Page 39 of The Warrior's Innocent Captive

‘I am not aware of the girls,’ Jarin had said nonchalantly, as if they were discussing the weather. Erik had glanced at Jarin then and realised his friend was telling the truth. He did not know who the Leofric sisters were. The beauty of Linota had not burned itself into his soul.

Ogmore had tapped the arm of his chair with one long finger. ‘They are younger than my daughter and have been kept closeted for some time. As you are no doubt aware, their father was executed for treason. Their mother is...unwell, shall we say. It has made their prospects bleak, but now that their brother has become part of my family I have decided to take an interest in them.’

‘I see.’ Nothing in Jarin’s voice suggested how he was feeling.

‘Sir Braedan and my daughter have offered for the girls to go and live with them at Castle Swein. I have arranged it so that you can escort them. It will give you a week to get to know them. At the end of the week you may either offer for one of them or walk away.’

Jarin had only nodded.

‘If you walk away, I will still let it be known that I stand beside you as an ally, but you won’t receive any backing from me in terms of wealth.’

‘I see,’ said Jarin.

‘I will, after a week has passed, let it be known that the girls have dowries attached to their names. I am sure that they will, therefore, have many offers of marriage after that.’

Erik forced himself to remain seated even as Ogmore’s words hit him harder than a sword to the stomach.

The dowry put Linota out of Erik’s reach. There was no way he could ask for her hand in marriage now. It didn’t matter if Jarin decided against wedding her because some other lucky nobleman, who would be very keen to strike up an alliance with Ogmore, would and there was nothing Erik could do about it.

The pain hadn’t ended there.

Jarin had thanked Ogmore for his offer and then swept from the room. Erik strode after him, despite feeling as if he was bleeding from several open wounds.

They’d stopped in the first unoccupied room. Jarin’s rage was so potent Erik was sure the room would burst into flames.

‘It’s an insult,’ Jarin had hissed. ‘To suggest that the Earl of Borwyn marry into such a ruined family.’

For the first time Erik had wanted to ram his fist into his friend’s face until he bled. How dare he call marriage to Linota an insult!

Jarin should be getting down on his knees and thanking God that he was being handed one of the most beautiful women in the kingdom, along with more wealth than most men could even comprehend. At that moment he had hated his half-brother. The reaction had shocked him because Jarin had been the one constant in his life. The first person to treat him with respect, the one who had raised him from lowly kitchen hand to steward of Jarin’s vast estate. He owed everything to Jarin and his generosity.

He’d tried to tamp down on his own feelings as Jarin had railed against his future. Erik knew he must support Jarin with every fibre of his being. Without this match, Jarin’s future as the Earl of Borwyn was in serious peril. The money in his coffers was almost gone and without it Jarin couldn’t raise an army to protect his borders. It wasn’t just Jarin’s life on the line, but many of the innocent villagers who made their homes on the edges of Jarin’s land.

It would be hell to watch Linota marry Borwyn. And Borwyn would choose Linota. The older sister didn’t hold a candle to Linota’s beauty. It would rip his soul to pieces and destroy what little contentment he had built up in this world. To see her produce the next heir to the Earldom would cut him deeper than any sword.

He’d known all this and had made peace with it. At least he’d thought he had.

As their journey across the country had progressed he’d allowed himself to spend time with Linota, to get to know her and to make her laugh. He couldn’t marry her, but he could be her friend and that would have been enough.

But now... Now he knew what it was like to kiss her, to hold her in his arms and touch her delicate skin. He knew how her eyes would crinkle at one of his jokes and how she would look at him as if she could see straight through his bravado to the man who lurked behind it. The person he allowed no one else to see but her.

It would be agony to see her married to Jarin, an unending hell he could never escape.

But he’d already betrayed his brother once. It didn’t matter that his very soul rebelled against the idea of betraying his closest friend. If Isabel was anyone other than his sister’s daughter he wouldn’t even consider deceiving Jarin, but he could not let Mary down again.

He couldn’t compound matters by stealing Linota from Jarin as well. If they wed, Linota would still be untouched. He could give his brother that.

The winter sun started to set. Cai moved steadily beneath them, taking them to the only place Erik had ever called home. ‘We’re not far from Borwyn now.’

‘I’m looking forward to a proper wash,’ Linota said brightly, although he was sure he could hear the strain in her voice. Strain he’d helped put there by his actions.

He closed his eyes tightly, glad she was facing away from him and couldn’t see his face. Up until this point he hadn’t lied to her, not really. He’d only omitted the fact that he knew about de Bevoir and what he was up to. This was the point where he was going to betray her trust in him. Even though he knew they would never be together it still hurt to deceive her.

‘I’ve been thinking,’ he said slowly, weighing his words carefully. He didn’t want to scare her, but he did want her to doubt her safety. ‘We don’t know why you were snatched by Gamel and his men. If it has anything to do with your new dowry, then I think it is best you are kept hidden for now.’

She said nothing in response.

His stomach squirmed at her silence. He was the worst kind of monster, frightening her in order to keep his bargain with de Bevoir. When this was all over de Bevoir was going to pay the price for having caused so much pain and anguish.

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