Page 65 of Saxon Blade Norman Blood
“Let’s return to my castle,” he murmured, his head against her forehead.
Then on to bed.
“Yes.”
He took her hand and led her out of the barn.
“That she-devil! She’s taken my horse away.” William fumed, looking around in anger. There was no sign of the sorrel gelding. Cwenhild had manipulated him ruthlessly. No doubt his horse was even now being used as one of her possessions. She clearly had not anticipated him to get out this alive—and he would not have, had Alfred and the girl not intervened when they had.
“Why did you come here on a different horse?” she asked him, giving his hand a squeeze.
“I didn’t want to be recognized, and Thunder is very distinctive. I rode here last night under the cover of secrecy at Cwenhild’s demand. She’d claimed she wanted to see me on a delicate matter. Now, however, I understand she only wanted to trap me.”
The girl nodded, as if she did not need to hear more, as if it was clear to her Cwenhild had lost whatever hold she’d had on him. His heart melted. She was truly extraordinary. Anyone else would have asked him what this “delicate matter” was. But not her. She simply turned her deep blue eyes to him and smiled.
His heart squeezed.
What on earth had he done to deserve such a woman?
*
Rowena followed William to the first stall in the stables.
“We will have to borrow a horse without permission,” he said. “If Cwenhild objects, it is the least of my worries.”
“Don’t you want to ride Thunder?” she asked, bringing him round to where she had tethered his stallion earlier. “We cannot leave him here, can we?”
“What ishedoing here?” After a moment of silence, he looked at her in awe. “Why, you fearless thing! Do you know you are the first person I have allowed to ride him?”
“Well, you did not precisely allow me to do it,” she pointed. “And your groom made sure to tell me so. I’m afraid Alfred had to punch him, otherwise he would never have let me go. He was still lying on the floor when we left.”
William’s mouth twitched. He was fighting a smile. “As I have upbraided him many times for not obeying my instructions, I suppose I should praise his loyalty, or at least his sense of self-preservation.”
“Perhaps.” She kept to herself the insulting look in the groom’s eyes when he had spoken to her, for the man would surely get more than an upbraiding if William found out about it. Maybe Alfred’s punch was punishment enough. “As to me being fearless, had I had any other choice I would never have taken Thunder.”
“But you did have a choice,” he said, grazing her jaw with his finger. “You did not have to come at all.”
“That was never an option,” she whispered. “And in any case, I like to think you would never have made it alive without me.”
“Probably not. The woman who wanted to kill me saved my life in the end.”
“So it would seem.”
Once again, she read in his eyes his desire to kiss her. Thankfully, though, he did not draw her in his arms, because she would not have found the strength to push him away a second time. Instead, he checked the saddle girth.
“Are you going to ride Thunder for me? Shall I sit behind you like a child?” he teased, giving his horse an affectionate pat on the rump.
“No. Once was enough for me. It was rather daunting if you must know.”
“Daunting? I doubt there is anything you could not face.”
“I think your idea of my courage is somewhat overrated,” Rowena murmured.
Yes, because she could not ignore that her longing for William was mingled with anxiety. Even if she wanted him, she could not prevent a flutter of unease at the idea of what was to come. He had never looked stronger, more formidable than in this moment.
“That remains to be seen. Until I am proven otherwise, I will consider you the most determined, brave woman I have ever met.”
He hoisted himself onto the stallion, grimacing as he did so.
