Page 25 of Heart of the Hunter (Band of Bastards #3)
She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin.
Arrogance was more than just confidence, she decided, sneaking a sideways glance at Hunter’s profile.
There was an air about an arrogant man that exuded strength and power.
It wasn’t merely a case of acting the part; it was a belief of being infallible.
The allure of a confident man was undeniable and just another reason she was intrigued with Hunter.
She looked at him from the corner of her eyes and wondered what trait in a woman had a similar effect on a man.
“I can feel you looking at me.”
A sudden heat flushed her cheeks at being called out once again while staring at him.
She was twenty-three years of age, well beyond the age most women married and had children, but she’d never desired that for herself.
Hunter was the first—and only—man who had captured her attention and invaded her thoughts when she was least expecting it.
But he’d made it clear that he wasn’t looking for a woman in his life.
He’d confessed she was a distraction to him, but then he’d pushed her away.
She shook her head to clear the confusion in her thoughts and searched for something else to discuss. “Why would Edmund risk the ire of Hawk by ransacking his land and tormenting his tenants? Isn’t Hawk a powerful lord with close connections to the king?”
“Edmund doesn’t care about ire,” Hunter said, “and aye, Hawk and the king have a mutual respect.”
Anora waited for him to say more, and when he didn’t, she said, “Being a man of few words is one of your more annoying traits.”
“I am certain I have many,” Hunter said with smirk, then returned to scanning the forest and road ahead.
“Aye, there are. But we do not have the time today for me to recite them all. Besides, I am more concerned with Galiena and the babies. Are they in danger if Edmund attacks Hawkspur?”
“You need not worry. Red will kill anyone who tries to harm her or the babes.”
“I want more assurance than that.” Anora did not doubt Red would lay down his life protecting his wife and family, but even Red could be brought low by a marauding army if outnumbered. “Should she and the children leave Hawkspur until this situation is resolved?”
A startling sound that resembled a scoff escaped from his lips. “Red will never let them out of his sight.”
“But—”
“You need not worry,” he said in a bored voice. “Red will protect them from any danger. And Hawk is prepared to fight for the castle. Edmund will not be successful.”
“You stole something from Edmund’s solar. Is it enough to prove his nefarious deeds?” She turned her face toward him when he didn’t answer immediately.
“No, it isn’t. And if I hadn’t been forced to abort my mission, I may have found what I needed.”
She shrunk down in her saddle, her cheeks heating at the accusing glare he turned her direction. “You should not have aborted your mission on my account. I would have found my way out of the castle.”
“No, you wouldn’t have,” he bit out through clenched teeth.
She dismissed his irritation and returned to their original topic. “You still haven’t explained why Edmund would risk the wrath of another Marcher lord, and one with far more power.”
Hunter let out an exasperated sigh before he relented and answered her question.
“Payne and his men were instrumental during the conflict with the Welsh, and he believes he deserved a larger boon from the king than the just the coin he was awarded. He wanted Hawkspur and petitioned the king for it when it was revealed that the former lord of the castle—Lady Alyce’s brother—was a traitor to the crown. ”
“Four years have passed since King Edward’s fight with the prince of Wales ended. Why would Edmund risk the wrath of the king now?”
“The king does not typically get involved with the conflicts between Marcher lords and expects them to resolve their own issues. If a lord is too weak to defend himself, then he doesn’t belong in the Marches.”
“Would it not take a significant force to take Hawkspur Castle from Hawk and Lady Alyce? I would not think Edmund strong enough for that.”
“He is aligning himself with lords who are rumored to be creating an alliance as a show of power against the king. They know Hawk and Lady Alyce do not support them and they would prefer Hawkspur to be under the rule of someone sympathetic to their cause—like Baron Payne.”
“Baldwin never liked Edmund, and I have seen him for the deplorable man he truly is, but it is still hard to believe that someone who knew my family intimately could be so callous as to attack my mother and steal from us while she was bleeding on the floor.”
“It is a cowardly deed,” Hunter said, combing his hand through his hair. It had become a familiar gesture to Anora, since he did it whenever he was annoyed, irritated, or angry.
“If he was responsible for my mother’s death, whether by his own hand or by someone loyal to him, I want him to pay.
” Her voice shook with her anger. She didn’t often show the depths of her bitterness over what had happened to her mother, but it was always with her, like a thorn buried deep under her skin.
Most of the time it was a dull throb, but at other times it felt like a finely honed blade slicing her to ribbons.
“As my father said, he is not in a position to avenge my mother’s death, and Baldwin is gone.
That leaves me.” She turned her head toward Hunter and waited for him to look at her.
“That is why I went into Castle Whyte, despite the risks.”
Hunter released a long breath, but for once, he didn’t look like he was about to chastise her. “Now that I can understand.”