Talon stared hard at Lara,daring her to give him a reason to sell her.She glared right backat him, the amber in her eyes flaring into smoldering embers, thenshe took a deep breath in and flattened her fisted hands beneathhis in her lap.Letting her breath out, she dipped her head to him,everything in her mien and manner showing her to be the good,obedientlidiSophie bade her be but for her heated gaze.
He turned back to Ranulf, whose tonguewas practically hanging out of his mouth.“The thing is, my purseis full enough for my simple needs.And I have my own ideas on howshe will best serve me and my men.”
Those men choked and sputtered, andTalon stood, tired of the day’s games.His men stood too, and evenLara rose from her seat without being asked.
“Thank you for supper,Count Nithard.”They’d brought supplies enough with them to spendthe night camped out in the manor’s courtyard, but after todayTalon didn’t intend to spend another moment in the Midereds’company more than was necessary.“We’ll be returning to the keeptonight as there’s business I must tend to earlytomorrow.”
He took a silent, seething Lara by thearm and led her out of the manor house.She strode straight intohis tent, kicking first one bedroll and then the other until theirties came undone and they lay unfurled and rumpled on the floor ofthe tent.
“Feel better now?”Talonasked.
“No,” Larasnarled.
Talon chuckled.“Would another bedrollhelp?Perhaps a tunic of mine?My shin?”
“You think this funny?Doyou truly think kicking anything else will make up for what I’vebeen through?I was attacked by your drunkard of a soldier and keptprisoner in your chamber.I’ve had to listen to lies being spewedabout me and madelidito you for defending myself against the drunkard and thenSophie…” She stopped, the realization that he knew perfectly wellwhat Sophie had asked her to do clear on her face.That he’dunderstood every word they’d spoken to each other in Latin in frontof him, thinking him ignorant.She jabbed her finger in the airtoward his chest.“And you, you made it known to the world that I’dbe serving you and your men as whore.”She glared daggers at him.“I am telling you here and now, Captain, I will not.”
“Be at ease, Lara.”He wasinsulted she didn’t know him better by now.“I’ve no intention offorcing my or my men’s attentions on you.If I’d wanted you badlyenough, you’d have been heels up by now.That little show was forthe count and his son.”
She jerked her head back as if he’dslapped her.“You thought it necessary to humiliate me in front ofthe count and his son for entertainment?”
“You’ll survive thehumiliation,” he said.“Better that than Ranulf’s loving hand.”Hereyes went wide.“Is he who Sophie wanted me to protect you from?What prize is the whelp so eager to reclaim?”Her eyes grew evenbigger and her mouth opened, but she said nothing.“Why do I evenask you anything when you and your Sophie the Sixth only speak inriddles and half-truths?”
“At least I do not lie,”she hissed.
Talon stood at his full height.“Whenhave I lied to you?”
“You feigned ignorance,”she said in Latin.“To spy on me and Sophie.”
“As any soldier would aprisoner’s dealings,” he answered in kind.“Besides, I didn’t lie.I never claimed ignorance.You assumed it.”
“Aye, from your foolishgrins and oafish manners.”
“Oafish manners?”heroared.“Did not my oafish manners save your pretty little neck andWolf’s today?”
Her eyes blazed, then cooled.“Theydid,” she admitted grudgingly.“You did.”She glanced around thetent, looking anywhere but at him before finally meeting his gazeagain.“Thank you.For myself and Wolf.”
Talon grinned.“There now.That wasn’tso hard, was it?”
“No,” she said throughgritted teeth.“Of course not.”
CHAPTER 7
Lidi
Lara
Aslidi, Lara woke each morning at dawnand helped Berta, Enid, and Marta prepare and serve breakfast tothe company of soldiers.After breakfast, she would tend to varioussoldiers’ aches and ailments, then she would tend to Fulrad.Thoughhe couldn’t speak yet, he managed to say plenty with his sneers andleers and rude, guttural grunts as she cleansed and bandaged hisneck wounds and rubbed a healing balm of comfrey, chamomile, andyarrow on his knee.Every morning, she would have to cajole andthreaten him anew to drink the tisane of white willow bark for hispain and swelling, his grimace each time he swallowed a mouthful ofthe bitter brew small recompence for dealing with him.
Once Fulrad was dealt with, she wasfree to spend her days as she always had, tending to her animalsand gardens, drying herbs and flowers, mixing tisanes andtinctures, and riding into the villages and toths to tend thepeople and animals of the valley.She saw little of the captainduring the day, and then only in passing as he rode his black steedpatrolling the valley’s borders, having left the daily running ofthe keep to Anglbert, though he was always back at the keep whenshe returned in the late afternoon to help cook and serve theevening meal.Then she would tend to Fulrad again, repeating themorning’s ritual with the addition of a glass of wine, the onething he took from her without complaint.
Several days into this new life, Larapicked wild blackberries from the vines bordering her property andstrawberries from her garden and baked three pies with them in thekeep’s ovens, which the company made short work of after havingeaten their fill of roast goat, summer squash, and oatbread.
“My compliments on thepies, Berta.”The captain leaned back in his seat as Lara helpedclear the empty platters from the table.“I can’t remember whenI’ve tasted one so delicious.”
“Why thank you, Captain,but they weren’t made by me.”Berta beamed at Lara.
“So, you can cook,” hesaid with a teasing grin that Lara was learning to recognize.“Orat least bake.”
