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His gaze shifted from the castle on the hill, which seemed to fascinate him almost as much as it did Je
"You do!" she exclaimed, "But you said 'twould be three days, not two, before we reached Claymore."
"The roads were drier than I expected."
Horrified that his vassals were going to have their first glimpse of her when she looked such a fright, Je
The gesture was not lost on Royce, who politely halted the big destrier so that Je
"You might have warned me!" Je
"I haven't. At least not when it looked like this. Eight years ago, I commissioned architects to come here, and together we drew plans for the home I wanted when I was finished with battles. I kept meaning to come back here to see it, but Henry always had urgent need of me somewhere else. In a way, it's been for the best. I have amassed a large enough fortune now to ensure that my sons will never have to earn their gold with their own muscle and blood, as I have done."
Je
His eyes flicked to her face and he said with amused irony, "Had I attacked Merrick 'twould have been my last battle. As it is, I breached my last castle wall when I took you from there."
Je
"Four months ago," he stated, his voice harsh with resolve. "If I ever raise my arm in battle again, 'twill be because someone is laying siege to what is mine." He was silent after that, staring straight ahead, and then the tense muscles of his face slowly relaxed. When he finally pulled his gaze from the castle, he looked down at her with a wry smile and said, "Do you know what I'm looking forward to most in my new life-next to a soft bed to sleep in at night?"
"No," Je
"Food," he stated unequivocally, his spirits restored. "Good food. No-not just good, but excellent, and served three times a day. Delicate French food and spicy Spanish food and wholesome English food. I want it served on a plate, cooked to perfection-instead of hanging off a spit, raw or else charred. And then I want desserts-pastries and tarts and every kind of sweets." He shot her a look filled with amused self-mockery as he continued, "On the night before a battle begins, most men think of their homes and families. Do you know what I used to lie awake thinking of?"
"No," Je
"Food."
She lost the battle to remain aloof and burst out laughing at this incredible admission from the man the Scots called the son of Satan, but although Royce spared her a brief, answering smile, his attention had reverted to the view in the distance, his gaze roving over the land and its castle as if he was drinking in the sight of it. "The last time I was here," he explained " 'twas eight years ago, when I worked with the architects. The castle had been under siege for six months, and the outer walls were in ruins. Part of the castle itself had been destroyed, and all these hills had been burned."
"Who laid siege to it?" Je
"I did."
A sarcastic reply sprang to her lips, but she was suddenly loath to spoil their pleasant mood. Instead, she said lightly, " 'Tis little wonder the Scots and English must always be at odds, for there's naught in common in the way we think."
"Really," he said, gri
"Well, you will agree," she replied with polite superiority, " 'tis a very queer custom the English have of razing your own castles-as you've done for centuries-when you could be fighting with Scot-with other enemies," she corrected hastily "and razing their castles."
"What an intriguing idea," he teased. "However, we do try to do both." While she chuckled at his answer, he continued, "However, if my knowledge of Scottish history serves me, it seems the clans have been battling with each other for centuries, and still managing to cross our borders and raid and burn, and generally 'a
Deciding it was best to drop the subject, she glanced back at the enormous castle shining in the sun and asked curiously, "Is that why you laid siege to this place-because you wanted it for yourself?"
"I attacked it because the baron to whom it belonged had conspired with several other barons in a plot to have Henry murdered-a plot which nearly succeeded. This place was called Wilsely then-after the family to whom it belonged, but Henry gave it to me with the stipulation that I rename it."
"Why?"
Royce's glance was wry. "Because Henry was the one who raised Wilsely to baron and rewarded him with the place. Wilsely had been one of his few trusted nobles. I named it Claymore in honor of my mother's family and my father's," Royce added, as he spurred his horse, sending Zeus forward in a flashy trot.
The riders from the castle had wended down the hill and were bearing down on them from the front. Behind her the low, constant rumble that had been moving ever closer and louder became the distinct sound of galloping horses. Je
His heavy-lidded glance was amused. "Always."
"Why?"
"Because," he explained obligingly, "timing is the key to leaving a battle on your horse, instead of stretched out on your shield."
"But you aren't fighting battles any more, so you don't need to think about timing and such."
His lazy smile was almost boyish. "True, but 'tis a habit, and one that will not be easy to break. The men behind us have fought beside me for years. They know how I think and what I want done almost without my saying it."
There was no more time to reply, for the castle guard was almost on top of them, with Arik in the lead. Just when Je
Je