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A jolt—then a burst of pain as she struck the road—woke her. Like the stablemen and troopers who’d taught her, she filled the air with curses. There were words for people who fell asleep and dropped from their saddles!
Moonlight stared at her mistress, wondering why Alanna had chosen to dismount and sit in the mud.
Swearing doesn’t help, Faithful remarked. Besides, you woke me up.
“Does your worship want me to pull the curtains so the light won’t hurt your eyes?” Alanna yelled, beet red with embarrassment. “Shall I call you for the noon meal, or will you sleep the day out?”
There’s no talking to you when you’re like this, was the cat’s smug reply. He went back to sleep.
Moonlight nudged her. With a groan, Alanna rose. “I can only blame myself,” she growled. “I could’ve gone to a convent, never learned to wrestle and be dumped on my head, never have broken any bones or fallen in the dirt. I’d be clean and wear pretty dresses. By now I’d be married to a buffle-brained nobleman with a small fief. I’d probably even have clean, pretty, buffle-brained children.” Trying to wipe her hands before taking the reins, she found her breeches were as muddy as her hands. “Don’t remind me I picked this life. I’ve no one to blame but myself.” Moonlight shook her head as if to say she wouldn’t. “I always knew there was insanity in my family.”
Alanna heard hoofbeats and froze. She didn’t want a passerby to see her in this fix! Determinedly, she looked away as the other horse came closer. Her hands tightened on Moonlight’s reins as her face went a darker red. If a stranger sees me, that’s bad, she told herself. The worst that can happen is for this to be Liam Ironarm, and me falling off my horse like an incompetent. She turned.
It was Liam. He was not trying to hide his grin. “Nice morning for a ride,” he greeted her. “A little wet, though.”
Alanna swallowed, fighting her temper. “I don’t normally do this, you know!”
“Not for a moment did I think it.”
“Why are you here, anyway?” she demanded, too embarrassed to be polite. “It’s a long way for a morning ride!”
“I saw you go out. When you didn’t come back, I thought I’d check.” Too kindly, he added, “Oh, don’t think I figured you’d run out on Windfeld’s bill. You left your man and your bags, so I knew it wouldn’t be that.”
Alanna gasped with fury. “How dare—”
“Don’t like to be teased, is that it?” Relenting, he said, “Hitch the mare to a lead and ride double with me. I’ll keep you a-horse.”
“I’ll be fine!”
With a sigh the redheaded man dismounted. “Didn’t your mamma teach you to speak polite to strangers on the road?” He put Moonlight on a lead with his big-boned grey. “I could be a sorcerer and turn you into a mouse.”
“You’re the Shang Dragon. You won’t turn me into anything.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said cheerfully. “I pull on my breeches one leg at a time, same as you.” Unstrapping a blanket from his saddle, he wrapped it around her. “There now. You’re tired and wet and grumpy—in no condition to ride. I fell asleep once, Alanna the Lioness. A tree knocked me from the saddle into a ditch, right in front of the men I was to command. Bless their hearts, they didn’t tease me about it—not much. Up with you.” He threw her into the saddle as easily as if she were a child, mounting behind her and settling her in the circle of his arms.
“Go to sleep, kitten,” he murmured. His voice rumbled in his deep chest. “You’re all right now.”
Coram awoke late, with a head he would not wish on his worst enemy. For a long time he waited for his knight-mistress to arrive with her hangover cure. When she did not appear, he went in search of her. It hurt even to dress. It would be worth her heartless quips to rid himself of the headache and nausea.
After the pain of dressing, he was in no humor to find a stranger letting himself out of Alanna’s room. Hadn’t she been talking to this redheaded fellow in the common room the night before? Coram couldn’t remember.
He barred Liam’s path. “I suppose ye’ve excellent reasons for bein’ in there, all of which ye’ll tell me without delay.” Alanna had friends to protect her name and person, as this man was about to learn!
The Dragon grinned, recognizing the older man. “You must be Coram.”
