Page 36 of Rebellion's Fire

Or she could be the Lady of Tirebeck.

She met his gaze until, pleased with his spiteful little victory, he smiled and turned back to Alys. Christian sighed, reaching for the almost empty serving plate in front of her. To it, she added from the meager remains of the other dishes, including some bread, and stood up, grasping her wine cup at the last moment.

She kept her passage down the length of the hall as unobtrusive as she could. If William had any sense, he would leave it that way. She could almost feel the stunned silence behind her, prickling at her neck until a crack of what sounded like genuine laughter issued from William.

“Fitting,” he said contemptuously. “More wine here!”

Christian kept walking. Although talk in the hall didn’t generally die down, she was aware of the several curious glances cast at her. They didn’t bother her. She was more concerned with the state of her prisoners, whom she didn’t feel able to look directly at until she’d passed the farthest table.

When they realized she was approaching them rather than the hall door, the big servant made a sudden movement to stand. The youth’s arm went round the waist of his lord, though whether to help or prevent or seek help of his own was impossible to tell. Christian didn’t care. Her stomach twisted as if an unseen hand was wringing it out.

Adam MacHeth’s wild, glazed eyes met hers and seemed to calm. A tiny smile flickered across his lips.Will you betray me?he seemed to ask.

She ignored him. “Don’t get up,” she instructed Cailean, quickening her pace and hastily crouching down in the straw before them. With relief, they dropped back to sitting positions. Christian placed the plate and the cup between them. “Eat it quickly before the dogs get a scent of it,” she advised.

“Bless you, lady,” the youth said in passable French. “I hope your kindness won’t rebound against you.”

“Of course not. And you may speak in your own tongue if you prefer. I find it’s come back to me. Mostly.” At last, feeling as if she took some reckless leap into the dangerous unknown, she turned her gaze up to Adam MacHeth. “How is your wound?”

Although his breathing was too rapid, perhaps from the exertion of trying to stand, his attention was entirely focused on her, his eyes a little too bright but quite steady. “Better.”

“The arrow is out and the bleeding is less,” the youth added.

“I’ll tend it for you when you’ve eaten.”

“There is no need,” Adam said. “One of your servants already did.”

Of course. While her husband and Henry weren’t looking.

“On the contrary,” Christian returned tartly, “I choose that you don’t die in my house. I won’t risk the wound becoming corrupted.”

Unexpectedly, a smile flickered across his lips. “Assertiveness suits you.”

“I’m always assertive,” Christian said. “Other people just don’t always notice. I’m afraid you’ll have to share this offering.”

“Thank you,” Adam said. His intense, troubling gaze held hers. “Will you tell your husband?”

She didn’t pretend to misunderstand. On the other hand, she chose not to answer. Instead, she asked, “How close are your men? Will they attack us?”

The youth went very still, his eyes wide. Adam said, “They won’t attackyou.”

A hundred more questions struggled to get out, but with an effort, she forced them back, saying only, “Eat. I’ll come back when you’ve finished.”

She rose and returned to her own dinner. On the way, she spoke to Felicia, asking her to bring the medicine box from her chamber in the old guesthouse. As she sat down, her husband ignored her.

Henry, however, who had all of the young man’s belief in chivalry, smiled at her with approval. “You were born to be a great lady,” he said warmly.

“I was born with basic compassion,” she corrected with a faint twist of her lips. “I suppose we are prepared for an attack?”

“Always,” Henry said reassuringly. “Since we took him, we’ve been doubly alert.”

There was no need to ask. William was the consummate soldier.

Henry said, “Then you think I’m right, that the young man is important to the MacHeths?”

She nodded. “I believe he is. We must make sure they survive.” Which was by no means certain. Her stomach churned at the possibility of them dying at Tirebeck. And yet, she couldn’t get out of her head that, injured or not, Adam MacHeth was up to something.

“I’ll come back for you.”Had he? The idea made her heart beat so hard, she couldn’t think, and yet she didn’t even know what his words meant. All she knew was that he couldn’t die here. Too many tragedies would result from that, and she wouldn’t allow it.

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