As she shifted her satchels to one hand, she looked up at him. “You have hardly spoken to me since the incident in Coventry,” she said quietly. “Will you please tell me what you are going to speak to my father about?”
“I told you why I have kept my distance.”
She turned to him fully. “Aye, you have,” she said, her big eyes swallowing him up. “But we are no longer traveling. There are no ears to hear us. Will you please speak with me now or have you changed your mind about me?”
He looked at her, puzzled. “Of course I have not changed my mind.”
“Then you intend to speak to my father about courting me?”
“About marrying you.”
A light of joy came to her eyes. She was trying very hard not to smile. “You are still so certain about it?”
“I am. Are you?”
She giggled. “I am, but only if you will swear you will not keep a distance from me in front of your men once we are married. I do not like not being able to speak with you whenever I please.”
He sighed uneasily, the dark eyes glittering. “You make it seem as if it were easy for me to stay away,” he said softly. “It was not a simple thing, you know. I had to force myself every single minute to keep from rushing to your side.”
She was flirting with him by this time. “How flattering,” she said coyly. “Tell me more.”
He fought off a grin and looked away. “I cannot.”
“Why?”
“Because I will turn into a giddy, silly fool right before your eyes and I do not wish for anyone to see that side of me in public.”
“But I would like to see it.”
“You shall, when we are alone. It is for your eyes only.”
She understood, but she was still flirting with him simply because it was humorous to see a man so big and powerful squirm uncomfortably. It was a fresh, new, and fun game to play between them, and she relished in it. Still, she did not want to be cruel so she mercifully changed the subject.
“I should go into the keep and see my mother now,” she said after a moment. “Will you miss me when I leave?”
“I miss you now.”
Her flirting softened. “As I miss you,” she said. “But we will see each other at sup. Do you intend to speak to my father before or after we eat?”
“As soon as I can.”
He dared to look at her and she smiled, blowing him a discreet kiss. “Good luck,” she whispered. “Until tonight, then.”
Brandt watched her walk across the bailey. In fact, he couldn’t look at anything else. Her shapely back and luscious hair had his full attention. She had a way of moving that was fluid and lovely, and he had never been so entranced with anyone in his life. The kiss they had shared a few days ago was still as fresh and heated in his mind as if it had only just happened. It made his heart light simply to watch her, in a way it had never been light before. Whatever magic Ellowyn had, he was fully under her spell.
“Until tonight, sweetheart,” he whispered to himself as he watched her go.
He made a vow at that moment that he was never, ever going to force himself to stay away from her again. From this day forward, they were joined at the hip.
He sincerely hoped Deston saw things his way.
*
Ellowyn’s mother, theLady Annalora de Gare de Nerra, was a tall and elegant woman with blond hair and her daughter’s big green eyes. Personality-wise, she was much like her husband with loud laughter and a rather pushy manner, but she had a heart of gold and was much loved and respected. When she saw her daughter in the hall of Erith, speaking with hergrandmother, Annalora rushed the woman and nearly knocked her over in her joy. She hugged Ellowyn within an inch of her life.
“Wynny,” she sighed, squeezing. “You are home. Are you well, darling? Did the trip go well?”
Ellowyn didn’t mind being hugged by her mother because she had a much softer touch than Deston. She hugged her mother in return and kissed the woman on the cheek.
