“Did you not hear me?” Torin snapped.
Flora placed a clean cloth on Fia’s wounded back, then pulled the blanket over her before she stood and turned to face him. She responded softly, “I could not let her go untended.” He looked at her oddly and his words were even more odd.
“Are you not afraid of the demon?” he asked.
“She is no more a demon than I am,” Flora said, though her uncle certainly would not agree with her.
“What makes you say that?” Torin asked, watching her graceful movements as she gathered items to place in an empty bucket.
He believed she had a fine shape to her from what he could tell, but the apron tied around her slim waist proved she had graceful curves and he unexpectedly grew aroused. He blamed it on having gone too long without a woman since he prided himself on his self-control, not something all men possessed. He had learned that in the throes of battle and after the battle was won, and he had sworn to himself he would never allow himself to become an uncontrolled savage.
Flora shrugged. “It is a sensible conclusion. If she were a demon she would have freed herself by now.”
“Perhaps she is a witch and not a demon, therefore, she would not have the power to free herself,” he said curious by her confidence in her conclusion and her lack of fear.
“Do you know for sure what a witch is and is not capable of doing?” she asked.
“I know of no witch who escaped burning.”
“My point exactly,” Flora said and when Torin looked at her oddly, she wanted to shake her head. Instead, she explained. “Those who burned could not have been witches.”
“That would mean—”
“The men who burnt them were fools,” Flora said and silently berated herself for letting her tongue loose.
“You speak of your uncle since he intends to burn the woman at the stake,” Torin said, silently questioning her remark. Had she really thought that or did the demon have power over her with her being so close to the creature? “That may not happen, though, since the legendary warrior has sent a message that he wants her.”
The name meant nothing to Flora, but Fia gasped, and Torin heard her.
“It seems the prisoner knows of Lord Varrick and wisely fears him. Now come out of there, away from her, and you will not enter that cell again or come down here to the dungeon,” he ordered.
“Go,” Fia urged, knowing now why she was here and who fate had intended her to meet.
“I will return later,” Flora whispered, placing the food and drink Tavia had snuck in with the items she had needed to tend the woman, close enough for Fia to reach.
Fia did not bother to tell her to stay away. Flora had a mind that would pay little heed to advice once she was determined to do something. She did as she wished and with confidence. She also had a mind vast with knowledge that most people would not comprehend. Unfortunately, she did not possess the knowledge required to deal with the warlord Torin.
Flora stepped out of the cell and Torin closed it, then slid the iron bolt that kept it locked. He stepped forward, his hand reaching for Flora’s arm, and she backed away from him. The icy glare he turned on her prickled her skin.
Torin was angry with her reaction. She had taken his arm without complaint when they talked so why avoid his touch now? Or had she been warned to allow him to take her arm? “I am not a man who will force a woman, nor do I want a wife who will simply tolerate my touch. Tell me now if you are such a woman and I will see this arrangement ended.”
Flora felt a tug in the pit of her stomach and was surprised when no answer came quickly. If she did not wed him would she be vulnerable to a marriage with Lord Ivan? Or would Tavia’s husband be able to save her from such a dreadful fate? Finding herself unsure of what to do, she realized she needed to allow the arrangement to stay as it was until she could see if a reasonable solution could be found.
“You are the first man whose touch I know, and I do not find it unpleasant. I know nothing of the intimacy of marriage… but I am willing to learn.” It was a small lie she told. Her mum had been quite liberal with her about intimacy between a man and a woman and she had found it fascinating.
That she found his simple touch pleasant more than pleased Torin. “It pleases me to hear that. It is a good start for a good marriage.” He reached his hand out slowly. “I will carry the bucket for you.