The Warrior Knight and the Widow

by Ella Matthews

  ‘Sorry,’ he muttered.

  ‘Are you drunk?’

  ‘No,’ he said as he arrived at the bed. ‘I’m never drunk.’

  He dumped her on the bed, but she held onto his neck and he fell down next to her.

  She scrambled to the edge and slipped off. ‘You’re on it now,’ she said. ‘Stay there.’

  ‘No.’ He reached up and pulled her back. ‘The bed is yours.’

  For a moment she wrestled with his arm, trying to break free of his hold, but although he didn’t hurt her, she realised she was not going to get out of his iron grip.

  ‘Stop squirming,’ he muttered, clearly irritated by her efforts.

  She gave up and collapsed back on the bed. She was breathing heavily, whereas he sounded no different from normal. He kept his arm locked around her, holding her in place.

  ‘Why are you so stubborn?’ she asked, kicking the bed in frustration.

  ‘Hah—it is not me who is stubborn. It is you.’

  As his breath whispered over her skin she smelt ale again. She’d never noticed drink affect him before, but maybe he had drunk more tonight. Since that morning in the hut he’d kept his physical distance from her, but now she was cocooned in his arm and he wasn’t moving away.

  There was no pain in the way he held her; instead there was a strange sense of security that would have felt almost peaceful if it hadn’t been for the frisson of desire sweeping through her. Lord Swein had been particularly vicious when he was drunk, but for some reason she wasn’t afraid of Braedan. He’d only ever tried to protect her, and she trusted him to do the same even now.

  She turned slightly, so that she could look at him. ‘If I promise not to touch you again will you share the bed with me?’ she asked.

  ‘Why would I want you to promise such a thing?’ he asked, sounding very shocked.

  ‘The other morning...in the hut... I took advantage of you. You were angry with me for doing so but I promise it won’t happen again.’

  He looked at her for a long moment, and then he threw back his head and laughed and laughed.

  She’d never seen him so amused, but as he was laughing at her she didn’t really enjoy the sight.

  ‘Oh, sweet, lovely Ellena—you didn’t take advantage of me. I was very, very willing to kiss you, and I would so again in a heartbeat if I thought it was a good idea. But it isn’t. It’s a terrible idea...truly terrible.’

  Her heart started to race. He wanted to kiss her and he was pulling her towards him. Perhaps he would do so, despite his ominous words. Maybe he would even take it further. Perhaps the whole thing wouldn’t be so horrible if it was with someone as considerate as Braedan. Mrs Webb certainly seemed to enjoy her marital bed.

  She held her breath as Braedan curled his large body around hers.

  ‘Ah, Ellena,’ he whispered. ‘I wish I was good enough for you... I really do.’

  She waited for his lips to meet hers, but was greeted with the soft sound of his snores.

  ‘Braedan?’ she whispered. ‘Braedan...’

  But she didn’t get any response. He was already asleep.

  Chapter Nine

  A shard of light broke through the shutters and hit Ellena square in the face. She squeezed her eyes tightly as she woke, wishing the morning would go away and leave her alone. She was so tired. She rolled over, away from the bothersome light, and hit something solid.

  Her eyes snapped open.

  She was in bed with Braedan.

  She stared at his chest for a long moment and then slowly, ever so slowly, looked up and met his gaze.

  His eyes were wide and he was staring at her uncomprehendingly. He looked even more owl-like than he normally did when he woke.

  Her lips twitched. ‘Do you have a sore head?’ she whispered.

  He touched his skull. ‘No. Why? Have I been knocked out?’

  She smiled. ‘You drank a bit too much ale, I think.’

  ‘Oh.’ He paused. ‘I didn’t...?’ He stopped and looked the length of her. When he saw she was fully dressed he sagged into the bed. ‘I didn’t do anything inappropriate, did I?’ he asked.

  His look of bashful remorse made her want to wrap her arms around him.

  ‘No,’ she said. ‘You didn’t do anything. We argued about who was going to sleep on the bed and then compromised by both sleeping here. It was fine.’

