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“I know ye dunna know me,” he said, “but I assure ye, I am a knight of the highest order. Honor and responsibility tae myself and tae my brethren are paramount. But I will be honest when I tell ye that I see before me a situation that is much larger than a woman being taken captive. I see an entire country being pulled intae a situation that could be quite volatile, and unfortunately, I’m being pulled intae it as well. ”

“How does this involve you?”

“Because my mother is demanding we wed,” he said. “Ye know this.”

She did. After a moment, she took another bite of the sausage. “And you intend to do as she wishes, I assume,” she said, chewing.

“As I told ye, Bloody Maude gets what she wants,” he said. “If I dunna, she will make me wish that I did. She’s not tae be trifled with, yer grace.”

Astria swallowed the bite in her mouth. “I know,” she said. “I’ve tried. You see where it has gotten me.”

No self-pity in the statement, simply fact, but there was no hint that she was not going to put up a fight when it came to marriage, and he tried not to be offended by it.

“She could ransom ye back tae yer family,” he said. “Mayhap ye’d rather she do that than marry me.”

Astria started chuckling, a sound without humor. She swallowed the bite in her mouth, but the laughter didn’t stop. She continued with it as if Payne had just said something quite funny, finally grasping the cup of ale that came with the meal and drinking deeply.

Then she chuckled some more.

“My family,” she said with irony. “My nephew, also named Sancho, has ascended the throne. I told your mother that my nephew, the current king, is probably sending a fleet of ships after me, but that is not the case. No one is coming for me and no one will pay a ransom, which means that if I do not marry you, the pirate queen will probably ransom me to the highest bidder. A genuine princess for the price of a prize mare.”

She sounded bitter, and he didn’t blame her. It was a hell of a predicament. “I do not have much faith in the life ye would lead if someone purchased ye,” he said. “It could be far worse than what ye’ve known here.”

She shrugged and took another drink of the ale, the one with the fermented apples. “Why should you even think about it?” she said. “I am nothing to you. We do not know one another. What happens to me should be of no matter.”

He scratched his neck thoughtfully. “That is not exactly true,” he said. “Maudie gave ye tae me. Ye, therefore, belong tae me. I suppose I could sell ye tae the highest bidder and use the money tae buy another fine stallion.”

She stopped drinking and glared at him. “Do as you must,” she said. “What is the price of a woman’s life, after all?”

“Can I ask ye a question?”

She snorted, rolling her eyes. “Ask.”

“I’m assuming ye were bound because ye’ve tried tae escape,” he said. “Is that true?”

Astria regarded him a moment. “I have not been a willing captive.”

“Where did ye intend tae go if ye escaped?”

“Back to Tarragona, I suppose.”

“What is there for ye?”

“My home,” she said, though her manner was softening at the turn of subject. “I lived there for ten years.”

“And yer children?”

“I have no children.”

He nodded. “I see,” he said. “So ye’re simply returning tae the place where ye live.”

“Aye.”

He averted his gaze, clearly thinking about something.

He almost looked as if he disbelieved her.

“Yer grace, forgive me if this is a blunt question, but people usually dunna fight so hard tae escape simply tae return tae the place where they live, especially if there are no children,” he said. “Do ye have a lover waiting for ye?”

She sighed. “Sometimes I wish I did,” she said. “But there is no lover. There is no one. I am alone.”

It was his turn to smile without humor. “A lass as beautiful as ye?” he said. “I find that hard tae believe.”

“Do you think I am lying, then?”

“Nay,” he said. “I just find it hard tae believe that every man in yer village is not pining away for a lock of yer hair.”

She frowned. “Do things like that happen in England?”

He grinned. “I wouldna know,” he said. “I’ve never done it before and I’ve never had any lass follow me around enough tae care, but I’ve heard that such things happen. It might be nice if someone thought enough of me tae beg for a snip of my hair.”

She peered at him as if he were suggesting something ridiculous, but the smile on his face was infectious.

He had the most marvelous smile.

“Do you think so?” she asked.

He shrugged. “I dunna know,” he said. “No one ever has.”

“If they did, would you give it to them?”

He ran his fingers through his softly mussed hair. “And ruin my comely locks?” he scoffed. “I wouldna do it no matter how much they begged.”

Astria was fighting off a smile. “Then why did you say it might be nice if they did?”

“Because I could boast about it. Why do ye think?”

That made her laugh. Just the way he said it actually made her laugh.

Astria wasn’t sure she’d smiled in the entire time she’d been in captivity, but there was something liberating about it.

