Page 76 of The Warrior's Innocent Captive

Erik dropped to his haunches. ‘Hello, Isabel.’

The little girl clung closer to Linota and she realised just how selfish she was being. Here she was, bemoaning the lack of Erik’s body next to hers while this small child’s life was in turmoil. Erik hardly looked like a knight errant either. He was covered in his own blood and grime streaked down the side of his face.

Linota crouched down slightly to look Isabel in the eye. ‘It’s all right, there’s nothing to be afraid of. This is your mama’s brother, Erik. He is going to take care of you.’

Erik tugged at something around his neck and then he held his hand out. Resting on his palm was the little horse Linota had seen him with on the night they had spoken for the first time. ‘Do you recognise this, Isabel? It belonged to your mama,’ he said softly. ‘I made it for her when she was a little older than you are now.’

Erik continued to hold his arm outstretched. The horse was so tiny in his huge, calloused hand. After several long moments Isabel took a step towards him and took the carving from him. She stared at it for a long moment and then her tiny fist closed over it. She didn’t say anything, but neither did she cower back into Linota.

‘What happened to de Bevoir?’ asked Linota.

Erik’s gaze flickered up to her, his jaw tightening. ‘There is nothing to fear any more. He won’t be coming after us.’

Linota shuddered, but didn’t press for details. It was probably for the best if she and Isabel were left in ignorance about what had happened in the darkness of the dilapidated building.

Erik cleared his throat and stood to his full height. ‘We had best return to the keep.’

Erik didn’t speak as they returned to the fortress.

Before de Bevoir’s untimely arrival she had been so sure he’d been about to discuss his feelings for her, but now he said nothing. Perhaps she had been wrong. She’d told him she loved him, but he’d never said that back to her. He’d never given her reason to hope.

In their months apart, she’d thought her feelings were perhaps just a young girl’s dream. A girl who had longed for adventure had fallen in love with a man who had shown her exactly that. She’d hoped that, when she saw him again, he wouldn’t loom so large in her mind and that the image she had built up of him in her heart could be dismissed as romantic idealisation.

She’d been wrong.

He was every bit as she’d remembered: strong, amusing and abundantly kind.

Everything he had done, everything he had sacrificed, was for the little girl who now walked between them.

Had any of it been for Linota?

Part of her believed he had kept her safe during their ordeal together because he cared for her. But the other part, the part that was whispering to her now, wondered how much her safety was necessary as part of his plan to save his niece. Oh, she had no doubt he was a good, honourable man, but had she ever been anything special to him? Or would another woman have received exactly the same level of care?

Linota’s stomach tightened as they reached the fortress without her having the courage to ask him.

The guards let them pass without comment, but Linota knew it was too much to hope that news of her slightly bedraggled state would not reach her siblings. She didn’t care.

‘Mistress Leofric.’

Linota’s heart sank as Erik addressed her formally. She looked across at him, but she couldn’t read the expression in his eyes. She didn’t know what he was thinking, or even if he was thinking of her right now.

‘Yes,’ she said quietly.

‘I’m going to take Isabel to the kitchens to get her some food. Will you be all right to return to your chamber from here?’

‘Oh, yes,’ she said, her heart twisting. ‘Thank you for taking me with you this evening.’

Erik smiled sadly. ‘Once again you were harmed on my watch, Mistress Leofric.’

‘It was worth it.’ Linota nodded down at Isabel and tried to smile. It was hard when her heart hurt so much.

‘Thank you,’ he said quietly and then he slipped his arm around Isabel’s shoulders and led her away.

Linota watched until they had disappeared from sight.

She started to head to her chamber and then stopped. That room held no appeal. Instead she turned and walked quickly towards the chapel.

Her footsteps echoed in the empty room; the air was still and silent.

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