The Taming (Peregrine 1)

Liana had no time to bless her good luck at having brought him back. “I fell,” she explained. “I was chasing you and I fell.”

“Oh,” he said, uninterested, as he put his sword back under his rough garment.

He stood there looking as if he had no idea of what to do next. “Carry me to the water, slave,” Liana commanded, holding out her hand in an arrogant way. When he didn’t move, she said, “Please.”

Bending, he picked her up in his arms and walked her to the stream. She put her arms around his neck and nuzzled against him. “Was Jeanne pretty?” she asked.

He dropped her into the ice-cold water.

Sputtering, Liana came up for air. Rogan was already walking away again. “You’re the worst slave there ever was!” she called after him. “You’re going to forfeit the wager.”

As she stood up in the water, he came back to her and by the look on his face Liana almost wished he hadn’t.

“I’ll forfeit no wager to you, woman,” he said in a low growl. “There are some things in my life that are no one else’s business and…and…”

“Jeanne Howard,” she said. Her teeth were beginning to chatter.

“Yes, that woman has caused the deaths of—”

“Basil and James,” she supplied.

He stopped and glared at her. “Do you make light of me?” he whispered.

Her eyes were pleading with him. “Rogan, I’ve never meant to make light of something as awful as death. I was merely asking my husband about his first wife. Every woman is curious about the other women in her husband’s life. I’ve just heard so much about Jeanne and—”

“Who told you?”

“The Lady.” When Rogan obviously didn’t know who she meant, she said, “I believe she’s Severn’s lady, although she’s somewhat older than he is.”

Rogan’s face lost its hard look. “I wouldn’t dare remind Iolanthe that she’s older than Severn if I were you.” He paused. “Io told you about…”

He didn’t seem able to say his first wife’s name, and this bothered Liana. Was he still so much in love with her? “I’ve never met Iolanthe, but the Lady mentioned her. Rogan, I’m freezing. Couldn’t we talk over there? In the sun?”

Twice he’d walked away from her when she’d mentioned that woman’s name and both times he’d returned, and now he was considering remaining with her to “talk.” He grabbed Liana’s hand and pulled her from the stream.

When they were in the sun, he folded his arms across his chest and set his jaw. He was never, ever again in his life going to agree to spend a day with a woman—especially not this one. She had a talent for picking at his sorest spots. “What is it you want to know?” he asked.

“Was she pretty? Were you very much in love with her? Is she the reason the castle was so dirty? Did you vow to never love another woman because she hurt you so? Why would she want Oliver Howard instead of you? What’s he like? Did she make you laugh? Is it because of Jeanne that you never smile? Do you think I can ever replace her in your heart?”

When the questions at last stopped, Rogan just stood there looking at Liana. His arms were at his sides and his mouth was open a bit in astonishment.

“Well?” Liana said, encouraging him. “Is she? Was she? Tell me!”

Rogan wasn’t sure what he’d expected from her when he’d asked her what she wanted to know, but these frivolous, unimportant, lovesick questions were not it. His eyes began to twinkle. “Beautiful?” he said. “The moon was afraid to come up over Moray Castle because it couldn’t compete with the beauty of…of…”

“Jeanne,” Liana said thoughtfully. “Then, she was much prettier than me?”

He couldn’t believe she was taking this seriously. Truthfully, he didn’t remember what his former wife looked like. It had been so many years since he’d seen her. “Much,” he said in mock seriousness. “She was so beautiful that…” He searched for a comparison. “…that charging war horses would halt before her and eat from her hand.”

“Oh,” Liana said, and sat down on a rock, her wet clothes making squishing noises. “Oh.”

Rogan gave the top of her bowed head a look of disgust. “She could never wear pretty clothes because if she did, she hurt men’s eyes. She had to wear peasants’ clothes all the time just to keep from blinding people. If she rode into the village, she had to wear a mask or otherwise men would throw themselves under her horse’s hooves. Diamonds looked dull next to—”

Liana’s head came up. “You’re teasing me.” There was hope in her voice. “What did she really look like?”

“I don’t remember. She was young. Brown hair, I think.”

Liana realized that this last was the truth, that he didn’t remember much about Jeanne’s looks. “How can you forget someone you loved so much?”