Page 26 of A Rogue and a Noble Lass

Beitris wasn’t displeased that she was alone with Logan. She reached for his hand, something she dared not do when Brody was present.

“I’m sorry, Logan. It was my fault. Perhaps Da was right… I should hae stayed at the rear.”

Then, his fingers twitched and she heard a sudden intake of breath. His eyelids cracked open and she let go of his hand.

“Logan,” she gasped.

“Aye… it’ll take more than that tae kill me,” he said, trying to sound upbeat, although he was clearly tired and in pain. “Besides, I could nae die after what ye said on the battlefield. I dinnae believe ye could say anything sae sweet.”

A deep blush came upon Beitris’ face. Flustered, she scrambled to cover up her words, for she had not believed that Logan would have been able to hear them.

“Ye misunderstand. I was asking Brody for help, saying I could nae carry ye by myself,” she said.

Logan’s head lolled towards her and he gave her a skeptical look.

“Speaking of that, I need tae ask ye—” she began but was silenced when thunderous footsteps entered the room.

Ryan came striding towards them, a grim look on his face. He stood over Logan and pressed his lips together.

“I am glad tae see ye survived. We lost a lot of good men taeday, but thankfully we fight on,” Ryan said. “Ye did well, Logan, even if ye did slip away from Beitris. I would be dead if nae for ye. I suppose that means I owe ye my life,” he said.

Logan winced and clutched his side. He coughed violently. Beitris poured him some water and held it to his lips. He sipped slowly, but he still seemed troubled.

“What happened with the rest of the battle?”

“Much of the village was destroyed. There are some buildings left intact, but I doubt the villagers are gaeing tae want tae remain there. Warnock strikes again,” he said darkly, then sighed. “I came here tae check on ye and tae tell ye that from now on ye will be a part of our personal guard. I ken that we are safe with ye around, and I fear that Warnock will thrust his sword intae our heart before too long. Dae ye accept?”

“How could I refuse?” Logan replied, wincing as he dipped his head.

Beitris furrowed her brow a little, because if what she heard was true then… but she dismissed the thought.

There had to be something else to it, and why should she trust the word of the enemy anyway? He was probably just saying something to rile Logan. The battle had been so chaotic that she couldn’t even be certain her memories were true, although she could not allay her suspicions.

Ryan misinterpreted her worry and laughed.

“Dinnae fret, lass, he will nae begin his new duties until he hae healed. After the losses we suffered we will need everyone tae be at their best, and ye fought well, lad. Donal was nae lying when he said ye are the best he hae ever trained,” Ryan said before walking away, moving to speak with other men.

“He only said that because he hae nae trained me,” Beitris said, shooting a look at Logan.

He gave a slanted smile and then coughed violently again. Beitris stared at him, trying to see if there was a hidden look in his eyes or some sign that he had been lying to her. The thought of it curdled beneath her skin like a snake that was fighting to find a way out, and she could not delay asking him about it.

“How did ye ken that general?” she asked.

Logan wiped his lips and frowned. “I dinnae.”

“He seemed tae ken ye,” she replied.

“Is that all ye hae tae say after everything that happened? What were ye thinking, running intae battle like that? I thought we agreed that ye would stand back.”

Beitris wore an indignant look. “I saw a path tae him that was swifter than an arrow, and I wanted tae put my new training intae practice.”

“Nae, ye wanted tae make an impression on the other men. Ye did it for glory.”

“I dinnae,” Beitris denied.

“Admit it. Ye should hae remained disciplined. That’s what fighting is about. Ye cannae win battles by allowing emotions tae rule ye. It almost cost ye yer life.”

“And that would nae hae looked good on ye, would it? The man who was ordered tae defend me rushed away tae save his friend.”