Page 8 of Warrior’s Lady

Chapter Three

Rhiannon breathed a sigh of relief when the driver of the horse cart came to a stop at the top of a ridge. The land below stretched twenty miles to the south to form a scenic panorama. Drifts of heavy snow still dotted the area, melting slowly into the streams and cataracts from the hills beyond.

"We're about a half day's journey to Lee Castle, milady," the driver announced as he swung down from the driver's seat. "We'll be heading down the ridge. I want to check the harness and the wheels before we do. You can never be too careful," he said with a cheerful wink.

Rhiannon wished she had half the man's enthusiasm, but she appreciated his caution. They'd made it this far without incident. For that she was grateful.

She cast a glance beside her. Violet sat at the far edge of the open air seat, a blanket wrapped snugly about her shoulders, and still she shivered beneath a weak spring sun.

"Would you like an extra blanket?" Rhiannon asked, breaking the silence that had stretched between them since leaving the abbey several hours ago.

A mighty shiver wracked the girl's body, but she remained silent.

Rhiannon knew she should offer the girl a kind word, or if she were any decent human being, she would pull the girl to her, offering to share her warmth, whether it was welcome or not. Still she hesitated. When she had done similar things in her youth, tried to assist an injured servant, or joined in play with one of their children, they'd either flinched at her touch, or fled her company.

She'd learned long ago that no one wanted comfort from a Ruthven.

And still the child shivered.

Rhiannon dropped her gaze to the gray woolen blanket that covered Violet from shoulder to toes. She could hear the whistle of the driver as he inspected the front wheels, could feel the beat of her own heart beneath the warmth of her own blanket. She raised her gaze to the mottled gray and white sky overhead, took a deep breath, and pulled the little girl to her. Swiftly, she wrapped a second blanket around them both and she waited — waited for the refusal that was sure to come.

Instead, another powerful shiver wracked the child's body; and then, she nestled against Rhiannon's side. She sighed, closed her eyes, and if Rhiannon wasn't mistaken, drifted off to sleep.

Warm tears sprang to Rhiannon's eyes. Such simple acceptance had never happened to her before. Rhiannon tightened the blanket around their two bodies, cocooning their heat. She held her body rigid, not knowing what else to do, and unwilling to do anything that might make Violet move away.

Strange emotions tumbled through her. Joy and gratitude mixed with her ever-present fear of yet another rejection. "It's going to be all right, Violet," she whispered over the girl's head. She wasn't even sure if Violet heard her. But that didn't matter. The words were spoken more as a comfort for herself.

The driver finished his inspection and settled himself in the driver's seat. "Hang on," he warned. "This is going to be a steep descent."

As if obeying their master, the horses jerked forward, heading down the incline with sure and steady feet.

Rhiannon nodded, then closed her eyes as they started down the incline. Even as she kept repeating the words that they would be all right, a sense of doom nagged at her — a sensation she'd been unable to shake since her father's death. As unsettled as she felt now, she was certain the real trial of her acceptability would begin the moment she and Violet arrived at Lee Castle. Violet would be welcome, but what of her?

To that end, she opened her eyes and started rehearsing what she would say, how she would present herself. Perhaps she did not need to reveal who she truly was. Could she assume her mother's maiden name? Would they be more likely to accept her if she did?

So lost was she in thought that she startled when they were abruptly jerked to the left, then the right as the horse cart careened from one side of the path to the other.

Violet stiffened and turned to face Rhiannon, her eyes huge in her pale face. Still she remained silent, but Rhiannon read the plea in her gaze.

"I beg your pardon," Rhiannon called to the driver. "Could we please slow down?" Cool wind whipped past Rhiannon's cheeks as the horse cart continued to gain speed.

"Sir, please slow down." Rhiannon released her hold on Violet to slide forward on the wooden seat. She tapped him on the shoulder.

No response.

She shook him gently.

His body slumped sideways. His eyes stared vacantly back at Rhiannon.

Rhiannon gasped. Her throat locked with terror. An arrow protruded from his chest. He was dead.

The horse cart hit another bump, throwing Rhiannon hard against the left side of the cart. Violet shrieked. In the same instant, the reins slipped from the driver's hand, then disappeared over the front of the carriage to dangle freely just above the ground behind the horses' feet.

The horses responded to the lack of restraint, picking up the pace to an even more dangerous speed. They had to slow down or they'd crash and she and Violet would likely be crushed to death.

Rhiannon's heart thundered in her chest. She clutched the wooden cart with white-knuckled force as she surveyed the ridge for whoever had killed their driver.

A lone horseman perched on the trail on the opposite side of the ridge, his long bow raised. A moment later, an arrow quivered in the wood above Rhiannon's hand. She threw herself back into the seat and quickly pulled Violet down into her lap.