Page 28 of The Knight’s Reward

Why had she not considered how he would interpret her words? Especially given Magge’s advice, which she’d discarded, on how to convince Neill to escort her.

“I am sorry for my deception. But I’d worried you might not have agreed to escort me had I told you the real reason.” She looked down, her embarrassment not a ruse.

It was very, very real. The thought that she was willing to leave England, leave The Wild Boar, to chase after some man . . .

“You would have been correct.”

His voice hard, Neill rolled onto his back, ignoring her. This was not the man she’d come to know. Kathryn had rarely felt this embarrassed, this conscious of her every breath and movement, but she could not let it go.

“Will you take me, then?”

He didn’t look at her.

“Who is this man?”

She hated the censure in his voice. The anger. But Kathryn could not give up. It would be better for her to allow him to think as he did. If he knew the truth, that she courted danger, not romance, he might not relent.

“I cannot say.”

He was quiet for so long, Kathryn was sure he would refuse her. Neill rolled over then, giving her his back.

“I will take you to Brockburg.”

She waited, but he did not continue. She wasn’t even sure if he heard her “thank you” because he did not address her again.

It took her some time to finally fall asleep. Sadness, guilt, and a tinge of regret kept her mind active until finally, sometime later, she drifted off into a fitful rest.

Chapter 9

A man. She had wanted to come here to meet a man.

Neill attempted to push the thought from his mind, but he was all too aware of her presence behind him. At least she rode separately.

They’d arrived at Brockburg Castle.

Most outsiders tended to discount the seat of Clan Kerr as a minor holding due to its size, but Neill knew otherwise. The castle, nestled high up on a ridge, had never been taken. While Bristol Manor had changed hands many times over the years, Brockburg was just far enough north that no one disputed it was firmly in Scotland and on Clan Kerr land. That, along with the high defensive walls and elevated position, Brockburg had been the seat of more than one council meeting during the past year.

He’d missed so much, but Neill was past regretting his time in the south. Being away from his family had enabled him to win that tournament. Gained him the ultimate prize.

Regret was a bitter bedmate, and he’d sooner sleep with . . .

Nay, not her.

Kathryn had someone already. And he’d taken her right to him.

Neill had lain awake the night before mulling over that bitter irony, only calming himself by remembering he was not free to think such thoughts.

He was all but a promised man.

Though there had been no time for a betrothal ceremony, he was right and stuck with Lady Alina deBeers. The queen’s lady-in-waiting. A woman he’d never met. But one who nevertheless played a vital role in bringing peace to the border.

And yet . . .

He’d done everything possible to distance himself from Kathryn. But somehow, at every turn, he found himself in her presence. Sitting beside her at the inn, her easy handling of his men a testament to the time she’d spent at The Wild Boar. Watching her race Burns with the skill of an expert horsewoman. Traveling beside her on the road as she attended to herself without complaint, leaving him with no doubt that she was indeed accustomed to life on the road.

Despite himself, Neill wanted to know more about her. He wished to understand her, to know her secrets, and to play a role in her future.

“Stay close,” he said to her now as she rode up beside him.