Duty: a novel of Rhynan by Rachel Rossano Read Free Book Online

not invincible.’”
    “Was this before or after Orwin entered your
household?”
    I choked on my cheese. Coughing violently, I gasped
for breath. He whacked my back abruptly, jolting the bit free. It
flew into the grass beyond the cloak.
    “Are you alright?” He rubbed my back infusing warmth
and tension with each stroke.
    I nodded, blinking away tears, not all brought on
from choking. “It was after Orwin came to live with us.”
    “Your father was a wise man.”
    “He had no other choice. Orwin became his heir by
law. My mother could bear no more children. She was young enough,
but after seven stillbirths neither of my parents possessed the
heart to try again.”
    “I don’t blame your father, Brielle. He did the best
he could by you. You are a strong, wise woman, a worthy wife for
any man.”
    “I fight, figure numbers, and hunt. I don’t dance or
flirt. I am not a noble’s wife.”
    “I am not a noble.” The tone in his voice sent
shivers along my spine. I didn’t dare glance his way.
    “My lord?” Jarvin’s voice came to my rescue.
    “Yes?”
    “There is a disagreement over the watch rotation and
the men request your guidance.”
    “I will join you in the tent, Brielle.” Irvaine rose
and strode off.
    “Let me clear the meal, my lady, and then I will
guide you to your tent.”
    “Just point me in the right direction.”
    He indicated the tent and cleared away the bowls and
tankards. I waited until he had turned away before beginning the
painful process of gaining my feet. My thighs protested every
movement. With great relief, I crawled into the tent and sank to
the fur covered ground. Pulling the thick blanket over me, I curled
up and fell instantly asleep.
    I dreamed of mother and father before Orwin entered
our lives. Their love caressed me. I woke to dawn lightening the
canvas inches from my face. Warmth from the fire radiated at my
back. Loren must have stoked the fire early . My blanket lay
heavily against my ribs. Shoving it aside, my hand encountered
resistance, not of wool but the weight of a man’s arm.
    Instant full awareness dawned.
    Irvaine shifted. His hand moved to my hip. My fully
clothed hip, I reminded myself. The small fact slowed the panic in
my throat.
    Calm. He won’t hurt you. This is his right.
    His breath stirred the hair on my neck. It tickled.
The regularity and slowness of his respiration reassured me he
still slept. I cautiously rolled over, easing his hand off me as I
turned. Finally free, I contemplated how to extract myself from the
tent without waking him.
    “First call!”
    The crier’s voice startled me so that I brushed
Irvaine’s chest.
    His hand caught mine before I could pull it away.
Powerful fingers gripped my wrist, the pressure painful for only a
second before his eyes focused on my face. Recognition filtered
through their depths. The intensity of his grasp eased.
    “Good morning, wife.”
    “Good morn.” I silently praised the Kurios my voice
didn’t break.
    “Sleep well?” His thumb stroked my inner wrist. An
answering tremor shook my fingers.
    “Aye.”
    He smiled. After placing a lingering kiss in the palm
of my hand, he released it abruptly. “We have a full day ahead.” He
rolled away to reach for his gear.
    “When will we reach Kyrenton? How soon?”
    “Tomorrow. Shortly after noon should we travel at the
same pace as yesterday. Then we shall discover the true state of
our holdings.”
    The closest town, our destination, was the previous
Earl of Irvaine’s seat of power. Before the war and endless death,
he and his sons ruled as quiet neighbors. They remained on their
side of the border stones and we on ours. Only tradesmen passed
between us and a dwindling number of those as Orwin’s abuse
impoverished us. Our village, Wisenvale, struggled to keep mind and
body from starving. We offered little to entice a man selling goods
and services.
    Feudal law kept us from seeking help from them. We
were of Lord Wisten’s domain thus none of