“You look . . .”
Commanding. Magnificent. Handsome.
“. . . like a king’s man.”
Instead of being offended, he bows ever so formally.
“A king’s man at your service, my lady. I shall not abuse the duty your father has entrusted me with as your escort.”
I’m not disappointed by his words. I thought only of spending time with him, being near him. Any further intimacies would only make our future separation that much harder. And yet, the thought of kissing him again . . .
The sound of hoofbeats coming from the courtyard behind us distracts me. One of Vanni’s men—his squire, I believe—leads a massive warhorse toward us.
I shake my head.
“Nay. I do not ride.”
Vanni seems surprised by that. “I know you’ve few horses here, but surely you’ve ridden one before?”
“There is no building in Murwood End I cannot walk to, so nay, I’ve never ridden a horse before. Most of our people travel by sea, and no visitors have ever offered to take me for a ride. Nor would have I accepted if they had done so.”
“Dex will not harm you.”
He takes my hand and leads me to him, placing it on the horse’s mane. His hair is rough yet surprisingly smooth despite it. Such a large animal. Yet he has gentle, patient eyes. A calm comes over me as I stroke him, the horse’s energy easily identifiable as peaceful.
“Shall I bring him back to the stables, lord?”
Vanni looks from his squire to me, the question plain in his eyes. While I’d prefer to walk, mayhap this is a night for adventure.
“I would ride with you?”
“Aye.”
Vanni will keep me safe. So I nod.
He mounts easily despite the horse’s size.
“Give me your hand,” he commands. “Hike up your gown and put your foot there.” He points to the stirrup. “Toss the other one over Dex’s side.”
I do as he says and, as easily as if I were a child, he pulls me up in front of him. Settling in, I rearrange my gown, but my gaze finds the ground. It is so far down.
“I’m scared,” I admit, whispering so his squire does not hear me.
Vanni leans forward, his breath tickling my exposed ear.
“There is no need to be afraid when you are with me, Aedre.”
Though I know his promise only extends to this eve, I can’t help wishing it meant something more. Something longer.
Wrapping one arm around my waist, he takes the reins from his squire with the other.
I jolt a little as we begin to move forward, but he tightens his grip.
“I’ll not let go,” he says in my ear, sending a very different jolt through me.
The sight of a horse making its way along the quay is not so unusual as to garner much attention, yet everyone who sees us stares. Perhaps it’s Vanni they’re looking at—I know I won’t be able to stop staring at him all night—or it may be the sight of us together that interests them so.
“How do you feel?” he asks.
More secure than I should.
“Odd,” I admit. Father and Amma will be amused to hear about this. I’d never expected to ride a horse. Nor had I ever given thought to leaving Murwood End. I won’t, of course, but riding with Vanni, my back pressed to his front, I’m struck by the image of us riding off together. Going somewhere else.
Desire truly does make a person act insensibly.
“Dex is more accustomed to battle than he is to bearing two riders, but he’s doing well.”
When I look back at Vanni, his face so very close, I find it difficult to reconcile this man with the one who sheltered with me in the sea cave. This is the nobleman I first met.
“You really are the king’s commander.”
His smile is so easily given I cannot help but return it. “I am.”
“’Tis impressive for a man your age?”
So as not to strain my neck, I look out toward the water, but I can still see Vanni’s profile. I can feel him behind me.
“I am the youngest in Meria’s history.”
He does not say it as a boast, but more just a simple fact.
“Were you begrudged over the title?”
“Perhaps by some. When my parents died, the king ordered me to be trained by a man named Albertus, who also trained his son.” He pauses, then adds, “He and Aldwine’s father served in the same company.”
“You were trained by a mercenary?”
“Aye, and one of the best. Have you heard of the Legion of Ash?”
“Of course.”
Kipp’s father was a member. As was this man, Albertus, it seems.
“Kipp says they disbanded many years ago.”
At his silence, I turn toward him. “Have they not?”
There’s a sadness in Vanni I’m not accustomed to seeing.
“Aye, they have. Some have died, others joined different companies. There are whispers of a secret order of its former members, but I’ve not seen evidence of one. After Albertus died, Matteo and I heard less and less of them.”
“You were close with Prince Matteo, then?”
“I was. I remember one day during pell training Albertus had us practicing for so long my eyes began to sting. Matteo later asked him why we’d not been given a break that day.”
His face, suddenly so unguarded, takes me aback.
“Instead of answering, Albertus continued the session, well into the night. Lanterns surrounded us, the men who held them more amused than us. It was the last time either Matteo or I asked Albertus to end a training session.”
His sad smile is so bittersweet my shoulders sag in sorrow for him.
“I am sorry, Vanni.”
Unable to bear the pain on his face, I turn back, sorry I mistreated him when we first met. Our ways are, indeed, different. His arm tightens around me as Anbarth Castle comes into view. Built by Lord Bailor’s
