was coldly aloof. "I tel you again, princess. I sent no troops to ravage this place or any other."
An icy frost settled around Shana's heart. "Do you deny your presence at Langley—your reason for traveling there? Your king seeks to crush the spine of Wales once and for all. I saw the soldiers myself!"
"I do not deny it," he said evenly. He met her
challenge with one of his own. "But you claim this battle was fought two nights past, and so I would tel you this. My men and I, princess, were indeed occupied that night. But there was naught of battle in our hearts. Indeed, we spent most of the night dal ying in a vil age near Radnor." That familiar, mocking smile reappeared. "I am as guilty as any of my men, for I fear a blond, buxom maid proved too tempting to ignore. I wielded my blade the night through, though not in the fashion of which you accuse."
She reacted unthinkingly. Her hand shot out and delivered a stinging slap against his cheek; the sound split the air like a crack of thunder. "And you, sir, dal y with me once too often!"
"Shana!" Barris stepped forward and laid a restraining hand on her arm. His heart lurched, for her blow had been surprisingly strong. For an instant the unmistakable urge for retaliation blazed in the earl's eyes. The next second, his features were shuttered and hard. Though he held himself perfectly stil , Barris could scarce ignore the impression of great strength held under steely control.
Barris pul ed Shana close to his side, settling a protective hand at her waist. He'd kept his silence up until now, gauging the earl closely, hoping to gain some clue as to why he would lie.
"You claim you are innocent," he said at last. "But Lady Shana has told me her father saw the pennon carried by the attackers."
"Aye!" she put in. "Blood-red with a two-headed creature of the deep!"
Barris had yet to take his eyes from Thorne. "Wel , milord? Does she describe your pennon?"
A smal crowd had gathered near the stairs. "That' s the one, al right," someone shouted. "
'Twas just as Lord Kendal said!"
"He needn't deny it," shouted another. "We
know he's the one—he and his men struck down our own!"
Thorne paid them no heed. "The pennon is mine," he confirmed flatly. His gaze slid back to rest with cool deliberation on Shana. "But it occurs to me your father sought to transfer blame to me for some unknown purpose. Or mayhap you were attacked by some of your own. 'Tis wel known," he went on, "how you Welsh squabble among yourselves."
Shana's ire came flooding back. "My father was not one to plunder his neighbors," she cried.
"He did not rule his lands with lance and shield, but with a firm and gentle hand. He was a simple man who wanted only to be left alone to tend to the breeding of his sheep, and his honor would never permit him to blame someone without just cause!
"Nay," she went on, " 'twas you who swept into Wales with a sword in your hand. Only you and your men chose not to fight on a field of battle! They came to kil and maim—and for no other reason! Merwen is no fortress—we have no moat, no towers or palisade. Those who died here had no chance to take up arms against you! So tell me, my lord earl, what kind of soldier preys against the weak and defenseless?"
"Believe what you wil , princess. It matters little to me, for I myself know the truth."
"The truth? I wonder if we shal ever know the truth," Shana said bitterly. "Indeed, I wonder if you knew Merwen belonged to my father—if this was some vile plot of King Edward's to eliminate Llywelyn and al his kin."
"That may or may not be," Barris said slowly, his gaze locked on the prisoner. "But now that we have him, what are we to do with him?"
For the space of a heartbeat, all was quiet. Then a thunderous clamor rang out. "He deserves no
mercy after what he did here," came a shout, and then another. "Kil him and be done with it!"
A resounding din filled the air. "Aye, kil him and have done with the scourge!"
Sir
An icy frost settled around Shana's heart. "Do you deny your presence at Langley—your reason for traveling there? Your king seeks to crush the spine of Wales once and for all. I saw the soldiers myself!"
"I do not deny it," he said evenly. He met her
challenge with one of his own. "But you claim this battle was fought two nights past, and so I would tel you this. My men and I, princess, were indeed occupied that night. But there was naught of battle in our hearts. Indeed, we spent most of the night dal ying in a vil age near Radnor." That familiar, mocking smile reappeared. "I am as guilty as any of my men, for I fear a blond, buxom maid proved too tempting to ignore. I wielded my blade the night through, though not in the fashion of which you accuse."
She reacted unthinkingly. Her hand shot out and delivered a stinging slap against his cheek; the sound split the air like a crack of thunder. "And you, sir, dal y with me once too often!"
"Shana!" Barris stepped forward and laid a restraining hand on her arm. His heart lurched, for her blow had been surprisingly strong. For an instant the unmistakable urge for retaliation blazed in the earl's eyes. The next second, his features were shuttered and hard. Though he held himself perfectly stil , Barris could scarce ignore the impression of great strength held under steely control.
Barris pul ed Shana close to his side, settling a protective hand at her waist. He'd kept his silence up until now, gauging the earl closely, hoping to gain some clue as to why he would lie.
"You claim you are innocent," he said at last. "But Lady Shana has told me her father saw the pennon carried by the attackers."
"Aye!" she put in. "Blood-red with a two-headed creature of the deep!"
Barris had yet to take his eyes from Thorne. "Wel , milord? Does she describe your pennon?"
A smal crowd had gathered near the stairs. "That' s the one, al right," someone shouted. "
'Twas just as Lord Kendal said!"
"He needn't deny it," shouted another. "We
know he's the one—he and his men struck down our own!"
Thorne paid them no heed. "The pennon is mine," he confirmed flatly. His gaze slid back to rest with cool deliberation on Shana. "But it occurs to me your father sought to transfer blame to me for some unknown purpose. Or mayhap you were attacked by some of your own. 'Tis wel known," he went on, "how you Welsh squabble among yourselves."
Shana's ire came flooding back. "My father was not one to plunder his neighbors," she cried.
"He did not rule his lands with lance and shield, but with a firm and gentle hand. He was a simple man who wanted only to be left alone to tend to the breeding of his sheep, and his honor would never permit him to blame someone without just cause!
"Nay," she went on, " 'twas you who swept into Wales with a sword in your hand. Only you and your men chose not to fight on a field of battle! They came to kil and maim—and for no other reason! Merwen is no fortress—we have no moat, no towers or palisade. Those who died here had no chance to take up arms against you! So tell me, my lord earl, what kind of soldier preys against the weak and defenseless?"
"Believe what you wil , princess. It matters little to me, for I myself know the truth."
"The truth? I wonder if we shal ever know the truth," Shana said bitterly. "Indeed, I wonder if you knew Merwen belonged to my father—if this was some vile plot of King Edward's to eliminate Llywelyn and al his kin."
"That may or may not be," Barris said slowly, his gaze locked on the prisoner. "But now that we have him, what are we to do with him?"
For the space of a heartbeat, all was quiet. Then a thunderous clamor rang out. "He deserves no
mercy after what he did here," came a shout, and then another. "Kil him and be done with it!"
A resounding din filled the air. "Aye, kil him and have done with the scourge!"
Sir
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