Page 16 of The Tempest
Maude was standing rather proudly next to the forlorn figure. “We’ve expanded our territory,” she said. “The Aragon and Portuguese pirates have been roaming the coastlines of England and Scotland for years, so we decided tae head for the Iberian coast. We even ventured intae the great sea that the Romans used tae call Mare Magnum. We’d found success along the coastline of Castille when we came across Her Grace, Princess Maria Astria Julia, and took two of her ships. She happened tae be on one of them.”
“So ye kept her.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Did ye intend tae ransom her?”
Maude nodded. “I did until yer father died,” she said. “Then I had a better use for her.”
Payne looked at her, frowning. “How long have ye had her?”
“Five months.”
Payne’s eyebrows shot up. “Ye’ve had her—like this—for five months?”
Maude nodded. “Once we captured her and her ships, we took them back tae Lismore,” she said. “That took us almost two months as it was. We were there for about a month when yer da fell ill.”
Payne’s gaze lingered on his mother for a moment before he returned his focus to the beaten, dirty, weary captive. “Did Da know about her?”
“He’s the one who suggested her for yer bride.”
A thought occurred to Payne as he put the pieces of the puzzle together. “Isthatwhy ye were coming tae Blackchurch?” he said. “To bring her tae me?”
“Aye, lad. And tae make sure ye married her.”
So there it was, all wrapped up in a neat package for him to digest. But all he could manage to feel was disgust for the way this small woman had been treated. He could see the widening divide between his mother and brothers and himself simply in the way they lived their lives. While a male captive, treated horrifically, would have been perfectly acceptable, it was not acceptable to treat a woman the same way. Perhaps Blackchurch was without honor to some, but Payne wasn’t. He was a trained knight, had taken an oath, and part of that oath was protecting the weak, which all knights took to mean women and children.
He just didn’t like what he was seeing.
But arguing with his mother or even Declan about it wasn’t going to get him anywhere. He had to be careful how he handled this because, beneath it all, he was dealing with one of the most feared pirates that had ever sailed the seas. Even if shewashis mother. But there was one thing he was going to do whether or not she liked it.
“We’ll discuss marriage later,” he said, sounding irritated. “But ye’ve come this far, so continue tae Blackchurch, but take lodgings in the village. Dunna come tae the fortress or ye’ll be met with a thousand-man army. They know ye’re coming, so stay clear for now. That’s why they sent me out tae discover yer intentions.”
Maude wasn’t surprised by the order to stay clear of Blackchurch. “Now ye know.”
“Now, I do,” Payne said. But then he reached out and grabbed the captive by the arm, pulling her toward him. “But this is going tae end. Ye’ll not treat a woman like this in my presence and I dunna care who she is or what she’s done. I’ll not stand for it.”
Maude stood back as Payne untied the heavy rope that was binding Astria’s arms together behind her back. “Careful, lad,” she warned. “I told ye that she bites.”
Payne was on the last loop. “She probably bites because ye treat her like an animal,” he said. “No good can come from frightening a delicate woman tae death.”
Maude didn’t say a word. She didn’t have to. Before she could reply, Astria’s freed right hand came up and flew straight into Payne’s face. A small fist met with his left eye with as much force as the young woman could muster.
Maude laughed so hard she thought she might choke.
CHAPTER FIVE
They’d been watchingfrom the shadows.
Creston was to the north and Cruz was to the south, or so Creston thought. He was watching Payne speak to a small, flame-haired woman so intently that he was caught off guard when Cruz joined him. In his surprise, he nearly took the man’s head off. As Creston settled down, Cruz grinned and made sure the man tucked away the dagger that had nearly come flying at his head.
“Be at ease,amigo,” he said, patting Creston on the shoulder. “I am not your enemy, but I fear we have company in these trees.”
Creston nodded. “I know,” he said. “I saw the men from that escort flee into the trees to the north, but they’ve not made it over this far yet.”
“But they will.”
“And when they do, we will be ready for them.”
