Beloved in His Eyes (Angel's Assassin #2)(27)

A picnic. Where would they go for a picnic? She stopped. They had taken guards with them; surely the Acquitaine soldiers would be able to protect them from the Hungars. It would do her no good to panic. She had to remain calm. She continued moving forward, trusting her instincts, trusting what her father had taught her.



Aurora led the way through the forest. Bright sunlight shone through the leaves, creating a pattern on the forest floor. She was followed by her cousin, Megan, and the rest of the ladies, as well as the guards. She had decided to walk so they would not be far from the castle. She had even changed her mind about going to the Falls, the distant, beautiful water fall, and chosen McGregan Clearing. It wasn’t as beautiful, but it was closer to the castle and an ideal place for a picnic. Damien would be proud of her for her wise choice.

They emerged into a clearing, bordered by trees on all sides. It was large and sunny.

“It’s so beautiful,” Megan said, reverently touching the glittering scarf Aurora wore about her neck.

Aurora turned and saw she was staring at the cloth Damien had given her. She removed the cloth from her neck and handed it to her. “Why don’t you wear it today?”

“Oh no! Aurora, I couldn’t!” Megan exclaimed, holding up her hands in denial.

“Please,” Aurora said. “I insist.”

“I’ll tie it around your head,” Lady Cathleen, one of the nobles accompanying them, said. She wore a beautiful green velvet dress and had her dark hair coiled up around her ears. She took the scarf.

Megan turned and presented her back to Lady Cathleen. Lady Cathleen tied the glimmering transparent scarf about Megan’s golden locks.

Aurora watched as the other ladies cooed over Megan. She was enjoying Megan’s happiness. She knew her cousin was anxious about her coming marriage. Not all women were as lucky as her to be able to pick the man they would marry.

Megan turned to her and threw her arms around her. “Thank you, Aurora!”

Aurora embraced her, holding her tightly. “It looks lovely.”

“Lady Aurora!”

Aurora turned to see the boy, Adam, racing toward her across the clearing. Her ladies giggled and whispered to each other. Aurora stepped toward the child, approaching him. “What are you doing here?”

Adam was out of breath but beaming with excitement. “You invited me to your picnic!”

“Your sister changed her mind?” Aurora asked hopefully.

Adam dipped his head. “Yes!”

There was something in the way he said it that she didn’t believe. “Adam,” she said softly. “Did she really change her mind?”

His shoulders drooped. “No.” He looked up at her and his brown eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry, Lady Aurora. I should have listened. But I wanted to come with you. I wanted --”

She lay a gentle hand on his shoulder while she glanced at her cousin. “Megan,” she called. “Go and set up the picnic. The ladies will help you.”

Megan turned and led the way into the clearing, her glittering scarf sparkling in the afternoon sun. The ladies followed her; the soldiers followed them at a discreet distance.

Aurora didn’t want the other women to see Adam’s anguish. It wasn’t right. She looked back at Adam. “What you did was wrong, you must know that.”

“Aye,” he said, sniffling, and rubbing his nose.

“Your sister must have had a very important reason for denying your attendance at the picnic.”

He puffed out his lower lip. “She wanted to go home.”

“Then you should have listened to her.”

Adam bobbed his head and his brow furrowed. “She’s mad at me now,” he whispered. “She probably never wants to see me again.”

Aurora dropped to her knees before Adam, placing her hands on his shoulders. “That’s not true. She loves you. She only wants what’s best for you. Imagine how hard it must be on her. To take all that responsibility for you, and for her, on her own shoulders.”

“I try to help her.” Adam looked down at the ground.

“I know you do.” She pulled Adam into her embrace, hugging him tightly. Poor child. He and his sister were arguing, and she wished she could do something to help the both of them, but Justina seemed not to want her help.

Suddenly, a large group of birds exploded from the trees on the other side of the clearing. Aurora turned her head. They rose like a black blanket into the sky. Silence settled across the clearing. The guards and the ladies all paused and looked toward the birds.

One of the guards said something and motioned back toward the forest. No one moved at first.

Aurora rose slowly to her feet. Unease spread through her like a drip of water. The silence that spread through the clearing was eerie.

One of her ladies, Lady Elaine, took one step back toward the forest.

Horses exploded through the trees, racing across the clearing toward them. The men on the horses were screaming, swords raised in the air, reflecting sunlight in their polished silver. Their long hair rippled behind them, their bodies covered with animal pelts.

Hungars!

The guards drew their swords, but Aurora knew they would be no match for the men on horses. Some of her ladies screamed; all of them turned and ran toward the forest, leaving the picnic blankets and most of the baskets on the ground. Lady Cathleen still carried one of the baskets as she ran toward the forest.