Free Emerald Prince by Brit Darby Page A

somehow, but when Liam and Niall greeted them she realized they must be husband and wife. Perhaps they had been wed so long they resembled each other.
    “Dubhan and Hilda were kind enough to offer us shelter on their farm,” Liam said to Alianor.
    She nodded and tried to smile but feared she came across as insincere. Were these farmers sympathetic to the outlaws, or were they unaware she was a captive? Could they help her? She could tell nothing by their expressions.
    “Would milady like to break her fast?” Hilda invited her in a thick brogue. “The men already ate, and I’ve plenty of goosefoot porridge and black pudding left.”
    Alianor glanced at Liam and when he nodded at her, she followed Hilda back to the cottage while Dubhan remained with the men. Surprised she was allowed to move out of earshot from her captors, Alianor’s pulse quickened with anticipation. Was this her chance to tell her story and beg for help?
    All the way to the cottage Hilda chattered about cooking, and did not seem to find it odd when her guest remained silent except for a soft murmur when politeness demanded it. Inside the cottage, the stout woman bade Alianor sit at a simple wooden table. She ladled up porridge from a blackened pot hung over the hearth and set a mighty truncheon before her.
    “Eat hearty, milady,” Hilda said. “It will put color in your cheeks.”
    Alianor had to admit she was ravenous. The thick wooden spoon Hilda gave her was perfect for scooping up the steaming porridge. While she ate her gaze darted around the little cottage. She only saw a few rooms. Everything was clean if Spartan.
    “Very good, thank you,” she said to Hilda.
    Hilda beamed at the praise. “Just you wait. I make the finest black pudding in the parish,” she said, already filling another bowl with a generous portion for her guest. Alianor hoped the woman might mention where this parish was, give her a clue as to how far she’d traveled, but no luck.
    As she gathered the courage to ask, Hilda said, “Milady, I know you must be scared. But no harm will come to you.”
    Alianor’s heart sank. The farmers were in league with the outlaws. She had feared as much, but was disappointed nonetheless. As if reading her mind, Hilda added, “I scolded them when I saw they’d brung a lady. Told my Dubh I would not stand for any malarkey going on.”
    “Malarkey?”
    “What stuff and nonsense men folk work themselves up to,” Hilda said, which did not clarify things one bit. She stirred the contents of another cauldron hung over the fire, and tested its contents with a huge wooden ladle. A satisfied grin tweaked the corner of her mouth.
    Then Hilda gave a disparaging grunt. “To be sure, I gave the menfolk plenty of grief for making a lady sleep in the barn. I could have laid out a comfortable pallet here in the house. But not till morn did I hear they brung you with ’em.”
    Alianor ate while Hilda rattled on. She managed a few bites of the black pudding before pushing it aside.
    “Not good?” Hilda’s brow furrowed.
    “No, it’s delicious, but I cannot eat another spoonful. The porridge was so filling.”
    This explanation satisfied Hilda and her smile reappeared. “I think clean water is what you wish most of all, aye?” she said when Alianor brushed at her dirty face. “And a moment or two alone for your ablutions.”
    “Oh yes, I would be ever so grateful.”
    Hilda nodded. “Bahh, menfolk do not stop to think, before they go charging around kidnapping ladies,” she grumbled. “Come, milady, let’s see to your comforts before those ogres hunt us down.”

     

     
    Chapter Six
     
    L IAM HAD B IORRA SADDLED and the other men were mounted, waiting. He was on the verge of storming into the cottage when the women finally reappeared. He saw the reason for delay. Alianor’s hair lay in a thick neat braid down her back. Her face scrubbed, her skirts dusted off, she looked as if she felt better.
    Hilda joined her husband, and