"I am safe!"
"Safe? How many times must I remind you rebels lurk nearby? You are too tempting a morsel for anyone to ignoreshould they come upon you."
"I don't go alone. I have my guards."
"Other than Simon, how many?"
"One, sometimes two."
She turned back to Ares, stroking the bird's head as she spoke softly to it.
"Do you know what a band of Welshmen can do to one or two guards? You will be lucky to survive. If you are so lucky, you will soon wish you had died."
Gillian spun around, startling Ares, who squawked in protest and fluttered his wings. She backed away as the bird jabbed out with his beak. Though Ares did not make contact with Gillian's face, 'twas close.
Anger at her betrothed grew fast. He'd caused the tension in the roost. The other birds shifted restlessly, wings fluttering for a few anxious moments in response to Ares' cry. Finally, they calmed, soothed by Gillian's low voice. Carefully, she replaced the hood on Ares's head and stroked the soft feathers once more before letting loose her temper.
"Keep your voice down! You should know better!"
"I seem to lose patience all too easily when you insist on taking such foolish risks."
Gillian narrowed her eyes. The derision in his tone fueled the defiance she struggled to hold at bay.
"With or without guards, I am capable of defending myself."
The corners of his mouth lifted, accompanied by a muffled laugh. His amusement sent her anger soaring. She turned to leave, unwilling to endure any more of his mockery. As she passed, he grabbed her arm.
"You are very much at ease despite the talk of rebels. How can you defend yourself? With your hawks?"
The disdain with which he tossed the words twisted in Gillian's stomach like a rusted knife. Her skill with a bow and arrow was admired by all her father's men. She had trained hard to prove herself worthy of being her father's heir. She would prove it to the earl as well.
"You know nothing of my abilities." She met his gaze, daring him to question her further.
"True, I do not. But I will know everything about you ere long."
The urge to look away grew, but Gillian resisted. She wouldn't cower before him, though she sensed his words held a more subtle meaning, judging from the heat flaming in his eyes.
"Tell me, Lady Gillian, how would you defend yourself against a horde of Welsh rebels on horses? Your pretty jeweled eating dagger may impress your servants and villagers, but 'twill provoke nothing but laughter from a savage band of murderers."
"I can take a man from his horse at fifty paces with a longbow."
The earl nodded. "Very well, suppose you could take out one, perhaps two men before the others, maybe twice as many as your guards, reached you. Your longbow will do no good at close range. Then what, Lady Gillian? Who will save you then?"
The words to respond eluded her. She looked away, silently cursing his triumph.
"You know nothing of warfare and rebel attacks. I can't help wondering again at your confidence in your safety. Perhaps you're involved more than you say. Perhaps you aided the Welsh during this last war."
Gillian met his steady gaze. A shuttered coolness now replaced the earlier heat.
"I would never..."
"Wouldn't you? Your stepmother has a lover, possibly Welsh. Perhaps you do as well. Perhaps 'tis your 'guard'. Perhaps you intended to meet him tonight and that's why you are so anxious to be rid of me."
The sound of her palm cracking against his cheek echoed through the mews. His head turned slightly under the force of the blow. Tension crackled between them, like lightning during a spring storm. Once again, the birds stirred restlessly in response to the turmoil. A wave of feardimmed her rage as she realized she had struck her future husband. The king's favorite. She held her breath, waiting for the punishment sure to follow.
"Men have died for less than what you dare."
His voice, low and menacing, terrified her more than if he had shouted. His eyes glittered and his fury smelled of brimstone. She trembled, fright making her knees weak, and she might have fallen had he not grabbed her arm. His grip tightened as he jerked her roughly against him. Only the restless movements of the hawks broke the silence.
