Roark had to think.To plan.“Tell meeverything Donald and my father said,” he said as he and Alina satdown, their hands clasped together on the table.
“Donald said Roger was staying at the keep tosee to his son’s wake and to organize the search for you two.Besides Donald and his men, Roger’s sent others to search everyport on the eastern coast, starting at Long Firth and going southand north from there.All of them with orders to bring you and theprincess, who they’re saying’s a serving maid you took a shine to,back alive to Roger.They’re also supposed to remind all the ships’captains the penalty for knowingly helping murderers is death.He’soffering a bounty of ten pounds silver for each ’a you.”
“Ten pounds silver each?”Roark repeated.“You can be sure he only wants us brought back alive so he can havethe pleasure of watching us hang.”He looked from Logan’s furrowedbrow to Alina’s pale face and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.“Wecan go west.Find a ship to sail from there.”
“Or follow the Long River northwest ’til youmake the Mounths,” Logan said.“Skirt the western hills and cut duenorth to the Deep Loch, follow its southern shore east to the NorthSea Firth.You’d be traveling half the distance Roger’s men wouldup the coast, plus they’d be stopping to search the ships andspreading word of the bounty.”
“It would be easier to find a ship to sailfrom there than the west coast,” Roark told Alina.“On the otherhand, we’d be riding through naught but wilderness for seven to tendays at least.”
“I’m fine with that,” she said.“My parentstaught all of us children how to survive in many kinds ofwilderness.Skills that have served my family well through thegenerations.”
Logan chuckled.“I see why you like her,” hetold Roark.
“It’s more than that,” Roark said.So muchmore.
Logan grinned.“I can see that as well.”
Roark lifted Alina’s hand in his and kissedthe backs of her fingers, grinning as she blushed prettily.Logancleared his throat meaningfully, and Roark brought his attentionback to the problem at hand.
“Is Donald staying the night at Thorn Bush?”he asked Logan.
“He is.Your lady mother has already warnedhim to keep her serving maids out of his bed, and to stay out oftheirs.”
Alina sat straight up.“I forgot to tellyou,” she said to Roark.“Jenny is pregnant with Leif’s baby.Ioverheard her and her parents arguing about it before I went to thestables.Before Leif came after me.”
“Did Leif know?”Roark asked.
Alina nodded.“Jenny said she’d told him andhe’d claim it if it was a boy, but not if it was a girl.‘Just likehis uncle, Donald,’ her father told her.He sounded angry.”
“Who can blame him?”Logan rumbled.“The menin that family spill their seed willy-nilly and dunna give a carewhere it takes root.”
“Well,” Roark said wryly, “there’s one lessto spill his seed now.”He drew a deep breath in and let it out.“We’ll leave here tomorrow.Take the inland route around theMounths and up to the North Sea Firth.You agree?”he askedAlina.
“Yes.”
“Can you supply us with some food andblankets and rope and maybe a bow and quiver of arrows?”he askedLogan.
“I can do better than that,” Logan said.“Ionly ask that you wait to see your lady mother before you leavetomorrow.”
***
Alina stared into silver grey eyes that weremirror images of Roark’s and dipped a knee to Lady Brianna,Mistress of Thorn Bush Keep.“It’s an honor to meet you, Lady,” shesaid in her best Green Isles tongue.
“And you,” Brianna, a handsome, middle-agedwoman with dark auburn hair and milky white skin, said kindly.“Logan told me of your and Roark’s situation.”She clicked hertongue.“Ach, I told my husband no good would come of sending ourson to that family.”She gave Roark, who’d greeted her with aheartfelt hug almost the moment she’d stepped through the door, aquick shake of her head.“I’m sorry I didn’t fight him harder overit.I admit I’d hoped getting away from him might benefit you.”
“You did what you had to do at the time,Mother,” he said.“I hold no ill will.If you hadn’t sent me toRoger, I wouldn’t have met Alina, or been there to help get heraway from him and his vile plans.”
“Ah, yes,” Brianna said with an indulgentsmile.“Logan told me how it is between you two.”
Alina’s cheeks flushed hot as Roark twinedhis fingers through hers.“I’ll do whatever I must to get her backto her family,” he said.“Though we’re both sorry to put you two inthe middle of it.”
Brianna waved a slim hand dismissively.“You’re my son.Where else should I be?”She indicated the woolblanket tied into a pack.“I brought what I could sneak out with.”She untied the blanket and pulled out a soft, linen under-tunic, awoolen outer tunic, and a pair of leather breeches and handed themto Alina.“I was told you prefer wearing men’s clothing on suchoccasions,” she said with a grin.“So much more practical thantrying to ride a horse or traipse around the wilds in skirts.”
“Thank you, my lady.”Alina took theproffered bundle of clothes.“These will make the journey easier tobe sure.Thank you for the food and blanket too.”She nodded downat the sack of bread, cheese, dried meat, and field beans.
“You couldn’t ask for a more capablecompanion in the wilds,” Brianna said, smiling between Roark andLogan.“My son had the best teacher and Logan the beststudent.”
“The lad was a natural with a bow and arrow,”Logan said proudly.“Best aim and steadiest hands I’ve ever seen.”He winked at Roark.“Lad’s not bad with a throw net either.”
