Borderland Betrayal by Samantha Holt Page B

and the movement of his hips, she released a sigh. Que Dios me ayude. This attraction was torture.The sooner she left Thornewall the better. She only hoped she had enough coin saved by the time the babes arrived. Once Lucy was settled with them, there would be nothing keeping her.
    Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she turned and made her way to the kitchens. The heat from the ovens hit her as she stepped down the stone stairs, the aroma of pastries thick in the air.
    The cook grumbled and sent her an annoyed look as he prepared some fish, making the large table in the middle of the kitchens shake with every thump of his knife. Ellise rolled her eyes. He hated having someone else taking up his cooking space.
    Ellise dumped her basket on the table and began unloading the herbs. Winnie sat on a stool in one corner, picking at a bread roll. From her flushed cheeks, it was clearly too hot for her in the kitchen.
    “Winnie, what are you doing in here?”
    “Ack, I’m trying to avoid Lord Dominic. He’s in a foul mood again.”
    Ellise laughed. “Already?”
    “Milady insisted she accompany him and the Earl on their tour of Thornewall. And he has returned in a terrible mood, though Lord only knows why! Lucy is as healthy as ever.”
    “Aye, she carries the babes well. Not all women are as blessed. Lord Dominic worries for her ‘tis all. She is fortunate. Not many men would care so much for their wife’s welfare.”
    “My sister’s husband had her out planting the fields when she was carrying her fifth babe. Ye see why I never married?” She waved her bread around, sending crumbs flying. “Men are fools.”
    “You do not mean that, Winnie. I know as well as you, that you love Lord Dominic as a son. As soon as these babes are born, you will be doting on him again.”
    Winnie humphed. “We’ll see.” She flung the bread into a basket with a grimace. “What of you?”
    “What of me?” Ellise began binding the rosemary, ready to be hung.
    “Will ye marry?”
    Ellise tensed but tried to keep her face relaxed. “Nay, I think not.”
    “But ye are a pretty lass. Surely ye will. That Earl is interested in ye. Milady said as much.”
    Her stomach gave a twist and she made a show of concentrating on the herbs. “I have no interest in the Earl.”
    “But he is rich and handsome. Do ye not think him handsome?”
    “Handsome is well enough but we both know there are many men with beautiful faces and ugly souls.”
    “Ack, ye sound as if ye speak from experience and ye are surely too young to be so bitter. If ye have no interest in the Earl, then mayhap ‘tis because ye have found a better man?”
    Ellise faced Winnie and narrowed her eyes. What was the woman getting at? Did she know of her and James? Winnie’s face betrayed nothing, only wide-eyed innocence. The maid was far too shrewd for her liking.
    “I have found no one, Winnie,” she insisted. “And I will not marry. I have no wealth or accomplishments and I have no need of a husband.”
    The maid shook her head. “Well, the Earl is wealthy enough for both of ye. I hear he is hoping to expand his influence with the help of Lord Dominic and he is looking for a stepmother for his young son. A boy needs a mother.”
    Pausing, Ellise dropped the herbs on the table and nodded slowly. “Aye, you are right.” She swept a shaky hand across her forehead. “Pray excuse me, I have come over too hot all of a sudden.”
    Without waiting for a response, she fumbled her way out of the kitchen and made for the tower leading to her chamber. Winnie could not know, but her words stung her regardless. A boy did need a mother. Her boy did need his mother. And, mio Dios, did she wish she could be there for him.
    ~***~
    A bundle of yellow silk caught James’ eye as he directed the horse down the embankment and he paused, heart jolting.
    Ellise.
    Arms wrapped about her legs, she sat halfway down the slope, away from the bustle of the castle. Staring absently into the