A polished hand mirror sailed at his head when Royce opened the door to his chamber. A silver plate followed. He spotted Kristen across the room, digging through his coffer for something else to throw.
"You must not be angry, or you would be throwing weapons instead."
"Do not tempt me, Saxon!"
He had kept her locked in his chamber the whole day. She had not eaten. She had spoken to no one. She had lost her temper long ago.
"Why have you confined me?" she demanded.
"I woke this morn to find you gone. I went below to look for you and you were not there, either. I thought you had broken your word."
"You lock me in here for what you thought I did?" she stormed. "But you know I did not break my word, nor will I! So why?"
"What you were doing with the Celt is another matter," he said harshly.
"Is it?" she sneered. "And what am I supposed to have done with him?"
" 'Tis what I want to know, Kristen."
"Then you had best ask him, for I am too furious with you to tell you aught!"
He closed the space between them in a few angry strides. Kristen joined her fists and raised them, daring him to take the last step. He stopped, glowering at her.
"Tell me you have no interest in the man."
"The devil take you!"
"Tell me!"
"I have no interest in him!"
"Then what were you doing outside with him?"
Kristen lowered her fists, her eyes widening. Incredulously, she asked, "Are you jealous, Saxon? Is that why you struck him?"
He glanced at the window, realizing how she would know that. But she could not have understood what he told the Celt. He looked back at her, frowning still.
"What I am is possessive, Kristen. No other man will touch you while you belong to me."
"And when you wed and I am gone from here, I will belong to you no more."
He grabbed her arms and gave her a rough shaking. "You will not leave me, vixen, ever. Now tell me what you were doing with the Celt!"
The anger had gone out of her with the realization that he really was jealous. Jealous of her. What an extraordinary concept that was.
She launched into a few white lies she hoped would appease him. "I did naught, Royce. I could not sleep, so I went for a walk and waited to watch the sunrise. When I noticed I was not alone in the yard, I came back inside. The man followed behind me. He said a few words to me at the door, but I did not understand him. I do not know what he was doing outside. You will have to ask him that. 'Twas probably no more than he was seeking fresh air, as I was."
Less harshly, more as a grumble, he ordered, "I do not want you outside at night, Kristen."
"You had not forbidden it, milord."
"I do now."
"Then the next time I cannot sleep, I will be sure to walk only in the hall so that I wake everyone," she replied sarcastically.
He smiled at last. "You can wake me instead, and I will see you have something to do other than walking."
She would have given him a wicked reply if a timid knock had not sounded on the door just then. Meghan peeked around the door after Royce's terse command to enter.
"Alden said I should tell you anger breeds anger, and violence breeds misery. What does he mean by that, Royce?"
Kristen burst into laughter, seeing Royce's look of surprise. "Oh, clever, that cousin of yours, milord. Did he think you meant to beat me, or that I would have clobbered you?" She laughed even harder when his green eyes stabbed her. "And he sends your sister. . . aye, he is very clever. Come in, sweetling. Your cousin Alden was just playing a silly prank to send you up here, but you are welcome."
Meghan moved to Kristen's side, whispering, "I thought Royce was angry."
"And you came anyway to deliver your message? How brave you really are."
Royce made a snarling noise deep in his throat as he looked away from them. Meghan's eyes rounded alarmingly. Kristen could have kicked him for frightening the child.
"Pay no attention to him, Meghan. He growls like most men growl. It means naught."
"Kristen . . ." Royce began warningly, glancing sharply back at her.
"Shush," she retorted. "I am giving your sister a valuable lesson. You see, sweetling, you do not have to be afraid of men when they are angry. What are they but a little bigger than you?" Meghan's eyes traveled up the length of Royce, and Kristen grinned. "Well, there are a few exceptions. But you take your brother here for an example. He was angry, and so was I. He shouted at me. I shouted back at him. And we both feel better for it now."
"But he is still angry." Meghan hid her face in Kristen's side.
"He is just being churlish, as men are wont to be. Of course, some anger runs much deeper and 'tis best to just stay out of the way of a man who is in a real rage. You will learn in time to judge the difference. But your brother. . . Have you ever seen him hurt a woman?" She gave a silent prayer the answer would be the correct one. It was not.
"He had you whipped."
"He did not know I was a woman then."
"He had you chained and your feet bled."
Kristen sighed. "Did I not tell you that was no more than a scratch, that I did not even feel it? And that was not his fault, sweetling. He had warned me to bind my ankles under the iron bands. 'Twas I who forgot to do it."
"Then, nay," Meghan conceded. "He has hurt no woman."
"Because he is a good, kind man beneath all his bluster. And if he would not hurt a woman, even in his anger, then he certainly would not hurt a child. And you can be even more certain he would not hurt his own sister. You, sweetling, could even get away with this." Kristen stepped over to Royce and kicked him solidly in the shin. "And he would do naught to you."
Royce stood still because Meghan had begun to giggle. He even wiped all emotion from his features while she still looked at him.
"You really would not hurt me, Royce?"
He smiled at her. "Nay, midget, never."
She ran forward to hug his waist. Then she did the same to Kristen
With a grin, Meghan said, "Thank you, Kristen," before she ran out of the room.
"I thank you, too," Royce said from behind her. "I could never make her understand she should not fear me. But as for that kick, vixen . . ."
His arm went around her waist to lift her off her feet. He carried her to the bed, where he maneuvered her face-down across his lap.
"Royce, nay!" She could not believe he would. "I was only proving a point!"
"You could have proved it another way, wench. And until the pain goes away on my shin, you will feel some yourself on your backside."
Kristen ate her meal that night standing up. But she carried a secret smile on her lips. She might have gotten herself spanked for daring too much, but her Saxon had also made up for it afterward.