about the rose water wasn’t bad either, if she did say so herself!
“Enough,” he suddenly said. “We will speak of this no more. I have some venison stew boiling outside and if you are well enough, I will bring you some. Do you wish to eat?"
Sarah nodded vigorously as her stomach began growling.
“I would call you by your given name, if you would be so kind as to offer it. I have told you my own and I wish to know yours.”
“It is Sarah,” she said, remembering this time not to use the contraction ‘it’s’.
His expression softened a little and he nodded. “ Sarah. Very pretty like you. Very well then, Sarah, I will go and fetch some stew and something to slake your thirst whilst you wait for me here. I must warn you to heed me well because your disobedience could mean your death or worse. We will speak more of who you are and from whence you came when I return.”
She nodded before he turned and left through the part in the canvas.
Dominic stepped out over the edge of the wagon and headed back across camp to get some stew for the woman. He was becoming increasingly agitated because he knew that the orders he had issued to her were more than true.
The others in the troupe would soon be asking questions. Up until this moment, he had told them that she was still asleep and had only briefly come out of her unconsciousness. The women would not be a problem. Perhaps Shaia and Fala would be jealous since he had bedded both on more than one occasion, and they would assume he had taken advantage of the woman lying with him in the wagon, but it would be of no consequence. Oh, they would probably harass her a bit because she was English, noble and beautiful, but it would go no further than that.
Marco, the troupe’s lute player and his most trusted friend, would not injure the woman and would, in fact, protect her as he himself would. Marco and he had been raised like brothers since they were youths. Their mothers had been the closest of friends and had agreed that should one or the other of them die unexpectedly, the other would raise and care for their sons as their own. He knew with utter certainty that just as Marco stood by him in all things, he would stand by him in this as well.
But at least one or two of the younger men would be like hot-blooded bulls in rut. He was going to have to find the right moment to inform all of them that she was awake and well. Then the challenge would be to keep the more ornery ones from trying to bed her. Especially once they had laid their eyes on her and saw just how beautiful she was. It had been a long, cold winter here in Northern France. Their travels had been limited and they desperately needed the gold that her ransom would bring.
"Nico!" He was jolted abruptly from his train of thought by one of the men. He groaned aloud as Jean-Paul approached him
"Nico, ami , I see you have emerged from your liaison! This gadge femme has kept you occupied for the vast part of this day. She must be quite...”
Dominic cut off his words. "She is quite...ill," he lied. “Not to mention the fact that she has been made half daft from the strike of lightning. She is resting still, but has awakened and requires food and water."
"Ill? I find this hard to believe that you would be wasting your time nursing a sick female, much less a gadge noble! Of course, I would be more than willing to take this woman food and drink if she is becoming bothersome to you," he replied with a smile that was too innocent looking.
"That will not be necessary. She is going to need rest and little intrusion if she is to recover so she can be ransomed to her people. And she must not be compromised."
"And does this woman find your intrusions to be compromising?"
"NO, she does not. Now be gone from my sight, and do NOT let me find you lingering about my wagon offering your services to Sarah."
Jean-Paul raised an eyebrow. "Sarah is it? Well, it seems that she is not daft enough to have forgotten her name.
“Enough,” he suddenly said. “We will speak of this no more. I have some venison stew boiling outside and if you are well enough, I will bring you some. Do you wish to eat?"
Sarah nodded vigorously as her stomach began growling.
“I would call you by your given name, if you would be so kind as to offer it. I have told you my own and I wish to know yours.”
“It is Sarah,” she said, remembering this time not to use the contraction ‘it’s’.
His expression softened a little and he nodded. “ Sarah. Very pretty like you. Very well then, Sarah, I will go and fetch some stew and something to slake your thirst whilst you wait for me here. I must warn you to heed me well because your disobedience could mean your death or worse. We will speak more of who you are and from whence you came when I return.”
She nodded before he turned and left through the part in the canvas.
Dominic stepped out over the edge of the wagon and headed back across camp to get some stew for the woman. He was becoming increasingly agitated because he knew that the orders he had issued to her were more than true.
The others in the troupe would soon be asking questions. Up until this moment, he had told them that she was still asleep and had only briefly come out of her unconsciousness. The women would not be a problem. Perhaps Shaia and Fala would be jealous since he had bedded both on more than one occasion, and they would assume he had taken advantage of the woman lying with him in the wagon, but it would be of no consequence. Oh, they would probably harass her a bit because she was English, noble and beautiful, but it would go no further than that.
Marco, the troupe’s lute player and his most trusted friend, would not injure the woman and would, in fact, protect her as he himself would. Marco and he had been raised like brothers since they were youths. Their mothers had been the closest of friends and had agreed that should one or the other of them die unexpectedly, the other would raise and care for their sons as their own. He knew with utter certainty that just as Marco stood by him in all things, he would stand by him in this as well.
But at least one or two of the younger men would be like hot-blooded bulls in rut. He was going to have to find the right moment to inform all of them that she was awake and well. Then the challenge would be to keep the more ornery ones from trying to bed her. Especially once they had laid their eyes on her and saw just how beautiful she was. It had been a long, cold winter here in Northern France. Their travels had been limited and they desperately needed the gold that her ransom would bring.
"Nico!" He was jolted abruptly from his train of thought by one of the men. He groaned aloud as Jean-Paul approached him
"Nico, ami , I see you have emerged from your liaison! This gadge femme has kept you occupied for the vast part of this day. She must be quite...”
Dominic cut off his words. "She is quite...ill," he lied. “Not to mention the fact that she has been made half daft from the strike of lightning. She is resting still, but has awakened and requires food and water."
"Ill? I find this hard to believe that you would be wasting your time nursing a sick female, much less a gadge noble! Of course, I would be more than willing to take this woman food and drink if she is becoming bothersome to you," he replied with a smile that was too innocent looking.
"That will not be necessary. She is going to need rest and little intrusion if she is to recover so she can be ransomed to her people. And she must not be compromised."
"And does this woman find your intrusions to be compromising?"
"NO, she does not. Now be gone from my sight, and do NOT let me find you lingering about my wagon offering your services to Sarah."
Jean-Paul raised an eyebrow. "Sarah is it? Well, it seems that she is not daft enough to have forgotten her name.
Similar Books
