Page 24 of The Knight’s Reward

“Was his death unexpected?”

Kathryn should not have told him the truth. But she had, and there was no way to take it back. “Aye.”

But she needed to turn the conversation to him.

“I would imagine the great Neill Waryn has no regrets?”

The look he gave her said otherwise. At first, he didn’t answer.

“I’ve spent the past few years fostering with a great man by the name of Sir Adam Dayne. He and his wife, Cora, have taught me many things.” He sighed. “Regret, he said, is a thief, and only we can allow him to steal from us.”

He shrugged.

“I’ve never wasted time on the sentiment . . .”

She sensed there was more, but he stopped talking.

“You are fortunate to have been fostered with them, it seems?”

“Aye, fortunate indeed.”

They fell silent.

“So what happened?”

Neill slipped his dagger into the leather pouch at his side. “If you’d like, I can tell you inside.”

“Will it be difficult to explain why I am unescorted?”

That smile was back, and she felt her heart throb in response. “We shall say your escort was run through by a reiver.”

Her eyes widened. “But—”

“I jest,” he said, laughing. “If anyone should ask, I will simply run them through myself.” With that, Neill turned toward the door, expecting her to follow.

She did laugh then at the pure outrageousness of his suggestion. With any luck, none would inquire after her. Kathryn would not like to be the cause of an argument between Neill and the other guests, and something told her he would not hesitate to defend her honor.

Chapter 8

Kathryn had never gotten around to making her request at the Anvil Inn. Or in the two days since. Perhaps it was simply that she thought he’d deny her. Or maybe, and she feared this was true, she simply enjoyed his company too much to endanger the connection they’d formed.

She was brooding over the matter a couple of evenings later when Neill called out, “Hold.”

When Neill stopped, the men did as well, Kathryn’s borrowed mount falling in line with the others. After four days, Kathryn had worked out that although Neill was not the group’s official leader, the others looked to him for guidance.

And although Kathryn would be hard-pressed to find anything disagreeable about Neill, she had noticed a failing of his—something her father would have cautioned her against. Aylmer disagreed with the spot Neill had picked for their camp, saying it was much too close to the road. But Neill had quickly dismissed the other man’s concerns, saying they would be perfectly safe.

Noble? Aye. Handsome? Certainly.

But the gallant Neill Waryn, called the greatest knight in the kingdom of England, was not accustomed to being questioned.

Perhaps stupidly, Kathryn had hoped an act of God would resolve the problem of Dunbar. She’d left the request so long in the hopes there’d be an unexpected delay and they’d have no choice but to put off the trip until after the council meeting. But it hadn’t rained even once, despite her vigilant observations of the sky.

One of the men, Burns, had even remarked on it that day, asking how she managed to stay atop her horse as she constantly looked up rather than forward. Laughing at the observation, Kathryn had challenged him to a race, the wide-open field around them perfect for a little competition.

The knight truly hadn’t had a chance. She’d almost felt sorry for him, for his loss had given his companions, including Neill, a source of amusement for most of the day.

Which hadn’t gotten her any closer to making her request of Neill.