Page 69 of King’s Knight

“Because she believed you might be tempted to disobey King William if she stayed. The affection between you two was clear to all who had seen you together.”

“I will not wed the woman William has chosen for me,” Alex said forcefully.

“Would you defy your king to wed Merewyn, a Norman’s bastard?”

“Do not call her that! She had no choice in the matter of her birth. And, yes, I would defy William to have her.” I have defied my king to have her.

Jamie smiled. “The wolf defends his chosen mate. I am glad to see it.”

Alex scowled, impatient to be going. “I must find her.” The wind stirred in the trees, drawing his attention to the branches half-bared of leaves. Soon the coming winter would prevent him from crossing the mountains of Wales to find her.

“Take Rory and Guy with you,” Jamie counseled. “Wales has many archers.”

* * *

Jamie watched as Alex strode back to the hall, his long legs eating up the ground. It was at such moments the son reminded him of the father. He had no doubt Alex had gone to advise Talisand’s lord of his plans and would soon be summoning his two friends.

He had provoked Alex enough to reveal his possessive feelings toward Merewyn and yet preserved unbroken his promise to her to say nothing about the babe.

Alex was a strong knight who handled himself well in battle. Mayhap he could reclaim Merewyn without killing the Welsh prince. ’Twould be a good thing because to kill Rhodri’s nephew would be messy and neither Lady Serena nor Merewyn would like it.

Merewyn’s leaving without saying goodbye had dismayed Lora and concerned Lady Serena. Both were women close to Jamie’s heart. One was like an older sister, having raised him after he’d lost both his parents. And the other he intended to make his wife. Merewyn loved both of them. Leaving Talisand without saying a word was not something she would have done, which caused him to wonder, had she gone willingly?

* * *

The day grew colder. The sky turned a pale gray, hovering, it seemed, just above her head as Merewyn reached up with both hands, her wrists still tied together, and pulled her hood down farther over her head. She huddled beneath the woolen cloak, a gift from Lady Serena. Made from the wool of Talisand’s sheep, it would keep her warm even in the snow she believed would fall before they arrived in Wales.

It was not unknown for snow to fall at the end of October. She remembered once when it had descended on Talisand at that time. The sheep had stood in the meadow looking perplexed, blinking the white flakes from their eyes, as she and Lora, then young girls, had erupted in laughter.

What must Lora think of her sudden departure? And Lady Serena? Surely they knew her well enough to believe she would never leave without some word of explanation. But they had seen her with Owain and must be wondering. She did not want them to worry. And what would Alex think? Had he returned by now? Was he hale and whole? She had once thought to leave before he returned but now she saw how wrong that would have been.

She peeked out of her hood to see Owain riding in front of her on his gray pony. He, too, had donned a cloak, brown like his hair and most of his clothing.

She was relieved that he had not pressed her to ride long days or at a great pace. She did not fear for the babe. Serena had always ridden into the early months of carrying a child, but in the afternoons, Merewyn sometimes felt queasy until she had nibbled on some bread. The frequent stops Owain made had allowed her the time she needed to eat and relieve herself and, for that, she was grateful.

“You have been kind, Owain.”

He looked at her over his shoulder. “And why would I not be kind to the woman I expect to marry?”

“Owain…”

“I know what you have said, but the passage of time may change your thinking on the matter.”

When the path widened, he pulled Ceinder’s reins, drawing her nearer so that they rode abreast.

“We would do well together, you and I,” he said. “Rhodri and Fia would be pleased were I to take you as my wife. I would raise the child as my own, of that you need have no concern.”

She inclined her head to glimpse his mouth, twitching up in a grin.

“In time,” he said, “you might even learn to love me.”

Merewyn was not at all convinced one could “learn to love” someone, particularly when she had given her heart to another, but she was comforted in the knowledge that Owain did not mean her ill. He might have forced her to leave Talisand, but she did not think he would force her to his bed. He had not even tried to kiss her. But his long lingering looks told her he wanted to.

“Where will we seek shelter this night?” she asked. They had made camp in the woods the night before but the weather had been more favorable then.

“I know a place. ’Tis not far.”

* * *