Page 26 of The Mercenary

They’d not spoken much since the incident, the ride uneventful for the remainder of the afternoon.

Guy continued to hold her hand once she was on the ground, much to her relief, and she allowed herself to grip his fingers.

“Any woman who witnessed what you did earlier today and kept such calm . . . Fiddler’s will be as tame as an abbey.”

He did let go then, and Sabine immediately felt the loss of his touch.

“I am not so unaffected as it would seem,” she admitted. Earlier in the day, Sabine had started shaking at the thought of that man lying on the ground, unmoving. The unsteady feeling had eventually subsided, but the swiftness with which he’d died . . .

She hadn’t even had time to warn Guy. The scream had stuck in her throat even as she watched the man stalk behind him.

“Many thanks,” Guy said to a stablehand who took their mounts. He slipped the man a coin and then reclaimed her hand, threading their fingers together.

“Here, we are man and wife in truth.”

For a moment she misunderstood his meaning. He seemed to realize it, for he leaned toward her and whispered, “Anytime, my lady. I await your pleasure.”

Her breath caught at his words. Until a waft of stale ale assaulted her as Guy opened the front door. For a village so small, the hall of the inn was certainly bustling. Nearly every table was occupied. To her eyes, the place resembled a tavern more than an inn. Of course, she’d only stayed at one other inn, many years ago, so she did not have much basis for comparison.

When everyone in the room turned to look at them, Sabine had the momentary urge to hide behind Guy. But she’d promised herself she would not besmirch her parent’s memory by being any less fearless, strong, and loyal than they had been.

While it appeared she was the only woman in the room, she would not be ashamed of it. Nor would she let anyone frighten her because of it.

They would have you believe they have something you do not possess. But ’tis not the truth, Sabine. A woman brings life into the world. Remember that.

Reminding herself of her mother’s words, her mother’s strength, Sabine tried not to grip Guy’s arm too tightly. Besides, she would be alone someday, navigating situations like this one. She could not allow herself to rely on Guy.

“If anyone yells at you, ignore them. If they touch you, tell me.”

Sabine hated that his words brought her such comfort. She didn’t want to need him.

An especially burly man, a knight by the look of him, gave her the exact kind of glance Guy knew she’d receive. An appreciative one, tinged with a slight sneer.

At that exact moment, her husband stepped between them, Guy towering above the other man, who was seated at a table with several others. She couldn’t see either of their faces now, but the knight’s companions were well within her view. There were four of them, making her wonder if Guy valued his life at all. He really did seem inclined to seek out quarrelsome situations.

“You’ll be wanting to give your ale more attention than my wife.”

Guy rested his hand on his sheathed sword.Others around them stopped talking and looked their way.

“You’ll be wanting to move along,” the man mocked. He and all of his companions stood, but Guy did not move. Sabine, on the other hand, backed away enough to see her husband’s face. She shivered, unaccustomed to seeing him so serious. Nay, not just serious.

Deadly.

“You’ll all be wanting to sit down,” another voice yelled from the other side of the table. “’Tis Guy Lavallais, you fools.”

Sabine had thought for sure she was about to watch yet another fight, but at those words, the men who’d threatened them, including the one who had looked at her, sat like obedient schoolboys.

Still Guy did not move away.

When the men returned to their ales, he lingered a moment longer before taking her hand and leading her to the far side of the hall.

A small empty table beckoned. When they sat, a woman immediately appeared with a pitcher and two mugs. Where had she come from? Sabine had not seen a serving girl, or any other women, earlier.

Guy poured both of them an ale and drank deeply from his mug.

She simply stared.

“What happened back there?”