[I]Near the harbor:[/i]

Paul smiled broadly at Sophia’s suggestion that she come to his room later.  It was not something a lady asked … or a [i]Lady[/i] asked.  But then, Paul was happy to learn that Sophia was neither.

“I have no plans for the immediate time,” he said, boldly moving ahead quickly.  “Perhaps you would be interested in returning to my room now.”

…………..

[I]In the Black Raven Inn:[/i]

Crone was no idiot.  He knew Olivia had been here to meet with Lord Paul, though he couldn’t know whether her intentions had been simply to [i]make nice[/i] with a fellow Noble out of respect, to aid him in a plot to [i]overthrow[/i] her father, or something in between.  At her declaration that she and Darma had been about to return to the Castle, Crone bow politely to Olivia, half turned to gesture toward the tavern’s [i]front[/i] door, then said with feigned respect, “As we seem to be heading the same way, m’lady … my men and I would be pleased to escort you and your maiden back to the Castle.”

While the two of them had been [i]chatting[/i] the men who had arrived with Crone had been making their way inside the tavern, spreading about the floor with swords and bows already in hand … and watchful eyes solidly upon Winston and the others.  These were not mere Guardsmen, though: they were from Count Lars Barker’s personal Body Guard, ruthless men who were not above burning entire villages and slaughtering their populations to get at just a single wanted man hiding within them.

Winston knew the type.  Hell, if it hadn’t been for Paul’s nobility and sense of law and order and for his loyalty to the Duke, Winston himself might have become just such a man.  He looked to Olivia as he grasped the hilt of his own sword.  He was ready to personally kill each and every one of Crone’s men simply with a nod from Lady Olivia.  He glanced about again, counting: inside, Winston’s men outnumbered Crones, now 12 to 7; but outside, the sound of approaching horses told Winston that he was about to be quickly outnumbered 2 to 1.

But he looked to Olivia with a clenching jaw and confident stare, asking softly and knowingly, “M’lady…?”

All she had to do was tell Crone she didn’t want to go with him...