Page 24 of The Warrior's Innocent Captive

‘You didn’t fail. You were only a boy. For all you know her marriage was happy.’

She was determined to show him that he wasn’t to blame. His hateful parents were the ones who should carry the shame of letting down both of their children.

Erik grunted. ‘My father would not have wanted Mary to be happy in her marriage. He was not that type of man.’

‘He sounds like an awful person. I am sure that he is in eternal hell now for all his sins. Who would want his children to be so miserable? More to the point, who would have that level of control to arrange such a thing?’

Erik didn’t answer. Silence stretched between them.

Linota gasped. Suddenly it was obvious who his father was. It only astonished her that it had taken so long for her to realise.

‘Does he know?’ she whispered into the darkness.

‘Does who know what?’ said Erik, a layer of caution lacing his words.

‘The current Earl of Borwyn. Does he know who your father was? Does he know that you are half-brothers?’

Erik inhaled sharply as the truth thudded between them. ‘It didn’t take you long to work that out. Did you already know?’

‘Of course not! As I’ve said before, I’ve hardly left my chambers for the last eight years. Whenever I do, gossip follows me round, but that’s about me and my father, not about yours. How on earth would I have known? Does everyone?’

Erik tapped his heel against the floor. ‘I don’t think Jarin knows I’m his half-brother. He’s never mentioned it. I’ve wanted to ask him, but I can never find the words. Jarin is a good man, kind and thoughtful, but he has his own problems and is focused on himself and solving those. I don’t think it would occur to him that I am his half-brother. I’ve overheard snide comments about myself—as I said, I look very like the late Earl—but nothing is said directly to my face and certainly not when Borwyn is around. He’s a powerful man now.’

‘How are you and the Earl friends, then?’ Linota was about as far away from sleep as it was possible to be. Now that Erik had trusted her with his secret she wanted to know everything. ‘You seem very close.’

‘After Mary left I found I wanted to know my other siblings. My two older legitimate brothers, who have since died, were as bad as our shared father, cruel and self-centred. Jarin was, and is, different. He is rational and kind. The other two liked to use their fists to solve problems. They thought nothing of taking a woman whether she wanted their attentions or not. I came across Jarin when he was hiding from our father. He had just borne the brunt of our father’s rage and was covered in bruises from the beating he’d received. I helped him find a place to hide and recover. Over time we became close friends.’ The chest creaked as Erik shifted his position. ‘I should have discussed my parentage in the beginning, but now that time has passed it feels...uncomfortable. It makes no difference. I am loyal to him and would consider him a brother with or without our shared father.’

‘But if you were an acknowledged Borwyn, you could have your own land. You wouldn’t need—’

‘How can I be acknowledged now that our father has died?’ said Erik, his voice raised to almost a shout.

Linota froze. She was being too intrusive. Erik had trusted her with so much. She mustn’t push him on something so sensitive. She waited in silence for him to calm down.

Eventually he spoke again, quieter this time. ‘I would be lying if I said I don’t sometimes look at what Jarin has and wish I had some of it but... Jarin has more responsibilities than you and I can imagine. I wouldn’t want to take his place for all the money in the kingdom. Now, we’ve discussed enough of my past. I think it would be best if we tried to get some sleep.’

She heard a creak as Erik settled back against the chest, his boots scraping across the floor as he straightened out his legs. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but she recognised that the time for confidences was over. He had come to the end of his story and she needed to be grateful that he’d given her so much already.

Her mind was so full of swirling thoughts that she didn’t think she would ever drop off to sleep, but she was warm and safe and before long heaviness tugged her under.

Chapter Six

Linota’s breathing finally settled into the heavy rhythm of deep sleep. Erik stood slowly, careful not to make any noise. He really did not want to wake her. As much as he enjoyed talking to her, her questions this evening were so probing. A few more and he would spill everything, even the secrets he had buried so deep inside him they hadn’t seen the light of day in years.

Before he could make it to the stairs, he stopped. Despite his best intentions, his gaze was drawn to her sleeping form. Her body was curled so tightly she resembled a hibernating dormouse. He smiled. He wished he could watch her sleep, not just from this position but next to her. He longed to see her hair fanned out across the bed, her fingers curled in relaxation, but he didn’t deserve such a simple pleasure.

He crept over the edge of the loft, careful to avoid creaking floorboards, and ghosted down the stairs.

He hadn’t meant to tell her so much, to open his soul to her but he’d wanted someone to know him. Hell, he wasn’t being honest and he might as well be with himself if he wasn’t going to be with everyone else—he’d wantedherto know him.

He’d wanted her to see his childhood, all the deprivation and the struggle, so that she would understand him, so that she would know why he was going to such lengths to get his niece to safety. He closed his eyes tightly. He could never tell her about Isabel. To do so would reveal him to be a traitor to his half-brother and closest friend and she would never forgive that. She had made it very clear that there was only right or wrong in her eyes and even he knew that, despite his good intentions behind his actions, what he had done to Borwyn was definitely wrong.

Downstairs the fire had burned down to embers. He threw on a few logs, prodding the flames until they roared again. He sat down on Linota’s chair, pulling her blanket around him. He fancied he could still smell her on the cloth. He leaned back against the chair and closed his eyes. Tomorrow would be a long day and he should rest. His muscles pressed into the hard confines of the chair. Whenever he had trouble sleeping he would picture carving a hunk of wood into something pure. Tonight his mind wouldn’t focus on it. All he could think of was Linota sleeping upstairs in his bed, her body soft and warm.

He opened his eyes and stared blankly at the dark ceiling. He was falling for Linota. Hell, he’d already fallen. She’d had his heart from the moment he’d first seen her and there was nothing he could do about it. To see her married to Borwyn would kill him, but he owed it to his brother to promote the match. Even without her sizeable dowry she would be a perfect wife for him, beautiful, intelligent and kind. She would be a wise countess, someone who would be an asset to Borwyn whether dealing with the townsfolk or travelling to court.

Even before she’d been abducted by de Bevoir he’d had to keep reminding himself of this fact. Every time he spoke to her, he got carried away, unable to stop himself flirting with her, desperate to make her laugh. But he’d known he’d been wrong to do so. If he was betraying Jarin, then the least he could do was make sure Linota was amenable to becoming Jarin’s wife. The dowry and alliance were vitally important to Jarin’s future as Earl. Erik’s flirtation with Linota was a double betrayal.

And Erik would have to get used to the idea of Borwyn sharing Linota’s bed.

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