Jamie smiled nastily. "The Lady Anne hates your brother. She sneers at him when he does not look, but others see. Today after dinner she struck him."
Zared glared at the boy, knowing that what he said was true, but at the same time hating him for saying what he did. He was a scrawny thing and quite young. She thought she could quite likely beat him to a pulp.
She made a move toward him, but Colbrand put a hand on her shoulder.
"Fighting again?" he asked, bemused.
"I have told him of your intent to marry Lady Anne," Jamie said smugly.
"Ah, yes, the lovely Lady Anne. Her father wants a strong man for her husband."
"Then her father will want a Peregrine," Zared said evenly.
"Then he will have made a good choice in your brother," Colbrand said.
Zared smiled at him. Beautiful, kind, as well as gracious, she thought.
Zared would have answered him, but at that moment Severn came by, angrily grabbed her ear, and pulled her toward their tent. "What are you doing?" she demanded, but he wouldn't answer her.
Once inside the tent he released her. "Where is Smith?"
Zared was rubbing her painful ear. "I do not know. He is my keeper, not I his."
Severn poured himself wine. "I have heard what happened today, that he saved you, and in protecting you he was trampled by a horse."
Zared turned away. "He had his reasons for what he did."
"Aye. He believes himself in love with you."
Zared looked back, wide-eyed. "In love?" she gasped. "With me?"
"You are no more surprised than I, but he looks at you with lovesick eyes just as Rogan looks at Liana." And I vow never to look that way at a woman, he thought.
"Your brain was knocked from your head," she said. "The man cares naught for me."
"He has known always that you are female. He goes to you when you weep at night, and now he has saved your life."
Zared was horrified by the conversation. She had never spoken of love—or any emotion, for that matter—with her brothers. "What would you have of me?" she asked suspiciously.
"I believe Liana means for you to marry the man. She must have sent him here to court you."
"Liana did not—"
"Did not what?"
"Does not mean for me to marry him," she said, unable to tell him any more of the truth. "What matter is it to you who I marry?"
"The man knows weapons. He gave me advice so that I beat Colbrand."
"I see," Zared said coolly. "You want me to marry him so you can have someone to help you beat other men in tournaments."
"To help our family beat the Howards."
"He'll not help you there!" she snapped, then, to cover herself, she attacked. "Why do you not marry to help our family? Are you pushing me to marry because you think you may not get the Lady Anne? I hear she struck you."
Severn's face turned red with anger. "What I do with a woman is not your concern."
"And my life is yours? You cannot get a wife, so you are foisting me on some man you know nothing of?"