here. Pack your things, my child. I shall return shortly."
After the friar left, Mara turned to face Jacques. "I would like my knife, please."
He raised his brows. "So you can try to kill me again?"
A muffled laugh came from Alains direction. "You didnt tell me about that, Jacques. Did she really try to kill you?"
"Stay out of this, Alain."
She looked down at the floor. "I didnt want to hurt you. I just wanted to be free. Can you not understand that?" She raised her gaze to his. "I will not try to stab you again, I promise. But the knife was my husbands. I would like it as a remembrance."
"Very well, madame. You may have the knife." Jacques walked to his trunk, pulled out the hunting knife, and offered it to her.
"Thank you," she whispered, dropping it in her pouch.
He should have searched the damn thing before they left the cabin, but hed let her distract him with that gown. He grinned ruefully. "Im sorry I never saw you in the blue silk."
Mara glanced at Alain Gauthier, who said nothing but seemed fascinated by their conversation. Jacques made a mental note to straighten him out later.
"As I said, I shall wear it when the French are defeated." Her face was pale but her chin was set, and her eyes shot blue sparks.
But not for me, never for me. He felt a sudden pang in his chest. Could it be regret?
Impossible. One thing was clear. He had to get this woman out of his mind while he still had some sanity left.
When Brother Denys returned with the news that the Bernards had agreed to take her in, she picked up her pack and left without a backward glance.
* * *
"I should never have brought her here," Jacques murmured.
Alain looked up from his shaving. "What other choice did you have?"
Jacques rubbed a hand over his eyes. "None, really. I couldnt let Gray Wolf and Crazy Badger kill her after shooting her husband."
Alain crossed himself.
"I insisted we take prisoners, but Dupré fired first."
Alain clapped him on the shoulder. "You did what you had to, old friend. But from now on, stay at the fort with your cannon. You dont have the stomach for wilderness warfare."
Jacques smiled faintly. "Dont let anyone else know that. I have a reputation to maintain." He turned away to stare into the fire. "Alain, she has such spirit. She ran away from us, into the forest, not even knowing where she was going, and when I found her "
"She tried to stab you."
Jacques chuckled. "In all my life, I have never been as angry as I was that day. I almost left her there to die in the forest, but I didnt want to look weak in front of Gray Wolf. So I dragged her back with me." He glanced at his friend. "She called me a savage."
Alain grinned. "Perceptive as well as beautiful."
Jacques rubbed the sore spot on the back of his neck. "Do you think she will ever stop hating me?"
Alain paused in drying his face with a towel. "What difference would it make? She is not for you, my friend."
Jacques raised an eyebrow.
Alain put down the towel and faced him squarely. "Let me speak frankly. You, my friend, are a bastard. The only reason youre wearing that uniform is because your father pulled the right strings at Versailles and no doubt made a large donation to the royal coffers."
Jacques could not deny it. Hed been surprised himself when his natural father had managed to get him a commission. But when the Comte dArchambault wanted something, no one could stop him.
"There are many who feel you have no right to be an officer," Alain pointed out, "no matter that you were born to be a soldier. You have had to work twice as hard, be twice as competent, and twice as honorable as any other man."
Jacques rubbed his forehead. Oh, hed worked twice as hard, but as for being honorable, that had been a dismal failure. "Give it up, Alain. I have no reputation left in this army, so there is no use in pretending otherwise. Everyone expects me to behave badly. Why should I disappoint them?"
Alain shook his head. "I
After the friar left, Mara turned to face Jacques. "I would like my knife, please."
He raised his brows. "So you can try to kill me again?"
A muffled laugh came from Alains direction. "You didnt tell me about that, Jacques. Did she really try to kill you?"
"Stay out of this, Alain."
She looked down at the floor. "I didnt want to hurt you. I just wanted to be free. Can you not understand that?" She raised her gaze to his. "I will not try to stab you again, I promise. But the knife was my husbands. I would like it as a remembrance."
"Very well, madame. You may have the knife." Jacques walked to his trunk, pulled out the hunting knife, and offered it to her.
"Thank you," she whispered, dropping it in her pouch.
He should have searched the damn thing before they left the cabin, but hed let her distract him with that gown. He grinned ruefully. "Im sorry I never saw you in the blue silk."
Mara glanced at Alain Gauthier, who said nothing but seemed fascinated by their conversation. Jacques made a mental note to straighten him out later.
"As I said, I shall wear it when the French are defeated." Her face was pale but her chin was set, and her eyes shot blue sparks.
But not for me, never for me. He felt a sudden pang in his chest. Could it be regret?
Impossible. One thing was clear. He had to get this woman out of his mind while he still had some sanity left.
When Brother Denys returned with the news that the Bernards had agreed to take her in, she picked up her pack and left without a backward glance.
* * *
"I should never have brought her here," Jacques murmured.
Alain looked up from his shaving. "What other choice did you have?"
Jacques rubbed a hand over his eyes. "None, really. I couldnt let Gray Wolf and Crazy Badger kill her after shooting her husband."
Alain crossed himself.
"I insisted we take prisoners, but Dupré fired first."
Alain clapped him on the shoulder. "You did what you had to, old friend. But from now on, stay at the fort with your cannon. You dont have the stomach for wilderness warfare."
Jacques smiled faintly. "Dont let anyone else know that. I have a reputation to maintain." He turned away to stare into the fire. "Alain, she has such spirit. She ran away from us, into the forest, not even knowing where she was going, and when I found her "
"She tried to stab you."
Jacques chuckled. "In all my life, I have never been as angry as I was that day. I almost left her there to die in the forest, but I didnt want to look weak in front of Gray Wolf. So I dragged her back with me." He glanced at his friend. "She called me a savage."
Alain grinned. "Perceptive as well as beautiful."
Jacques rubbed the sore spot on the back of his neck. "Do you think she will ever stop hating me?"
Alain paused in drying his face with a towel. "What difference would it make? She is not for you, my friend."
Jacques raised an eyebrow.
Alain put down the towel and faced him squarely. "Let me speak frankly. You, my friend, are a bastard. The only reason youre wearing that uniform is because your father pulled the right strings at Versailles and no doubt made a large donation to the royal coffers."
Jacques could not deny it. Hed been surprised himself when his natural father had managed to get him a commission. But when the Comte dArchambault wanted something, no one could stop him.
"There are many who feel you have no right to be an officer," Alain pointed out, "no matter that you were born to be a soldier. You have had to work twice as hard, be twice as competent, and twice as honorable as any other man."
Jacques rubbed his forehead. Oh, hed worked twice as hard, but as for being honorable, that had been a dismal failure. "Give it up, Alain. I have no reputation left in this army, so there is no use in pretending otherwise. Everyone expects me to behave badly. Why should I disappoint them?"
Alain shook his head. "I
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