The Prize by Julie Garwood Read Free Book Online Page A

by the king of Norway and his soldiers. We Normans weren't even there." He took a step closer to her. "And so, whether you wish it to be so or not, I couldn't have injured your brother."
    "I didn't wish it," she blurted out.
    Royce didn't know what to say to that. He considered himself an excellent judge of his opponent's reactions. Yet now he doubted his own ability. God's truth, she looked relieved. That didn't make any sense to him at all. Why would it matter to her if he had or hadn't injured her brother?
    "You look relieved."
    She nodded. "I am… pleased to know it wasn't you," she admitted. She turned her gaze to the floor. "And I apologize to you for jumping to the wrong conclusion."
    He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. "You what?"
    "I apologize," she muttered.
    He shook his head, trying to clear it of this illogical conversation.
    "If it had been you, I would have had to retaliate, wouldn't I? I'm all Justin has left, Baron. It has become my duty to protect him."
    "You're a woman."
    "I'm his sister."
    Nicholaa rubbed her arms, for it seemed that the room had suddenly become frigid. God, she was tired. She'd been cold for so long, and so exhausted she could barely form a coherent thought.
    "I don't like this war," she whispered. "Men do, though, don't they? They like to fight."
    "Some do," he acknowledged, his voice brusque in reaction to his sudden urge to take Nicholaa into his arms. Lord, she looked fragile. He could only imagine the hell she'd been through since the invasion. He found it admirable that she would try to protect her brother, even though it was quite ridiculous for her to think she could.
    From the whispers he'd heard about her, he realized he shouldn't have expected less. "Do you know, Nicholaa, that you've become a legend among the Norman soldiers?"
    That announcement gained her full attention and caught her curiosity. "Only the dead become legends," she countered. "Not the living."
    "If that's true, you're an exception," he said. "You did lead the defense against the first three challengers Duke William sent to secure your holding, didn't you?"
    She shrugged. "Your leader sent children to try to steal my home. I merely sent them back."
    "Even so," he argued, "there—"
    She interrupted him. "My brother's soldiers were under my direction, yes, but only after the first-in-command was forced to leave."
    "Who is this soldier and where is he now?"
    "His name is John," she answered, "and he left for the north." She folded her arms in front of her and turned to look down at her brother. "You'll never catch him. He's far too clever for the likes of you."
    "He sounds like a coward. He left you unprotected."
    "I ordered him to leave. John isn't a coward. Besides, I can take care of myself, Baron. I can even get away from tiresome Normans when I want to."
    He ignored that barb. "A Norman would never have left a woman in charge."
    She shook her head. She knew she couldn't defend John now. In her heart, she thought her brother's loyal vassal was one of the most courageous men she'd ever known. Against terrible odds, he had brought little Ulric to her. Her brother Thurston had ordered John to deliver his son to Nicholaa for safekeeping until the war was finished. James, the Saxon traitor, would have no knowledge about the baby, and neither, Nicholaa reasoned, would the Normans. It was a pity that Nicholaa couldn't boast of John's courage now. Little Ulric's safety came first. As far as the Normans were concerned, Ulric was simply the child of one of the servants.
    Royce watched the play of emotions cross her face and wondered what thoughts were going through her mind. He didn't like the way she defended the soldier who'd left her to survive on her own with but a small contingent of men to offer protection, but he decided to put that topic aside for now.
    "You showed cleverness when you disguised yourself as a nun. My soldiers were taken in."
    She noticed he hadn't included himself in that admission. Did he