  He brought his hand up to his face and rubbed his eyes. ‘Good,’ he said. ‘And I’m sorry I had too much ale. I’ve not done that since I was a young lad.’

  She slipped out of bed, ‘I’ll fetch you a drink of water. I’m sure you’re feeling thirsty.’

  ‘How do you know?’ he asked, pulling himself up into a sitting position. ‘You don’t strike me as someone who drinks too much.’

  She smiled as she pulled on her boots. ‘I’ve never been drunk but Lord Swein was—frequently. In the mornings he always had a raging thirst.’

  ‘I wouldn’t describe my thirst as “raging”, but... I would be grateful for a drink, thank you.’

  ‘Ellena?’ he said when she reached the bedroom door.

  She paused.

  ‘Be careful.’

  She nodded and let herself out onto the landing, closing the door softly behind her. When she was alone she took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  Things were getting complicated with Braedan. He didn’t seem to remember what he’d said to her last night, when he’d all but told her he had feelings for her. But even if he remembered, what exactly did she feel for him?

  She twirled his large signet ring around on her finger. It had been there since he’d given it to her on that first day they had begun to run for their lives. She was used to its heavy weight now and didn’t relish the idea of taking it off.

  She began slowly to climb down the stairs. In the end it didn’t matter if they cared about each other more than they should. If her father wouldn’t let her run Castle Swein by herself then he was unlikely to let her marry someone of her own choosing.

  She pushed the thought out of her mind—she was getting carried away. Braedan had said he wanted to kiss her, but that was very different from wanting to spend the rest of his life with her. Besides, she never wanted to marry again, did she? Being in close proximity with Braedan was messing with her mind. She needed some time alone, to get things back into perspective. She was going to be in charge of her own destiny from now on.

  Ellena paused at the bottom of the stairs. The inn was so quiet she could hear her own breathing in the stillness. Most of the inhabitants must still be abed, and she knew that Braedan would want to get going before most of them were awake. Everyone had got a good look at them yesterday, so he’d not want any of them to know where they were headed this morning.

  She made her way down the narrow corridor and went to push open the door to the taproom. Something about the voice she heard through the thick wood made her stop.

  ‘It’s a delicate situation,’ said the voice, which sounded hauntingly familiar. ‘So I hope I can rely on your discretion?’

  She heard a murmur of agreement.

  ‘I’m looking for my wife,’ the person continued. ‘She’s run away with a man and I believe they are posing as a married couple. I don’t blame my wife, so you mustn’t worry that you’d be getting her into trouble. But the man she’s with is very dangerous and manipulative, and although I’m sure he’s promised her all sorts of things I know he’s only after my money. I’m afraid he’ll hurt her to get it.’

  Goosebumps broke out over the back of Ellena’s neck as a creeping sense of dread washed over her.

  ‘There are several married couples staying here at the moment,’ she heard the innkeeper respond. ‘Perhaps you could describe your wife?’

  ‘It would be easier to describe the man. You see, he is very distinctive in that he
has several facial scars. One thick one that cuts...’

  Ellena had heard enough. She spun on her heel and raced back up to the room.

  She barged in without knocking and found Braedan with his top half bare as he rinsed himself in the basin of water.

  ‘Urgh...’ she grunted, momentarily robbed of speech.

  The muscles of his chest rippled as he pulled on some clothes, covering himself. Even in the direness of their situation she was disappointed.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ he demanded.

  ‘Man. Downstairs. Think Copsi. Must run,’ she managed to get out as she rushed over to the sideboard and began to throw a few things into one of the bags.

  He took two steps towards her. ‘Say that again—slowly.’

  She took a deep breath and said, quickly but more coherently, ‘I went downstairs and heard a man speaking to the innkeeper. The voice sounded familiar. I’m not sure, but I think it might have been Copsi.’

  She carried on moving about the room, checking that she’d not missed anything to add to the pack.

