Page 50 of Defy the Highlander

But she didn’t think so.

She stood there a moment as Brody disappeared through the gate, feeling tremendous joy and tremendous sadness. She was walking on air and felt like crumpling in tears, all at the same time.

He loved her.

But the Ludus Caledonia had him.

Taking a deep breath to steady her composure, she headed back into the crowd, on the hunt for Lady Currie.

*

Clouds rolled in before the bouts could begin and by the time they started, a dusting of snow was beginning to fall.

Since the Ludus Caledonia ran their gambling entertainment all year round, they weren’t worried about a light snowfall. The games went on, rain or shine. In fact, much of the snow was melting as soon as it hit the ground, which made for slippery conditions for the men in the arena.

The games began with an announcement and the roar of the crowd. It was a bloodthirsty lot who thrived on the thrill of one man injuring another and the sport of an excellent conquest. The cheering was going on all around Lilia as she sat with Lady Currie and Amy in the very first row of the arena, off to the left side where men entered from the staging area.

That gave Lady Currie a firsthand look at all of the men coming into the arena and she had her pick. She didn’t cheer when they entered but watched with the intensity of a hunter spying prey.

She was also intensely jealous of the other women who had come for the exact same purpose. There was a sense of urgency about her, to get to the most handsome men first, so she made sure to sit right by the entrance to the arena so she could see them first.

The fights began.

The initial bout was a disappointment because neither man was handsome. As Lady Currie commented, they both looked like old goats. One was more advanced than the other and he ended up breaking the arm of his opponent. The fight was over quickly.

The second bout saw a man who was a potential prospect. He was tall, sinewy, and blond, and she eyed him with great interest as he fought bravely against a man who was trying to take out his legs. The blond man deftly avoided his opponent’s clumsy attempts and finally ended up putting the man in a chokehold and causing him to faint. Once the opponent fell to the ground, the fight was over, but Lady Currie was still looking at the blond warrior.

“What’s his name?” she asked Lilia.

Lilia leaned into her. “I believe they called him Warenne, m’lady.”

“Warenne,” Lady Currie repeated slowly. “Very nice. We must remember him.”

Lilia nodded, making a mental note. Often, Lady Currie had four or five men she wanted to look over, so Lilia was responsible for helping her remember exactly whom she wanted to see. As Lady Currie muttered something to Amy, several servants ran onto the arena floor and raked up the dirt, smoothing it over for the next bout.

Lilia was looking at the crowd and at a mother and two daughters who always came to the Ludus Caledonia to pick over the men just as Lady Currie did. They were always richly dressed, with lots of jewels, and they came with guards.

But they were also unattractive and heavily rouged. At least Lady Currie was pretty. One of the daughters caught sight of Lilia looking at them and she stuck her tongue out belligerently. Since Lilia wasn’t going to back down from a painted moppet, she stuck her tongue out at her, too. They were engaging in the mutual exchange of silent insults when the next two combatants were brought out.

The roar of the crowd distracted Lilia. She turned with disinterest to the field only to see Brody emerge with another man.

Her heart immediately went into her throat.

My God, she thought. He’s fighting!

Brody had a wooden shield and a sword of shiny steel, and he moved out into the arena, his gaze moving out over the top of the lists. Lilia was certain he was looking for her but she didn’t want to do anything that might catch his attention. Somehow, she didn’t think it would go well for her if he acknowledged her, so she prayed he had sense enough to realize that. She’d told him before that Lady Currie was jealous and she had no idea what her lady would think if she knew that Lilia knew one of the men on the arena floor.

More than knew him.

Loved him.

Aye, she could admit it. She wasn’t sure when she started loving him, but she knew she did. It seemed as if she always had. He was everything she never thought she would have and here he was, serving in a fight guild to make enough money to pay off her father’s debt.

He was doing it for her.

“Look at him, Lilia,” Lady Currie said, interrupting her thoughts. She was pointing at Brody. “I’ve not seen him here before. He must be new.”

Lilia’s heart sank. She sighed faintly, feeling the sickening certainty that her mistress had spied Brody. Of course the woman would have; he was tall and strong and handsome. Why wouldn’t she notice him?