Once Upon a Romance 02 - As The Last Petal Falls by Jessica Woodard Page B

heard that we have a guest staying with us.” A murmur went through the room, and heads began nodding. “The pack found a young woman half frozen outside our gates. She is hurt, and ill, and probably won’t make an appearance for days yet.” He spoke matter-of-factly, but as he continued a low rumble entered his voice. “
However
, when she’s well enough to move through the keep, I expect certain things from all of you. First, be discreet.” The men nodded vigorously. “She claims she’s just lost, but you all know our position is too precarious to trust that. Second, I expect all of you to behave.” There were snickers and elbows, but Fain wasn’t smiling, and the growl in his voice became more obvious. “You all have your turns at home, where you can debauch yourselves as much as you please, and I expect you to get it out of your system
there
. Whatever else this lady is, she’s a woman alone, and I expect you all to treat her with propriety.” Most of the men had sobered, and were back to nodding. A few looked comically bereft.
    “It still counts as propriety if she’s willing, doesn’t it, lads?” Simon Legrey called across the hall. There was a chorus of laughter, and shouted agreement. Fain scowled at the men, and waited until they quieted.
    “That’s all. Those of you who aren’t headed out on the next hunt are dismissed. All the hunters can step forward for your briefing.”
    It took a few moments for the room to empty, while the group he’d asked to remain gathered by the hearth. Fain spent the time spreading a map on the table, and fielding questions from Billy, who capered around his feet.
    “What’s her name? What’s she look like, Fain? Does her arm hurt real bad?”
    Fain gave out answers as best he could, trying to be fair. Billy was no more than eight, and Fain didn’t want to scare him with dire predictions that the woman was a fox they’d let into the henhouse. The lad finally ran out of questions, and declared firmly:
    “I wanna meet her.”
    Fain turned sober eyes on him. “You heard what I said earlier, Billy.”
    The small jaw jutted forward, and Billy put his hands on his hips. “I heard. You don’t want us tellin’ her nothing. And I won’t. I’m one of the men now. You can count on me.” Then the little mouth broke in a grin. “But I still wanna meet her.”
    “Fairly said. Now, run along, lad, and help the Shapherds with that magnificent stew I smell.” Billy skipped off, as the men around the table began studying the map.
    A route, traced in red ink, moved crookedly through the mountains, beginning in a small southern town and heading more or less in the direction of the capital, but with many unnecessary detours. Fain tapped it with his finger.
    “Word has come that the new horses for the royal stables will be traveling this route once the weather clears. In among the mounts for the officers, there is a specially trained warhorse, destined for the king. You lads are going to make sure these beautiful steeds never make it to the castle.” He grinned ferally, and saw matching smiles on the faces of the men around the table.
    He laid out the plan, which was simple, but effectively utilized the terrain against the caravan. They laid out several alternate routes to use in returning to the keep, in case they needed to split up, and assigned Eric Tully to be the quartermaster for the group. They groaned when he announced that he expected each of them to carry an extra week’s worth of provisions.
    “No groaning, lads,” Fain remonstrated. “The weather could turn, and you’ll be grateful for the extra rations.” He looked at each man in turn. “Gather your gear; you’ll be setting off tomorrow. Connelly says the weather won’t clear for a while, but you need to be in place for the ambush once it does. And be careful while you’re out there. This should be an easy one, but we never know, and I want each of you to come back intact.”
    The men nodded