promises. Ian offered them time and time again. Pretty words from fair-of-face men. No thank you.”
She ended on a shudder that had both Bowen and Brodie frowning with puzzlement. An uneasy sensation gripped Bowen’s midsection and, judging by Brodie’s black scowl, he was likely thinking along the same lines.
“What did he do to you, lass?” Bowen asked quietly.
She flinched as though he’d slapped her. It was an involuntary action brought on by the shock of his question. It was clear that she’d expected no such topic to arise, and she looked dumbfounded as to how to answer.
“N-nothing,” she stammered.
“You said you never lie,” he chided gently.
“That bastard did something to you?” Brodie all but roared.
She shrank back, and it was clear she wanted to be as far away from the two men as possible. He couldn’t blame her. They were overwhelming presences. One alone would frighten a lass senseless. But the two of them together?
“ ’Tis nothing I cannot bear,” she said in a regal tone laced with strength and acceptance. It made Bowen admire her spirit and ferocity even more. He could respect her loyalty and her protection of Genevieve. Even if he wasn’t entirely certain the lass deserved such devotion from Taliesan.
“Where is Genevieve?” Bowen asked one last time, his stare leveled directly at Taliesan. He pinned her with his most forceful look and refused to look away until she was all but fidgeting beneath his gaze.
“She does not like to bathe in front of the other women,” Taliesan said in a low voice. “They ridiculeand mock her. She prefers to bathe alone, in the stream beyond the bathhouses. ’Tis the same stream that feeds the bathhouses. When Ian was alive, he forced his men to go with her, and they were allowed to look their fill. Sometimes she would go days without being clean because she couldn’t bear their cruelty.”
Bowen felt himself softening toward the lass when it was the last thing he could afford to do. There was too much about her that he didn’t understand and didn’t know. Little about her made sense to him, and the more he learned, the more intrigued he became.
“Take Taliesan to break her fast,” Bowen directed. “I have need to speak to Genevieve.”
Taliesan’s eyes were stricken. “I beg you, Laird. Be merciful with her. She’s so fragile that she could break at any moment. I don’t know how she’s managed to remain so stalwart for so long.”
“I’ll do my best, but, Taliesan, what you must realize is that if she’s a traitor to my people, she will have to be dealt with accordingly.”
Taliesan’s face crumbled and she looked away, her hands wringing in obvious distress. Brodie touched her arm and guided her back toward the keep.
Bowen sucked in a deep breath and turned in the direction of the stream that snaked through the back of the keep beyond the protective stone walls. It was foolhardy for a woman alone to venture out to bathe in the stream. Anyone could happen upon her and either abuse her on the spot or spirit her away and she’d never be seen or heard from again.
But then if she’d had to endure constant escort from Ian’s men, he could well understand why she’d seek privacy to wash herself. He paused a moment, guilt overtaking him at the idea of intruding on her. He could wait until she finished, could he not?
Then he stalked forward again, angered that he wasallowing this slip of a lass to rule his thoughts and actions. She was a manipulative deceiver and he would not be taken in by her sad eyes any longer.
When he topped the slight rise that looked over the stream, he was not prepared for the sight before him, even though he well knew what he might encounter.
Genevieve was rinsing soap from her hair, and Jesu, she looked like a goddess. Her right side was turned toward him, her face arched into the sun as she poured water over her head from a clay jug.
There was such contentment, a visible sigh puffing from her
She ended on a shudder that had both Bowen and Brodie frowning with puzzlement. An uneasy sensation gripped Bowen’s midsection and, judging by Brodie’s black scowl, he was likely thinking along the same lines.
“What did he do to you, lass?” Bowen asked quietly.
She flinched as though he’d slapped her. It was an involuntary action brought on by the shock of his question. It was clear that she’d expected no such topic to arise, and she looked dumbfounded as to how to answer.
“N-nothing,” she stammered.
“You said you never lie,” he chided gently.
“That bastard did something to you?” Brodie all but roared.
She shrank back, and it was clear she wanted to be as far away from the two men as possible. He couldn’t blame her. They were overwhelming presences. One alone would frighten a lass senseless. But the two of them together?
“ ’Tis nothing I cannot bear,” she said in a regal tone laced with strength and acceptance. It made Bowen admire her spirit and ferocity even more. He could respect her loyalty and her protection of Genevieve. Even if he wasn’t entirely certain the lass deserved such devotion from Taliesan.
“Where is Genevieve?” Bowen asked one last time, his stare leveled directly at Taliesan. He pinned her with his most forceful look and refused to look away until she was all but fidgeting beneath his gaze.
“She does not like to bathe in front of the other women,” Taliesan said in a low voice. “They ridiculeand mock her. She prefers to bathe alone, in the stream beyond the bathhouses. ’Tis the same stream that feeds the bathhouses. When Ian was alive, he forced his men to go with her, and they were allowed to look their fill. Sometimes she would go days without being clean because she couldn’t bear their cruelty.”
Bowen felt himself softening toward the lass when it was the last thing he could afford to do. There was too much about her that he didn’t understand and didn’t know. Little about her made sense to him, and the more he learned, the more intrigued he became.
“Take Taliesan to break her fast,” Bowen directed. “I have need to speak to Genevieve.”
Taliesan’s eyes were stricken. “I beg you, Laird. Be merciful with her. She’s so fragile that she could break at any moment. I don’t know how she’s managed to remain so stalwart for so long.”
“I’ll do my best, but, Taliesan, what you must realize is that if she’s a traitor to my people, she will have to be dealt with accordingly.”
Taliesan’s face crumbled and she looked away, her hands wringing in obvious distress. Brodie touched her arm and guided her back toward the keep.
Bowen sucked in a deep breath and turned in the direction of the stream that snaked through the back of the keep beyond the protective stone walls. It was foolhardy for a woman alone to venture out to bathe in the stream. Anyone could happen upon her and either abuse her on the spot or spirit her away and she’d never be seen or heard from again.
But then if she’d had to endure constant escort from Ian’s men, he could well understand why she’d seek privacy to wash herself. He paused a moment, guilt overtaking him at the idea of intruding on her. He could wait until she finished, could he not?
Then he stalked forward again, angered that he wasallowing this slip of a lass to rule his thoughts and actions. She was a manipulative deceiver and he would not be taken in by her sad eyes any longer.
When he topped the slight rise that looked over the stream, he was not prepared for the sight before him, even though he well knew what he might encounter.
Genevieve was rinsing soap from her hair, and Jesu, she looked like a goddess. Her right side was turned toward him, her face arched into the sun as she poured water over her head from a clay jug.
There was such contentment, a visible sigh puffing from her
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