Page 167 of Moon Craving

appeared not to have noted them. It struck him then that she rarely looked in Osgard's

direction. Considering the fact that she could not "hear" him if she did not see him, her

behavior effectively eliminated the crotchety warrior from her notice.

It was an effective way to deal with his advisor's annoying inability to accept his

new lady. Talorc had to admire the simplicity and ingenuity of it as well.

He turned so she could not see his lips either and glowered at his advisor. "She is

my wife."

"To hell with the clan, then?"

"Watch yourself, Osgard. You will go too far with your prejudice and find yourself

living with your great-niece in an already crowded cottage."

"It wasn't the clan in danger today, but our lady," Guaire said from his customary

place on the other side of Abigail.

"I wasn't actually in any more danger than anyone else," Abigail asserted,

obviously having read Guaire's lips.

Osgard snorted, but several soldiers nodded in agreement, their respect for their

lady clear.

"What did the stable master have to say?" Talorc asked Barr.

"He did not see anyone."

"No one at all?"

Barr shook his head. "He was training one of the young mares in the paddock, so

was nowhere near the stable at the time your horse got out."

"And the stallion?"

"Shows signs of being whipped on his left flank."

Talorc let out a growl that had several warriors' heads snapping up. "Did you check

for scent?"

"There was naught but the stable master and his helper, and nothing in the whip

marks themselves at all."

Talorc frowned at that. Whoever had played the prank clearly knew enough to

avoid detection by masking their scent. In addition, they had been careful to use an

implement that they had not touched at the end used to whip the horse. "You think one of