Because she had been charged with taking care of the Princess of Ormond, Ava had no alternative other than to give chase. Xander wasn’t a man to cross, but that wasn’t why she was the quickest to react. She felt only sympathy for her fellow royal, even if the man from Frankia meant her no ill.It was hard not to compare him with Finn, though the circumstances were hardly the same. The commander of mercenaries and whatever else he was had at least come back for Eithne. Granted, he probably wanted to drive Clara from the castle. But that could only be a good thing.“Eithne, stop,” she urged, her voice little above a whisper.She managed to grab her kirtle but the girl twisted away. You tended to forget she was so young. Her ways were those of a caring mother, even though she had yet to reach nineteen years.“I won’t be used,” she said. “Not by him, or anyone.”“Princess, it’s not like that now.”The deep voice shocked them both. Turning, Ava saw what Eithne had already seen: the Command
“I vote we stay here for a bit while Xander takes Eithne down to Jocasta.”“Your sister’s here? Oh, how is she?”“A pain,” her captor said.“Why won’t you let go of my arm, messire?”“Because I don’t trust you.”“Don’t look so worried, Ava. We’ll make our escape in good time.”The girl shook her head. “It has to be now, Iain. I have a bad feeling.”But the conqueror wouldn't listen.Eithne suggested they enlist the help of some of the gladiators friendly to the cause. In truth, she was wondering about Becca and if she needed female companionship.That was how they ended up in Carl’s room. Oddly, Nero didn’t have a symbol on his door, though there were signs that something had been scratched out. It looked like a dagger. If that were her, she would have been incensed, too.Ava spoke then about what it was like to await a horrible fate, reinforcing what all of them already knew: they had to get away. She was open and frank, and Eithne admired her courage. Xander was philosophical about
Xander had his ways and means. Some of it he organised himself, like when he’d nipped down to send Jocasta on that errand. But now de Mornay was refusing to play ball and insisting his troops needed refreshment before any battle. It would be foolish to act without them now that they were here.He made a fist. A source had told him there was a new captain. Apparently, Charles had returned out of the blue to lead the men of Normandy. Those girls were just going to have to wait for succour.Eithne was less than impressed, but what could he do?The first thing was to ensure she slept beside him. That was more about protecting her from de Mornay than exercising his will. Not expecting her to sleep, he was nonplussed when he woke to find it was almost daylight.“Who’s Genevieve?” she asked, fixing him with those captivating violet eyes.He stiffened. Had he been indiscreet?“No-one,” he lied. “Are you hungry?”“A little,” she said. “Though I would like to wash.”“Normally, I would say there
Megan was having a difficult time of it, having been told she must serve the new arrival, Kurt of Germania. He wasn’t a gladiator, more of a battle commander, yet he had the build and more. She suspected it would be no contest should he enter the arena.It had been hard to betray Ava, but she had not disclosed anything else, even though she was aware of the reinforcements from Normandy. Manipulating the man mountain into rescuing the prickly princess from the tower had not been easy and she had paid for it with her body. They said you never forgot your first time or who it was with. This was one memory she definitely wouldn’t cherish.Kurt was a brutish lover and there was no pleasure, just discomfort and pain. She suspected he had his own agenda and that Clara should watch her back. If only that bitch’s days were numbered, it would all have been worth it.And now Alexander of the Franks was camped outside, biding his time until they starved. She really doubted it would come to that.
Xander knew he only had himself to blame for putting the Princess in such a compromising position.“Delectable,” his arch rival commented. “I understand now why there was a watchdog outside. Continue. I can see how wrong I was about this nymph.”“Drago!” he raged.“My apologies, Commander. He slipped past me when I was talking to Beauregard here.”He tried to control his temper. “This isn’t an orgy.”“A pity,” de Mornay said. “I am willing to bet that backside is to die for. Have you ploughed her from that position?”“The Princess of Ormond is mine, do you hear?” he snarled. “Don’t just stand there, you two. Take him out of my sight.”Drago and Beauregard were quick to obey, the latter taking great care not to ogle Eithne. He saw them to the opening, while he waited for his anger to cool.Then he went back to his temptress. There was no doubt about it, she was still a beguiling vision.Unexpectedly, she slapped his face.“How could you shame me like that?” she hissed.“You are as much
Queen Clara seemed to favour the princess from above the border these days, perhaps because she had caught the eye of her so-called champion. Was it because she wasn’t a great beauty and the Dowager was scheming to get Augustus into bed?Isabel had hated being the bearer of that news. Instead of a gladiatorial contest there was to be an auction. Even she was to line up to be inspected, whatever that entailed. She had heard Kurt was less than pleased. Already he was spreading the word that Ava was to be his. And what of Megan?It was to be hoped there would be no demeaning inspection to determine their virginity or otherwise. Because she had lain with Lars and enjoyed being in his arms. There had been no pressure on her to submit. He had wooed her with his tenderness, followed by a more passionate manliness which led her to believe he was the one for her.How would Hermione bear it? Ephron was probably unlikely to bid for her, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t be roughly treated by the
Eithne felt sure de Mornay would not carry out the threat he had made as he held her against his body, whispering to her in rapid Frankish. It would be too cruel now that she had resigned herself to being Xander’s woman. But when he handed her over to another who spirited her away to a tent further down, her heart sank. This couldn’t be good. Bound and gagged, though not molested – her new captor must have warned his men not to touch her – she sat and awaited her fate under the watchful eye of a stern man of Normandy. The battle preparations were being upscaled and, even if Xander found his tent empty, she doubted it would be his priority to search for her. A man like de Mornay was bound to stay at the rear of the field. Surely the conqueror would notice he was missing? That eased her mind for some time, until the one she had once mistakenly believed to be Ephron came to claim her, his manner furtive, his movements swift. “Xander will kill you.” Her words came out muffled and she
It helped not to think too deeply about her surroundings and what was happening to her. That was why she reflected on the part of her past she hadn’t yet disclosed to the others. Hopefully, she would be allowed to do so in the future. Hadrian was to be trusted, less so Clara.*She was held so tightly to the Norseman’s chest it was difficult to put up a fight. She wasn’t concerned for herself but for her little brother. If he wasn’t already dead then his survival options were limited. Unless someone had already abducted him, someone she could track, in all likelihood he would soon starve to death.This was turning into a nightmare.That wasn’t the only issue. Why was she just about melting in this stranger’s arms? He was taking her to safety rather than to be ravished and, for endless heartbeats, she began to fantasise about him being the one she had been waiting for.Was God playing a trick on her? Surely she couldn’t feel this way about a Dane?“Back so soon?”“The woodcutter’s hut