Page 72 of The Warrior's Innocent Captive

‘I want to know. I think I deserve it, don’t you?’

Linota counted fifteen steps before he spoke again. ‘I told him about my childhood. About our shared father and how he treated me, which wasn’t great, in case you are wondering. I told him about Mary and Isabel. Jarin only has a vague memory of Mary. The fortress is a big place and I didn’t get to know Jarin well until after Mary had left. Jarin has a kind heart and it pains him that he had a sister he knew nothing about.’

‘It wasn’t his fault.’

‘No, it wasn’t.’ Erik took a deep breath. ‘After he’d learned about the threat from Garbodo, Borwyn sent spies into his land.’

‘Did they find anything?’

‘Not much. Garbodo has disavowed de Bevoir, saying that the man acted alone and that he knew nothing of his intentions. Borwyn has strengthened the border between him and Garbodo’s land and the threat appears to have died down for now.’ Erik lightly touched her elbow, turning her down another side street. ‘Of Mary, we found out very little. We understand that she married a soldier who moved to Garbodo’s lands some time ago, taking his wife with him. I don’t know if the marriage was happy or not. I like to think it was. Her husband was killed in a skirmish and Mary died not long afterwards. Isabel was their only child.’

‘What about de Bevoir? Can’t he be captured and questioned?’

Erik smiled down at her. ‘I can’t imagine anything I would like better. Actually, that’s not true. Therearea couple of things I would prefer to do...’

Linota’s heart fluttered. Was he suggesting...? But, no, he didn’t appear to be.

Erik continued. ‘Having him at my mercy would be enjoyable. Unfortunately, he is no longer Garbodo’s right-hand man and not one of our forays into Garbodo’s lands or any of the surrounding ones has produced any answers.’

‘He can’t have disappeared.’

Erik grimaced. ‘Garbodo isn’t forgiving of mistakes. It’s most likely de Bevoir is dead for having failed to bring Borwyn to his knees.’

‘Oh.’ Linota’s heart skipped a beat.

‘Here we are.’ Erik drew to a stop. ‘I never saw de Bevoir and Isabel here, but I believe this is where they stayed when they were in Borwyn.’

Linota stepped into a small square building. ‘What is this place?’

‘It was a trading post, but it flooded a few times and so we abandoned it and moved the operation to the centre of the town. The building has been deserted for some time, but locals saw a man who fits de Bevoir’s description coming and going a few times. Another person heard a child crying on two occasions.’

Erik grimaced and Linota reached up to smooth out the lines that creased his forehead. She slowly rubbed the skin and then dropped her hand. It wasn’t right to touch him when he wasn’t hers.

Erik blinked. ‘There were some blankets upstairs. They looked like they had been recently slept in when I found them. We can take a look, but there really isn’t anything to see.’

Linota climbed up the staircase at the back of the room. Now that the sun had set there was very little light left to see anything. She walked around the edges anyway. There were a few blankets dumped in the corner, but otherwise the space was empty.

‘Linota.’

She stilled at the sound of her name on his lips.

‘There is nothing to see. I cannot produce evidence to prove that I was telling the truth about Mary and I may never be able to. I’m sorry that I hurt you. Sorrier than you will ever know. But this has to end now. Please let me escort you back to the fortress.’

‘I believe you,’ she whispered.

‘What?’

‘I believe you about Mary. I believe that Isabel exists and I believe that you thought you were doing the right thing by me, even though it wasn’t.’

‘Linota.’ He breathed heavily, stepping towards her in the darkness. ‘You don’t have to—’

‘I know,’ she said, closing the distance between them.

She stood on her tiptoes. She was going to kiss him. She’d longed for the taste of him for so long before today and now he was here and she was going to damn the consequences.

Her lips lightly brushed his. It wasn’t enough. She moved forward to kiss him again, but he leaned away.

He frowned down at her. ‘Why didn’t you go through with the marriage to Borwyn?’

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