Free Kathryn Le Veque by Lord of Light Page A

she noticed that he was not
wearing his heavy leather tunic and she pointed at him accusingly. “Your vest. Did you trade it as well?”
    He avoided
her question. “Try the gown on. I wish to see how it looks. It’s been a long
time since I’ve seen a lady in finery.”
    She reached
out and grabbed him before he could leave the room. Her grip was minimal but it
was enough to stop him. “Roane,” she said softly. “Why did you trade your vest?
It must have cost you a small fortune!”
    He gave her
a lop-sided smile. “It does not matter. It is more important that you be
clothed in something suitable.”
    “But I could
have made due with my other gown.”
    “How old was
it?”
    She
faltered. “A few years, I suppose.”
    He lifted an
eyebrow. “A few years?” he disputed her. “There were worn spots and mended
areas all over it. If it wasn’t the only gown you had, then it was close to
it.”
    She shrugged
and lowered her gaze. “I make due.”
    He picked up
the linen dress and tossed it on her lap. “No more making due,” he said with
gentle gruffness. “Put it on.”
    She picked
it up, the light of gratitude in her eyes, and he didn’t mind losing his
leather vest one bit. It had been the one bit of protection he had since he no
longer possessed his armor, but he didn’t care. It was more important that Alisanne
be properly clothed and he held no regrets.
    “I am really
not your responsibility,” she said softly.   “I am not sure I can accept this in good conscience. I cannot pay you
for it.”
    “You paid
for it when you helped me escape.”
    He left the
room. After a moment’s hesitation, she put the gown on, feeling Roane’s concern
and warmth embracing every inch of her.

 
 
 
 
 
    CHAPTER FIVE

 
 
 
    “Your daughter is a traitor,”
Dodge said. “You know, of course, how traitors are dealt with.”
    He was directing his venom to a
small, older man seated near the hearth in the great hall of Kinlet Castle. Kinlet
was comprised of a stout pele tower, several out
buildings, and a great hall, relatively new compared to some of the castles in
the country, having been built by Edward de Soulant’s father a mere fifty years
before.   Unfortunately, the years had
seen the de Soulant fortune deteriorate and the once-fine castle looked twice
its age without the care and money devoted to its upkeep.   There had never been a great deal of soldiers
or servants populating the place, but now it was almost deserted.   Every time Dodge looked at the place, he
could see what his ill-gotten gains could improve.
    Edward still could not stomach
the thought of his daughter married to a bounty hunter, no matter what it would
mean for the good of Kinlet.   “Is that
what you plan to do, kill her?”   he asked, his voice soft. “You’ll never gain what you want
that way.”
    Dodge laughed bitterly. “I don’t
plan to kill her, at least not before the wedding,” he said. “But I will punish
her. Mayhap not directly, but I will punish her, rest assured.”
    “What does that mean?’
    Dodge leaned forward, his lip
curled in an unattractive snarl. “It means that I have sent word to Birmingham.
I’ve told the Hospitallers to come to Kinlet and collect their criminal. It
means that your daughter will see her lover taken away in chains and her father
thrown in the vault permanently and that, my dear Baron, should be punishment
enough.”
    “You have no heart, de Vere. You
are an animal.”
    Dodge only laughed again and
turned away. Beside Edward sat a man with shaggy brown hair, his hazel eyes
clear and bright. He watched Dodge pace around the barren great hall, grumbling
to the hoodlums that had accompanied him. Father Joseph Ari leaned over to his
brother-in-law.
    “They’re going throw us all in
the vault and destroy the key,” he whispered.
    “Mayhap,” Edward said steadily.
He dared to glance at the priest. “Tell me of this friend of yours, de Garr.
What kind of man is he