Yet she wasn't worried. Once they reached Marseillesshe knew her appetite for defiance and escape would return as soon as her feettouched solid ground. Right now she was simply content to be sitting uprightand feeling some semblance of her normal self.
"I would suppose, then, that my elder brotherwould protect me," she said guilelessly, concentrating on drawing thevelvet bedspread more snugly around her waist and smoothing the prim, roundedcollar of her linennightrail.
When Guy did not reply, she looked up at him and wasastonished to see that his expression had completely changed. Gone was thealmost boyish ease, in its place a cold grimness. His jaw was set, and rawtension emanated from his stiffened posture. He was staring at her blindly, asif he had forgotten she was there.
"Lord deWarenne?"
Guy barely heard Leila's soft query. Her innocentstatement had hit him like a stinging slap in the face.
RogerGervais. He had been socaught up in helping Leila through her illness—a constant round of care whichhad left him disconcertingly intimate with his beautiful charge—he had givenlittle thought to the treasonous bastard. He had purposely avoided thinking ofhim at all ever since his encounter with Lady Eve in Damascus. Now it seemed hecould no longer evade the unsettling issue.
Leila had the right to know to what manner of man herwelfare would soon be entrusted. Roger might have been granted the king's peacefive years ago, but he was still held in low regard in England, and to Guy'sown heart, there wasn't a blacker scourge breathing and prospering in the land.
"Lord deWarenne. . .don't tell me you are coming down with seasickness," he heard Leila say,her worried tone drawing him back to the present. "If we're both ill, it'sgoing to be quite a mess in this cabin."
"No, I'm not ill," Guy answered, veiling hisvivid hatred in an uncomfortable mask of impartiality.
The least he could do was supply Leila with the hardfacts about her brother. Then, if she observed people shunning Roger and hisshrewish wife at court, she would not be surprised.
For that was exactly where he and Leila were going—toWestminster Palace, and with as much haste as possible once their ship dockedin Marseilles. Royal messengers were known to make the trip from there toLondon in less than ten days, and Guy was determined to match it. He did notwant to miss the royal coronation.
If his calculations were correct, Edward and his vastentourage of crusaders with their one week's lead would be in Lyon by now andtraveling northward. Perhaps Edward had even ridden ahead with a few chosenknights. Whenever he got to the palace, preparations for the coronation wouldbegin at once, and every nobleman in the land would be summoned to attend,including RogerGervais, who had not gone on crusadethough some of his knights had in his place. It would be a simple matter tohand Leila over to her brother there, rather than journeying on to Wales withher.
Not that he would mind spending extra time in Leila'scompany, Guy thought,hisgaze caressing her palefeatures.
Even in sickness—thankfully his prayers had beenanswered since the worst of it seemed to have passed—she was the loveliestwoman he had ever seen. He could only hope Leila's great beauty and innocencewould protect her from any ill will that might be directed at Roger. The lastthing Guy wanted was for her to suffer because of her blood relationship to atraitor.
"What do you know of your brother?" he asked,fighting the familiar tightness in his chest as he broached the distastefulsubject.
"Very little," Leila answered with a smallshrug, looking away. "My mother rarely mentioned him . . ." Shepaused, her brow creasing as if she had just remembered something, when sheglanced accusingly at Guy, saying with no small amount of indignation, "Ifyou must know, she spoke of Roger on the same night you kidnapped me."
Now, from the simmering tempest in her violet eyes, Guyknew she was feeling better, and realizing how much he had missed her spiritedtemper, he almost smiled. But he suppressed theurge,certain it would only anger her further, and turned his thoughts once more toRoger. That certainly sapped his humor.
"And what did your mother say about him?"
Leila seemed reluctant to answer,thenfinally she said testily, "Actually, we were discussing the illustrious deWarennes, loyal servants of the king, one and all. Mymother got the strange notion to intercede for you with GovernorMawdudafter I told her your name. She said she once knew abranch of that family in Wales whose son, Guy, was a friend of Roger's—"
"True. Roger and I were friends then, and for along time afterward until he became a traitor to the crown eight years ago. Hesevered our friendship when he chose to fight in a rebellion against the king.Now we could not be further apart."
Leila stared at him without saying a word, her lipspressed tightly together. From the turmoil reflected in her eyes, a wild tumbleof disbelief and uncertainty, he sensed she was shocked. Fearing for her recentrecovery, he sought to soften the harshness of his revelation.
"Your brother has since been pardoned for his partin the rebellion, like many of those who fought against King Henry, and hisforfeited lands in Wales were returned to him when his banishment was lifted. Ihave no doubt Edward will honor his late father's peace once he is crownedking. He is a fair man."
"Your King Henry is dead?" Leila askednumbly.
Guy nodded. "That is why Edward sailed in suchhaste from Acre. It is my hope to arrive at Westminster Palace near London intime for the coronation. You will most likely meet your brother there, and hiswife, Lady Maude."
Leila shook her head slowly, as if she did not fullycomprehend what he had just told her. Guy began to wonder if he should havewaited until she was fully recovered before informing her of Roger's treachery.She did not look well.
"Did you tell my mother this?" Leila said atlast in a small voice, searching his face. "Did you tell her Roger was atraitor before you vowed to take me to him? Did you tell her that you and Rogerwere no longer friends, but enemies?"
"No," Guy admitted. "She was so happy tohear her son was alive, I could not crush her joy."
"Crush her joy?" Leila parroted, her voicebecoming shrill and strained. "Crush her joy? What of mine, Lord deWarenne? Surely my mother would never have entrusted me toyour care if she knew you and Roger were enemies. That is why you didn't tellher, isn't it? She would never have knowingly exposed me to danger and abuse.What mother would do such a thing to a daughter she loves? It is clear to methat your sacred vow" —Leila spat the words derisively— "was a shamused to suit your own ends!"
"My personal feelings for your brother held nosway in my decision to take you with me," Guy objected. "Your plight,at least as Lady Eve described it to me, was of far more pressing importance. AllI wanted to do was help you."
Leila seemed not to hear him. She sat forward in thebed, her eyes full of fire and fury. "What are your true plans, my lord?To use me somehow against my brother . . . for revenge, perhaps, for pastgrievances? You purposely deceived my mother, didn't you? Perhaps you do planto rape me and offer me to my brother as damaged goods. Ah, now there's a finerevenge! I've seen your lust. I've felt it! I've heard your many threats! Orperhaps you plan to use me as a hostage and imprison me until Roger pays myransom. Then again, maybe you have no intention of taking me to him at all!"
