His voice was so frightfully calm. God’s teeth! Why wasn’t he shouting at her? He had to be furious. She hadn’t looked at him yet to see for herself, but he must be. But if he could hide his fury, then she could hide her fear.
With equal calm, she said, “If I had opened the door, we would have run for yonder fence and been gone from here.”
“After the slaughter?”
“You jest, milord. They are sixteen men. You have a like number of warlords in your hall at the moment, and your retainers, and their retainers as well. You have a well-trained army. Vikings are bold, milord, but not stupid.”
“Then tell him naught will be done to you, because all you did was render punishment of a guard who was deserving of it for sleeping at his duty.”
She could not believe he said that. More to the point, she could not believe he meant it. He would do something. He had to. She was a slave who had tried to escape and had tried to help others escape as well. But she did not want Thorolf to know that, any more than Royce did.
She explained quickly, but Thorolf was as doubtful as she. “He does not believe you, milord.”
“Then tell him you will bring their food to them on the morrow, and at that time you can report to him exactly what I have done to you.”
A shiver passed down her spine. She repeated his words to Thorolf, and that seemed to satisfy him, which was well, for Royce was done with talking. He led her away, his arm still firm about her waist. Her fear was increasing. How ominous that had sounded:exactly what I have done to you. She was about to reconsider her option of fighting him when he stopped.
They were before the stable. He brought her around until she stood in front of him, facing him. Both arms were about her waist now, but he did not press her close. His head tilted back, his gaze taking in the clear, bright sky, the glory of the near-full moon. She heard him sigh.
“I offered the other night to take you to the lake where you can bathe,” he said quietly. “Would you like to go there now?”
“So you can drown me?”
He glanced back down at her, the barest trace of a smile forming on his lips. “You did not believe what I said back there?”
“I tried to escape. You stopped me, but I still tried. What does your law demand of that?”
“You are an enslaved prisoner, not a Briton. The laws have more leeway concerning prisoners. But the law is not involved here, for no one knows what you did but I.”
“And the guard.”
“The man will think he dreamed that bump on his head. Mayhap he will not sleep again on duty.”
Her eyes widened. “You are sincere. You really will do naught to me?”
“The wolf will chew off his paw to be released from the trap. He escapes, but at great cost. Had you escaped with the others, make no mistake, I would have found you. Your friends would have fought and there would have been bloodshed. That would be punishment enough for you. But you did not succeed. And as I can understand the wolf, I can understand also the will that drives you. You want your freedom. I cannot punish you for that. But I cannot let you go, either.”
“You could,” she said stonily. “The others build your wall. What they do is necessary to Wyndhurst. But what I do in the hall is of little import. You have no reason to keep me here.”
“You are necessary tome, Kristen!”
The force of those words silenced her. He meant it, and it thrilled her to know it. But she was a fool no more. She would not take those words to heart. He was simply obsessed with her, for he had never known anyone like her. But in time the obsession would wear thin and he would need her no more—probably when he had his lady to wife. Mayhap then she could convince him to let her go.
In the meantime, God help her, she would have to go on suffering and wanting and praying she could retain a measure of her pride. It would not be easy.
Royce pulled her closer and felt her stiffen. “You still doubt me?”
“Nay, but for you to take me to the lake, after what I did…’tis like you reward me for defying you. You confuse me, Saxon.”
He laughed, and did draw her closer. “I am glad to hear it. I have been alone in confusion so long, ’tis a pleasure to have company now. Nay, do not be piqued with me,” he said as she tried to pull back. “I will appease your confusion, which is more than you do for me.”
“Well?” she prompted when she saw his humor leave, his expression turning serious again.
“I simply choose to forget what you did. I came down to the hall to take you to the lake. When I found you gone—” He would not tell her what he had felt. He never wanted to feel that way again.
He gathered her tight against him, pressing his cheek against hers before he continued. “No harm was done, Kristen. I can overlook the intention and hope that you now see ’tis useless for you to try to leave here. I will always second-guess you.”
She gasped. “You knew! That is why there was a guard.”
