Page 54 of Love Me Forever
She smiled, pleased at his response.
Royce shook his head. “Is that how she managed you to do her biding… with a simple look?”
Blair nodded. “A fact I am not proud of. So I advise you to be careful, my friend, or she will soon have you doing the same.”
Royce grinned. “She already has.”
CHAPTER16
They left at dawn. Blair had advised that the journey would take but a day. She had not realized she had been that close to home. When she had left on her journey, her mind had been too occupied with the news of her husband’s death to give attention to how far they had traveled. She had not thought herself that close to home, but all the while she was but a day’s journey away.
She rode with Royce comfortably settled in front of him and cuddled close to his warmth. The day was cloudy, the air crisp, and the silence heavy around them.
“The men are quiet,” she said, wondering over their silence.
While there was rarely constant conversation on a journey, a word here or there was often heard along with laughter. But today there was nothing, only the stillness of the surrounding land and the sounds of the winter woods. And she noticed that the men’s eyes strayed often to
Royce.
“They pay attention to their surroundings, as they should,” Royce said, sounding like a leader of men.
“But they have not spoken a word since we left early this morning. That seems unusual to me.”
“They do their duty,” Royce insisted.
“My brother’s men are well trained to observe and to fight when necessary. They are good men, but it troubles me that they stare at you so blatantly. They know the horrors of battle. They know that they could suffer as you have, so why then do they so rudely keep their eyes on you?”
He offered a reason that she would find acceptable. “They care for you and do not know me. They wish to make certain that nothing happens to you.”
His response did not appease her. “That is no excuse for rudeness. They see me happy with you. They see you treat me with respect. Your scars tell them you fought bravely and victoriously. What else need they know?”
“How do you know I fought victoriously?”
She shrugged. “You would have it no other way.”
He laughed and all around him turned their heads to look. “You have come to know me well.”
She rested her head on his shoulder. “Aye, that I have, and I like what I have found.”
“What have you found?” He hugged her close to him, the scent of her filling his nostrils. She smelled of the sweet-scented herbs she worked with and the earthy smell of the twigs that she fashioned into baskets.
Her response was quick. “A man I can trust and love.”
“You can always trust me, Brianna, you must remember that. Promise me that you will.”
He seemed anxious that she agree,
and his body tensed. She wished for him not to worry and offered him assurance.
“Do not concern yourself, for my trust in you is unconditional.”
He kissed her forehead. “Good. This pleases me, but I must admit that part of me is upset.”
“Why?” She raised her head off his shoulder, concerned that he was feeling troubled.
He sighed, shook his head, and admitted, “I thought it was my looks that won your heart.”
She smiled and poked him in the chest. “Your looks captured my immediate attention.”