  ‘He said he was looking for his wife and the man she’d run away with. When he described the man he said that he was distinctive because he had certain scars on his face. The voice sounded familiar. I didn’t wait to hear more.’

  ‘Right,’ said Braedan, taking the bag from her and picking up the other one from the floor. ‘Let’s go.’

  They hurried out of the room, with Braedan in the lead. He stopped abruptly at the top of the stairs and Ellena only just managed not to smack into the back of him.

  ‘Someone’s coming,’ he whispered.

  He turned and gently pushed her along the landing. Instead of going into their room he opened one several doors along and gestured for her to go in.

  ‘How did you know there was no one in here?’ she asked quietly as they stepped inside.

  Braedan strode over to the window. ‘I always check who’s staying where at every inn we stop at.’

  Ellena pressed her ear to the door as Braedan unlatched the shutters covering the window. She heard two sets of footsteps walking along the landing.

  ‘Oh,’ she heard the innkeeper say. ‘They must have left already.’

  She heard Copsi speak. ‘I’d like to look in the other rooms, in case they’re hiding. You don’t know how dangerous this man is—he could have hurt someone by now.’

  ‘I don’t think going into other guests’ rooms is appropriate,’ said the innkeeper.

  Some coins must have changed hands, because after a brief silence the innkeeper said, ‘Ah, well, I’m sure everyone will understand.’

  ‘Ellena!’ whispered Braedan.

  She hurried over to the window. ‘They’re about to start searching the rooms,’ she told him.

  ‘Then we’d better hurry.’

  He flung a leg out through the small space and she peered below. Their bags lay on the ground, which seemed to be an awfully long way down.

  ‘Braedan,’ she whispered. ‘I don’t think I can do this.’

  He took her face in his hands. ‘I know that you can.’

  She closed her eyes and felt tears start to form and then spill onto her face. She felt him brush them away with his thumbs and then, very lightly, she felt his lips brush against hers.

  ‘Come on,’ he said softly. ‘I’ll show you what to do—and don’t worry. I will catch you.’

  She watched as he swung both his legs out of the window and then turned to hold onto the windowsill and lower himself to the ground. He jumped the rest of the way down and landed easily.

  Her whole body began to shake as she slipped her feet over the edge of the window frame. Her breathing began to come in short, sharp gasps as she lowered herself over the edge. She clung to the window ledge and sweat broke out across her hands.

  ‘It’s all right—you can let go,’ came Braedan’s reassuring voice from below.

  ‘I can’t...’ she whimpered.

  ‘Yes, you can. Please hurry. I promise I will catch you. Trust me.’

  She held her breath, scrunched her eyes shut and unclenched her fingers.

  She briefly felt the wind rush past her cheeks before she landed in Braedan’s arms with a thud. He quickly set her on her feet, keeping her within his arms.

  ‘I’m sorry we don’t have time for you to regain your equilibrium,’ he said into her hair. ‘But we must go before Copsi finds us.’

  She nodded against his chest and after a few moments he let her go. But instead of going to the front of the inn, as she’d anticipated, he headed towards the stables.

  ‘Where are we going?’ she asked in a loud whisper.

  ‘Copsi has probably brought his horse with him. I think we should slow him down while speeding ourselves up, don’t you?’

  ‘We’re going to take his horse? But then won’t he know that the couple was definitely us?’

  ‘I think our disguise is well and truly ruined already,’ said Braedan, entering the stables. ‘Next time we stop anywhere I’ll have to hide my face.’

  There was only one horse in the stables. It was a dark-haired stallion with white markings and an impressive saddle.

  ‘This is Copsi’s,’ said Braedan, opening the stall door and gently rubbing the horse’s nose. ‘I recognise him from various run-ins we’ve had. He’s an impressive animal.’

  Braedan whispered sweet nothings into the horse’s ear as he led him from the stables and out towards the main thoroughfare of the town. Before they reached the road Braedan climbed into the saddle and pulled Ellena up after him.

