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The knight looked impassively at him. “As the king’s champion, he does,” he said, turning back around to his men. “Escort Lady de Wolfe to the bailey.”

Without a hind glance at de Troiu, Jordan and Byron went on their way. When they were several feet away, Jordan glanced over her shoulder and saw that the knight was still detaining de Troiu, making sure the man did not follow her.

She wondered what on earth had provoked such protective behavior from a man she had ignored since her arrival, and what’s more, she intended to find out. Listening to the conversation, she had deduced that William had been in contact with the knight recently and it angered her; why had he not seen fit to contact her, then?

They left through the huge main doors of Windsor, entering into the massive courtyard. Jordan had no true destination in mind, simply to walk, so they began to skim the well-manicured drive.

There were carriages and soldiers and people everywhere and the entire area was alive with activity. Byron had begun talking again but she stopped him every so often to ask him from what house a particular banner was from, or to point out a bloom or a colorful bird. Her encounter with de Troiu was quickly forgotten.

The other knight had finally joined them again and she passed him a couple of curious glances before stopping to face him.

“What is yer name, sir knight?” she asked.

He was a big, big man. She had never really noticed before. His head and most of his face was obscured by the helmet as he spoke.

“Sir Roan d’Vant, my lady,” he replied.

She nodded, studying him. “Take off yer helmet.” She hated helmets; they were too impersonal.

He obeyed and she was surprised to see that he was young and very handsome. His black hair was shorn very close to his scalp, but a bit longer on the crown, and he had a well-formed face and intense blue eyes. In fact, his gaze was quite piercing.

“So my husband asked ye to be my protector, did he?” she said after a moment.

“Aye, my lady, he did,” he replied. “Your husband and I served in Wales together.”

“Were ye with him when he was wounded?” she asked.

“Aye,” he answered. “ ’Twas I who carried the earl back to London. Sir Kieran and Sir Deinwald were busy with the Welsh, covering our retreat.”

She hadn’t known that. This man had probably saved William’s life and she had been unkind to him. Her guilt was magnified for her attitude toward her guards.

“Then I must thank ye,” she said quietly. “I dinna know. And I must furthermore apologize for my manners these past weeks. I have been less than gracious to ye and yer men.”

He cracked a smile and she was delighted to see that it was a wide, beautiful smile displaying straight, white teeth. He was magnificently handsome when he smiled, but not nearly as handsome as her husband.

“My lady, you have been busy with two new babes,” he said. “You are not expected to be the consummate hostess.”

She grinned back. “Ye are too kind, sir knight. Tell me, are ye married?”

He was caught off guard by the rapid change of subject. “Nay, my lady, I have no wife.”

Jordan frowned slightly. “Pity, Sir Roan. I should like to have another friend while I am in London,” she said, and turned slightly away from him. “Come and walk with me, and tell me of yerself.”

Honored, he resumed walking by her side. Jordan learned little of him because she did most of the talking, telling him about Northwood and Langton and about her adventures since leaving her home. She found Sir Roan to be a wonderful listener and good conversationalist. She was deeply sorry she had not made an earlier attempt to get to know him.

Before she realized it they had made the round of the courtyard and were nearly back to where they had started. She paused a moment, still enjoying all of the activities and continued her conversation with Roan. Ignorant as she was of the English, he began to point out various nobles and people of importance to her and she was fascinated.

As they stood and chatted, the courtyard appeared to be in great turmoil. She glanced up at Roan and was troubled to see his attractive face creased with concern. It appeared that people were beginning to clear the drive in a great hurry and the shouting and noise from harried horses was uproarious.

“Mayhap we had better go inside, my lady,” he said calmly, but she could detect urgency in his tone.

She nodded, picking up her skirts to comply when a huge thundering caught her attention. It sounded like distant thunder, yet far more powerful. The earth beneath her shook with the force.

Instinctively, she stopped to see from whence the sound came when she was confronted by a large company of soldiers barreling into the bailey from the King’s Gate. The men were dressed for battle. She could see some of the riders with slung cross bows, and all of them were dressed in armor and mail; especially the knights, who rode at the head of the column.

The column slowed as they came closer, the destriers dancing and snorting and making a great commotion. The sun had dried the earth a bit and clouds of new dust flew into the air, adding to the confusion the troop was creating.

The inhabitants of the courtyard were desperate to get out of their way. Jordan felt Roan put an insistent hand on her arm, but she didn’t move. The armor and the men riding in were strangely familiar.