The Commander's Desire by Jennette Green Page A

drying, so she
had to choose another frock to wear. With a frown, she dug through
the trunk. No more drab dresses. Only the jewel tones she
preferred. All complemented her skin tone, or so her maid at home
said. She found a modest one—it had a “V” neck, but at least her
bosom would be mostly covered—and it was in a rich, royal blue
damask. Her absolute favorite color, and it matched her eyes. She
had worn it so often the neckline was frayed the tiniest bit. It
would have to do.
    Quickly, she changed and left the brown dress
for Hagma to retrieve later. For now, her stomach rumbled and she
hurried to the kitchen for her meal.
    The cook greeted her with a smile. “Elwytha.
I wondered if you had drowned in all that rain. I’m glad to see you
made it home safe and sound.”
    “ It’s beautiful out,” she
said, sitting at the table. Mary placed a trencher of bread,
cheese, and fruit before her. A cup of water, as well. “Thank
you.”
    “ You were out with the
Commander, were you?” asked the matronly woman.
    “ Yes.” Elwytha unexpectedly
wondered if the entire castle knew she lived in an attached chamber
to her betrothed. Most likely. Embarrassment warmed her
cheeks.
    “ He’s a fine boy, is the
Commander,” said Mary, with a nod. She had said something similar
yesterday, Elwytha remembered. The cook turned the animal roasting
on a spit over the fire.
    Elwytha didn’t know how to respond to this.
“You’ve known him all of his life?”
    “ Aye. Of course. I was
friends with his mother, God rest her soul.”
    Elwytha nodded. “How did he get that scar
over his eye?” she blurted. And then wondered what was wrong with
her. How could she possibly care?
    The cook cast her a knowing look. “You’ll
have to ask him yourself, miss. He’s had a hard life, has that one.
But the Prince has treated him well. And rightly so.” She gave a
nod for emphasis.
    “ He said they became friends
as boys.”
    “ Aye. Friends. Rivals.” She
shook her head, and said something Elwytha couldn’t quite
catch.
    “ What of his father?”
Elwytha found she couldn’t help her confounding desire to ask
questions about her enemy. Perhaps she wanted to understand him
better. That way she could identify all of his
weaknesses.
    Mary shook her head. “That’s not a subject
he’ll thank you to ask. The lads taunted him, calling him all
manner of terrible names. It’s why he learned to battle. And a
fight is how he broke his nose.”
    “ Why wasn’t it
reset?”
    The cook’s quick motions slowed as she
stirred a bubbling pot. “I’ll never rightly know. The boy had lost
his mother. And those who should have looked after him didn’t. I
don’t suppose he cared much back then. Boys don’t. But it’s a
shame, now.” She pressed her lips tight, and stirred more
rapidly.
    Elwytha finished her lunch, feeling disturbed
by these insights into her foe. No matter what ill treatment he had
suffered as a child, she told herself, it changed nothing about
today. Now he was a man. He made his own choices, and one had been
a wrong one—to end her brother’s life.
    But she did suddenly wonder how often a
filthy past tainted the present, and twisted the future. She
thought on her own family—the jealousy between her brothers; her
father’s clear favoritism of her eldest brother; and Richard’s rage
and mood swings because he couldn’t get their father’s
attention.
    And what of herself? Her father had all but
ignored her. A girl was worthless to a clan of warriors. Another
reason why she had learned battle skills—so he would approve of
her. It had certainly shaped who she was today; a warrior sent to
mete revenge on her family’s enemy.
     
    * * * * *
     
    After Elwytha finished her lunch, she exited
the kitchen. The entire afternoon lay before her, gloriously empty,
save to accomplish her own purposes. The Commander had said she
could freely wander the halls. Foolish of him. Today, once again,
she’d test the door to the