Page 51 of Taming the Eagle
She’ll be fine,she assured herself then.Even if Toutorix breaks the fort's defenses, the praetorium will be well defended.
Her breathing grew shallow. She hoped it wouldn’t betoowell protected, for she planned to slip out during the attack.
Pushing aside thoughts of escape, Fenella turned to where Kahina was pegging out washing on a line that had been strung up between two pillars on the northern side of the open space. “I’d prefer she showed her love in other ways.”
Kahina smiled before sniffing. “You’re fortunate indeed … it took her a year to bring me one of her kills.”
Fenella pulled a face, swiveling back to where Electri watched her expectantly. The rodent was huge, with a plush brown coat. “I’ve never seen one of such size,” she admitted. Her skin crawled at the sight of it; she’d never been fond of rats—a fear Eogan had exploited when they were children. He’d once left a dead rat amongst her furs in her alcove. Her yells when she’d discovered it had nearly lifted the roof.
“I have … a fort this size attracts them.”
Fenella suppressed a shiver. “What am I supposed to do with it?”
“Wait until she leaves, and then grab a shovel and scoop it up.”
“So, I’m just supposed to sweep around it?”
“Unless you want Electri to take offense.”
Fenella snorted. Even so, she heeded Kahina. The cat had fixed her with an intense look, as if waiting to see what she’d do next.
She was about to resume her sweeping when Caius burst through the doors leading from the entranceway, crossed the portico, and stepped out into the courtyard.
Immediately, his gaze went to the dead rat, disgust rippling across his face. Recovering, he shifted his attention to the two slaves. “Finish up there, and join Ava in the kitchen,” he ordered. “She will need help with cena today … the general has returned.”
Fenella poured wine into Aquila’s calix, careful to avoid his eye.
Cena had arrived, and, as usual, she waited on him. And despite that she wasn’t looking his way, she could feel his gaze upon her, tracking her every move.
The Reaper take him, she wished he’d look elsewhere.
Tightening her grip on the handle of the ewer, Fenella moved back, next to Caius, while Kahina placed dishes of braised boar, fava beans mashed in butter, and fresh bread before him.
The general ate alone this afternoon, yet his servants and slaves waited on him in the same manner as when he had company.
In her time at Ardoch, Fenella had observed Aquila was a man of routine, of rigid discipline. He rose at the crack of dawn, took his meals at the same time every day, and although he wasn’t unkind to his servants and slaves, he expected high standards in all things—not surprising since he’d dedicated his life to the military. Even so, he’d also revealed another side to himself to Fenella over the past months. Where she was concerned, the Eagle’s discipline wavered.
He shouldn’t stare at her so. Caius would notice.
Yet the Eagle didn’t seem to care.
Gaze downcast, Fenella waited while Aquila consumed his meal. She glanced up occasionally, to see if his calix needed refilling. But he drank sparingly this afternoon.
“Is the meal to your liking, General?” Caius asked, breaking the heavy silence in the triclinium.
“Yes, thank you,” Aquila replied.
“And was the patrol successful?” The house steward was in a chatty mood today. However, Aquila seemed less so.
“It was.”
“Are Dalginross and Bochastle secure?”
“They are.”
Discouraged by the general’s terse replies, Caius lapsed into silence after that.
Finally, the meal ended. Fenella handed the ewer to the steward, in case the general requested more wine, while she started clearing the table.