She wanted to stay there for a very long time, mayhaps even kiss the solid rock beneath her. In another week or so, she might be able to walk again. But she had made it this far, and would not return to the fortress after this much trouble to escape it. She scrambled to her feet and swayed once before she steadied herself.
Guy turned to face her, the short rope lying across his upturned palms. “Give me your hands.”
Not again, Claudia thought, but this time the order was for both hands. He meant to bind them. When she obeyed his order, he hesitated. For a long moment he stared at her hands, then he looped the rope around her wrists and secured the binding. He didn’t knot the rope as tightly as she had expected. Indeed, the rope seemed almost loose around her wrists. She glanced down and saw how much her hands shook.
He had noticed as well. “ ’Tis over, Claudia. You are safe now.”
Safe? Aye, from the danger of falling, mayhap, but now she faced a threat just as perilous. She looked at the baron’s face and knew he must have realized how ridiculous his words sounded. He scowled, then pulled her hood into place.
“Keep your head down. Your cloak is dark enough toblend with the rocks, but the moonlight could reflect your face enough that a guard on the wall might notice.”
She nodded and bowed her head. She could not look him in the eye any longer, to see what the moonlight reflected in his face. The pity and trace of regret in his eyes were nothing she wanted. Once they were safely away from the castle, she would try again to explain this colossal misjudgment of her character and offer payment to hire a company of his soldiers to escort her to Dante. Wherever he might be. She had to keep her faith that the emeralds would buy her that information as well.
4
“S top squirming.” Every muscle in Guy’s body tensed, his patience strained to the breaking point. Claudia sat sideways in his lap rather than astride the warhorse, with her cloak arranged to hide the slash in her gown. She had wriggled around every moment of every hour since they left Lonsdale. He could not take much more of it.
When they met his knights in the forests outside Lonsdale, he didn’t think he would mind sharing his mount. He had exchanged a handful of words with Evard, then lifted Claudia to her seat before him. As the bright moon that guided their flight gave way to the rose-colored streaks of dawn, the hip that once felt soft and supple now seemed solid as a rock against his groin. She shifted position again. “Can you not sit still?”
“My legs fell asleep.”
It took him a moment to realize the gag should have prevented her from answering his question. He jerked her hood aside. “When did you pull that down?”
A wide yawn delayed the answer. Her still-bound hands rose to form a steeple over her mouth, then dropped again to her lap. “Soon after you put me on this beast. You had no need to gag me in the first place, Baron. I would be the last to raise an alarm.”
He didn’t know why it irritated him that she spoke in Italian, but it did. “You will speak in my language, or not at all.”
Her lips parted, then closed again. She lifted her chin in the air and looked pointedly away from him. She tugged her hood back into place, too.
He scowled at the back of her head. “You will never learn to say the words correctly if you do not practice the language aloud.”
Her head tilted sideways as if she considered this logic, but she remained silent. Evard rode up beside him. “Our soldiers await, Baron.”
Guy followed the direction of Evard’s gesture. The wide valley before them lay blanketed in morning mist, the air scented by dew-fresh meadows that lay beneath the fog. The valley belonged to Halford, while the ridge across from them marked the edge of Montague lands. On the ridge, a thin column of smoke rose above the treetops.
“And my cousins?” Guy asked.
“I sent a messenger to Halford before we returned
Guy turned to face her, the short rope lying across his upturned palms. “Give me your hands.”
Not again, Claudia thought, but this time the order was for both hands. He meant to bind them. When she obeyed his order, he hesitated. For a long moment he stared at her hands, then he looped the rope around her wrists and secured the binding. He didn’t knot the rope as tightly as she had expected. Indeed, the rope seemed almost loose around her wrists. She glanced down and saw how much her hands shook.
He had noticed as well. “ ’Tis over, Claudia. You are safe now.”
Safe? Aye, from the danger of falling, mayhap, but now she faced a threat just as perilous. She looked at the baron’s face and knew he must have realized how ridiculous his words sounded. He scowled, then pulled her hood into place.
“Keep your head down. Your cloak is dark enough toblend with the rocks, but the moonlight could reflect your face enough that a guard on the wall might notice.”
She nodded and bowed her head. She could not look him in the eye any longer, to see what the moonlight reflected in his face. The pity and trace of regret in his eyes were nothing she wanted. Once they were safely away from the castle, she would try again to explain this colossal misjudgment of her character and offer payment to hire a company of his soldiers to escort her to Dante. Wherever he might be. She had to keep her faith that the emeralds would buy her that information as well.
4
“S top squirming.” Every muscle in Guy’s body tensed, his patience strained to the breaking point. Claudia sat sideways in his lap rather than astride the warhorse, with her cloak arranged to hide the slash in her gown. She had wriggled around every moment of every hour since they left Lonsdale. He could not take much more of it.
When they met his knights in the forests outside Lonsdale, he didn’t think he would mind sharing his mount. He had exchanged a handful of words with Evard, then lifted Claudia to her seat before him. As the bright moon that guided their flight gave way to the rose-colored streaks of dawn, the hip that once felt soft and supple now seemed solid as a rock against his groin. She shifted position again. “Can you not sit still?”
“My legs fell asleep.”
It took him a moment to realize the gag should have prevented her from answering his question. He jerked her hood aside. “When did you pull that down?”
A wide yawn delayed the answer. Her still-bound hands rose to form a steeple over her mouth, then dropped again to her lap. “Soon after you put me on this beast. You had no need to gag me in the first place, Baron. I would be the last to raise an alarm.”
He didn’t know why it irritated him that she spoke in Italian, but it did. “You will speak in my language, or not at all.”
Her lips parted, then closed again. She lifted her chin in the air and looked pointedly away from him. She tugged her hood back into place, too.
He scowled at the back of her head. “You will never learn to say the words correctly if you do not practice the language aloud.”
Her head tilted sideways as if she considered this logic, but she remained silent. Evard rode up beside him. “Our soldiers await, Baron.”
Guy followed the direction of Evard’s gesture. The wide valley before them lay blanketed in morning mist, the air scented by dew-fresh meadows that lay beneath the fog. The valley belonged to Halford, while the ridge across from them marked the edge of Montague lands. On the ridge, a thin column of smoke rose above the treetops.
“And my cousins?” Guy asked.
“I sent a messenger to Halford before we returned
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