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“Why?” Jordan demanded softly.

Analiese looked at her. Really looked at her. Jordan could feel the heat in her gaze, but it was cooling. Suddenly, as if a curtain lifted, all became clear.

“Because ye were the only woman here until I came,” she answered her own question. “Ye had yer father, yer brother and the knights all to yerself and I expect they treated ye like a queen. And then I came and ye were threatened by me. Isna that right?”

“Well, why shouldn’t I be?” Analiese exploded. “Look at you; I have never seen a woman as beautiful as you. The knights and my father’ they all fawn over you as if you were the Virgin Mary. They have all but forgotten about me.”

Jordan knew the statement was from the heart. She felt a twinge of pity for the plain, selfish girl.

“Analiese, I dinna come here to take yer menfolk away from ye,” she told her gently. “I came here because I was given no choice. I have no interest in replacing ye and I doubt that I could anyhow. Do not let yer jealousy cloud yer judgment, lass. I truly want to be yer friend if ye’ll let me.”

Analiese looked stumped by the kind, open response. She had become so used to blatantly hating Jordan that she had never given friendship any thought. She looked as if she wanted to respond in sorts but her great pride blocked the way. As Analiese fidgeted,

Jordan had an idea.

“Would ye like to wear this dress?” she asked eagerly. “Ye said the men were staring at it and I am sure it would fit ye. We’ll change right here.”

Analiese blinked, glancing down at her plain blue surcoat loaded down with tons of jewelry. “I do not know…,” she said doubtfully.

Jordan moved swiftly towards her, not giving her any time to think negatively. “Come, now, turn around and let me unfasten it.” She spun Analiese around and went to work on the stays. “Ye look to be about my size. Mayhap we can swap dresses all of the time. I brought quite a few with me from Scotland.”

Analiese, being bull-dogged into trading dresses, was nothing like the belligerent girl of a few minutes ago. She held her hair to the side uncertainly while Jordan deftly unfastened her.

“Doesn’t your cousin wear your dresses?” she asked faintly.

“The little wench brought none of her own,” Jordan said disapprovingly, keeping the conversation light and busy. Hopefully, she would confuse Analiese so much that the girl would forget her hatred. “She is so short she has ruined the hemline of every dress she has worn. Yer seamstress, Joana, promised to make her some of her own, thank God.”

Analiese’s dress slipped off. Jordan moved in front of her. “Here, now unfasten me.”

*

William entered the grand hall, dressed in his finest ceremonial armor and eagerly searched the room for Jordan. It did not take him long to figure out she was not in the room, so he skirted the edge of the hall until he came across Jemma sitting at one of the outer tables.

“Where’s Jordan?” he asked.

Jemma looked up at him. “Oh, hello, English,” she said mischievously.

His eyes snapped to her, darkening. She had called him by Jordan’s nickname and by the look in her eyes he could see she knew everything. He repressed the urged to curse loudly, wondering what in the hell Jordan had been thinking when she told her cousin of their relationship. But Jemma would not receive any satisfaction knowing that she had upset him.

“That is Captain to you, or Sir William,” he said lowly. “Answer me. Where is Lady Jordan?”

Jemma had had too much wine, he discovered. She waved a limp hand at him. “Oh, dunna get yer chausses in a bunch,” she said. “I willna call ye that anymore. Jordan left with that skinny wench Analiese a few minutes ago.”

William stiffened. “Which way did they go?”

Jemma pointed a door. “That way. Kieran went after them.”

William tried not to run, but as soon as he hit the archway he was pounding down the corridor. Rounding a corner, he almost plowed straight into Kieran.

“Dammit, man, where…?” he exploded.

Kieran shut him up. “Shhh,” he winced, glancing toward the door he stood in front of. It was cracked, ever so slightly. “Take a look for yourself. You are not going to believe it.”

William took a cleansing breath and peered through the crack. What he saw confused him greatly. Jordan, nude from the waist up, and Analiese in her shift, were focusing intently on some piece of jewelry in Jordan’s hands. They were talking so low that he could not hear what was being said. He turned to Kieran.

“What in the bloody hell is going on?” he demanded in a whisper.

Kieran chuckled in amazement. “It started out as a shouting match in the grand hall. Then the two retired in here privately and, after a brief conversation, Jordan began undressing them both. It seems Analiese has been wildly jealous of Jordan since she arrived and Jordan is trying to make amends by loaning Analiese her new surcoat.”