The Heart of a Queen (A Historical Romance)

Chapter 30

Once she was back in the castle, Brienna allowed herself to smile. She'd succeeded in dissuading Ruarc from pursuing Isobel, and in the process, given herself a reason to seek out Llewellyn.

They hadn't spoken since that last training session in the hills, and since then, what with the bustle of all the visitors, she had managed to avoid him without the appearance of doing so; she simply always managed to be deeply involved in a conversation with someone on the opposite side of the room.

She wasn't sure they had anything to say to each other, but now she at least had some news to give him, and she was humming with excitement over it. She'd missed the way he looked at her; with intelligence, and an expectation of being met with intelligence. She missed the way he tucked his chin down whenever he was considering something she'd said, and she missed watching the way his hands handled every object, no matter how trivial, with esteem and concern.

Finding his war room empty, Brienna remembered that he had left on a hunt with some of the other lords and decided to wander out to the edge of the meadow where the trees grew dense and wait for his return. She would pull him aside and tell him the news in private, and then he might walk with her back to the castle.

Summer was in full bloom, now, but thanks to the proximity of the sea, the air was still fresh, and the shade of the trees gave the forest the air of a magical fairy kingdom. Brienna indulged herself in singing snippets of a folk song that she used to love as a child, wandering off the path and trailing her hands through the tender leaves of low branches.

She would miss this country. The thought struck her so forcefully that she felt a lump rise in her throat, the beauty of her surroundings sowing the seeds of nostalgia to come. With the day getting closer, Lasair's busy preparations, and non-stop conversations of alliances going on around her, her sense of duty had been reconstituted.

She would marry Donnall, ignoring her misgivings, because that was what she was honor-bound to do. And honor aside, it was what she had to do to keep her family, her land, safe. Besides, what was stopping her, besides a little queasiness over that stolen kiss? It's not like anyone else had spoken for her hand. If only someone would, Brienna thought, picturing Llewellyn.

A noise behind her made her turn, thinking that the hunting party was coming up the path. But, deep in thought, she had wandered quite a distance into the woods and there was no reason for anyone else to be out that far. She searched the dense greenery around her, holding her breath.

The noise came again, off to her side now. It sounded like an animal, moving in the undergrowth. An encroaching fear spread through her as she started to feel like she was being stalked. She took several quick steps back in the direction she'd come, and heard the same persistent rustling, but now it was in front of her.

"Who's there?" she called out.

Her pursuer didn't answer.

"Donnall?" she tried. "I don't find this kind of play amusing."

But it couldn't be Donnall, whose ungainly form would hardly allow for stealth.

Out of the corner of her eye, Brienna could see a glimmer through the trees, where a flood of light denoted the edge of the forest and the open space of the meadow. As fast as she could, she ran, speeding towards the safety it promised.

She heard the crash of footsteps tearing over the brush as whoever was behind her gained ground. She pushed herself harder, her soft slippers letting all the stones and sticks on the forest floor bruise her feet.

The break in the trees was just ahead of her. She burst onto the flat of the meadow, sucking in air, ready to flee to the castle that was now within sight, where she could just make out the movement of people going about their daily business.

Before she could take one more stride, a hand grabbed the back of her collar and heaved her backward, back into the covered darkness of the forest. She fell on her back so hard the wind was knock out of her, her eyes watering as she stared up at the one who'd captured her.