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Still, the game was fun and she was beginning to giggle as she ran. She tore in the grand foyer heading for the entry door of the keep. Fortunately for her, the doors were open because of the heat; she doubted she would have had time to stop and open them with Ranulf in hot pursuit.

When she plunged from the innards of the keep out into the steamy inner bailey, she considered herself halfway home. A quick glance over her shoulders showed Ranulf and two soldiers close behind. It was enough to give her a boost of adrenalin, and she pulled away from them with an exhilarated laugh.

It did not strike her as odd that both the inner and outer gates were open. She merely saw it as aiding her escape. The soldiers on the walls and in the compound were astonished to see a streak of blond hair and light blue silk rush by, obviously delighted that three men were in fast chase of her. Had she shown any hint of distress, she would have been aided by two hundred men, but they did not equate the loud laughter they heard with any sort of distress. It was enough to confuse them greatly.

Jordan was nearly to the outer gate. She could see the trees beyond and, past them, she knew was the lake. She also knew she could gain much needed ground in the grass because their heavy armor would weigh them down in the soft dirt. ’Twas enough to make her shout for joy. She could almost feel the coolness of the water lapping at her neck.

She was through the gates and across the moat. Much to her distress, she heard footfalls behind her almost simultaneously as her own and she knew that she had lost her edge. She was therefore not surprised, merely disappointed, to feel Ranulf’s thick arms snatch her about the mid-section.

They both went down on the grass, he more heavily than she as he broke their fall. Jordan struggled violently as he stood, hauling her up like a sack of grain. She didn’t want to go back. To be so close and then to be prevented was maddening.

She tried to pry his hands loose from her waist, wailing and kicking at him as he struggled to walk back up the slight incline they had fallen over. Her humor was still good in that she wasn’t trying to truly hurt him, only break free. She would alternately hang limp and become dead weight so he would have to shift his grip, and then instantaneously become a wild, twisting mass of hair and material.

Amidst all of the daft tussling and pleading on her part, she heard him laughing a deep, throaty laugh. Not loud, but she heard it. It made her smile too, but she didn’t give up.

At least, she didn’t stop her struggles until both she and Ranulf heard a shout in the distance. She froze, hair hanging wildly in her face, stunned to see the advance of Northwood’s army coming down the road. Ranulf stopped, clutching her with both arms to his hip and gazing appreciatively at the sight of the troops.

Jordan’s mouth formed an unconscious “O” when she saw a knight split away from the company and ride toward them with breakneck speed. She knew it was William because she recognized the charger. And she furthermore knew she was in deep trouble. Her initial delight when she had seen the incoming company was quickly turning into overwhelming apprehension.

The ground shook with the thundering hooves of the gray destrier and Jordan was so stunned she could not even push the hair from her eyes. All she could do was watch as the massive figure on the massive charger approached.

When he reined his animal to a halt, it was with great clouds of dust and rattling armor. The horse continued to dance excitedly as William looked down at the two of them, his visor down so she could not see his face. It was several long seconds before anyone spoke.

“I do not think I want to know what is going on here,” William said with an even voice. “But, for curiosity’s sake, enlighten me, Ranulf. Why was Lady Jordan running like the wind?”

Ranulf sounded steady and calm. “She was attempting to escape, my lord, for the coolness of the lake, which I had denied her.”

A simple explanation. Jordan was thankful he did not use words like ‘lie’ and ‘deceive.’ They still could not see William’s face.

“Then you are saying, in essence, that she was disobeying you?” he asked.

Ranulf hesitated a split second. “Aye, my lord.”

The helmet bobbed in a faint nod. He was silent for a few moments and Jordan knew he was contemplating her punishment. She hoped, for Ranulf’s sake, that he would not be blamed. She was prepared to staunchly defend him, even at the risk of a greater wrath.

Finally, William extended a huge gloved hand. “Give her to me.”

Ranulf put her feet on the ground and steered her over to William’s horse, lifting her into the waiting arms. She ended up facing William in the saddle, so glad to see him but scared out of her wits that he was going to take a stick to her for her disobedience.

The rest of the army had caught up and the herald trumpets sounded again. Peasants and servants alike had begun the familiar chant welcoming William home again. The eerie howling didn’t frighten her as it had the first time she had heard it and she felt a strong sense of pride in her William. Wolf, they cried. But she dare not say a word until he did.

The arm that gripped her was tight and unmoving. When his destrier came to an unsteady halt in the outer bailey, he dismounted and pulled her down with him. He flipped up his visor and bellowed orders to Paris before turning swiftly and half-dragging her across two baileys until they were enfolded by the welcoming dimness of the castle.

She stumbled on the stairs and he turned to pick her up, still not uttering a word. She held onto his neck, looking remorsefully at his eyes which were the only thing visible through the open visor. He didn’t look at her.

He reached her chambers, barking at the soldiers to clear the way and then snapping at Jemma to get out. Once he took her into her bedchamber, he slammed the door so hard it knocked a cup off the table next to her bed.

William put her down and she instinctively backed away, watching him unlatch his helmet and rip it off. It sailed, spinning, into the nearest wall.

When he did look at her, his eyes were dark with fury. “Would you mind telling me just why in the hell you were disobeying Ranulf?”

She began to shake. “He told ye, William. I wanted to swim and he had denied me, so…so I ran from him.”

His nostrils flared. “I told you to obey him without question. Is this how you define obey? By being as unruly as a young child? Damnation, you have no idea of the danger you are in here, do you? Of the people who would like nothing better than to see you bleed Scot tartan all over the ground and then rejoice for it? I do not leave orders to restrict you, Jordan, I do it to protect you. But I need your cooperation.”

Her mouth was hanging open in genuine regret. She knew all that he said was true. Lowering her head, for she could no longer look him in the eye, she turned her back on him and broke into quiet sobs.

He cursed in earnest, but it all came out as a long hiss. “Do not do that. I do not like it when you cry.”