  ‘Copsi is bound to have men waiting outside,’ said Braedan. ‘So although in an ideal world we would sneak out of here unnoticed, we’re actually going to race as fast as we can. We’ll make a scene, but that can’t be helped.’

  ‘That tactic didn’t work out so well for us back at the bridge,’ she said, feeling her heart start to hammer so hard against her ribcage she half expected it to leap out.

  ‘We got out of there alive, didn’t we?’ said Braedan. ‘I think we can rate that as a success.’

  Ellena knew how much he missed Stoirm; he seemed to have an affinity with horses. She guessed that Braedan was trying to distract her from her worry rather than truly believe they would make it unscathed.

  Without giving her further time to prevaricate, he kicked Copsi’s horse into action and pelted onto the street. They were already going at a gallop by the time they raced past the inn’s entrance.

  Ellena heard Copsi yelling, ‘Stop them!’ as the wind flew past their faces and the speed pushed her further back into Braedan’s lap.

  They were out of the market town and heading into open countryside when she heard the sound of many hoof beats following them. Braedan’s heavy breathing sounded in her ears. She thought he gave a grunt of pain, but he didn’t slow the horse.

  ‘You can’t run forever,’ screeched Copsi over the loudness of the rushing wind. ‘I will catch her and she will be mine.’

  Still Braedan didn’t slow.

  Ellena could tell he was aiming for the woodland. She wanted to tell him to go a different way. The thought of being amongst claustrophobic trees again made her breath come in short, frightened puffs, but she couldn’t see where else they could hide.

  He thundered into the shelter of the trees and slowed the horse down.

  ‘Is the horse hit?’ she asked as she tried to twist around and take a look.

  ‘No,’ he said, holding her in position. ‘I just need to get my bearings and then we’ll be off again.’

  She waited in silence as she felt him shift in the saddle. Then they were off again, leaping over fallen logs and narrowly avoiding colliding with low-hanging branches.

  By the time they slowed the morning was well over and they hadn’t heard the sounds of anyone following them for a long ti
me.

  ‘Do you think we’re safe?’ she asked.

  ‘For now,’ he said. ‘But I think we should avoid stopping in towns from now on.’

  Ellena sagged in her seat but didn’t comment. Now that they had a horse it should only take a day or two before they reached the sanctuary of her father’s castle, where they would be safe from Copsi. But then a whole new set of trials would begin.

  They let the horse walk slowly for a little while longer, but it soon became apparent that the animal was exhausted.

  ‘We should make camp,’ said Ellena when they came to a small clearing.

  ‘Mmm...’ said Braedan.

  ‘Are you all right?’ said Ellena, suddenly realising that Braedan was leaning on her more than she was leaning on him.

  ‘I’ve been hit,’ he said.

  ‘What?’ she twisted round in the saddle.

  Braedan’s face was pale, and sweat coated his forehead, but he wasn’t bleeding from his skull, so Ellena looked down.

  ‘Oh, no!’ she gasped when she spotted an arrow protruding from his arm. ‘Why didn’t you say something earlier?’

  ‘We needed to get away. Besides, I think it is only a flesh wound. It’ll be fine once we get it out.’

  ‘Only a flesh wound! There’s an arrow! In your arm!’

  He didn’t seem to grasp the gravity of the situation.

  ‘I’ve had worse,’ he murmured.

  ‘I’m sure you have—but not when you were with someone who doesn’t have the first clue how to deal with injuries.’

  He smiled wanly. ‘It’s not like you’re going to have to cut off my arm. I’ll tell you what to do. It’ll be fine. We should get off the horse first, though.’

  He swung his leg over and dropped to the ground. He tried to hide it but she saw the wince of pain he gave as he planted his feet on the ground. Stupid, stubborn man.

  He held up a hand to help her dismount, but she ignored it and dropped inelegantly to the ground without touching him.

  ‘Right—what do you want me to do?’ she asked, keeping her eyes away from the arrow. It made her feel queasy just thinking about it.