The boar came at her and Draven charged at it. The boar spun about in confusion as Draven raised his sword. As if realizing death was imminent, the boar squealed in terror, then bolted back into the forest.
Relief swept through her so quickly, her legs buckled. Emily knelt in the water, trembling and laughing hysterically.
The next thing she knew, Draven was by her side, helping her to her feet.
“Are you all right, Emily?”
She nodded, leaning on him for support. “I am merely thankful, milord, that even wild beasts are afraid of you.”
Emily heard Simon’s laughter as he descended his tree, and it was only then she realized Draven had taken a moment to pull on his breeches.
“What were you doing here?” His tone was sharp.
Heat crept over her face. She didn’t dare tell him the truth.
“Water,” Alys said before Emily could speak. “We came to fetch water for the camp, milord. Our bucket is beyond that bush where we dropped it.”
Draven let out a loud breath as he released her. “The two of you should be more careful.”
Then he looked at his brother. “And you... You were supposed to be watching them.”
“Why do you think I came when I did? I heard them scream.”
Draven glared at him. “Did you not think to fetch a weapon before you came in search of them lest they be screaming for a reason?” He shook his head. “By my troth, Simon, some things a man should do without thought and fetching a crossbow when women are screaming should be one of them.”
Simon looked sheepish. “Well, I shall try and keep that in mind the next time a boar attacks you.”
Emily exchanged a timid look with Alys as Draven went to fetch their bucket. He lingered over the spot and when he didn’t come right back, Emily moved to join him.
“Is something amiss, milord?”
Draven picked up the bucket and gave her a suspicious look. “You came to fetch water, you said?”
“Aye.”
“Then why were the two of you kneeling here so long that you made a deep indentation in the foliage?”
Emily forced herself not to groan out loud. They were caught.
“I...um...” She tried to think up a reasonable lie, but nothing would come to her mind. “Well, you see... We...”
Oh, why couldn’t she think up something?
“You?” Draven prompted. A devilish light burned in his eyes as he watched her closely. Oh, he was enjoying her discomfort. Too much.
Lifting her chin, she decided to rob him of his torment. “Very well, we came to see you bathe, if you must know the truth of it.”
“I suppose I should be flattered.”
Unable to meet his gaze any longer, she dropped her eyes to the necklace about his neck. It was a single golden rose blossom suspended on a leather cord. But what caught her notice most was the vein beneath the leather that beat in time to his heart.
Draven felt her breath fall against his naked chest. It raised chills the length of his body.
He waited for her to speak, but she seemed entranced by his heraldic emblem that Queen Eleanor had given him when he won his first tournament.
“Have words finally failed you?” he asked.
Before she could answer, Simon and her maid joined them.
