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Free of her confinement, she quickly stood up and went to the shelves that contained the food.

The first thing she came across was a half a wheel of white cheese and she immediately tore off a hunk of it, shoving it in her mouth.

But there were many other things in this cold storage, and she began pulling the cloth off bowls.

She found fruit that she put in her mouth after she finished swallowing the cheese, and on another shelf, she found part of a meat pie.

With so much to choose from, she just started grabbing things.

When her hands were full, she sat down on the ground and began to stuff her face.

It didn’t even occur to her that she was eating like an animal, and a starving one at that, because she was so hungry that nothing else seemed to matter.

Manners didn’t matter. Decorum or etiquette didn’t matter.

All that mattered at that moment was getting that cheese and fruit and meat pie into her belly.

She’d never tasted anything so delicious.

Once she’d managed to devour everything, she stood up to go in for another round.

On the far end of the shelves, there seemed to be some kind of bread or cake of some kind.

It was sweet and had oats in it as well as raisins, and she shoveled that into her mouth.

There was something else behind it that was covered in a cloth, and when she took the cloth off, she could see that it was some kind of a honey cake because she touched it and her fingers came away sticky.

Thrilled, she grabbed the entire thing and begin eating it like a barbarian.

No forks, no knives, just her hands and teeth to make short work of the honey cake.

She had a mouthful of it when the door to the cold storage abruptly opened.

The big man she’d slugged in the eye was standing there.

Astria wasn’t sure what to do at that point. Her mouth was full and she knew if she didn’t chew, she would probably choke, so she resumed chewing at a slower pace, but set the rest of the cake down and balled her fists, preparing for a fight.

Here we go again.

But the big man threw his hands up.

“Easy, lass,” he said calmly. “I’ve not come for a brawl.”

Astria was feeling nervous and cornered. “What do you want?”

“Tae talk tae ye.”

“Why?”

She was as edgy as a caged cat. He paused a moment, his gaze lingering on her, before pointing to the shelf in front of her. “Finish yer food,” he said evenly. “I’ve not come tae harm ye. I just want tae talk.”

That only seemed to make her more defensive. “What about?”

He could see that he hadn’t eased her, so he lowered his hands and stood as far away from her as he could without actually leaving the outbuilding.

“Yer grace, I need ye tae understand something,” he said.

“I’m not a pirate. I’m not part of the crew who captured ye.

I’m not yer enemy, so if we canna be friendly, then let’s at least be civil. Or have ye forgotten how?”

Astria swallowed the bite in her mouth, staring at him with enormous blue eyes. Had she forgotten how to be civil? That was a damn good question. But more than that, he addressed her formally and properly. She’d almost forgotten her station in life.

Your grace.

Hearing that come out of his mouth seemed to remind her of who, and what, she was.

A reminder of just how far she’d fallen.

“Sweet Mary,” she murmured, sinking back against the wall. “I’ve not heard that in months.”

She had a sweet, soft voice, gently accented. “Heard what?” he asked.

She looked at him. “You addressed me properly,” she said. “I’d almost forgotten.”

He could see how bewildered she was. “I will always address ye with respect,” he said. “Even if ye weren’t a princess or a duchess, I’d still address ye as a proper lady. I’m not like the others, yer grace. I told ye that and I meant it.”

Astria’s gaze had been distant, perhaps even misty-eyed, but she looked at him and studied him for a moment. “The pirate queen,” she finally said. “Who is she to you?”

“My mother.”

Astria’s expression softened with realization. “You must be the eldest.”

“Aye,” he said. “Ye heard what she intends tae do with ye.”

Astria nodded, almost wearily. “I am to be your bride.”

Payne nodded back, studying her face and trying to gauge how long her calm mood was going to hold.

He saw the ropes on the floor, meaning she had clearly removed him.

Was she planning on escaping? God, he hoped not.

He really didn’t want another battle with her.

He was hoping calm conversation might ease her a bit, at least enough so that she wouldn’t react violently to him again.

He proceeded carefully.