A conversation with this big, arrogant Scotsman had done something to her soul.

The fear, the rage she’d felt for all of those months, was somehow eased by his manner and by the food and bath.

Everything that he had been responsible for.

She was starting to feel human again.

But her defenses weren’t down entirely.

“I am sorry to say that I’ll not give you anything to boast about,” she said. “Mayhap one of the serving wenches will.”

He grunted unhappily, waving a hand in the general direction of the common room. “That lot?” he said. “Nice lasses, all of them, but not women I’d boast about.”

“You have my sympathy, then.”

He snorted, his eyes twinkling at her in the firelight. “Can I tell ye something?”

“What is it?”

“I like ye better when ye’re not throwing a fist intae my eye.”

“And I like you better when you’re not spanking me.”

“Oh, lass,” he said, shaking his head in disapproval. “Ye deserved it.”

“Did I?”

He pointed to his left eye and the bruising around it. “Do ye think women are going tae follow me around now after what ye’ve done?” he said, feigning outrage. “Ye’ve marred my face.”

Astria couldn’t help the grin now. There was no chance of stifling it. “I’ve given you character.”

His eyebrows flew up. “Is that what ye call it?” he said. “I thought ye called it a bruise.”

“If anyone asks, tell them you were fighting against twenty men and barely made it out alive.”

He grinned again. “I will,” he said. “Because I surely wouldna tell them the truth.”

Astria had to look away, struggling against a smile. “Poor man.”

“Are ye sorry ye did it?”

“Should I be?”

He chuckled, shaking his head at her. “Ye’re a stubborn one, lass.”

Before Astria could reply, Margit appeared. The door swung open and she stepped in with an armful of clothing. She was also carrying a small, well-worn satchel and a few other things, and she bustled over to the bed and dropped it all.

“There,” she said, brushing stray locks of hair out of her face. “I went through my daughter’s trunk and I believe the lady can use all of this.”

Payne was on his feet, surveying the haul. “What did ye bring?”

Margit began going through it. “Two shifts,” she said, holding up the white, woolen garments.

“These are good ones, too. I paid good money for them in Exeter. And there are three surcoats that are serviceable. Probably too big for her, still, but that cannot be helped at the moment. There are also two pairs of shoes and two pairs of hose. I’ve also pulled out ribbons and another comb and a few other things she might find useful. ”

By this time, Astria was on her feet too, looking at everything with interest. Timidly, she fingered one of the shifts.

“Very fine,” she said. “Are you certain you want to give these to me? You should sell them.”

Margit looked at her. “Do you have any money?”

“I do,” Payne said, digging for the purse on his belt. “I’ll pay ye for them, Margit.”

But Margit waved him off. “Not to worry,” she said. “I’m just glad they’ll be getting some use. I think I have a few more things for her. Do you want to look at them?”

Payne shrugged. “Mayhap tomorrow,” he said. Then he pulled the woman over near the door to try to have a private conversation with her. “I must go about some business, but I canna leave the lady unattended. Would ye be willing tae sit with her while I’m gone?”

Margit appeared confused. “Sit with her?” she repeated. “Why?”

“Because I fear she’ll try tae escape if she’s not watched.”

Margit’s brow furrowed as her gaze moved to the lady over near the bed. “She’s not well, Payne,” she said seriously. “She may try to escape, but I doubt she’ll go very far.”

“I’d rather not take the chance. Please?”

Margit nodded. “As you wish,” she said. Then she moved away from the door and back toward Astria. “Let’s get these things back into the bag and get you into bed. The best thing for you is a little sleep.”

She was indicating the shifts and items on the bed.

The satchel was on the floor at the foot of the bed and she picked that up, collecting the garments one at a time to roll up and put into the satchel.

Astria didn’t make a move to help her. She simply watched her do it.

It wasn’t that she was being rude, but rather that she’d never really done that kind of thing for herself before.

She’d never packed a satchel. Others had done it for her.

So she watched Margit as the woman carefully rolled all of the clothing she’d brought her and packed it away neatly.

The other small things went in after, and the satchel was sealed up and put on the floor.

That was when Payne silently excused himself.

Astria was well aware when he left the chamber, but she didn’t react to his departure.

She simply sat in the chair, watching Margit pull back the coverlet on the bed.

It wasn’t a big bed, or even well appointed, but the truth was that it was better than anything she’d slept on whilst in captivity.

It was soft for the most part, a mattress stuffed with dried grass, so it had far more give than the ground or slats of a wagon or a boat deck, and far more comfort.

In she went.

She was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.