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Oh no! Jordan thought. She didn’t like the look in his eyes. “My name is Elinor. Might ye show me where Lady Analiese’s rooms, please?”

“Elinor,” the soldier rolled it on his tongue, taking a seductive step toward her. “You are a bonny wench.”

“I am married.” she jumped back from him, holding the basket in front of her.

“Married?” the soldier repeated. “All the better. Then I won’t be spoilin’ anything.”

She was quickly becoming terrified. “Stay away from me, Sassenach.” she warned desperately. “My husband is a knight and he will run ye through if ye touch me.”

“A knight?” the soldier momentarily stopped. He frowned. “Which one?”

William was the fiercest knight by far, but everyone knew he wasn’t married. Her mind raced to think of the second most-imposing knight she could think of. “Sir Kieran Hage.”

“Sir Kieran?” The soldier began to show signs of nervousness at last. As she had hoped, the man did not wish a confrontation with the massive man. He looked her up and down again then, licking his lips, he went back to his post on the door. “You had better not be lying, wench, or I will track you down and make you wish you’d never been born. I shall remember your face, too. Lady Analiese’s rooms are three doors down, to the left.”

“She is lying,” said Alexander.

Jordan had failed to notice that the door the soldier had been guarding was opened. Alexander stood in the archway, an evil smile on his lips.

The guard jerked around to Alexander, then back to Jordan. He wasn’t sure what to say or how to react.

Jordan was frightened. Alexander kept staring at her, the hate in his eyes reaching toward her like an evil, cloying fog.

She instinctively took a step back, clutching the basket in front of her. She had to get out of there, realizing that she had placed herself in severe danger. She could run, but not knowing the layout of the castle well put her at an extreme disadvantage. Her panic was growing.

*

William heard the yelling from the top of the stairs. Puzzled, he took the short walk to Jordan’s door, listening to the shouting get louder. The guards were gathered around the door, listening, and he shoved them away in his attempt to reach the latch. With a glare, he silently ordered them back and entered the antechamber.

Jemma stood in the center of the room, squared off against Elspeth, the older of the two maids. He glanced about, noticing immediately Jordan was not in the room. Jemma saw him enter and instantly shut her mouth, suddenly very afraid.

“This is no way for ladies of the future countess to act,” he said reproachfully. “Where is Lady Jordan?”

Old Elspeth had her back to him. She spun around to face him, her round face flushed. “She’s gone. And this little peapod wunna tell me where she went.”

Fear surged through William. His eyes riveted to Jemma. “Where in the hell is she?”

Jemma was quaking inside but she defiantly lifted her chin in spite of her common sense. “She’s in no danger, sir knight.”

His jaw ticked and he took deliberate steps toward her, standing so close he was almost standing on top of her. “That was not what I asked. Where is she?”

Jemma fully intended to evade his question again, but her fear got the better of her. “She went to seek Lady Analiese’s rooms.”

He looked perplexed. “Why? How in the bloody hell did she get out of here?”

“She dressed as a serving girl and slipped past the guard.” Jemma was gushing like a well. “She wanted to return Lady Analiese’s necklace, alone, and talk to her again. She doesna like all of the guards she is forced to endure.”

The veins on his throat were pulsating and Jemma impulsively stood back from him. If he was going to explode, she did not want to be within his reach.

“Damnation.” he hissed between his teeth. Before anyone could say another word, he was bolting for the door, slamming it with such force that one of the hinge supports cracked, raining splinters of wood on to the stone floor.

Jemma and Elspeth stared at the bits of door sprinkled on the ground. “Oh, my,” Elspeth said slowly.

Jemma nodded in agreement, wondering what would happen to Jordan when William caught up to her and very glad she had not gone with her, for once.

*

Alexander was enjoying Jordan’s terror. He was in such a perfect position to humiliate and terrorize her that his wicked little mind was whirling with the possibilities.