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By the time a crestfallen Duncan finally raised his hand and swore that he would never harm her, she was convinced this stunning defeat was all Egan had ever wanted. From the start, perhaps from the moment he had accepted her bargain in her tent, he had not meant to strike Duncan dead.
Appalled, Oriana slid off Raven’s back, and after dropping his reins so he would remain where he stood, she walked away into the woods. She was shaking so badly that she had to lean back against an oak, and even then, she didn’t feel secure. She had given her word to a man who made expedient bargains, but that did not mean she would go back on her own.
When several minutes later Egan touched her shoulder, she jumped in surprise. “Is Duncan gone?” she asked fretfully.
“He’s limping back to the village. He’ll find somewhere to stay the night, and start for home in the morning. You needn’t worry he’ll overtake us on the road.”
Oriana watched Egan rake his hair off his forehead. A light sheen of perspiration coated his features, but otherwise, he scarcely seemed to have exerted himself. “You’ve made a very bad mistake,” she warned. “In sparing Duncan’s life, you’ve left mine in danger, and created a new enemy for yourself. It isn’t too late though. You can still kill Duncan before he reaches the village. You have that right. Go now and do it.”
She was pale and obviously shaken, but Egan was unmoved by her plea. She had a peculiar habit of ordering him about, but he saw no reason to obey. “No. I’ll not go back on my word,” he stated firmly.
“What of your word to me?” Oriana felt her lower lip tremble and slid her teeth over the soft fullness to hide such a pathetic show of weakness.
Egan found the gesture charming. He rested his arm against the tree and leaned so close that their noses were nearly touching. “I agreed only to be your champion, my lady. I said nothing about killing anyone. Duncan is a clumsy oaf, but I did risk my life defending yours, and now I expect you to show some gratitude.”
He closed his eyes as he inclined his mouth toward hers, but rather than meekly acquiesce, Oriana shoved away from the tree and ducked under his arm. “How dare you!” she cried. “I willingly offered my gift, but that’s all I’ll exchange for your defense, inadequate as it was.”
Dismayed by the insult, Egan straightened to his full height. “Inadequate? If I went around killing every man who’d ever offended a woman, I’d be the only man left alive.”
“Duncan did not merely offend me, sir. He threatened to kill me merely because my prophecy proved correct!”
The color had rushed back to Oriana’s cheeks, and as she shook her fist at him her hair flew about her head in a wild tangle. Egan wanted to laugh, but even more, he longed to lure her back into his arms, spread her worn cloak over the grass, and bury himself in her heat.
“Tell me exactly what transpired between you and Duncan,” he suggested instead. “You’ve yet to supply the details, and I believe that’s where my confusion lies.”
Egan crossed his arms over his chest and looked prepared to listen to a lengthy confession, but Oriana’s words were few. “It was at a fair similar to the one where we met. Duncan was with several drunken friends who dared him to consult me. He asked only if Rose would give him many fine sons, and I couldn’t lie.”
“Of course not,” Egan scoffed, “but couldn’t you have softened the truth a little?”
Oriana began to twist her hands, then quickly hid them behind her back. “Yes,” she admitted reluctantly. “I have done that upon occasion when the prophecy is a gloomy one, but what can one say when the specter of death is so clear?”
In spite of himself, Egan was being drawn into her tale and he had to agree that death was indeed a very difficult prophecy to soften. “Well, yes, I see your point, but just what did you tell Duncan?”
Oriana tried to recall her exact words. “I told him that while Rose was very beautiful, she was too frail to be his wife. I begged him to set his sights upon another. When he refused, I told him how sorry I was, but that Rose would not live to see their wedding day.”
“And she obviously didn’t,” Egan surmised.
“No.” For a long moment Oriana studied the grass curving over her soft leather shoes. “Actually I was being very kind to him, and I hope he never learns the truth.”
“You mean there’s more to this story?” Noting how preoccupied she was, Egan closed the distance between them with silent steps.
“Yes. Duncan was desperately in love with Rose, but she thought him as clumsy an oaf as you do. Her parents were thrilled by his wealth, though, and welcomed him as her husband. When they told Rose they had arranged the match, she was so terrified she ran from their home, and the strain on her heart was too great. She fell dead in their meadow before anyone could reach her.”
When Oriana looked up at Egan, she wasn’t at all surprised to find him again standing so near. He always seemed to be at her fingertips, and yet now it wasn’t disconcerting. “I would never have told Duncan that Rose would rather be dead than his bride, however. That would have been too cruel a thing to say to anyone.”
“I agree. Did all this fascinating information come to you when you first met Duncan?” Egan tried to keep the laughter out of his voice, but failed.
“I don’t blam
e you for not believing in me, but all I actually saw was that his dear Rose would soon die. As for the details of her death, I learned those later from one of her friends.”
“Oh, I see,” Egan murmured, and ran his hands up Oriana’s arms. When she didn’t flinch, he tightened his grasp slightly. “Perhaps you’ll answer this one question for me.”
Oriana tried to hide her panic, but she really didn’t believe she could tell Egan anything more than she already had. She had never been able to see into her own future, and had only the faintest glimpse of his.
“That depends upon what it is,” she replied unsteadily.
“Whether you have lived for several hundred years, or merely seventeen, why have you no husband to defend you? Had I not come along, you’d have had to face Duncan all alone.”
