Lion's Bride - Iris Johansen [78]
“Well, you need not be bothered with him any longer now that you’ve reached Dundragon.” She started up the stairs. “And we shall be leaving soon.”
“Well, actually, he’s not bad company when he’s not ordering me about,” Selene admitted as she followed her. “And he promised to show me his falcons. Are they very beautiful?”
“Yes, though I’ve never seen them in flight.”
“Then how can you judge? I would have made him—”
“I had other things on my mind,” Thea interrupted. “And Kadar responds more to requests than orders.”
Selene nodded reluctantly. “I’ve found that also.” She went back to her original question. “What danger lies here?”
“Lord Ware has powerful enemies. I will tell you about it tomorrow. You need rest now.”
To Thea’s surprise Selene did not argue. “I’m dirty and smell of horse.” She yawned. “I’ll not be a pleasant bed companion.”
“I can bear it.” She stopped at the top of the stairs and hugged the girl. “I can bear anything now that you’re here and safe. Did I tell you how much I’ve missed you?”
“Yes.” Selene grinned. “Though you seem to have kept yourself very busy.”
Heat flooded Thea’s cheeks as she recalled how she had been busying herself only an hour ago. Did Selene mean—
“You found us friends in this new land and even mulberry leaves to keep the silkworms alive. Kadar said Lord Ware found a grove of white mulberry trees.”
Of course, that was what she meant, Thea realized with relief. The child had an uncanny perception, but she would never think of Thea in any carnal connection. “Yes, we transplanted five young trees on the green at the rear of the castle. Lord Ware is thinking of going into the silk trade. I promised to show him how to use the trees.”
“Are they doing well?”
“I think they’ll survive.”
“Then we’ll be able to leave soon. Since you owe him a debt, I can see how you’d feel obliged to stay until you gave him what he needed.”
The heat deepened in Thea’s cheeks. She had not given him what he needed. She had yielded to him her body, but she had not bestowed on him a child.
Selene nodded with satisfaction. “If the trees are flourishing, you won’t have to stay.”
“No, I won’t have to stay.” The thought brought a deep, wrenching pain. She had told Ware everything was different, and he had accepted it. She must do the same. She must forget about him. Selene and she would get on with their plans and their lives. They would be free, doing work they loved. It was what she had always wanted, the goal for which she had worked all her life. She should be soaring with happiness.
“What’s wrong?” Selene’s gaze was on her face.
“Nothing.” She gave her sister another quick hug before she set off down the hall. “It’s just that one becomes accustomed to a place, and Lord Ware has treated me with kindness.”
“He doesn’t look like a kind man—but, then, people are often not what they seem.”
Ware looked rough and hard and as dark as Selene had judged him. But he was also generous, protective, and intelligent. “He can be kind.”
“You like him.”
“We’ve grown accustomed to each other.” She would not evade the question; he deserved better from her. “Yes, I like him very much.”
“Perhaps he can visit us in Damascus.”
“No, that’s not possible.” Once she left Dundragon, she must cut the bond that had grown between them. Ware was safe at Dundragon; she would not see him endangered for her sake. The pain within her was growing deeper with each passing moment. She should have realized this would happen. She should have stopped the coupling; perhaps that would have lessened the bond. Too late now. Too late for anything but farewells.
“I’ve opened the windows and freshened up your chamber.” Jasmine was coming down the hall toward them. “You’ll be sleeping in your own room tonight?”
“Yes.” Thea gestured to Selene. “This is my sister, Selene. Jasmine has been helping me care for the trees.”
Jasmine nodded. “It’s good she is here. When do you leave for Damascus?”
Jasmine was as eager for her to leave Dundragon as was Selene. “Soon.