Aline would have pressed Duncan for more information, but the peace was broken by the return of Sir Hugh.
He strode into the camp and inspected the horses, pausing to stroke Bayliss’s soft nose and scratch the carthorse behind the ears. His hair was damp with sweat and he held his jerkin under one arm; his tunic was unlaced at the neck. He had obviously been walking hard.
Determinedly ignoring Aline and the men, he walked to the fire and prodded a couple of stray branches back with his foot. He took the lid off the cooking pot and sniffed the contents, then gave them a stir. Seemingly satisfied, he found himself a cup from the cart and finally joined the three by the rock. His face was stern as he held his cup out to Jack, who filled it.
Eventually he looked at Aline and spoke. ‘I see you aren’t wearing your new dress,’ he remarked, raising his eyebrow.
The statement was so unexpected that Aline burst out laughing. She shook her head, ‘No, Sir Hugh, I am not.’
At the mention of his title the Captain looked sharply at Jack, who paled, then at Duncan, who merely shrugged.
‘Jack, I should have brought your old mother instead of you. She’d have kept a confidence longer,’ Sir Hugh remarked sternly, though Aline saw an unexpected glint of humour in his eye. Sir Hugh’s gaze travelled to the folded dress. ‘I would have chosen green,’ he said, half under his breath.
He refilled his cup and held out the bottle to Aline, who declined.
‘Jack, you’ve got a kind heart but a soft head. Fortunately it seems your gift-buying did not attract any suspicion so we can sleep easily tonight.’ He turned his attention to Aline, his clear blue eyes regarding her carefully. ‘I know that is no consolation to you, Lady Aline. I’m sure you would much rather a rescue party was heading this way. But if you give me your word you won’t try to leave I will allow you to sleep unchained tonight. Can I trust you?’
Aline nodded and Sir Hugh smiled, his blue eyes crinkling. He walked to the cart and withdrew the crossbow from the rack underneath.
‘For the wolves, my lady,’ he explained. ‘They won’t often approach travellers this low down, but I saw their tracks and it’s best to be prepared.’
Feeling uneasy, Aline drew a blanket around her and watched the fire until the sky turned black.
* * *
Aline woke with the sun on her face and stretched drowsily, enjoying the warmth, not quite remembering where she was until the sound of voices dragged her back to reality.
Sir Hugh wandered over with a smile.
‘I hope you’re a good walker. Once we get high the cart will need to be as light as possible and we’ll be on foot. Today we cross the mountains and enter my lands.’
‘Your lands or the Duke’s, my lord?’ Aline asked, raising her eyebrow archly. It was the sort of barbed quip she might make to Godfrey, but the flash of hurt and anger that crossed Sir Hugh’s face made her regret it instantly.
‘No... I’m sorry, I didn’t mean...’ she began, but he turned and walked off without a word.
‘That was unkind, Lady Aline,’ Duncan said reprovingly.
He was sitting by the cart and Aline had not noticed his presence. Her cheeks flamed as she stared after the departing Captain, shame at her words flooding over her. He had been friendly, and for no good reason she had rebuffed his attempts.
Duncan came to stand by her side. ‘I know you’d not think it, given the way you’ve met him, but he’s an honourable man and plays the hand he’s been dealt as best he can,’ he said. ‘In fact, my advice is that you’ll have an easier time in the citadel with him on your side.’
The thought of everything that implied hit Aline like a fist to the chest. ‘I didn’t ask for advice, Duncan,’ Aline said sharply, biting down the fear, ‘and I don’t need anyone to protect me.’
Duncan folded his arms and stared at her. ‘The advice was freely given, my lady, and don’t be foolish— everyone needs allies.’
Aline stared at the Captain, now pacing back and forth next to the cart like a restless animal. His dark hair was swept back off his face and three days’ growth of beard lent him a rakish air. His expression was belligerent and his reaction stung her unreasonably. So what if his smile caused her throat to tighten? He was rude, bad-tempered and seemed to have no awareness of how to behave towards a lady.
‘Trust him? I doubt it very much!’ she muttered under her breath, wrapping her arms tightly about herself.
By late morning they’d reached the foot of the low mountains that acted as a natural border between the provinces. The road became a steep uneven track, which made for slow progress. As Sir Hugh had predicted, the single carthorse struggled to pull the cart, and the other two were hitched to the front to help, Sir Hugh muttering about how such a task was beneath Bayliss. The travellers loaded themselves up with as much baggage as they could carry and pressed on.
Aline walked between Jack and Sir Hugh, determined to keep up with the pace the men were marching at. Her dress caused her to stumble on more than one occasion, which added to her misery.
‘Lady Aline—wait.’
Aline was lost in thoughts of home, and the voice made her jump. Sir Hugh had not addressed her directly since her joke had misfired. He was still clearly offended as he had spurned all her attempts to make conversation.
‘Let me,’ he said.
He lifted the pack Aline had been carrying and hefted it with ease onto his back, along with his own.
Aline started to speak, but he cut her off curtly. ‘Don’t thank me. I want to reach our destination before midnight and we won’t if you hold us up.’
He strode on ahead, leaving her standing.
‘I wasn’t going to thank you,’ Aline called after him. ‘I was going to tell you not to treat me as though I am incapable!’
He turned back to look at her and cocked his head. ‘Then we can all walk faster, my lady.’
His lips curled into a smile and Aline could not tell if it was mocking or not. She stalked past him with her head high and a flounce of her skirts. After that Aline caught him looking at her more than once with something in his expression that she could not identify.
The temperature increased hourly. They’d reached the high point by mid-afternoon, but as they began their descent down through the pass it became uncomfortably hot. The travellers were all irritable and bickering at the slightest provocation when they came upon a tarn, deep and clear, set into an outcrop on the hill. The pool looked so invitingly cool that Aline longed to dive in.
Clearly Aline was not the only one who found the water calling to her, because with Sir Hugh’s consent the men stripped off their shirts and boots and plunged into the water. Aline stood by the cart, enviously watching.
Duncan waded to Sir Hugh. The men had a brief exchange, then Duncan climbed onto the bank and escorted Aline down to the water, suggesting she swim, too. She had a brief internal battle about the appropriateness of undressing in front of her captors and almost refused.
‘We’ll close our eyes while you get in!’ Jack yelled good-heartedly.
Aline laughed, her resolve wavering. She glanced at Sir Hugh, but he had turned away and was wading to the middle of the lake in confident strides. In the end the overpowering heat and the need to wash away the grime of the past three days won out over modesty. She discarded her boots and thick stockings and then, turning her back on the swimmers, unlaced her bodice and slipped out of the torn and filthy dress. She quickly waded into the shallows in her undershift.
Ah, the water was wonderful! Revelling in the sensation of the cool water around her body, she unwound her hair from its braid. Closing