mouth to accept the offering and then closed her eyes as she swallowed the light broth. It was beef broth, and bursting with flavor, the best thing she’d ever tasted . . . which told her just how hungry she was. She’d never been very keen about beef, preferring chicken and pork.
“Actually, I suspect the one who got away would ha’e killed Gavin had ye no’ called out when ye did,” Conran announced as he scooped up more broth, and held it out. “The bandit had already wounded Gavin’s sword arm, and was swinging his sword back, preparing to gut yer cousin, when ye startled us all by calling Gavin’s name.”
“Oh,” Evina murmured with a frown, and then accepted the broth. She hadn’t really noticed that the man was swinging his sword back in preparation of a killing blow. Just that he’d wounded her cousin.
“After that,” Conran continued as he collected more broth with the spoon, “Gavin seemed to regather himself more quickly than the bandit and managed to get his sword back up before the man could strike the killing blow. The fellow just turned and fled then,” he told her solemnly. “Donnan has sent men out to the woods every day to hunt for the one that got away, but so far there has been no sight of him. Or any other bandits, for that matter,” he murmured, concentrating on his task.
“Was Gavin badly hurt?” she asked between spoonfuls.
“Nay. He got lucky. ’Twas a mild wound at best,” he assured her solemnly. “He’s back to practicing in the yard with the other men.”
“Already?” Evina asked with surprise.
Conran nodded. “Donnan is taking it easy on him, but aye.”
“Oh, good,” she murmured, but shook her head when he held out more broth. “I am full.”
Conran glanced down at what remained of the broth, and then smiled slightly as he set the full spoon back in. “Ye did well. There is little left. ’Tis a good sign, I think.”
Evina watched him set the broth back on the side table, but shook her head when he tapped the mead and raised an eyebrow in question.
“No’ right now, thank ye,” she murmured.
Nodding, he left the mead and stood to pace the room. “I am sorry.”
Now that she’d had something to eat and drink, Evina found herself weary, and her eyes had been drifting closed when he spoke. Now they popped open. “What for?”
“For . . . everything,” Conran said wryly after a hesitation.
Evina was silent for a minute as she watched him pace. As promised, he hadn’t mentioned the events in the field, but that was still included in his apology, she knew, and felt sure he deserved whatever guilt he was suffering that had brought out yet another apology. But then she recalled her father’s words about how he’d been good about being kidnapped and such, and she sighed and said, “I should apologize too.”
When he stopped pacing to peer at her with surprise, she pointed out, “I kidnapped ye and brought ye here in the first place.”
“’Twas no’ a kidnapping,” he reminded her with a crooked smile.
Evina smiled despite herself and shook her head. “Aye, it was. Or ‘twould have been if ye’d been conscious and refused to come to help me father. I was that desperate to see him healed.”
Understanding softened his expression, and he shrugged. “But I was no’ conscious. And ye could no’ just leave me there, naked, defenseless and unconscious by the river. So . . . ye were saving me too. Thank ye for that, by the way.”
“I’m the one who knocked ye unconscious,” Evina reminded him with amusement, and when he merely shrugged, she added, “And then there is me father.”
“Hmm. Aye. He was a difficult patient,” Conran commented. “The man is testy, and impatient with being ill now that he’s feeling a little better, but I would hardly blame ye for that.”
“I meant for his trapping us the way he has,” she said with exasperation.
Conran was silent for a moment as he continued to pace, and then he peered at her solemnly. “Did ye ken what he was up to when we rode out?”
“Nay,” Evina assured him quietly. “I only realized what he’d done after Tildy came to fetch ye and said yer brothers were here, and then told me that Da was the only one to send out a message.” Meeting his gaze, she added, “I would no’ have been a party to it had I realized what he was up to ere