Page 10 of Warrior’s Lady

"My services are yours to command, milady. How may I be of help?"

The pile of blankets flipped back. Violet emerged. "Uncle Camden?"

Any warmth she'd imagined in the stranger's eyes vanished as his gaze shifted between herself and the young girl. "Violet?"

He pulled away from Rhiannon to embrace the child. "You're safe." His tone was raw.

His gaze flicked back to Rhiannon. He said nothing. He stared. Hard. Only the square ridge of his jaw betrayed the control it was taking to keep his anger in check. "How, milady, do you happen to have possession of my lost niece?"

"Your niece?" Rhiannon straightened beneath his punishing gaze. "I am but her escort, milord. And her appointed nursemaid."

"Appointed by whom?"

"Mother Agnes of Taturn Abbey."

He narrowed his gaze. "Violet, does she speak the truth?"

Rhiannon tensed. The girl could disagree, and Rhiannon would be punished. She flinched away from the pair. Was he the kind of man to take a lash to her back as her own brothers had, or would he lock her in a dark dungeon instead? Should she run, and take her chances alone?

Rhiannon sat back on her heels, ready to sprint when Violet threw herself into her arms, clinging to her and nearly knocking her over.

"She saved me from the bad man. And she's my friend."

Rhiannon returned the girl's hug with stiff arms. She hadn't expected that response. Violet hadn't said a word to her since they'd left the abbey.

"I see," the stranger said, the anger clearing from his gaze. His gaze moved back to Violet. He ruffled the chaotic mess Violet's golden curls had become. "You are a brave girl." He lifted the child away from Rhiannon and into his arms, then whistled for his horse. The beast promptly reported to his master's side. "Hold on tight," he cooed to Violet as he set her atop the animal. "We will ride the rest of the way to Lee Castle on horseback."

The stranger stopped beside the horse cart, and passed his hand over the driver's face, closing his eyes. "Why, milady, would someone be trying to kill you?"

Rhiannon stood. She swallowed hard. How could she possibly explain to this man who she was, who her family was, without him also judging her the way everyone else in her life had? The name of Ruthven closed people's minds.

Honesty was a virtue. Mother Agnes would disapprove of any lies. "I'm not at all certain he was after me."

The stranger frowned once more, and she could see the doubt in his eyes. "Hmmm," he responded. He stepped away from the horse cart to one of the horses that had pulled the vehicle. "Do you ride?"

"Aye." She'd spent much of her childhood on the back of a horse, riding the woods near their home, alone. It was the one thing her father never reprimanded her for. He'd even seemed pleased that she had as much, if not more, skill with the beasts as her brothers.

The stranger brought one of the horses to her side. Before he could offer her a hand up, she swung easily onto the horse's bare back.

He said nothing, but a hint of admiration shone in his eyes. Then he turned away, busying himself with securing the body of their driver to the back of the third horse. He had just completed the task when hoofbeats echoed at the top of the ridge.

His men had returned.

The stranger mounted his horse behind Violet, then secured the reins of the other horse to his saddle. They held their position until a tall, elegant man rode up beside Violet and the stranger. "Lord Lockhart," he greeted with a nod. "We lost the archer when he fled into the woods."

Lord Lockhart nodded. His gaze held a shuttered watchfulness as he studied Rhiannon. His intense scrutiny sent a shiver of fear down her spine. "The man won't return anytime soon. Besides, we have the prize he was after."

"What prize?" the slim man asked. He shifted uneasily on his horse when his gaze lit upon the driver's body, and then he stared at Rhiannon.

Lord Lockhart ignored the question clearly written on his friend's face about who she was. He playfully jostled his niece's hair. "Orrin, do you remember Lady Violet?"

Orrin's eyes went wide. "Your niece? She's grown since I saw her last. Praise the saints. But how?"

"She is safe. That is all that matters." Lord Lockhart wrapped his arms around his niece and nudged his horse forward, sparing Rhiannon not so much as a glance. "Let us return home. Once there, we can explore the issue more fully."

"Agreed," Orrin replied. He positioned his horse next to Rhiannon's on the trail, then signaled the men to fall in behind them.

As both men ignored her, Rhiannon did the only thing she could do, sit quietly by and follow where they led. As the moments ticked by, the terror of her ordeal along with the biting cold seeped through what remained of Rhiannon's defenses. She started to shake uncontrollably. No matter how hard she tried to force her limbs to still, she could not stop the shudders that wracked her body. She'd almost been killed, and now she was powerless and in limbo again.