her.
He growled in her ear, shaking her once. “Milady, calm yerself and think of where we are. I have been traveling for many an hour while ye slept. My little cart would not call the attention of thieves, but a screaming woman in fine garments will.”
Marianne tensed and ceased to struggle. William’s anger with her when she rode so near the forest without protection came to mind.
She was on a deserted road in the dark. Should they be attacked, no one could save them.
Robert took her silence as surrender and put her back on her feet. He kept his hands firmly on her arms when he brought her back, though he did not release her until reaching the cart.
He threw her down on the old wood. Marianne saved herself from having the wind knocked out of her by throwing her hands out when she landed.
He stood over her and reached above her head. He pulled out a long stretch of thin rope from the space where he once sat. “Few men know of this road, milady. The ones that do are not to be trifled with. I suggest you keep your voice low lest we are heard.”
Marianne scrambled away from him, eyeing the road at all angles in search of any murderers that might happen to be lurking nearby.
Robert reached out and captured her wrists in both his hands. Marianne struggled, anger taking hold that he could handle her in this manner, but his strength surpassed hers.
“Cease your struggles.” He hissed, slamming her wrists against the wooden boards.
Marianne yelped but he paid no mind as he looped the rope around her hands and tied them in a complicated knot to the cart.
He took the horse blanket, shook it, and gently covered her shoulders with it.
Her mouth dropped. “You are certainly attentive considering your treatment of me earlier.”
He grinned and took his seat at the head of the cart, urging the horse forward.
Marianne bristled at being ignored. “William will find you, and when he does you will lose more than two fingers this time.”
He looked back at her, smirking, the horse still moving ahead. “Told ye that story, did he?”
Since William was not there to be insulted for his lack of sympathy, she was insulted for him. “Aye, he did, you horrible creature!”
She wanted to throw the blanket off her shoulders. Let him see that she did not need his kindness, but the sharp cold had her holding it close. She hated him all the more for it.
Robert chuckled again, whipping the horse to quicken its step. “He will not catch me until ‘tis too late. You sent Archer on his way, something I had not planned. That sickly squire is dead, he cannot say ‘twas I who attacked. And Lord Gray will search the entire castle for ye before thinking to search outside.”
Marianne tensed. He watched outside the stables while she sent Archer to his wife and child. Marianne remembered the prickle of spider legs against the back of her neck, following her for days. “‘Twas you all along watching me.”
He nodded. “Aye.”
“Why do such a thing? What harm have I or William ever caused you?”
Robert did not laugh this time, his jaw tightened. “If you bare Lord Gray a son, he will have no more use for Blaise.”
“Blaise?” Marianne could not help her genuine confusion. “You speak as though William keeps Blaise for the amusement of it. Blaise is his son.”
Robert whipped around to glare. “Nay, milady, Blaise is my son. And when Lord Gray has no more use for him he’ll be sent off, and who will care for me?”
“Care for you?” Now Marianne felt offended for Blaise and fearful for herself. For the first time she was glad she kept her possible pregnancy to herself.
Had it been announced she would surely be dead right now. “You are not doing this for Blaise, you are doing it for yourself. What can you hope to accomplish? If you wished to kill me you should have done it. Now you will be caught and William will see to it that you can never care even for yourself.”
“You are mistaken, milady. Despite your opinions of the lowly servants, I am incapable of truly harming an innocent creature,”
Marianne felt the red sore on her neck twitch and recalled how he threw her so carelessly into the cart. What was his idea of harming a creature?
Robert continued speaking, unaware of her thoughts. “If you stay, Lord Gray would soon have his heir and