“I am. That tells me nothin’ about ye.”
Liam eyed the burly man-at-arms. “It seems to me the young lady takes care of herself.”
“I suppose ye had that from her,” snapped Coram. “She’s wrong. Is there someone in the city who’ll speak for ye?” His hand shifted warningly to nis dagger hilt.
“The Shang Dragon needs nobody to speak for nim.” Liam’s eyes went a pale green. “I understand your wanting to protect her, but I don’t like threats.”
Coram frowned. “I’m t’believe ye’re Liam Ironarm?”
“Come downstairs, before she hears you,” Liam sighed. “Windfeld knows me.”
The host’s verification of the Dragon’s identity told Coram it was time to change tactics. So he invited Liam to share his morning meal, and the food eased his hangover. He could concentrate better on quizzing the redheaded man.
“Does she know?” he asked. “Lady Alanna?”
A slow grin spread across Liam’s face. “She knows.”
“No doubt she’s in a dither tryin’ to decide what she wants to ask ye first.” Coram thought for a moment, then met the Dragon’s now-grey eyes. “What’s the likes of ye want with Alanna of Trebond?”
The big man shrugged. “She’s a pretty thing—different, and full of fight. I never heard that she avoids men.”
Remembering Prince Jonathan and the thief, George, Coram flushed. “She’s still not a woman without all virtue.”
Liam chuckled. “She’s too good a warrior to have a bad reputation as a woman. At least, no one will call her bad when she might hear.”
“I’d think the Shang Dragon had his pick of pretty ladies,” growled Coram.
Liam rose. “Maybe. But she’s not just that, is she? She’s as known in her way as I am in mine.” He put a massive hand on Coram’s arm. “I’m not a village lad wanting to boast of having the Lioness’s pelt in my hut, Master Smythesson. I like her. I’d probably like you, if you stopped glumping about my being in he
r room.”
He left a coin for his food and strolled out as Coram sank his face into his hands. “Life used to be simple,” he told his palms.
Faithful jumped up to sniff at Liam’s plate. Probably more boring, too.
After running errands until noon, Coram returned to find Alanna dressed and cleaning her weapons. “Don’t scowl,” she told him. “I’m not awake.”
“The chambermaid says yer clothes were all over mud. What kind of larks were ye kickin’ up last night without me to keep an eye on ye?”
“I wasn’t ’kicking up any larks,’” she yawned. “I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a ride out of the city.”
“Were ye ridin’ under the horse’s belly, then?”
Alanna could feel a blush creeping up her cheeks. “It’s too embarrassing to talk about.”
Coram wasn’t to be so lightly dismissed. “Does this have anythin’ to do with that Liam bein’ in your room this mornin’?”
“I got tired and fell off my horse,” Alanna said grumpily. “I met Liam on the road. He just made sure I got back all right. He never touched me.”
“Maybe he didn’t,” Coram rumbled, as red as she was. “And maybe he’s plannin’ to.”
Closing the door, he heard Alanna murmur, “Nothing wrong with that.”
They reached House Jendrai as the sun touched the horizon, to be greeted by Nahom Jendrai in person. Alanna had expected him to resemble Myles of Olau—quiet, unkempt, and absentminded. Instead, she and Coram found a trim man in his early thirties, surrounded by children, servants, pack animals, dogs, and baggage. He waved to Coram and waded out of the mess.
“My wife would greet you properly, Lady Alanna, Master Smythesson, but she has only recently come from childbed, and she is resting. Our sixth,” he explained with a smile. “A girl.” He accepted their congratulations with a bow, adding, “Excuse the bustle—our bags didn’t come until this afternoon.”
He led them into the house. “I’m happy to assist Myles’s daughter. If it weren’t for him, I’d be just another nobleman, administering my estates, worrying about how I stood with the King, and scheming to get into power at court. My wife handles the fief—better than I ever could—and the only kings I bother with are hundreds of years gone. I owe that to Myles. He was the best teacher I had. What an incredible mind!”
