light, and fog like this is… well, everything simply looks
gray.”
“It is gray,” he murmured. “It’s fog.”
She looked at him and saw his
gentle smile. He was teasing her again. “Be that as it may,” she lifted an
eyebrow at him, “when Dodge first came to my father’s castle, my eyes were
blistered over with an infection. I get them from time to time. Afraid I had
something contagious that would spread to him and his men, Dodge brought the
same physic from Worcester to examine my eyes, and the man told him everything
about me, including my eventual loss of sight. So Dodge was able to invent the
story to lure you into his trap, and also coerce my father into pledging my
hand to him. It was all very convenient for him.”
Roane’s gaze on her was
steady. He knew, exactly, what he had to
do. “If I could touch you right now, I would heal your eyes.”
She looked at him, astonished.
“What... what do you mean?”
“Exactly
that.”
“But… your
vow!”
“I made it. I can break it.”
She stared back at him, feeling
his sincerity, experiencing a deeper sense of emotion than she had ever known.
“No,” she shook her head slowly. “I would not let you. It would only give your
persecutors more evidence against you. If you perform miracles as they say you
do, then they would surely burn you at the stake for performing another one.”
“You let me worry about that.”
“But I could not let you jeopardize yourself
so.”
They were so involved in each
other that neither one of them saw Dodge and his men
approach the wagon. Suddenly, a fist pounded into Roane’s face and sent him
falling back against the wagon. Alisanne shrieked as Dodge leapt up on to the
bed for another blow, but she regained her wits in an instant and threw herself
between the bounty hunter and his victim.
“No!” she bellowed. “You’ll not
touch him!”
Dodge paused, but only
momentarily. The look on his face was pure malevolence. “Get out of the way.
He’ll not philander with my intended and get away with it.”
Alisanne threw out her arms to
block Dodge’s advance. “Leave him alone or the next opportunity I have, I’ll
run away and you’ll never have the chance to marry me. No titles, no land, no
castle. Do you comprehend me?”
Dodge’s brown eyes flickered with
indecision. “I’ll tie you up alongside your friend if your threat is serious.”
Her voice grew cold. “Tie me up
and I’ll hang myself with the same rope. Then you’ll surely never have
anything.”
Dodge was a professional man. His
ability to earn a living depended on his cunning, his choices, and how well his
men respected him. He could not have a woman shaming him in any way. Reaching
out, he grabbed her by the hair and slung her roughly off the wagon.
“Take her to my horse,” he
instructed his men. “Tie her hands and make sure she does not escape.”
“Leave her alone, de Vere,” Roane
said steadily. “Your anger is with me.”
Dodge cast him a baleful glare.
“I shall deal with you, have no fear.” He flicked a gloved hand at the men
holding Alisanne. “Take her.”
“De Vere!” Roane boomed; somehow,
in the blink of an eye he had leapt onto his feet and now stood towering over
Dodge. “Harm her and know that these powers I have, this devil-given curse,
shall be fully turned against you and your men. Do you understand me?”
The men holding Alisanne paused,
looking at Dodge for guidance. They certainly didn’t want to be cursed. But Dodge could not risk losing face;
therefore, at the expense of possibly dooming himself, he stood firm against Roane’s
threat.
“Go ahead,” he growled. “Curse
me. But my men are still going to take the lady to my horse, and once you are
delivered to London, I am going to take her back to Kinlet Castle and marry
her. Curse or no curse, there is nothing you can do about it.”
Roane wasn’t about to back down.
“You are mistaken. There is a great deal I can do about it.
gray.”
“It is gray,” he murmured. “It’s fog.”
She looked at him and saw his
gentle smile. He was teasing her again. “Be that as it may,” she lifted an
eyebrow at him, “when Dodge first came to my father’s castle, my eyes were
blistered over with an infection. I get them from time to time. Afraid I had
something contagious that would spread to him and his men, Dodge brought the
same physic from Worcester to examine my eyes, and the man told him everything
about me, including my eventual loss of sight. So Dodge was able to invent the
story to lure you into his trap, and also coerce my father into pledging my
hand to him. It was all very convenient for him.”
Roane’s gaze on her was
steady. He knew, exactly, what he had to
do. “If I could touch you right now, I would heal your eyes.”
She looked at him, astonished.
“What... what do you mean?”
“Exactly
that.”
“But… your
vow!”
“I made it. I can break it.”
She stared back at him, feeling
his sincerity, experiencing a deeper sense of emotion than she had ever known.
“No,” she shook her head slowly. “I would not let you. It would only give your
persecutors more evidence against you. If you perform miracles as they say you
do, then they would surely burn you at the stake for performing another one.”
“You let me worry about that.”
“But I could not let you jeopardize yourself
so.”
They were so involved in each
other that neither one of them saw Dodge and his men
approach the wagon. Suddenly, a fist pounded into Roane’s face and sent him
falling back against the wagon. Alisanne shrieked as Dodge leapt up on to the
bed for another blow, but she regained her wits in an instant and threw herself
between the bounty hunter and his victim.
“No!” she bellowed. “You’ll not
touch him!”
Dodge paused, but only
momentarily. The look on his face was pure malevolence. “Get out of the way.
He’ll not philander with my intended and get away with it.”
Alisanne threw out her arms to
block Dodge’s advance. “Leave him alone or the next opportunity I have, I’ll
run away and you’ll never have the chance to marry me. No titles, no land, no
castle. Do you comprehend me?”
Dodge’s brown eyes flickered with
indecision. “I’ll tie you up alongside your friend if your threat is serious.”
Her voice grew cold. “Tie me up
and I’ll hang myself with the same rope. Then you’ll surely never have
anything.”
Dodge was a professional man. His
ability to earn a living depended on his cunning, his choices, and how well his
men respected him. He could not have a woman shaming him in any way. Reaching
out, he grabbed her by the hair and slung her roughly off the wagon.
“Take her to my horse,” he
instructed his men. “Tie her hands and make sure she does not escape.”
“Leave her alone, de Vere,” Roane
said steadily. “Your anger is with me.”
Dodge cast him a baleful glare.
“I shall deal with you, have no fear.” He flicked a gloved hand at the men
holding Alisanne. “Take her.”
“De Vere!” Roane boomed; somehow,
in the blink of an eye he had leapt onto his feet and now stood towering over
Dodge. “Harm her and know that these powers I have, this devil-given curse,
shall be fully turned against you and your men. Do you understand me?”
The men holding Alisanne paused,
looking at Dodge for guidance. They certainly didn’t want to be cursed. But Dodge could not risk losing face;
therefore, at the expense of possibly dooming himself, he stood firm against Roane’s
threat.
“Go ahead,” he growled. “Curse
me. But my men are still going to take the lady to my horse, and once you are
delivered to London, I am going to take her back to Kinlet Castle and marry
her. Curse or no curse, there is nothing you can do about it.”
Roane wasn’t about to back down.
“You are mistaken. There is a great deal I can do about it.
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