Cait and the Devil by Annabel Joseph Page B

will you hold me again?
    She couldn’t say them, so they went unanswered and life went on as it was. And so it was that one day she was headed to the garden, hoping to catch a glimpse of the earl up on the rise when a strange man, tall and forbidding, stepped into her path.
    She drew back. No man besides the earl dared come so near to her. She looked at her guard for guidance. He bowed to the man and said, “Good morning, my lord.”
    She looked back at the man warily. He looked very much like her husband, but he was older and his eyes were not nearly so kind. This man’s eyes were hard and sharp, and they made her flush even though she’d no reason at all to feel ashamed.
    Cait dropped a reserved curtsy. Her eyes went to the guard again, but he looked at the ground. It was Mitchum , the guard she’d gotten in so much trouble the first day. She’d apologized at least three times but he still treated her with subtle disdain. Now she felt glad to have him there, and sidled closer under the stranger’s skewering gaze.
    “Are you the earl’s new wife? My daughter-in-law?”
    “Yes. Yes, sir,” she replied.
    “I am an earl too,” he said with a sniff, “and your elder. It would be more courteous of you to refer to me as ‘my lord.’”
    Her gaze darted to his and she felt indignant, but she only took a soft breath and curtsied again.
    “Like most women, I suppose you rely on your charms rather than your manners to bring those around you to heel.”
    She raised her chin a bit. “I don’t bring anyone to heel, sir. My lord,” she remembered with a small frown.
    He laughed, and his laughter didn’t have a mirthful sound. “I’ll believe it when I see it.” He looked at Mitchum , sizing him up. “Run along, boy. I’ll talk to my new daughter-in-law alone.”
    Cait’s gaze flew to Mitchum’s in alarm. He looked back at her with an unfathomable look and stood up a little straighter. “I’m not to leave my lady. Direct orders from my lord, the earl. For her protection,” he added with a hint of pride.
    “Protection? And what harm will come to her in my company, in full view of the keep and the townspeople below?”
    Mitchum seemed to consider. It would be most impolite for him to contradict the older man’s order, but Cait didn’t want him to leave her alone. He looked at Cait briefly.
    “I beg your pardon, my lord, but I serve the earl.”
    She spoke up in his defense. “I’m not permitted to be without a guard no matter what. Or my husband punishes me,” she added, coloring a bit.
    “Oh, does he?” That seemed to amuse the earl greatly. “And how does my son punish his wayward wife?”
    Cait bowed her head. “I...I cannot say. I would rather not.”
    The earl laughed long and loud then. “You will not say. I see. Aren’t you a sassy bit of a wife?”
    “No, sir. My lord.”
    “But I say you are. I can see you are a most insubordinate type. Never mind. Where is my son? I’ll go and find him. I can offer plenty of advice on how to subdue a willful wife. I’ve had enough of them,” he added archly, before turning on his heel and dismissing them both with his broad back.
    She stood there, shocked to stillness by his rude behavior. She turned to Mitchum , who looked back at her in silent accord.
    “What an unpleasant man,” she said. “Thank you very much for not leaving.” She started towards the garden, her mind troubled. “I don’t think I’d care to be with him alone.”
    “I need no thanks. The earl charges me to stay by you, lady, and so I do.”
    “You can call me Caitlyn if you like. My friends call me Cait .”
    “I canna call you Cait or Caitlyn, lady. But I appreciate the offer all the same. And I think...” His voice trailed off uncertainly. “I think you would do best, lady, not ever to be alone with the older earl.”
    She stopped again, looking at him soberly. “Thank you for your sage advice. I’ll be sure to let the earl know how faithfully you serve