Page 23 of The Warrior's Innocent Captive

‘I bought this cottage for my sister, Mary.’

Whatever she had been expecting it wasn’t that. A story about smuggling, perhaps, or something vaguely unlawful, perhaps like this was where he brought enemies of Borwyn to torture them or married women he wanted to seduce. A sister was so mundane she was almost lost for words.

‘I see,’ she said eventually. ‘Does she not like the idea of living here?’

Perhaps his sister valued the rich living in Borwyn’s castle or maybe she was exiled in some terrible disgrace, not allowed to come back into Borwyn’s lands until she had undertaken some sort of penance. Linota’s mind whirled with questions. She chewed her lips, forcing herself not to bombard him.

‘She doesn’t know about it,’ said Erik quietly.

Linota tucked one arm beneath her head. She was warming up now under the swaddle of blankets.

‘Why doesn’t she know?’

Erik cleared his throat twice, a sign Linota was beginning to recognise as one he made when he didn’t really want to talk. She was really getting to know him now and the more she knew the more she realised how hard it would be to be parted from him.

‘She doesn’t know because...well, partly because she is dead, but she didn’t know of its existence before that either.’

Linota said nothing. His words were so stark. He’d spoken without emotion, but this cottage, with all its fine attention to detail, showed just how deeply he did care. The beautiful furniture and the comfortable bed spoke of a man who had done everything he could to provide his sister with her own private, comfortable space. She longed to slip from the bed and wrap her arms about his body. He might be a warrior, but he could still hurt.

She couldn’t imagine the pain of losing a sibling. According to Katherine, their mother had birthed more children than the three who had survived into adulthood. They had all died before Linota was born and, as she was their last child, she didn’t miss these babies who had gone long before her. Katherine often said she believed it was these deaths which had gradually changed their mother into the way she was, a cruel and vindictive woman who appeared to enjoy making Katherine and Linota’s life a living hell.

‘I am sorry for your loss. I’ve only known Braedan and Katherine as my siblings. I don’t know Braedan well. He’s fourteen years older than me and had left our father’s home long before I was old enough to know him. But Katherine... If something happened to Katherine it would devastate me.’ She took a steadying breath. ‘Did your sister die recently?’

Erik heaved out a rough sigh, which told Linota all she needed to know. He did feel the pain of her death no matter how hard he might try to hide the fact.

‘The truth is, I don’t know when she died. I only found out about it recently. My sister and I were both unwanted bastards in a fortress that didn’t take kindly to burdens. I tried to protect her as best I could, but I wasn’t very big or strong as a child and I couldn’t be with her all the time. I had to work so that we could eat. I took all the jobs I could find. My mother wouldn’t allow us to stay near her and so we slept and ate wherever we could. We were always on the move, trying to find somewhere safe to stay.’

Linota had never thought about Erik’s early childhood. He’d appeared at Ogmore’s fortress as a fighter, a warrior with whom no one would argue. His broad shoulders and muscled body showed a man to be feared and respected. She couldn’t imagine him as a little boy scrabbling around trying to find food for himself and his sister.

‘What happened?’

‘I don’t know if we had the same father.’ He huffed out a bitter laugh. ‘The man who sired me wouldn’t claim me as his own, despite the fact that I look very much like him and his legitimate children, but that didn’t stop him...well, let’s just say he wanted me disciplined as if I were his son. He was a cruel man who delighted in the misery of others. He didn’t take any notice of Mary at all, for which I was grateful. I can’t imagine what he would have done to a daughter... She looked nothing like him and my mother was rumoured to have had several lovers. My mother always claimed she was his, but she wasn’t truthful so...’

There was so much pain in Erik’s voice that tears pricked Linota’s eyes. How could anyone treat two children so badly? If she was ever blessed with any she would make sure they knew how much they were loved, every single day.

‘What was Mary like?’

‘She was gentle and kind.’ Erik’s voice was softer now and full of love. ‘She adored animals, especially horses. I carved the horse you saw for her and made it into a necklace. She never took it off.’

Linota could hear the pride in Erik’s voice and her heart bled for him.

‘Unfortunately for Mary, she took after my mother in looks. I may not have liked my mother, but even I could tell she was extraordinarily beautiful. Men would flock to her like bees to flowers. If she changed the colour of her clothing, that colour would become instantly popular with the women of the fortress. As soon as Mary began to develop womanly features the male attention on her was intense and continuous. Men assumed she would be like my mother and offer her favours to the highest bidder. She was barely out of childhood and was terrified by the attention. Keeping men away from her was how I learned to fight.’

The urge to climb out of bed was even stronger now. The pain was so evident in his voice. She forced herself to stay where she was, though. She wasn’t sure the hardened warrior would want sympathy and in the darkness she didn’t trust herself not to try to kiss away the pain.

‘When my mother realised her daughter was getting more attention than her, she went to my father and asked him to arrange a marriage for Mary. I’m not sure my father would have raised himself to be bothered, but I was brought before him because I’d been caught brawling over her. Either he wanted to please my mother or he wanted to cause me pain because a marriage was arranged for her quite quickly after that. Mary begged me to save her. I promised that I would, but I failed.’

‘No, that is not true. You didn’t fail anyone. You can’t have been much more than a boy yourself. How were you to go up against your father?’

‘I could have taken her away from the fortress to somewhere safe, away from my father and poisonous mother.’

‘Where would you have gone? Two young children alone in the world would not have lasted long. You would have been killed and Mary would have ended up in a far worse situation than an arranged marriage.’

Erik laughed although the sound did not sound joyful. ‘You are kinder to me than I deserve. Maybe it’s true that I couldn’t have saved her when we were children, but I should have found her long ago and brought her here where she would have been safe.’

‘Do you know anything about the man she married?’ asked Linota.

‘I don’t know anything about what happened to her from the moment I last saw her. As I told you, I failed Mary.’

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