Page 5 of The Warrior's Innocent Captive

Erik closed his eyes. That was a simple enough demand. It was likely they wouldn’t return to Borwyn in that many days anyway and the journey would be longer if Jarin decided he did want to marry one of the Leofric sisters. The request was obviously hiding some bigger plot. Garbodo had to be planning some sort of attack during that week, an attack that could potentially destroy his friend and liege. Was it worth betraying the man he’d known most of his life for a child he’d never met?

He swallowed. He had to know the truth. ‘What else do you want?’

De Bevoir fiddled with the end of his sleeves. ‘I’d also like the names of some of Borwyn’s men who might be open to a bit of bribery. That’s it.’

Erik inhaled sharply. This was it. This was what the whole exchange had been leading up to. Unable to stay still, he paced down the length of the stable and back, stopping directly in front of de Bevoir. ‘You want me to betray Borwyn, my liege and closest companion, for a girl I have no evidence actually exists.’

‘I’m not asking for much from you.’ De Bevoir ran his hands down the length of his straggly beard and smiled. ‘I could have lied to you and told you Mary was still alive, but I didn’t. Isabel does exist. I asked her if she knew about her mother’s brother. She has heard of you. Her mama always said you’d come for them, that you were going to buy them somewhere to live, somewhere away from where you both grew up. It seems you let her mama down. Surely you don’t want to let the little girl down, too?’

Erik stilled. He had talked about such a place with Mary, a sanctuary where they could both live. Even though none of his searches for her had been successful, he had bought them a place as soon as he’d been able to. It was only a simple peasant’s cottage with some farmable land surrounding it. It wasn’t a luxurious dwelling, although he’d furnished it well, but it would be safe, far away from the place where they had spent their miserable childhoods. It was his secret. Nobody knew about it, not even Jarin.

He returned his dagger to his belt and leaned his shoulder against Cai, the animal’s solid bulk grounded him.

‘You’ll be leaving for Castle Swein soon,’ said de Bevoir. ‘I need an answer and, just to make things perfectly clear between us, if your answer is “no”, then Garbodo will keep custody of Isabel.’ He paused. ‘She’s going to be pretty, like her mother. I’m sure there’ll be plenty of low-born men keen to take a young wife.’

Impotent rage flooded through Erik. He’d failed to keep Mary from such a fate—could he allow the same thing to happen to her daughter?

If he betrayed Jarin now there was one way he could make it up to him. He could promote the match between his liege and one of the Leofric sisters. The dowry and alliance a match would bring would more than make up for any plot Garbodo was planning. Garbodo didn’t have half the wealth and influence of Ogmore. Erik’s heart tightened. He could hope and pray that Jarin would prefer to wed Katherine, but he knew that Linota was the more obvious choice. Not only was Linota beautiful, she was also much younger, with many more childbearing years ahead of her. Jarin was the last of the legitimate Borwyn line and needed to ensure he secured his succession.

Was there any other choice?

Erik could ignore de Bevoir and pretend Isabel didn’t exist. He could carry on with his life as if nothing had happened this morning. He closed his eyes tightly. If he did nothing, he would be failing Mary for a second time.

But there was another option. Now that he knew of Isabel’s existence he could go and find her for himself.

‘I know what you’re thinking.’

Erik met de Bevoir’s amused gaze.

‘You’re thinking you could go and get her yourself.’

Erik pressed his lips together.

‘It wouldn’t work. I’m not as foolish as to keep Isabel anywhere obvious. And let’s say you ventured into Garbodo’s land to look for her. Imagine if you got caught.’

Erik could imagine it only too well. There would be nothing Jarin could do to help him.

‘At best, you would be hung without trial. At worst...’

Erik didn’t need de Bevoir to go on. If he were caught in Garbodo’s land, it would be assumed he was spying for Jarin and it could spark a battle between the two men. If the King sided with Garbodo, Jarin would be sunk.

The rage that swept over him must have shown on his face because de Bevoir stumbled backwards. Good. He wanted de Bevoir to be frightened.

De Bevoir tugged on his beard. ‘I swear to you that what I have planned will not harm Borwyn physically. At worst, he will be mildly inconvenienced.’

Erik didn’t believe that for a moment, but for now he would agree. If there was a way around the problem, he would find it. He took a step towards de Bevoir. ‘If you cross me in any way I will hunt you down and gut you like a pig.’

De Bevoir paled, but didn’t falter. A grudging amount of respect nudged Erik’s conscience. De Bevoir was like Erik in a way. Both of them were at the mercy of powerful men, both willing to fight dirty for their liege, which was good because de Bevoir would know, without any doubt, that Erik would follow through on his threat. Unfortunately, Erik knew that Garbodo would make good on his threat, too.

De Bevoir nodded. ‘I will deliver Isabel to you if you do these two things for me. I swear it to you.’

Erik took a deep breath, his heart stilling as he betrayed his friend for the first time. ‘John Parkins and Melwyn Cookson would forsake their oath to Borwyn for a handful of coins.’

Sweat dripped down his neck. There was no going back now. He had made a deal with the devil and he would have to suffer the consequences.

Linota inhaled deeply and smiled as the crisp morning air filled her lungs. She’d only been riding for five days, but already they counted as the best of her life.

She was riding to her new home. A home with her brother and sister-in-law, a home where her violent and oppressive mother was not welcome. For the first time in eight years she was free of the constraints that had kept her largely in her chamber for so long.

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