Page 38

“Five hundred.”

Her eyes widened. “Five hundred. But I thought….”

He smiled, following her thoughts. “This is a light brigade, my lady,” he told her. “We left four hundred men back at Northwood. Hell, I didn’t think we’d even need this many men, but William insisted.”

“Why? Because he thought he would have to burn Langton down to get me?” she asked, half serious, half in jest.

But Kieran took her seriously. “Mayhap. Once the treaty was agreed upon, you became Lord de Longley’s property. Mayhap William was afraid you would change your mind.”

She shook her head, “I dinna have any choice one way or the other.”

He knew that. She was so young and vulnerable and lovely that he would have burned Langton down himself just to get a word from her. It was too bad she was being used as a pawn in a much larger game.

“You did not want to come.”

She looked at him. “Would ye?”

“Nay,” he said. “You are brave.”

She sighed heavily. “Nay, I am not. I am scared all of the time.”

“You have nothing to fear,” he said sincerely. “We are sworn to protect you.”

A flicker of an ironic smile touched her lips. “Whether or not ye want to, right?”

“I do not do anything I do not want to,” he said stubbornly. “Unless William orders it.”

She chuckled at him. “And when he ordered ye to protect the earl’s betrothed, ye thought he was mad.”

He shook his head. “When I first saw you, you looked as if you needed protection. So I wanted to protect you.”

Her smile faded, touched at his gallantry. “Yes, ye were friendly. But not Sir Deinwald. He dinna look happy to be around me.”

He snorted. “Deinwald’s grandfather was full Scot. He likes to forget that.”

Her eyes lit with mirth. “I wunna let him. I shall speak Gaelic to him now every time I see him.”

Kieran laughed. “That will make him madder than a nest of harassed hornets.”

“Then I shall do it,” she said decisively.

He continued to chortle. “My lady has an evil streak.”

“A small one,” she agreed.

“Me, too,” he replied with a twinkle in his eye. “Teach me some Gaelic insults to speak to Deinwald.”

She decided right then that she liked Sir Kieran Hage.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

William and Paris entered the tent fifteen minutes later. Jordan immediately noticed the kicking, fighting child Paris had hold by the scruff of the collar. She peered closer; there was something familiar about the voice but it was difficult to tell with all of the hissing and cursing.

Kieran shot to his feet much faster than she would believe possible for such a large man. He suspiciously eyed the waif and William was aware that Kieran had put himself between the intruder and Jordan.

It went without saying that Kieran was doing his duty protecting the earl’s bride until William looked at his face; his expression was battlefield-fierce. He’d never seen Kieran look so…protective before. Jealousy shot up his spine like a wildfire and startled the hell out of him.

But he banked it well. He was growing accustomed to these emotional surges now where Jordan was concerned and it was becoming easier to gain control of himself. Walking around Kieran, he beckoned to Jordan.