“Good, good,” Berta said.“The captain’ll be pleased to hear it when he returns.”
“Returns?”
“Oh, aye, he’s gonehunting.Anglbert’s to be in charge while he’s away, and we were tolet you sleep in.That’s what the captain told us when he came downthis morning.”
“This morning?”That meanthe’d gone back up to his chamber at some point, that he’d seen hersleeping in his bed with his tunic pressed to her nose.
Berta handed Lara a slice of bread.“Came down at the break of dawn, ate a bowl of porridge, and had mepack him three days’ worth of food.”
Lara let out the breath she’d beenholding, grateful for the time and the distance and more than alittle worried he’d left so disgusted with her.“I’m off, then,Berta.”She took the bread with her to eat on the way home, whereshe would have to try to hide her flustered thoughts fromSophie.
“Let Phillipeknow.”
“Phillipe?Why?”
“Captain saidto.”
CHAPTER 10
Orders
Lara
Phillipe waited on the bench outsidethe stables, his dappled gray saddled and ready to go.“Shall Ikeep a discreet distance?”he asked as Lara stopped by him.“Orwould you like a ride?”
“I’ll walk, thank you.Butyou needn’t keep your distance.Your company would bewelcome.”
“I’m glad somebody thinksso.”He led his horse alongside her.“Talon was in no mood for itthis morning.”
Lara gave Phillipe a sideways glanceas they walked through the gate and onto the road.“Was Tal… thecaptain angry when he left this morning?”she asked, dreading hisanswer, yet needing to know.
“The man was in about asfoul a temper as I’ve ever seen him.”
Lara’s heart sank.The expression onher face must have as well, because Phillipe reached out and laid abrotherly hand on her shoulder.
“Maybe if you told me whathappened?”
A vision of her naked body pressed upagainst the captain caused Lara’s cheeks to flush and Phillipe tostare at her with raised brows.She shook her head as if she couldshake the shameful vision out and tried to remember what had passedbetween them before.“I, ah, I asked him about the wildcat that hascursed him.”
Phillipe raised his brow.“What did hesay?”
“That I should ask one ofmy west-end witch cronies.”She eyed Phillipe.“What if I askedyou?”
He pressed his lips together and shookhis head.“I cannot.I’ve been sworn to silence upon pain of deathor dismemberment.”
Lara chuffed.She and Phillipe bothknew the threat would never be carried out.He was the captain’soldest and closest friend.“So which witch should Iask?”
“Ask any one of them, Iwould imagine they all know.”
Lara didn’t understand.Why was theidentity of this wildcat a secret only to her?Did the captain nottrust her to keep her tongue if asked?Hadn’t she been keeping hertongue all this time the people of the valley had been calling herhis whore?She glanced at Phillipe, whom the captain had ordered tokeep watch over her while he was gone because he didn’t trust hernot to run away, which meant he didn’t trust her to keep her word.She kicked a pebble with the toe of her sandal and sent it skiddingacross the road.
“I wouldn’t worry overmuch about Talon,” Phillipe said.“Whatever happened between you,he’ll come around.The man is a great horseman and captain of men,but he knows nothing of women.”
Lara let out an unladylike snort.“Ifind that hard to believe.”She’d seen the way Ravenna and otherwomen in the valley looked at the captain.The way they lookedtalking about him as they paid her good coin for vials of lovepotion.All he had to do was drink one of their offerings, and he’dbe offered anything he wanted from any one of them.
“I’m not saying he hasn’tknown his share of women,” Phillipe continued, and her cheeksflushed hotter.“Only that he doesn’t reallyknowwomen.”
Lara swiped at her cheeks and eyedPhillipe.“But you do.”It was more statement thanquestion.