Feeling uncomfortable from the brief conversation for no reason he could fathom, Talorc went to the great hall to join his soldiers and his wife.
She was already seated in her customary place at
the banquet table. Her hair shone golden, her curls smooth as if she had just brushed them. Shed donned one of her embroidered blouses with her plaid and it struck him she had made her best efforts to look lovely for him.
At least it had better be for him.
He looked down at his plaid with small blood spatters caused by carrying the pig and gave a mental shrug. He was no woman to worry about his appearance, but perhaps he could have washed off the sweat from his walk back to the fortress before joining her in the hall.
There was nothing to be done about it now. He walked toward the table, his attention fixed on his wife.
She was blushing and looking mildly distressed. He frowned and listened to what was being said around him. The hall was abuzz with something to do with his horse and his wife. Had she tried to ride him? He thought the stallion had shown a great deal of tolerance for her thus far.
She looked up with shock on her porcelain features when he touched her shoulder to let her know he was there. You have returned.
As you see.
Was your hunt successful?
Yes. We will have boar tomorrow. They would have had it today, but the one hed killed the day before had been scavenged by other predators. It was only to be expected when he had left it there for them to find.
He took his seat beside his wife and turned to Barr. What has happened with my horse and my wife in my absence?
Someone tormented the stallion into a lather and then released him from the stable on a rampage.
Talorc had barely taken Barrs words in when Earc said with relish, Your wife was directly in the horses path.
A subsonic growl of fury rumbled in his throat, making the other Chrechte around the table send back immediate growls of submission. Only the fact that she was sitting there looking unharmed in any way kept him from roaring out his anger.
He turned abruptly to face his wife. You are well?
Right as rain. She even smiled.
Someone saved her. Who? he asked Barr.
She saved herself. She didnt hear the shouts of warning, but she noticed the earth trembling beneath her feet, he said with clear admiration.
Hell, Talorc was more than a little impressed himself. Where was her escort?
From the look on Barrs face, that was the first time the question had occurred to him. I do not know, Talorc. Who did you assign to escort her today?
Talorcs memory flew back to that morning and his leave-taking from the fortress. He had not assigned anyone the specific duty of watching his wife. He rotated the duty amongst his soldiers daily, so none missed too much training time. Despite the fact that he had not assigned a soldier to the task, his wife knew better than to leave the tower without an escort.
You know you are supposed to be escorted when you leave our room, he censured her.
A wisp of something like anger passed through her beautiful brown eyes before she blinked and it was gone. I was never alone.
If you had an escort, you never would have been in danger.
I avoided the danger on my own. Ive been doing so for years.
Shes a liability to the clan. Anyone can see it, Osgard said angrily from his place down the table.
Talorc looked at his wife to see her reaction to the old mans words, but she appeared not to have noted them. It struck him then that she rarely looked in Osgards direction. Considering the fact that she could not hear him if she did not see him, her behavior effectively eliminated the crotchety warrior from her notice.
It was an effective way to deal with his advisors annoying inability to accept his new lady. Talorc had to admire the simplicity and ingenuity of it as well.
He turned so she could not see his lips either and glowered at his advisor. She is my wife.
To hell with the clan, then?
Watch yourself, Osgard. You will go too far with your prejudice and find yourself living with your great-niece in an already crowded cottage.
It wasnt the clan in danger today, but our lady, Guaire said from his customary place on the other side of Abigail.
I wasnt actually in any more danger than anyone else, Abigail asserted, obviously having read Guaires lips.
Osgard snorted, but several soldiers nodded in agreement, their respect for their lady clear.
What did the stable master have to say? Talorc asked Barr.
He did not see anyone.
No one at all?
Barr shook his head. He was training one of the young mares in the paddock, so was nowhere near the stable at the time your horse got out.
And the stallion?
Shows signs of being whipped on his left flank.
Talorc let out a growl that had several warriors
heads snapping up. Did you check for scent?
There was naught but the stable master and his helper, and nothing in the whip marks themselves at all.
Talorc frowned at that. Whoever had played the prank clearly knew enough to avoid detection by masking their scent. In addition, they had been careful to use an implement that they had not touched at the end used to whip the horse. You think one of the boys?