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Fortunately, the carriage and the babies were a few short yards away and he watched as she climbed into the coach and disappeared. Knowing her mind would be occupied and she would be calm for the moment, he took a deep breath himself to collect himself and began to see to his men.

After checking on the men who were mobile and establishing a perimeter patrol, he moved to where the wounded were being tended. He had been so caught up in Jordan that he had yet to notice just how many injured they carried.

He could see Byron and Paris kneeling on the ground, bent over an armored figure. Dread filled him when he saw that one of his knights was down.

Sir Broderick Marsh was severely wounded in the abdomen, at the weak point in the armor where the breastplate met the lower body protection. It was a huge, gaping wound and William could see that Byron was trying to pack the man’s intestines back into the cavity.

He stood over them as they worked, knowing there was no way to survive a wound of such magnitude. Broderick was a young, smaller knight who would not live to see his next day. He was conscious, however, and his brown eyes found William.

“How is your lady wife, my lord?” he asked weakly.

William forced a smile. “Well, thanks to my brave knights,” he said. “ ’Twas an honor to fight with you, Broderick.”

Broderick’s pale lips smiled. “My lord, the honor was entirely mine. I shall be able to tell my grandchildren that I fought with the mighty Wolf.”

William nodded curtly, turning away. Not two feet from Broderick sat Corin with Kieran bandaging his shoulder and upper arm. William frowned at him.

“What in the hell happened to you?” he demanded.

Corin looked sheepishly. “Caught a blade in the joint, my lord. Stuck me pretty good.”

Kieran glanced up and smiled at William, letting him know that the lad would suffer nothing more than a scar for his troubles. William put his hands on his hips in severely.

“Think not, Corin, that this excuses you from battle. You will remain fully functional. I will tolerate no sickly pups in my command.”

Corin smiled. “Aye, my lord.”

William had always found that sympathy on wounded men was an invitation to self-pity, and that was usually deadly. He may have sounded callous, but in his experience maintaining a positive, expectant attitude worked as well as medicine.

He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to see his wife marching around him and pushing Kieran away.

“Why dinna ye tell me Corin was injured?” she demanded. “I would see to him.” With that, she proceeded to unwrap all of Kieran’s careful bandaging.

Kieran didn’t stop her, instead, going to stand by William. Jordan inspected the wound and seeing that it was indeed not life-threatening, cautiously rewrapped it.

William watched her confident movements, knowing it was all for his benefit and that she was really a quivering wreck. She was still covered with the earl’s blood and he knew that it had to greatly disturb her. But he let her go, tending to the wounded, walking among them and helping Byron dispense his medicines and potions. If it made her feel better to be busy, then he was content to allow it. But other than a few short words, she had yet to speak to him since the occurrence.

William hadn’t realized that the knights had gathered about him, watching Jordan just as he was.

“How does she fare, my lord?” Michael asked.

“She will be fine,” he replied, not sure how to answer him.

“She looks as if she has seen the worst of it,” Marc remarked. “Is that de Troiu’s blood?”

“Aye,” Ranulf replied grimly. He had seen the whole thing quite plainly. “She was true with her aim and her bravery. I do not know many women who would have had the presence of mind to do what she did.”

“Bravest damn thing I have ever seen a lady do,” Deinwald concurred with conviction. “She ended the melee right then and there.”

“De Troiu deserved what he got, the bastard,” Jason said firmly. “I envy Jordan being the one who got to kill him.”

William would hear no more. He broke away from his men and sought out his wife. Paris and Kieran passed glances at each other, imagining the depth of emotion he must be feeling at the moment. Their leader was the consummate warrior, but in the past year he had become a husband above all. What happened today shook him to his soul.

Jordan was helping Byron tend a severed finger when William came upon them.

“Come with me,” he said softly.

She looked up at him. “But…Byron needs me.”