Page 64 of Enamored
“I’ll go to Vordinberg, but I have no intention of staying.”
She was a maiden of principle and would remain there as long as she was needed, but I held back my pronouncement.
Lis let her gaze rest on Elinor again. But as Ansgar’s commands grew louder and urged more haste, I knew the time had come to go. Canute’s army was advancing toward the river, hoping to prevent the longboats from leaving.
How would I be able to convince Elinor to come with me? And even if I did, how would we be able to ride away without the enemy seeing us?
I scanned the river, searching for a way of escape.
Lis inclined her head upriver. “Get into the water and lead your horses upriver for half a league. There you’ll find caves on the north side of the river.”
Though autumn, the water level was still high and the current swift. The temperature of the river was frigid, and doing as Lis suggested would be difficult. But we couldn’t ride away on land. The enemy would too easily spot us leaving and send forces to follow us. We needed the riverbank to hide our escape.
“Go now.” She gave me a gentle shove toward Elinor, who was assisting with the loading of the king. “Godspeed.”
“Godspeed to you too.” Without another moment of hesitation, I motioned at Halvard with our horses and then started toward Elinor. She would demand to stay with the king and accompany him to Vordinberg. I would need to be at my sharpest to convince her to come with me instead.
Chapter
24
Elinor
I backed awayfrom the king as his knights hoisted him onto a sturdy lift. One glance across the grassy field at the approaching army told me all I needed to know. We were in imminent danger again.
Earlier, I’d glimpsed Lis standing near Maxim, and I hoped she wouldn’t leave before I had the chance to have words with her. Now I noticed her guiding her horse across the plank into the royal longboat. Did this mean she planned to ride with us to Vordinberg?
I didn’t have time now to stop and question her plans. But hopefully, once we were away from the threat of Canute’s forces, I would have the chance to speak with her at length and share with her my suspicion that we were sisters.
“Elinor.” Maxim approached, his dark hair loose and wavy, his face creased with soot and dirt, and his expression severe.
My heart gave an extra thump. Even in the worst of circumstances, he was starkly handsome, and his eyes pierced me with their intensity, almost as if he wanted me to sense the brewing emotion in their depths. Was it love?
He’d said he loved me, but had he really meant it, or had he only spoken the words because of the distress of battle?
Something radiated from him, that same magnetism I’d felt with him before, and this time it was strong enough to keep my feet anchored to the earth, rendering me immovable. I could only watch his approach, my body leaning toward him with the need to fling myself against him and assure myself he was alive and well.
As he stopped but a foot away, he reached for my hand and clasped it in his. “You will not be safe returning to Vordinberg, as Rasmus intends for you to ingest hermit’s tonic so that he might control you.”
Maxim’s words were low and urgent, leaving me no doubt he was worried. “How did you come to know such information?”
“Lis overheard the trackers speaking of the plans.”
My gaze sought out the young woman again. She was inside the longboat now and was gently stroking her horse.
“You must come with me into hiding until we can build a case against Rasmus and rid the land of his threat.”
My chest tightened. Go into hiding with Maxim?
“I realize I haven’t earned back your trust,” he whispered, “but I hope I’ve proven I’m your loyal subject and owe nothing to Rasmus but my contempt.”
I wanted to ask Maxim if he desired to be with me, and not just to protect me. Was he suggesting it because he wanted to do his duty to me and for the greater good of the country? Or did he have other motives that had to do with us? But now was neither the time nor the place to bring it up.
“I promise that when the time is right,” he continued, “I’ll make sure you return to Vordinberg. But until then, you must vanish so Rasmus cannot find you.”
“What about the king?” The knights had started hoisting him carefully across the plank leading into his boat.
“If he knew of the plot against you, he’d urge you to leave with me anon.”
