Summer wished she could cling to him as they entered the courtyard; the castle rose in towers about them and she felt incredibly small, and grubby, and of low caste. She settled for huddling her hands in her lap, and waiting until Sir Isaac dismounted before she moved at all. She didn’t want anyone else to touch her, though a few helpful stableboys appeared as soon as they crossed the courtyard.
It felt like everyone was staring at her, though surely that couldn’t be the case, and she stuck very close to Sir Isaac when they entered the castle. A tall man, richly dressed, but brooding and dark, emerged almost immediately from one of the rooms. “Welcome home, Isaac,” he called, a smile lightening his expression. He came to clap the knight’s shoulder, and went on, “Where have you been? I expected you two days ago.”
He lowered one hand to rub soothingly at her lower back, hoping that she wouldn’t view the gesture as inappropriate. He wanted to hold her, practically smelling the nerves rise from her, and finally, he slipped off of his horse and cast her an encouraging smile. He opened his mouth to speak before something else caught his attention.
“Derek!” he declared and grinned up at the other male, leaning into the touch as his eyes flashed with amusement. “I didn’t mean to be so late — but I was a little delayed,” he stated and gestured over to where Summer was standing. “She’s made an enemy in Sir Kit.”
Prince Derek’s eyebrow twitched slightly, looking her over. “She did, or you did?” he muttered. “Sir Kit only has one use for women like her — she’s astonishing, Isaac.” The prince circled her, taking in the slight trembling and huddled stance.
“Relax,” he ordered gruffly. “Nobody’s going to touch you here without your permission.”
Summer lifted her head and gave a little nod of acknowledgement, still nervous. She could see, despite the smile, how Sir Isaac would fear and respect this man — his power practically radiated from him. Prince Derek turned back to Sir Isaac. “What were you planning to do when you got back here? I think you’d better tell me the whole story.”