Free Forbidden Legacy by Diana Cosby

harbored as well, and his mulishness wouldna stop her from acquiring her answers. “What did you mean by the ‘greater good’?”
    Face taut, he unsheathed his weapon. “Do you want to spar or talk?”
    â€œI can choose?” she asked, pleased when his nostrils flared.
    He raised his sword. “Nay, we spar.” Stephan swung.
    With ease, she deflected his blow.
    â€œNext time,” he said, the glint in his eyes sharpening to a warrior’s keenness, “ensure you have a firmer grip on the hilt. Use your body as leverage to place power behind your swing.”
    Katherine nodded, listening to each bit of advice while they continued her training; many techniques she’d heard before, but several were unfamiliar.
    After she deflected his next swing, he stepped back. Steel hissed against leather as he sheathed his weapon. “Enough for today.”
    Moisture clinging to her brow, she secured her sword. Working to catch her breath, her sense of accomplishment smothered the fatigue. Though they’d practiced a long while, naught but a shimmer of sweat touched his brow. “You have fought in numerous battles?”
    â€œA few.”
    More than a few. He moved with an ease she’d witnessed with but a handful of knights who’d sparred in her father’s bailey. “As you have traveled, you must have seen many other countries?”
    â€œYour muscles will be sore on the morrow. I suggest you rub them with a damp cloth before you go to bed. I will have one of the men bring you some seawater to use after we sup.” He started toward the ladder.
    â€œStephan.”
    Her husband glanced back, his gaze cool, the pungent ocean breeze ruffling his hair.
    â€œI didna miss that you evaded my questions.”
    â€œNor did I expect you to.” He climbed below deck.
    â€œAnd he thinks I am stubborn!”
    â€œYou are.”
    At Thomas’s voice, she whirled.
    The knight stood several paces away, his eyes thoughtful.
    â€œHow long have you been standing there?”
    He sauntered over. “But moments. I came to see how much you had improved.”
    â€œDid you, now? I thought you returned to see how your plan to goad Stephan into taking over my training faired.”
    Thomas shrugged. “Mayhap that as well. You held your own.”
    â€œI should have handled my weapon better. I have trained with a sword for several years. And before you ask, I admit that Stephan is a good teacher.”
    A smile touched his mouth. “Indeed, he is a master with the blade.”
    â€œA master?” she asked, her curiosity growing.
    â€œAye, his skill is renowned, his expertise sought out by many.”
    Mayhap that was the reason the king had insisted on her wedding Stephan. Deft with the sword, once they’d seized Avalon, her husband was a trustworthy man whom her guardian could depend on to keep the fortress secure. Still, other questions lay unanswered. “Why will Stephan nae speak of his family?”
    The knight’s smile faded. “There are some questions best left unasked.”
    A reply that invited more questions. Frustrated, she shifted to a different topic. “Stephan mentioned that he wanted his brothers to be safe, then refused to say more.”
    The slap of waves against the ship’s bow filled the air.
    Her frustration grew. “Have you met any of his family?”
    Silence.
    â€œMary have mercy, you are as hard as Stephan to pry answers from.”
    â€œLady Katherine, heed me well. Your husband is a complicated man; a good, decent warrior who has endured much and suffered more than you could possibly understand. I caution you on prying into his life.”
    She twisted her brow into a frown. “How dare you advise me of what I can understand when you tell me naught?”
    â€œâ€™Tis nae mine to tell.”
    â€œThen,” she said, keeping her gaze leveled on him, “I will find a way to convince