He looked over his shoulder to see the mother standing a few feet away. When their eyes met, she shrugged her shoulders.
“She saw the dog dancing with other dogs and became enamored with it,” she said, sounding far calmer than she had just a few moments earlier. “When the dog ran off, she ran after it before I could catch her. I’ve been frantically searching for her ever since.”
Essien gestured to the general area where he’d found the child. “She was over there,” he said. “I was here because I smelled bread and thought I might find the street of the bakers through this alleyway. But she was sitting there, weeping, and I took pity on her. I was going to help her find you.”
The woman sighed faintly, her gaze moving to her daughter, who was delighted that the dog was licking her chin. “When I saw her in your arms, I panicked,” she said. “There are plenty of people who would walk away with a child and I would never see her again. If I was wrong about you, then I apologize.”
Essien didn’t feel so hostile toward her now. She was truly a beautiful woman, with long, wavy hair, gathered at the nape of her neck, and then braided down her back and secured with a silk ribbon. It was a shade of brown, light, with flecks of gold in it, and her eyes, from what he could see, were an intense shade of blue. The same color as the little girl’s. Coupled with her delicate face, pert nose, and generous lips, she was truly a sight to behold.
“As I said, my name is Essien al-Kort,” he said. “I am a man of honor and of good reputation. I am a knight sworn to Lord Hereford. If you wish to ask him about me, I am certain he would confirm what I have just told you. And I swear upon my oath that I was not stealing your daughter.”
She nodded, seemingly embarrassed now that the fury and fighting had passed. Then she looked at him timidly.
“Did I hurt you?” she asked as if she didn’t want to know the answer.
But Essien grinned. “Of course not,” he said. “I face worse blows on the tournament field. Yours were nothing, I assure you.”
She looked at him curiously. “Are you competing today?”
He looked down at himself, dressed in a dirty, padded tunic and breeches. “I know I do not look like it, but I am,” he said. “I am in the coming final bouts.”
“Oh?” she said, interested. “Then you must have great skill at what you do.”
“I think so,” he said, not modest about it at all. “Skill enough to survive a shattered lance and still keep my seat. The same cannot be said for my opponent.”
The light of realization came to her eyes. “The shattered lance,” she repeated. Then her entire face relaxed as she realized who he was. “You had a bout a little while ago.”
“I did.” He nodded. “You saw it?”
Her smile broke through, though it was hesitant. “I did,” she said. “The lance that burst into a thousand pieces?”
“It burst on me.”
“That was truly you?”
“It was,” Essien said. “Ask Hereford if you do not believe me. He will tell you the truth.”
She chuckled softly, perhaps with some embarrassment. “That will not be necessary,” she said. “I believe you. The bout was very exciting.”
He beamed. “Good,” he said. “It is my pleasure to entertain you. And win money whilst I am doing so.”
“And you were unharmed?”
“I am perfectly well.”
For the first time since their acquaintance, the mood between them was lightening because the mother was realizing her child had never been in danger with Essien. He wasn’t a random brute, but a knight of the highest caliber, one who had just come off the tournament field. The child was still hugging the dog, as happy as could be and clearly unharmed, and the tension was melting away between them.
It was a welcome moment.
“I truly am sorry I attacked you,” she said quietly. “As I said, when I saw you carrying my daughter, I thought the worst.”
He nodded. “Understandable,” he said. “I cannot say that I would not have thought the same thing, given the circumstances.”
“You are gracious.”
“No harm done, though I’m not sure my left eye will ever be the same.”
He meant when she’d tried to gouge the eye out. In fact, it was a little red and irritated, and as he grinned, she appeared exceedingly remorseful.
