“And big,” he said, stepping into the room and closing the door. “My mother was three times your size. She was a very big woman.”
Emllyn fingered the green wool, not sure what to say to that because she was fearful of insulting his mother with anything she said.
“I find them quite suitable,” she said, looking up at him. “Thank you for your generosity.”
He grunted, looking around the room and noticing the hides on the bed. “So she brought you something to sleep on as well,” he said, moving to the bed and flipping up the hides to inspect the quality. “These should do you nicely.”
Emllyn looked at the bed and the fluffy sheep’s hides. “I thank you again for your generosity,” she said. “I am grateful for the consideration.”
He looked at her, then. If he thought she was being too compliant, he didn’t say so. He simply continued to look at her.
“Were you well fed?” he asked.
Emllyn nodded firmly. “I was, thank you.”
Devlin’s gaze lingered on her a moment longer before scratching his red head and easing his big body down onto the bed. The last time he was here, they’d had a rather violent encounter. But he’d also experienced attraction like he’d never known. It was an odd combination to say the least.
Emllyn hovered near the hearth, waiting for the next move, wondering if she was going to end up on the bed again with her clothes ripped off. When Devlin suddenly shifted on the bed, she jumped, but he didn’t notice. He seemed distracted.
“I will ask you a question and you will answer me truthfully,” he finally said, looking up at her. “Anything less than truth will be swiftly punished. Is that clear?”
Fear began to clutch at her. “It is, my lord.”
He sighed heavily as he collected his thoughts. “I have spent most of the day observing the results of last night’s victory,” he said. “Your brother’s ships are now my ships and his men areeither dead or my captives. This was a resounding defeat for your brother. Do you understand that?”
“I do.”
“You will tell me what you know of his further intentions to attack me,” he said, his voice low. “Your brother did not send all of the men he has. Surely there are more to come.”
Emllyn blinked, stumped by the statement. “I… I would not know, my lord,” she said honestly. “My brother did not share his military plans with me.”
Devlin cocked an eyebrow. “Yet you knew enough to stow away on a ship bound for Ireland,” he said. “You knew ships were sailing and you knew where they were going. You know more than you are telling me.”
Emllyn shook her head firmly. Then she gave a rather ironic chuckle. “My lord, you must understand that my brother and I were never close,” she said. “He is much older than I am and we did not even grow up in the same house. He was away when I was born and when I was sent away to foster, I did not see him for almost seven years. He views me as I view him– as a distant relative. He resents me a great deal because I am twenty years of age and not yet married. He has been trying to find me a husband for years but our father left a stipulation in his will stating that I was allowed to approve or disapprove of any husband selected for me. So far, the man has selected only fools and I have not yet married. Therefore, I believe he views me as a drain on his household finances.”
It was a well-spoken and frank statement. Devlin believed her. “Yet you stowed away on a ship bound for battle because you wanted to be near your lover,” he pointed out. “Did your brother know you loved this man?”
Emllyn nodded. “He did,” she replied, “but Trevor comes from a family that does not have a great deal of wealth. Mybrother wants me to have a wealthy husband so he naturally disapproves.”
Devlin pondered the information but as he did so, he was coming to see one thing– when she wasn’t hysterical or fighting, she was very well spoken and quite eloquent. She had a beautiful manner about her, something he found quite attractive. Dressed as she was in clean clothes and her hair pulled back in a bun at the nape of her neck, he’d never seen such a lovely woman and with that realization, he was coming to feel extremely guilty about the way he had treated her. She was elegant and intelligent; fear, battle, and the situation had turned her into something quite different, but now by the calm light of the fire and in a calm conversation, he could see what a glorious creature she was.
“Does Trevor want to marry you, then?” he asked quietly. “Surely the man would want to.”
Emllyn actually smiled, but it wasn’t one of joy. It was one of resignation. “I believe he is in love with the knighthood more than me,” she said. “That is why I stowed away; I wanted to come with him to prove I was strong and able. I wanted to prove I was not a pampered lady, which he detests. He likes a capable woman.”
Devlin’s focus lingered on her a moment before he averted his gaze and resumed scratching his scalp. “Was he one of your brother’s more responsible knights?”
Emllyn shook her head. “Nay,” she replied softly. “He was a younger knight without command responsibilities but very skilled. Unfortunately, my attraction to him seemed to put him in a bad light in my brother’s eyes. That is why he sent him to Ireland, I believe, to send him away from me.”
Devlin glanced at her. “Then your brother kept men behind with him?”
Emllyn nodded. “I am not sure how many, but he kept some of his men behind in England. However, I will say with some certainty that he sent most of his men here. The castle was quite empty when we departed.” She fell silent a moment, eyeing him in the firelight. “You know, of course, that my brother is the Lord Justice of Ireland. King Edward appointed him three years ago in reward for his service against Robert the Bruce. My brother can summon the king’s men if he needs to.”
Devlin nodded slowly, chewing pensively on his lip. “I know,” he said. “I know a good deal about your brother. What I want to know from you is what more you can tell me about his plans for Ireland.”
Emllyn wasn’t as terrified as she had been earlier; now, the conversation was calm, almost normal, and she was feeling moderately comfortable with it. She felt safe enough to move away from the hearth.
“Most men do not mention their battle plans to their wives, mothers, or sisters,” she said softly. “Does your wife or sister know of your battle plans?”
