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Reluctant to end the first real physical contact between them, she went with him willingly, hoping the major would soon fall asleep and be much improved by morning.
* * *
Panicked shouts startled Roland awake. Disoriented by the darkness, he became aware of Terric striding to the window.
“The galley’s on fire,” his cousin yelled.
Roland’s gut clenched. “Adrien,” he rasped, flinging the bed linens aside and reaching for his boots beneath the bed.
In minutes, they’d both donned shirts and leggings and were running down to the beach to join a silent crowd.
Roland’s blood ran cold. Flames engulfed the galley. All he and Terric could do was watch it be consumed and sink in the waters of the bay.
He stared hard, his brain refusing to accept Adrien might have died in the conflagration. “Non,” he gasped, falling to his knees.
He heard the baron issuing orders to servants who were distributing blankets to wet, shivering men.
Adrien’s crew.
He shook with the urge to bellow his despair—until a cold hand took hold of his. Feeling he was living a nightmare, he turned to look into Adelina’s soulful brown eyes. She didn’t resist when he gathered her into his arms and clung to her like a shipwreck survivor clings to the only thing keeping hope alive. He might go mad if he let go.
Terric’s voice penetrated the haze fogging his brain. “Roland. Over here.”
Adelina gripped his arm, seemingly determined to stay with him as he ran along the beach to where Adrien lay—soaking wet, gulping air, his hair singed, his face smeared with black streaks—but alive.
Adelina finally let go when Roland fell to his knees and gathered his little brother into his arms. “Dieu! You gave me a scare. What happened?”
“We were asleep when the night watch raised the alarm,” Adrien panted in reply. “But the fire already had a head start. Wasn’t much we could do.”
“The brazier?” Roland asked, though he’d be shocked if the seasoned crew would cause such an accident.
Adrien simply stared at the black waters as if he couldn’t believe his galley was gone.
Assuming his brother was reluctant to lay blame, Roland voiced his main concern. “Did everyone get to safety?”
Adrien shook his head. “All but the madman who set the mast alight.”
In the shelter of Terric’s arms, Adelina gasped.
A terrible suspicion crept into Roland’s heart. “Mandeville?” he asked.
Adrien nodded. “He’d somehow got hold of a torch and made it aboard. He could barely walk, which cost him his life when the flames took hold. I’ll never forget his silent scream.”
Adelina fell to her knees beside him. “This is my fault,” she wailed, her hand on his arm. “Now, you have no way to get home to Normandie.”