“To be honest, I’m as surprised as ye are,” he said. “I’ve not seen my mother in years, and when I do, she has come tae tell me that my father is dead and I’ve inherited the earldom. And ye’re evidently part of that bargain.”

Astria was listening to him with surprising calm. “So I was told,” she said. “In fact, when your mother first told me, I tried to fight her.”

“How did that end for ye?”

“Not well, I’m afraid.”

Payne smiled faintly. “Nay, I dunna imagine it would have,” he said. “Maudie gets what she wants. And she wants us tae wed.”

Astria sighed heavily. “It seems so.”

That was all she had to say about it, which was surprising.

In fact, it was the first time Payne didn’t see abject rage in her expression or manner.

She seemed exhausted more than anything, but he was glad to see that.

He could use it to his advantage. Hoping to build some kind of rapport with her, Payne got an idea.

Perhaps sympathy would get him somewhere.

“It seems as if ye’ve had a rough time of it since Bloody Maude captured ye,” he said. “I think that’s a fair assessment.”

Astria snorted softly. “Fair, aye,” she said. “But I’ve given as good as I got. I’ll not let those filthy Scots get the better of me.”

He grinned. “Am I included in that?”

She arched a brow. “I do not know,” she said. “Are you?”

“I’m Scots,” he said. “Maude is my mother.”

“But you said that you are not a pirate.”

He shook his head. “I am not.”

“What are you?”

“A highly skilled knight,” he said. “I’m also a trainer at the Blackchurch Guild.”

“What is the Blackchurch Guild?”

“An advanced school for warriors,” he said. “We train some of the most elite fighters in the world.”

“Where is Blackchurch?”

“Devon.”

“Is that where I am?”

“Do ye not know where ye are?”

She shook her head. “I do not,” she admitted. “They would never tell me, and after we left Scotland, I lost track. I thought we might be in Wales.”

Now he was starting to understand why the woman was so belligerent.

Kept in the dark about her whereabouts, treated like a criminal…

He couldn’t honestly say he wouldn’t have reacted in the same fashion.

As much as he felt some sympathy for her, that was usually something he kept well hidden.

Payne’s dark secret was that he tended to be quite empathetic when it came to women in particular, and it was something he wasn’t proud of.

He considered it a weakness, but at this moment, he couldn’t help but feel empathy for Astria’s plight.

“Ye’re in Devon, yer grace,” he said. “Ye came by way of the Bristol Channel, I’m guessing. Now that ye know where ye are, may I offer tae help ye?”

“What kind of help?”

He gestured at her. “Ye look as if ye could use a bath,” he said. “I could find ye some clean clothing, I think. If ye swear tae me ye’ll not try tae escape, I can arrange for yer comfort.”

The suggestion seemed to perk her up a little. “A bath?” she said.

“Aye.”

She thought on that, but not for long. Soon enough, she was nodding quickly. “Aye,” she said. “I would like that.”

“I’ll not tie ye back up if ye promise not tae run.”

“I promise.”

“I’ll even find a comfortable bed for ye.”

Astria nodded so much that Payne was certain her head was going to bob right off her neck.

It was the most enthusiasm, and even joy, that he’d seen since he first met her.

He was fairly certain it was genuine, but he couldn’t be sure.

He extended a hand to her, encouraging her to come with him, but this was the moment of truth.

Either she was willing to trust him or she wasn’t.

This was the instance that would define if he could trust her in return.

Truly trust her.

As she hesitantly came toward him, he gently grasped her arm and lowered his voice.

“If ye are lying tae me in any way, then know this,” he muttered. “I’ll never trust ye again. Ye’ll lose the only ally ye have in this entire situation, so dunna be stupid. Dunna give me a reason tae regret this moment.”

She looked at him sharply as if wanting to snap at him, but the words died on her tongue. He wasn’t threatening her. He was simply stating a fact.

Something told Astria not to test him.

Perhaps just this once, she wouldn’t.

With his iron grip on her arm, she allowed him to lead her out into the cool, damp night.