Page 27 of Saxon Blade Norman Blood
This was getting too dangerous. Rowena took a step backward, cursing the impulse that had made her challenge him on such a delicate issue. She would never get out of this conversation unscathed.
“I have nothing further to say to you,” she mumbled.
He laughed at that. “I’m relieved to hear it. I confess I was already bracing myself for another scolding.”
“No need. I will leave you to your correspondence.”
With those words she left the room, determined to put some distance between them. She needed to put some order toher confused feelings, and it would not happen in his presence. Why did the idea of him taking a woman to bed upset her so? She suspected she would not like the answer to that question, so she tried to push it out her mind.
A moment later she found herself by the river at the base of the hillock, having no idea how she had ended up there. It was the first time she’d left the castle since arriving, but today, she needed to be on her own and not think about the tall, handsome, infuriating Norman who had become her whole world. A wade in cold water might help. Without further ado she kicked her shoes and stockings off.
Ice-cold water wrapped around her calves when she stepped into the shallow pool, stealing her breath. How on earth had she not fallen ill after her prolonged dip in such an unholy temperature? She had no idea.
While she watched the meanderings of a leaf bobbing on the water, a gleam caught her eye. Something was glittering in the river. She picked her way over the slippery pebbles toward it and fished out a gold ring. The cold metal warmed in her hand while she looked at it. It was a lovely piece of jewelry, a woman’s ring, and almost new. Without trying it on she knew the intricately carved band would fit her.
Could she keep it? It would not be stealing, she reasoned. The woman who had lost it would never find it now. A lady, undoubtedly. No peasant would possess such a precious item. It did not belong to the likes of her, but she could not resist its appeal. She slipped it on.
Captivated by the way it caught the rays of the sun, Rowena smiled to herself. Yes, she would keep it. After all, what harm could it do?
The answer to that question was not long in coming.
When she returned to the castle, the great stallion Thunder was in the hands of a groom, having his mane brushed.So William was still there. Her heart gave a jolt, and her pace quickened. Almost as soon as she came into the hall, his eyes fastened onto the ring with the accuracy of a hawk.
“What is this?” Before she could move, he had walked up to her and grabbed her wrist. “Who gave you this?”
“No one. I found it in the river, wedged between two rocks,” Rowena answered, knowing he would never believe her.
His eyes lit with a dangerous gleam. “Of course you did. You are telling me that after your near-drowning, you felt the urge to go back to the river and that while you were there, you just happened to find a ring?”
“Yes, I am, as it is the truth.”
“And not just any ring,” he carried on, as if he had not heard her answer. He brought her fingers even closer to him as he spoke to examine the band.
“What do you mean?” she asked, more affected than she would have liked by the feel of his hand wrapped around hers.
“This is a precious ring, and the design is unmistakably Norman. Therefore, I repeat. Who did you see today? Whose orders are you following?”
Rowena instantly regretted keeping the ring, for William’s suspicions were renewed. He was more convinced than ever she was under someone’s pay. She would never convince him it was not the case now. He would not let her go until he had found proof of her allegiance.
It would take forever, of course, for she was not obeying anyone’s orders.
“You are hurting me,” she protested.
“My grip must be stronger than I know.” William’s grin didn’t reach his luminous eyes; he knew she was lying, but he relaxed his hold on her wrist somewhat. “Now, do you still expect me to believe you are not here at someone else’s orders?”
“Yes,” Rowena replied in a voice as steely as his. She had no idea how to get herself out of this. “I am not a liar.”
“You will allow me to reserve judgment on a woman who used her charms to lure me into bed.” His voice had gone softer than silk and all the more dangerous for it. “Still, even considering the plans you had for me, I cannot regret asking you to expose yourself to me.”
This crude comment gave her the strength to snatch her hand away. In that moment, if she’d had a dagger in hand, she would have lunged at him.
“Well, I do regret it. And it will not happen again.”
With those words, she turned and fled back to his room.
*
Well, I do regret it. And it will not happen again.
