Page 36 of A Husband for Esyllt
It might not be as hard as she had first feared to make them see they had been lucky to be placed under the protection of a man like him, English though he may be. They might come to accept their new master as easily as the servants at Castell Esgyrn had, as easily as she had made her peace with the idea of being married to him.
Because she was now not only accepting of the idea, but proud to be his wife.
During the fight she had wanted him to win, not Morgan, and when his sword had broken, her heart had almost stopped beating. For a dreadful moment she had feared for his life and the distress this had provoked inside her had been so acute she knew she was going to have to examine her feelings soon. Perhaps pride was not the only feeling Connor elicited inside her.
“But how could your sword break so?” she asked, as they came to halt by the river. After the long ride, the horses needed a drink and she was glad of the respite herself.
He merely shrugged. “Who knows? It is rare but it happens. One can never rule out a defect in the making of a sword or indeed of any object. Oh, well, better now than in the midst of battle, I say.”
Yes. Cold invaded her. Indeed.
“So, do you think?—”
Connor abruptly stopped and frowned, looking into the distance. A group of small grey and chestnut horses had just crested the hill and was thundering toward them.
“Welsh ponies,” Esyllt murmured, echoing his thoughts. These were not English knights mounted on destriers, but possibly rowdy villagers running after them, in search of trouble. “We must hide,” she cried, looking at his empty scabbard. Evidently, she worried he would be unable to defend himself if they were attacked.
Before he could point out that he was not a man to cower and hide, she drew him to the other side of the oak tree. At its foot was a shallow ditch. She all but pushed him down into it then came to lie next to him, covering their mercifully dark clothes with dried leaves.
Smiling to himself, Connor allowed Esyllt to do as she saw fit. If the men were really from the village and bent on trouble, then he agreed he would be better off out of the way. He was unarmed, after all. And even if the riders turned out to be mere travelers, their arrival could still spell trouble. He was not worried about himself, but he would not be able to defend Esyllt without a weapon if they decided to try their luck with a beautiful woman.
More to the point, it warmed something inside of him to see her jump to his defense and want to protect him from harm. Andbeing pressed against a warm, beautiful woman was not exactly unpleasant. So he dutifully lay on the ground when she gave him a shove that would have failed to move a kitten.
“Stay still,” she whispered. “Let them ride past. They won’t see us hidden where we are.”
“I daresay they won’t. We are buried in dried leaves. I’m grateful they are not soggy with rain, at least.”
“I’m sorry, I panicked,” Esyllt murmured in his ear, sounding contrite. She must have realized how ridiculous it was for the lord and lady of the castle to lie on the forest floor under a pile of leaves. He smiled. Not ridiculous exactly. Endearing rather. “I don’t think you’re a coward, only it?—”
“I know.” He could not quite hide the laugh in his voice. “You thought that I was only one man. I’m sure I cannot fault you for that observation, however much it hurts my vanity.”
He felt her tremble against him and thought for a moment she was beside herself with fear, then he understood she was fighting a giggle.
A moment later the forest filled with the noise of snorting horses and laughing men. Welshmen. It soon became clear that they were merely travelers pausing to water their horses, not angry villagers who had set off in pursuit of their English master with the intention of hacking him to pieces. Still, now that they were hidden, they had better remain where they were. It would be awkward to be seen coming from a ditch together, covered in leaves, and draw unnecessary attention to themselves.
With his wife pressed tight against him, Connor closed her eyes. It felt good to have her in his arms. Allowing everything to disappear from his mind, he reveled in her touch while the men caroused in the distance.
And then the noises around them changed. Laughter stopped. He guessed that the men had seen their two horses and realized someone else was out there in the forest.
Connor’s eyes snapped open. “What are they saying?” he asked Esyllt. “Can you hear?”
“They are wondering where the horses have come from and where the riders are,” she whispered back.
He nodded. He had suspected as much. “Are they suspicious?” Were the men about to pounce?
“No. They seem to think...” She stopped.
“To think?” The two words made it clear she had better finish her sentence. He needed to be ready in case the men decided to look for them.
“They have guessed from their build and saddles that they belong to a man and a woman. They seem to think that two lovers have gone into the woods to...”
“Gone for a tryst, you mean,” he supplied when she faltered again.
“Yes.”
He barely repressed a snort, utterly charmed by her embarrassment.
Then coarse laughter reached their ears and Connor stiffened. Why was he amused? This was serious. If the men thought a woman was this moment naked and in close proximity, they might well think to dispose of her vulnerable lover and take his place between her legs. By the sound of things, there were at least five or six of them. With such odds, it would not be long before he was overpowered.
