Free The Winter Promise by Jenny Jacobs Page A

not in pain?”
    Lord Robert shrugged. “He’s old. It’s hard to say. But I don’t think he has too much pain.”
    “Then why must he be destroyed?”
    “I cannot keep a horse that cannot work.”
    “Why not?” she persisted. “Surely to pasture him would not be overly demanding on your resources.” Many times, she had had a conversation like this with her uncle, and often she could persuade him to listen to her.
    “I am a steward, lady,” Lord Robert said. “I will not indulge my sentimentality at my brother’s expense.”
    She wanted to say, Then I will pay for the animal’s keep, but she did not. Why wouldn’t he allow himself to keep the horse? He was no ceorl lacking treasure. What difference would it make, so long as other animals didn’t starve? Lord Robert was much too able of a steward to allow that to happen.
    “He has been a good horse?” she asked, remembering even as she spoke how, despite sometimes taking her advice, her uncle often berated her for her questions. Too many questions, he had told her from the time she was a little girl. You ask too many questions and you must stop. And later Lord Simon had said, It is none of your concern. Hold your tongue.
    Lord Robert turned to the stallion and stroked his nose. “I trained him to be a warhorse. Lady Elizabeth gave him to me when I became my brother’s steward. He has seen me safe home from many battles.”
    “What harm could it cause to keep him a while longer?”
    His jaw tightened, but he did not turn on her. When he spoke, he sounded amused — a pretense, she knew, because she heard the underlying anger in his tone.
    “I did not know my lady had such an affection for horses.”
    “It’s not the horse I feel affection for!” she snapped and then hissed in a breath when she realized what she had said, and that she had said it aloud. Lord Robert stared at her in blank surprise, his face even more expressionless than before, if that were possible.
    “My lord,” she said miserably, dropping her eyes and staring at her boots, unwilling to look at him. No wonder her uncle chastised her for her questions. Look where they led. Yet she had already revealed herself. What harm could there be in taking a further step? She had already said too much. A little more wouldn’t matter, and it might make a difference. “If you will not do this for yourself, will you do it for me? As a boon for me?”
    He was quiet for a long time before answering, until reluctantly she lifted her eyes to meet his gaze.
    She blushed scarlet at the look in his eyes.
    “Very well,” he said. “I will grant you this boon.” He patted the stallion’s nose, then turned to her and demanded, “Will you in turn grant me one?”
    The world tilted a little and she had to grip the rail to keep from stumbling. Dimly she was aware of Jacob whistling as he mucked out a stall. In Lord Robert’s gray eyes she could see he remembered every detail of every encounter they had ever had, and a shiver mixed of unease and happiness slipped through her.
    “Yes,” she whispered and pushed past Lord Robert into the sunlight.
    • • •
    Robert swallowed spiced wine and listened to the conversations around the table. Elizabeth, seated at his hand, chewed on a piece of cheese, then sighed and said, “At least you no longer glare at her.”
    “My lady?” He spared a glance for his aunt. Surely she didn’t intend to pursue that subject again ?
    “She has skipped more than one meal because of you.”
    This could not be a promising conversation. Yet if he tried to end it, Elizabeth would pursue it. The trick was to satisfy her without revealing any crumb of information she might use against him, even if only for his own good. Elizabeth did very many annoying things for his own good.
    “I am sorry to hear that,” he said, not trying to sound too sorry.
    “What has made you stop glaring? Did you finally talk to the girl instead of snarling at her? Perhaps you have finally come to