heeded the order and pulled their mounts to a halt. Kenric ignored the threat and continued to advance.
Tess looked close to frozen. Her face was the color of wax, her lips nearly as blue as her glassy eyes. The dark smudges of exhaustion surrounding her eyes gave his bride a hollow, haunted look. As near as Kenric could tell, she could collapse at any moment.
"Stop, I say!"
There was a frantic note in her voice, but Kenric just shook his head and allowed his horse to move steadily forward.
"I'll put an arrow in you. I swear I will."
Tess sounded nearly hysterical, but Kenric's voice was determined.
"I will still take you back."
"I won't go back to MacLeith," Tess shouted. That announcement finally made Kenric pull in his mount.
"I would rather die by your hand or your man's," she vowed, nodding toward Fitz Alan. Kenric stared at her as if she'd lost her mind. She drew the bowstring tighter. "I mean what I say."
"What are you talking about, you little fool? I am taking you home with me."
"Why?"
"
Why
?" Kenric's horse skitted nervously and he took a moment to calm the animal. He resisted the urge to gallop forward and claim his errant wife. Her bow was pulled tauter than he'd believed her capable. If she had any skill at all with the thing, her arrow would slice through his chest if she decided to skewer him. How was he to know that retrieving a wife would require full armor?
"Stop this nonsense, Tess." He tried to keep the anger from his voice. The arrow aimed at his chest did call for some diplomacy. But he couldn't help adding, "You will come home with me this instant!"
"You rejected me," Tess accused, tears spilling freely down her cheeks. "You do not want me for wife. You even brought your men to see my flaw so they can justify your claim when you petition for an annulment. I will not live a fortnight beyond my return to Remmington. The MacLeiths are not known for their forgiving nature. If I am lucky, I will not live a day. How can you send me back, knowing my fate?"
"Only yesterday I promised you would never return to Dunmore MacLeith," he reminded her, allowing Tess to see some of his anger. Did she really think him such a monster? "I did not reject you. My men will only testify to the king that my reasons for killing Gordon MacLeith are justified."
Tess didn't respond to that enlightening statement, but her eyes grew wider and her bow arm began to tremble noticeably.
"If you do not lower that bow soon, you will shoot me by accident." Kenric's horse pawed the ground and snorted, as if echoing the impatience of his master. Tess still hesitated. "A flesh wound will not improve my mood, wife."
"You… you would not trick me?" she asked, even as she slowly dropped her weapon.
Kenric spurred his horse forward. He leaped off the warhorse and grabbed his wife in one motion, his grip on her shoulders painful.
"You are
never
to run from me again," he shouted, so loud that Tess winced. "Is that clear enough for you?"
"Aye, husband," she said quietly. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his head down to whisper in his ear. Kenric was so surprised by the unexpected action that he let her. " 'Tis a fact I have never swooned, but there is the oddest… ringing in my ears and…"
Her voice faded and she went limp. Kenric shook his head and lifted her into his arms.
"Sick with fever and you think to journey alone to London," he muttered. "You are incredibly bold or incredibly ignorant. I do not think I have decided just yet."
"Have someone gather her things," he told Fitz Alan, nodding to the bundles still lying on the ground. "I am curious to see what other surprises she's packed."
Kenric mounted with little difficulty, shifting his limp burden to one shoulder as he gained the saddle.
"The mistake is understandable," Fitz Alan said.
"The mistake was idiotic," Kenric snapped. "She should have known I wouldn't send her back to those bastards."
"They've had five years to terrorize her," Fitz Alan
Tess looked close to frozen. Her face was the color of wax, her lips nearly as blue as her glassy eyes. The dark smudges of exhaustion surrounding her eyes gave his bride a hollow, haunted look. As near as Kenric could tell, she could collapse at any moment.
"Stop, I say!"
There was a frantic note in her voice, but Kenric just shook his head and allowed his horse to move steadily forward.
"I'll put an arrow in you. I swear I will."
Tess sounded nearly hysterical, but Kenric's voice was determined.
"I will still take you back."
"I won't go back to MacLeith," Tess shouted. That announcement finally made Kenric pull in his mount.
"I would rather die by your hand or your man's," she vowed, nodding toward Fitz Alan. Kenric stared at her as if she'd lost her mind. She drew the bowstring tighter. "I mean what I say."
"What are you talking about, you little fool? I am taking you home with me."
"Why?"
"
Why
?" Kenric's horse skitted nervously and he took a moment to calm the animal. He resisted the urge to gallop forward and claim his errant wife. Her bow was pulled tauter than he'd believed her capable. If she had any skill at all with the thing, her arrow would slice through his chest if she decided to skewer him. How was he to know that retrieving a wife would require full armor?
"Stop this nonsense, Tess." He tried to keep the anger from his voice. The arrow aimed at his chest did call for some diplomacy. But he couldn't help adding, "You will come home with me this instant!"
"You rejected me," Tess accused, tears spilling freely down her cheeks. "You do not want me for wife. You even brought your men to see my flaw so they can justify your claim when you petition for an annulment. I will not live a fortnight beyond my return to Remmington. The MacLeiths are not known for their forgiving nature. If I am lucky, I will not live a day. How can you send me back, knowing my fate?"
"Only yesterday I promised you would never return to Dunmore MacLeith," he reminded her, allowing Tess to see some of his anger. Did she really think him such a monster? "I did not reject you. My men will only testify to the king that my reasons for killing Gordon MacLeith are justified."
Tess didn't respond to that enlightening statement, but her eyes grew wider and her bow arm began to tremble noticeably.
"If you do not lower that bow soon, you will shoot me by accident." Kenric's horse pawed the ground and snorted, as if echoing the impatience of his master. Tess still hesitated. "A flesh wound will not improve my mood, wife."
"You… you would not trick me?" she asked, even as she slowly dropped her weapon.
Kenric spurred his horse forward. He leaped off the warhorse and grabbed his wife in one motion, his grip on her shoulders painful.
"You are
never
to run from me again," he shouted, so loud that Tess winced. "Is that clear enough for you?"
"Aye, husband," she said quietly. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his head down to whisper in his ear. Kenric was so surprised by the unexpected action that he let her. " 'Tis a fact I have never swooned, but there is the oddest… ringing in my ears and…"
Her voice faded and she went limp. Kenric shook his head and lifted her into his arms.
"Sick with fever and you think to journey alone to London," he muttered. "You are incredibly bold or incredibly ignorant. I do not think I have decided just yet."
"Have someone gather her things," he told Fitz Alan, nodding to the bundles still lying on the ground. "I am curious to see what other surprises she's packed."
Kenric mounted with little difficulty, shifting his limp burden to one shoulder as he gained the saddle.
"The mistake is understandable," Fitz Alan said.
"The mistake was idiotic," Kenric snapped. "She should have known I wouldn't send her back to those bastards."
"They've had five years to terrorize her," Fitz Alan
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