Page 21 of Saxon Blade Norman Blood

With a strangled cry, Cwenhild bolted out the door. All the men save for Alfred ran after her. He looked at Rowena and William in turn, tilting his head in consideration.

“Set him free,” he instructed her before walking to the door. “We will decide on Cwenhild’s fate, but it might be better if you are both gone when we come back.”

While the girl translated, William nodded to the man who had been a fast ally from the start.

“Thank you, Alfred,” he said in his language.

“There is no need to thank me. You are innocent, you should be allowed to leave freely,” his friend said, articulating for his benefit, then left.

Once they were alone William gazed up at the girl towering over him. He was kneeling at her feet with his hands tied behind his back. The attitude was one of unmistakable submission. Guessing she would feel a heady sense of power over him, he waited for her to speak.

“Did you sleep with that woman?” she asked quietly.

“Yes.” William clenched his jaw in self-loathing. “I put an end to it the day after we arrived at the castle,” he added, willing her to understand that once he’d met her, the other women had lost their appeal. “She did not take it too well, but I did not give it another thought.”

“Then you know why she wanted her revenge on you. You were right, women can be as ruthless as men, if less brutal.”

“But infinitely more devious.”

“I will not argue with that.” She shook her head, and he knew the subject was closed.

Relief swept through him. He’d feared she would have taken exception to the affair, and he could not have blamed her. It seemed she was more generous than he deserved—or had the right to expect. If he’d ever wondered why he had fallen for her, he would have stopped wondering right now.

“Now, let us go before they come back,” she said, determination coloring her voice.

She walked behind him to undo the rope tying his hands, but it proved an impossible task. It was much too thick and tightly wound. With a muttered curse she walked over to the table, where she found a carving knife. William’s breath caught when she turned to face him, blade in hand.

She was utterly magnificent, like a warrior queen.

One corner of his mouth lifted at the irony of the situation. If she still intended to kill him, this was her chance. She could choose to plunge the knife into his heart, and he would be powerless to stop her.

She lowered her gaze and reddened as if she had read his thoughts.

William’s whole body exploded in desire at the same time as his heart burst in gratitude. She had come for him. She had saved him. He was alive, thanks to her, the girl who had once vowed to kill him. It seemed too good to be true.

“I assume this knife pointed at me while I’m bound and helpless is to—”

“To free you, yes. I told you you have nothing to fear from me anymore.”

“Thank you. Though if you wanted to tie me up later, I would only be too glad to comply,” he said in a husky voice.

From the way her eyes widened it was obvious she didn’t understand what he meant. Not to worry. It would be his pleasure to teach her.

“Let us get you out of here.” She knelt behind him to cut the thick rope.

It took longer than he expected as she took care not to hurt him in the process. His heart was pounding hard against his chest. He did not deserve such thoughtfulness, not after having let her down so appallingly.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come to you last night.”

She would have waited for him in bed, feeling rejected when he did not come. Mayhap she’d cried. The idea was enough to make him murderous. Forget what he had endured in the cell, her suffering was what Cwenhild should be punished for.

“So was I,” she answered, “but I think under the circumstances you can be forgiven. You were clearly not here of your own free will.”

“No. I was not.”

A final slash and the rope fell to the floor. Instantly William turned to face the girl. Before she could stand, he grabbed her by the shoulders.

“I swear I will make it up to you,” he growled.

“We will see.” She wiggled out of his hold and straightened back up. He did not take offense, understanding she did not want to start unraveling, not when they were in danger of being seen. “This is a big promise. I was most put out.”

“So was I.” He staggered onto his feet and bit back a curse. After so long spent kneeling on the hard floor, his legs were unsteady. “But I will do my best. I have given you my word. I mean to honor it.”

He drew her into his arms and would have kissed her had she allowed him to do so. But she placed a light hand on his chest. It was enough to stop him.

“Please, not here. Let’s leave this place.”

“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 is he doing 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.

Rowena inhaled sharply. “Are you hurt?” She had not considered the possibility before, but of course the men could have inflicted all sorts of wounds on him in their bid to spite and humiliate him.

Not to mention Cwenhild herself.

“No, I’m not injured, but a bit stiff. I was chained all night to the wall in a damp cellar.” His lips curled. “I do not recommend the experience.”

“Yes. I have heard that sharing a bed with an enemy is by far the more comfortable option.”

“Have you now? You will have to tell me everything about it.” His eyes glinted. Rowena’s insides turned to gruel. “Come.”

He held his hand out to her. She climbed in front of him and settled herself as naturally as if they had ridden that way a thousand times before. It felt as if a knight was abducting her, except that she was fully complicit to the plan. Besides, she had yet to see a knight as dashing as William de la Falaise. They did not come by the hundreds.

The journey back to his castle passed in a blur. As soon as they dismounted, he led her to his room without a word. He did not seem to think for a moment she could be unwilling.

Or nervous.

But despite her unmistakable desire for him, Rowena could not suppress an all-too-familiar flutter of alarm at the idea of what was about to happen. William acted like a man with a purpose, and that purpose could not be mistaken.

He was not taking liberties in assuming she wanted him to bed her, after all she had given her agreement only the day before. Yet she could not so easily get over her anxiety. Part of her, the woman she’d become, was painfully aroused. But the girl she had lived with for so many months was wary.

He closed the door behind them with a kick.

The moment had come.