Page 104 of Bride of Fire
“Hold on,” Feiyan said. “What?”
“You said it yourself. This is war.”
“Not all wars are fought with arms. What happened toamor vincit omnia?”
Jenefer rolled her eyes. This again. “What’s the point of knowing how to wield a blade and shoot a bow if you’re not going to use them?”
Feiyan challenged her with crossed arms. “And how are you going to use them? Will you shoot Bethac and Cicilia? Will you threaten to cut Lady Alicia’s throat?”
Jenefer scowled. That last suggestion held some appeal. But she supposed Feiyan was right.
“Nay,” continued Feiyan, “we need a plan first.”
“Fine. You plan. I’ll collect the arms.”
The situation might not require weapons. But for Jenefer, losing her bow felt like losing a limb. Under such uncertain circumstances, she wanted to be prepared. It was clear by now that Hallie wasn’t bringing the army of Rivenloch to the rescue. Her cool-headed cousin was no doubt patiently waiting at the keep for their parents to return.
Jenefer couldn’t hold off that long. Knowing now what cruelty Lady Alicia was capable of, she couldn’t shake the feeling that the woman meant Morgan some harm.
What made things worse was that Jenefer was in love with the damned Highlander. Every hour that Morgan spent alone with his wife felt like a mortal blow to her heart.
Jenefer peered into the cradle, where Miles sighed in his sleep. She thanked the stars Lady Alicia had shown no interest in her son. At least Jenefer was able to keep the babe safe.
The sun had reached its zenith and only begun its afternoon descent when Jenefer started thinking about the evening to come, anticipating a new torment. She couldn’t help but muse about the couple in the bedchamber next door.
Would they swive tonight?
Would Morgan touch his wife with the same gentle care and desperate need that he’d touchedher?
Would she stroke his luxuriant hair? Kiss his supple mouth? Run her fingers across the warm, muscled contours of his chest?
Would their bodies come together like the smoothed feather of a well-fletched arrow?
The thought gnawed a hole in her heart.
She squeezed her eyes shut, willing away the painful images.
From the window, Feiyan called out softly, “Longbow practice again. Care to watch?”
Jenefer would welcome any distraction. And when she joined Feiyan, peering past the shutters to the ground below, she was relieved to see Morgan commanding his archers. After all, if he was on the field, he couldn’t be in the room next door with Alicia.
As she observed the four archers, she had to smile. It seemed Morgan had taken her suggestions. At least the arrows were striking the target more often. The one lad still couldn’t draw his string back far enough. But Morgan had him practice pulling the bow without shafts to strengthen his arm.
After half an hour, Bethac tiptoed in to bring them ale.
“What are ye lookin’ at?” she whispered.
“The archers,” Feiyan said, taking an ale.
Bethac handed a second ale to Jenefer. Her eyes lit up as she peeked out the window. “Och, that’s my William down there.”
“Where?” Jenefer asked.
“That’s him,” she said with a proud nod, “the handsome lad with the fiery red hair.”
“Ah.”
“Heishandsome,” Feiyan said, to be polite.
