Thomas was on him in an instant.” Aye, Kevin?”
Kevin shoved the coin purse into his tunic. “I have been ordered to take the duchess to the nearest town,” he said, “in order to find a seamstress to properly clothe her. You and Adonis will take the column to the town of Longcross, about four hours away, and wait for us. There is a tournament going on there that the duke wishes to participate in, so I hope you are eager for the sport of the melée. He will want you to compete.”
Thomas’ face lit up. “It has been years since I have competed for sport,” he said. “I will take both you and Adonis down and shout my victory to all who will listen.”
Kevin grinned. “You are confident,” he said. “It is a pity I will be forced to destroy that confidence when I best you in the mass competition.”
“We shall see.”
“Prepare to feel pain, de Wolfe.”
“I will cut you off at the knees, Hage.”
They laughed at each other as Thomas left his post at the rear and charged forward to take point with Adonis. Kevin, thinking on all of the ways to humiliate his friends in the mass competition, turned back to Annavieve only to see that she was looking at him with great concern. His brow furrowed.
“My lady?” he asked. “What is the matter?”
Annavieve pointed to Thomas. “That knight… did he threaten you?”
Kevin grinned. “He did, but I shall make short work of him, have no fear.” He pulled his horse alongside the bench where she was sitting and held out a gloved hand to her. “Come withme, my lady. We must accomplish a few things before we reach Longcross.”
Annavieve put her long, slim fingers in his grasp as he pulled her over to him, reached out, and slid her onto the back of his saddle. Annavieve perched unsteadily there.
“Why?” she asked, trying to hold on to him so she wouldn’t slide off. “Where are we going?”
Kevin, with an arm behind him, helped her find a more secure position. “To the nearest town,” he said. “The duke has given me permission to spend money on you.”
Annavieve had no idea what he meant. “Spend money on me?” she repeated. “Why?”
She was soon to find out.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The village ofStaines, a rather large berg, wasn’t far off. Kevin took Annavieve along with him as he galloped over fields, across streams, and made a shortcut to the town which could be seen in the distance off to the southeast. It was a rather wild ride through the meadow, jumping short rock walls, and, at one point, charging through a farmer’s winter crop of onions. His horse’s hooves uprooted several as it thundered across the field, kicking up clods of dirt and scaring off the birds that were trying to feed.
Annavieve held on for dear life, her arms wrapped around Kevin’s torso as they charged through the fields. She had never really ridden like this on horseback and she was rightly terrified, but Kevin was in control of the beast and the animal seemed to have a sure footing, so she simply held on and prayed that they wouldn’t break their necks. It was probably all very exciting for a young woman who had hardly been out of her controlled environment but, at the moment, she couldn’t see beyond her own fright to think of it as exciting.
Her thoughts, however, did linger on Kevin. She was with him again, alone, and she was secretly thrilled. She’d had the best sleep of her life the night before, wrapped in his enormousarms warm and safe, but she’d awoken to him leaping out of bed, throwing on his clothes, and then fleeing the chamber. He’d not said a word to her the entire time, quitting the room in silence. It had given her a rather hollow feeling, in all, because she had very much wanted to say something to him after the night they’d shared.
Strange thing was, she wasn’t sure what, exactly, she wanted to say to him. What had started out as a duty, a task ordered by her husband, had turned into something else. Having been raised around women, her exposure to men in general had been extremely rare, so last night when Kevin pulled her into his arms was the first time she’d ever known a man’s touch. It had quickly grown overwhelming, frightening even, but Kevin had never intentionally hurt her, nor had he been rough with her. Everything he’d done had given her great and unexpected pleasure, but it also made her quite embarrassed.
The man, the stranger who had been so kind to her, had touched her in places she rarely touched herself, so his attentions, at times, had been shocking. She wouldn’t even admit that his mouth upon her woman’s core was perhaps the most thrilling thing she’d ever experienced. Nay, she couldn’t admit that, even to herself, but when she thought of it, a smile flickered on her lips. A smile flickered on her lips when she thought of him, too. A night that she had dreaded had become one she would never forget. She couldn’t even hope to think that Kevin felt the same way. To him, it was a duty and she had to keep reminding herself of that.
So the minutes passed as she clung to Kevin, the landscape passing by with frightening speed as the horse practically flew. Once they finally came through the fields, there was an oddly well-maintained road that led into the village. Kevin didn’t slow his pace as he cantered down the road towards the clusterof worn-looking huts surrounding a box-shaped church with a tower.
The horse eventually slowed once they entered the village proper and Annavieve’s head came up from where she had tucked it protectively against Kevin’s broad back. She looked around at the edges of the village where people were moving about; farmers driving their cart and oxen away from the city and back to the barns while children and dogs ran about, playing or chasing one another. Women with baskets full of vegetables or great stacks of thatching on their backs moved to the side of the road as Kevin and Annavieve passed them by. Entering the city itself, they plodded along the muddy, smelly streets, losing themselves in the collection of colorless homes.
“Where are we going?” Annavieve asked him as they passed by a man who was trying to sell a basketful of wriggly puppies.
Kevin’s visor was up, his eyes focused on the squat, boxy church several hundred yards in front of them. “There,” he said, pointing. “Priests know everything about their town. I will ask the priest if he knows of a seamstress.”
Annavieve was confused. “Why?” she asked. “You said that the duke had given you permission to spend money on me. What did you mean?”
Kevin’s gaze was on the town square that they were approaching, a vast space with a well and trough in the middle of it. “You are a duchess,” he said simply. “Your wardrobe does not reflect that. I have been given permission to commission some fine clothing for you.”
Annavieve looked down at her simple peasant dress and ugly wool cloak. “This clothing is serviceable,” she said, feeling rather ashamed now of what she was wearing. “I made it myself.”
Kevin grunted. “When we reach Ilchester, I will make sure you have fine ladies serving you,” he said. “They can sew your clothing and do tasks at your bidding.
