the subtle exchange of glances, Je
"Did you not think that a trifle odd? Their abrupt leave-taking, I mean."
"I would have found it far more 'odd' had they remained."
"Why?"
"Because I told them to go." He stood up, too, and the moment Je
"I was very discreet, Je
Upstairs, he paused at the chamber next to hers and shoved open the door so that Je
Unlike Je
Behind her, she heard the heavy door latch fall into place, and her heart slammed into her ribs. Bent on doing anything to delay him from what he meant to do to her, Je
Instead of launching into a tale about his exploits as his knights had done at supper, the earl of Claymore sat down across from her, propped his booted foot atop the opposite knee, and leaned back in his chair, regarding her in complete silence.
From the moment she'd snatched her hand away from his as he helped her up from the table a few minutes ago, she'd had the uneasy feeling he knew she was hoping for some sort of miracle to save her from having to keep her bargain, and that he was not well pleased by her attitude. Widening her eyes, she redoubled her efforts to engage him in discourse. "Is it true?" she asked brightly.
"Is what true?" he replied with cool indifference.
"That you've never been unhorsed in battle?"
"No."
"It isn't?" she exclaimed. "Then… er… how many times has it happened?"
"Twice."
"Twice!" Twenty times would have been a minute number, she thought, feeling a tremor of panic for her clansmen who would soon face him. "I see. That's amazing, considering how many battles you must have fought in all these years. How many battles have you fought?"
"I don't count them, Je
"Perhaps you should. I have it! You could tell me about each one, and I could keep count," she suggested a little wildly, her tension compounded tenfold by his clipped answers. "Shall we do that now?"
"I don't think so."
Je
"I've never fought in the lists."
Startled into momentarily forgetting her own concerns, Je
"Yes."
"But you don't accept?"
"I fight battles, not jousts. Jousts are games."
"Yes, but won't people… well… begin to think 'tis cowardice that makes you refuse? Or that-perhaps-you aren't quite so able a knight as rumor has it you are?"
"It's possible. Now I'll ask you a question," he interjected smoothly. "Can it be your sudden concern about my feats in battle and my reputation as a knight has to do with a bargain we made-one which you now hope to avoid keeping?"
Instead of lying to him, which Royce half expected her to do, she surprised him by saying in a helpless little whisper, "I'm frightened. More frightened than I've ever been in my life."
His brief spurt of a
Gentling his voice, he stood up, extending his hand to her. "Come here, Je
Her knees quaking violently, Je