Knight Errant by Rue Allyn Page A

Would he take the bait and leave her be? Part of her hoped he would not—part of her was very foolish. He looked as if he wished to accuse her of lying again. But, foolish or not, she had spoken true. She would return to England when her work in Palermo was done. However, she planned for that work to continue for many years, if not her entire lifetime. He had to believe her so much so that he would leave without her. For the last thing she should want was to spend more time with Sir Robert Clarwyn.
    “My promise to Edward included delivering you to him by All Hallow’s. If you must go to Palermo before we travel to England, then so be it. I will go with you.”
    “But you must not.” Heaven forfend that he should question her for that outburst, for all of her reasons concerned her treacherous feelings. And to tell him of those would defeat the purpose.
    “I think I must.” His gaze bored into her. “I have safe conducts from Edward, the pope, and the emir of Palestine that will ease the way.”
    “You do?” How could she dispute that claim?
    “Aye.”
    “Why did you not mention this before? We could have used them to persuade a captain to take us aboard his ship.”
    His shoulders relaxed, and he stepped back. Evidently, he was satisfied that she no longer disputed his decision to accompany her to Palermo. “Such documents are rare, thus they attract attention, which we do not want at the moment. We must use them discreetly. Ship captains can be persuaded by other means—for instance, gold, which I have in ample supply.”
    “Your gold proved insufficient a few days ago, and if we had no need of your safe conducts before now, then we are not like to need them later,” she admonished gently.
    His jaw tightened. “I thought we had this settled?”
    Juliana hesitated. Those safe conducts made a powerful lure, especially if Basti and his minions offered trouble. However, her unaccountable attraction to Robert stood as a solid counter to the tug of safe conducts. Whatever the source of his allure, she must resist.
    “Think of Berthild and Gretle,” he urged. “You said yourself they need help and your funds are limited. Innkeepers, merchants, even local officials and the weavers’ guild in Palermo will respect hard coin.”
    Juliana nodded. She could not sacrifice her friends to her own needs, no matter the risk to herself. ’Twas the same motive that drove her out of the inn today, albeit with Henry’s help. Simply put, she saw her sisters’ needs as greater than her own. “I agree.”
    “The offer is conditional upon your vow.”
    “I have already made my promise to return to England once the Palermo beguinage has been reinforced and stabilized. I’ll not promise again. Nor is it wise for us to travel alone together.”
    “Edward trusts me with your safety. You need not fear hazard to your virtue or person while in my charge.”
    “Let us not borrow trouble.” Juliana moved closer to the fire. “These issues may be settled after we reach Palermo.”
    “True,” Robert pronounced. “Now tell me where I may find this captain. I would inspect his vessel before we commit ourselves to travel upon it. I also have a few questions to ask him.”
    She gave Robert her most serene smile.
    His eyelids narrowed. “I insist you tell me where to find this man.”
    “Insist all you like. I cannot tell you where to find Luigi.”
    Two quick steps brought him closer. Much closer. His scent made her belly flutter.
    “Why not?”
    “Because I do not know where he is.”
    “When were you going to complete bargaining for our passage?”
    “That has already been done.” She folded her hands together.
    “You paid him?” There was menace in the carefully stated question.
    “I am not a fool, sir. I paid him half, which is all I had. The rest could be obtained in Palermo with God’s help.”
    Robert was too close. She edged backward.
    He pursued. “With so great a sum, the captain will leave without