Face pale, she rolled the parchment. “Aye. A fortnight ago. I thought…”
A stocky, well-armed knight stepped into the stable. “Lady Gwendolyn, I regret my delay. The guard informed me that the Earl of Balfour has arrived, but when I looked, he wasna inside the keep.” Shrewd eyes assessed Aiden and his men as the warrior strode to her side.“Is all well?”
Fascinated, Aiden watched her visibly push whatever emotions she was experiencing aside and become the hostess her position required.
“Aye.” Cool eyes shifted to Aiden. “Sir Pieres, may I introduce to you Bróccín MacRaith, Earl of Balfour,my betrothed.”
Nostril’s flaring, her knight’s gaze riveted on Aiden. He issued a stiffbow. “My lord.”
“Lord Balfour,” Lady Gwendolyn said, a swath of red sliding up her cheeks, “Sir Pieres is my personal guard.”
Her protector. And a man who took his job quite seriously. Aiden nodded. “Sir Pieres.”
“Sir Pieres is in charge of the defense of Latharn Castle,” she said, her voice cool. “You will defer to him in any questions about the castle until we are wed.”
LikeHades he would.
She cleared her throat. “Now that the earlier unpleasantness is behind us, I welcome you all to Latharn Castle.”
Aiden nodded, thankful she hadn’t questioned his identity. Her reluctance to their betrothal would serve him well. She wouldn’t press for time together, leaving him free to gather information aboutthe stronghold.
“A chamber has been readied for your arrival, my lord,” she continued. “Your men may bed down in the guardhouse.”
“My knights will stay in the keep,” Aiden said. Lodged in enemy territory, if things went awry, he wanted Cailin and Rónán close in case they needed to escape.
A frown crossed herbrow. “I will—”
The rush of steps had Aiden glancing toward the stable entry.
A scrawny lad ran inside, skidded to a halt before them. “My lady,” he hurried out. “I was in the kitchen and—” His eyes widened on the foal with appreciation. “He has come.What a beauty!”
“He is,” she replied, a breathtaking smile softening her features. “His name is Faolán.”
Red swept the lad’s face as his gaze darted to Aiden, then he turned to his mistress. “I have come to care for the knight’s horses.”
Lady Gwendolyn’s smile widened even further and laughter lit her eyes.
Aiden stilled. Earlier, with her face flushed with anger, hay strewn in her hair, and mud on her cheeks, he’d thoughther intriguing.
A pathetic description for the captivating woman standing before him. Alabaster skin swept across high cheekbones, framed eyes the color of warmed pewter with flecks of gold, and lush lips that would tempt a man to linger. God’s sword, she was beautiful. Heat surged through him, and he smothered the unwanted desire. A lass and the complications she invited wasn’t something he wished.
Furious he would notice, Aiden scowled. “My men and I will see to our own mounts. Afterward we will come to the keep.”
“Dolaidh,” she said, her tone with the lad devoid of the anger simmering in her eyes, “fetch the mare fresh water and an extra scoop of grain and oats.”
“Aye, my lady.” The lad ranfrom the stall.
Her gaze leveled on him. “Lord Balfour, I agreed to our impending marriage in payment for Lord Comyn’s protection of Latharn Castle, but know this: Until our vows, I am its mistress, one who willna take orders,even from you.”
Aiden stifled a chuckle, took a damnably slow step back, and bowed in acquiescence. Straightening, his gaze locked on hers. “May I suggest we discuss sleeping arrangements in private?”
Her hands fisted at her side. “Once you are settled, my lord, there is much we shall discuss.” She scanned the stable, then hesitated. “I was informed you would arrive with a large contingent.”
Bróccín’s bloodstained body flashed to mind, his friend’s dying words, and if only for a moment, unmarred memories of his childhood. “We were attacked by KingRobert’s men.”
She gasped. “The rest ofyour warriors—”
Aiden thought of the Knights Templar betrayed, allowed his outrage for the many who’d suffered horrific torture to taint hisreply. “Dead.”
