Page 6 of The Warrior's Innocent Captive

Before this journey she had never ridden a horse. She’d assumed she would find the large beasts terrifying, they’d looked so fearsome from her chamber window, but she’d been wrong. Unlike her poor sister, who looked miserable on horseback, Linota found she was born to be in the saddle.

She trotted in the middle of the male outriders, enjoying the sensation of the wind against her skin as they raced along.

She threw a guilty glance towards the back of the pack. Far in the distance behind her, Katherine plodded along, her posture slumped. Behind her, the Earl of Borwyn frowned as he watched Katherine’s tortuous riding. It was difficult to tell whether he was annoyed at her lack of progress or life in general. He was a difficult man to read.

Another wave of guilt assailed her and she twisted back in her saddle to face forward. She’d started out riding with Katherine this morning, but after they’d stopped for a break she’d been pleased to join the rest of the riders up front. It wasn’t just that Katherine was slow, it was also the guilt Linota felt at not wanting to engage the Earl of Borwyn in conversation. Borwyn always rode at the back and conversation between the three of them was painful and stilted.

Before leaving for the trip Katherine had been keen for Linota to make a match with the eminent Earl.

Even before they’d met him, Katherine had wanted to somehow throw Linota into Borwyn’s path, believing he would be instantly smitten with Linota’s beauty. Even when Linota argued that she didn’t believe she was all that pretty and that she didn’t really understand all the fuss about the Earl, Katherine had replied with, ‘He’s a good match for you, Linota. He’s handsome, he’s rich and has a prominent place in the King’s court. He is well placed to bring our family back into eminence. With your beauty you will be able to entice him into offering marriage. You need only give him some encouragement.’

It hadn’t mattered how many times Linota had told Katherine she was beautiful and could probably attract a good suitor, perhaps even the Earl, for herself, Katherine just hadn’t believed it. Katherine thought she looked like a boy and no amount of flattery could change her mind.

Since the journey had begun, Katherine hadn’t pressured her to entice Borwyn any more, which had the strange effect of increasing Linota’s guilt over it. Linota knew how much Katherine wanted her to make a good match and so she had tried a few times to start a conversation with Borwyn.

The problem was...well, the problem was Borwyn was so serious. Whenever she tried to engage him in light-hearted conversation he answered her politely, but his eyes never twinkled in amusement whenever he looked at her; neither did he make her laugh in return.

Resolve filled her belly; she would do better when they stopped at the next tavern for a rest. She would smile and laugh and be as charming as she possibly could and she had to hope that was enough to engage the man. Maybe when she had broken through his reserve, she would find someone whose company she enjoyed or, if that was too much to hope for, at least able to share the same space peacefully enough. At least then Katherine couldn’t say Linota hadn’t tried when Borwyn didn’t offer the marriage proposal Katherine was sure was coming.

She tilted her face up to the sky. For now she would enjoy the winter sun against her skin.

‘You are looking very pleased with yourself,’ said a deep voice to her left.

Her heart skipped a beat and her lips involuntarily curved upwards. She didn’t need to turn to know who had ridden up beside her. Borwyn might never smile at her, but Erik’s blue-eyed gaze was never without an amused twinkle. Every afternoon he would ride next to her and keep her company. She loved how he always made her laugh and, she admitted to herself, these interludes were the favourite parts of the day.

‘That’s because I am very pleased with myself,’ she replied lightly. ‘Only five days ago I didn’t know how to ride a horse.’

‘And here I was thinking you’d obviously had a full knight’s training you ride so well.’

Laughter gurgled out of her. This was what all of their exchanges were like; he teased her and she played along. Even though everything between them was light and relaxed, her heart still raced whenever they spoke. If only Borwyn was like his steward, she would marry him in a heartbeat.

‘I expect Borwyn will want to recruit me to his guards,’ she replied, trying and failing to keep the laughter out of her voice.

‘He was only saying the same himself yesterday evening.’ Erik grinned, his eyes sparkling with humour.

‘Excellent. I suppose I shall drop my sister off at Castle Swein and join the rest of you for your return trip to Borwyn’s fortress where I shall take up my new position.’

Her heart thumped as she thought how much she would like that to happen. Not to travel to the fortress as Borwyn’s wife, but as Erik’s friend. A friend whose company she could enjoy without censure or reproach.

She glanced around at the men who travelled with them. She knew her own riding technique did not really rival theirs. She could not match their straight-backed dominance, but it didn’t diminish her achievement in her eyes, although she knew that, even if she was better than all of them, it wouldn’t matter. She would still be a woman who had no control over her own life and who could never join in as an equal.

Erik rode next to her in silence for a while. It was a relaxed stillness, not taut like her exchanges with Borwyn, which had her searching her mind for boring platitudes just to fill the silence.

After a while she glanced across at Erik. He was deep in thought, his gaze fixed unseeingly at a point in the distance. Dark stubble covered his jaw and the sun highlighted faint creases around his eyes. Although he’d been smiling at her mere moments ago she couldn’t shake off the feeling that there was something beneath the surface upsetting him, which was odd, because she didn’t know him well enough to make assumptions about what was going on in his mind.

Their conversations were light and friendly and fun, which was exactly what she needed as she started this new and exciting time in her life.

Late at night, while Katherine slept soundly beside her, she admitted to herself that she wanted to get to know him more. She wanted to know exactly how silky his hair was to the touch and whether the stubble across his jaw was soft or bristly. In the cold morning air she would remember that all this wasn’t possible. There was nothing stopping her being his friend, though, and friends helped one another, didn’t they?

Linota wrapped her fingers around her reins and then let the straps out again, watching as they slowly unfurled. Other than her sister, she had no friends. She didn’t know whether it was right or wrong to ask Erik about his burdens. Would she be overstepping some invisible boundary she knew nothing about?

She reached up and tugged at her braid. She had finally broached the subject of wearing it looser with Katherine. Katherine had agreed to try and she was definitely getting better at tying Linota’s hair up so it wasn’t tight against her scalp, but it was still a relief to undo it at the end of every day and she itched with the urge to untie it now. How lovely it would be to let it flow along behind her as she rode instead of leaving it constrained like this.

‘Are you comfortable, my lady?’ asked Erik.

She glanced across at him. He didn’t appear to have taken his eyes from the horizon and yet he was aware of her discomfort. Perhaps he also felt this strange connection between them.

She tugged at her braid again. ‘I cannot abide having my hair tied up so tightly. I would much rather wear it loose.’

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