"Oh, Oh, look over there! Swans! How beautifulthey are." She glanced at him over her shoulder. "We have them, too,you know. GovernorMawdudhas thirty pair at hissummer palace. I saw them whenever I visited his harem. The birds were so tameI could feed them right from my hand."
How beautiful you are, Leila, Guy thought as herenchanting gaze flew back to the swans.
She swayed a bit and he caught her, but she seemed notto notice that his hands now encircled her narrow waist. Her dizziness was abittersweet reminder that she had probably been so open with him only becauseof the wine. He could not help wishing that perhaps one day she might show himthis part of herself again, and of her own volition
"And when would that be?" Guy scoffed underhis breath, his mood suddenly darkening. When she was under Roger's roof? Notlikely. He would probably never see her again except at court events, and thenshe would most likely be upon the arm of her new husband. The husband Rogerwould choose for her.
Don't think of it!hetoldhimself grimly, refusing to dwell on the distasteful matter. He had sworn toLady Eve that he would escort Leila to her brother, and there his duty ended.What happened to her after that was none of his concern. She would be more thana handful for any man when her sharp tongue was not dulled by wine and her eyessnapped with contempt and mistrust instead of childlike delight. Whoever thatunlucky fool might be, he was welcome to her!
Guy rested his chin atop Leila's glistening hair,listening to her comment softly on the incredible height of the trees, thefair-haired children she saw playing near the shore, the villages they passed .. . all the while knowing in his deepest heart that lie was a liar.
He cared what happened to her. God, how he cared. Hehadn't realized how much until now.
But it made no difference. Leila hated him, and he andRoger were sworn enemies. It was an impossible situation.
Suddenly he noticed Leila had become very quiet in hisarms. He looked down at her and was not surprised to see her eyelids droopingsleepily and her head nodding forward.
He was a bastard to be pushing her so hard. It wasclear her long rest had only taken the edge from her exhaustion. She neededmore sleep, and this boat ride would be her last chance to do so in relativecomfort. Any more stops they made after reaching Lyons would be short. A fewhours' rest, a quick meal, a change of horses, and they would be back on theroad.
Whether he was a bastard or not, the sooner theyreached Westminster, the better. For him and for Leila.
As Guy gathered her into his arms she protested alittle, but it was clear the wine had taken its toll. She was already halfasleep, her small hand pressed to his heart as she nestled against him. As hewalked across the deck, he passed a stout peasant woman who regarded him with aquiet smile.
"Your lady is very beautiful, my lord," shesaid, her blue eyes kind.
"Yes, she is," he agreed, the woman's wordscutting him to the quick. "Very beautiful."
He carried Leila down the stairs to their cabin, wherehe set her gently on her berth.
"Hmmm . . . so soft," she whispered,snuggling into the mattress as he covered her with a blanket.
"Sleep well, LeilaGervais."
He debated kissing her,thenreluctantly decided against it. When she demanded in the morning if he hadtaken advantage of her after plying her with wine—and he had no doubt shewould—he wanted to be able to say he had done nothing she would findobjectionable.
Guy closed the door to their cabin, threw the bolt,then sat down heavily on his ownberthand pulled outthe bag he had hidden from her. Bottles chinked together, and he smiled grimly.He grabbed one and pulled the stopper out with his teeth. As he stared at Leila'sface, thinking of impassioned kisses they would never share and silken caresseshe would never know, his body grew hard with frustrated desire.
"Here's to honor" —he took a long swig,wiping his mouth with the back of his hand— "to chivalry, may the deviltake it" —he drank again, his eyes on Leila's soft lips— "and tobeing the biggest bloody fool for ever getting caught up in this mess!"
He threw back his head and drained the bottle.
Chapter 13
Lyons, Chalon-sur-Saone,Cercy-le-Tours,Auxerre; the towns andcities through which they had passed were no more than a blurred collage inLeila's mind. It seemed she and Guy barely arrived in a town before they setout again after snatching a few precious hours of sleep and hiring anotherswift horse to take them to their next destination. Her vehement protests inLyons had done little good. He had stubbornly insisted they ride together.
"Are we almost there?" she asked for thefourth time that hour, raising her voice to be heard over their mount'spounding hooves.
"Provinsis directlyahead," Guy answered, tightening his grip around her waist. "Look,Leila. The city wall is just beyond those trees. Do you see it? And there,rising above the wall . . . church spires, roofs, and chimneys."
Leila kept one hand on the pommel while she shoved backthe hood of her cloak, which had slipped low over her forehead. She blinkedagainst the cool drizzle hitting her face and strained to catch a glimpse ofthe approaching town through the gathering dusk. She slumped with reliefagainst Guy's mailed chest when she spied the landmarks he described.
She had had enough of this infernal pace, Guy and hisroyal coronationbedamned! As soon as they reached aninn she would demand a hot meal, a hotbathand a fullnight's rest, and refuse to go any further until she got them. If need be, shewould even pretend a fainting spell to convince him to spend an entire night inone place. She was ravenous, spattered with mud, her hair unwashed since theyhad left the ship in Marseilles, and weary to the bone. She would stand for hisbullying no longer!
"It's strange to see so many people on the roadafter sunset," Guy said as he drew up on the reins a few hundred feet fromthe city gate, slowing the lathered gelding to a trot.
Leila said nothing, amazed at the number of donkeys andhorses all wending their way toward the open gate, some ridden by peasants andfarmers and others by what looked to be knights and their ladies. Wagons andcarts loaded with produce and other goods choked the rutted road, while a trainof packhorses was surrounded by men with pikes and crossbows, no doubt a moreprecious cargo. Guy had to carefully thread their mount through the congestedtraffic.
"Hello! What goes on here?" he called out toone of the heavily armed soldiers standing guard along a wide drawbridgeleading to the city gates.
