‘I only learned yesterday that she was alive,’ Isabel said. ‘I knew this was my only chance to see her. You know as well as I do that it will be a long time before Hodge ever lets me leave Hampstead Keep again.’

The muscles in his face relaxed. ‘You need to go somewhere else. Hodge will most certainly come here looking for you.’

Ignoring his earlier warning, she reached for his arm again. ‘Come with us. Your horses must be exhausted, and soon you will lose light. We can make camp somewhere.’ She hesitated before continuing. ‘And in the morning, I will return with you and explain to Hodge that I foolishly went for a ride and got myself lost.’

His eyes moved between hers. ‘So you plan to return to him?’

She lifted her shoulders in a resigned shrug. ‘My family remains at Hampstead Keep. My circumstances have not changed.’

He really only had two choices at that point: stay and ensure she got safely back to the camp, or go ahead without her and hope Ita was up to the task. He looked over at Hadewaye, who was watching them with a slightly amused expression. ‘Fetch the horses.’

‘Is Lady Isabel coming with us?’ the defender asked.

Blackmane’s gaze returned to her. ‘She’ll return with us in the morning. We need to find somewhere safe to make camp tonight.’

Isabel smiled up at him victoriously while Hadewaye went to fetch the horses.

‘Do you mean all together?’ Ita asked.

The man with the scar on his face shook his head. ‘I’m not sleeping next to defenders.’

The woman on the horse next to his frowned. ‘I don’t think he meant side by side.’

‘Safety in numbers’ was Isabel’s reply.

The St Clare people looked suitably wary.

‘We’re going to need to hunt,’ Blackmane said. ‘Or go hungry.’

‘Oh, you can leave that to me,’ Isabel said, raising an arm into the air and looking around.

Blackmane blinked, confused. ‘What are you doing?’

‘Waiting for Margery. She is far more efficient at hunting than any of us.’

He looked to Ita to gauge if she was serious. ‘The eagle’s going to hunt for us?’

‘Assuming she is… ah, there she is.’ Margery appeared overhead, circling a few times before coming to land on Isabel. ‘How do you feel about catching us a couple hares? Go hunt.’

As though comprehending the request, the eagle took flight.

‘Dinner is on its way, defender.’

Ita and the others were talking in a hushed voice and looking in his direction.

Hadewaye returned with their horses, handing the reins of his mare to Blackmane. ‘You sure about this?’

‘No’ was his reply. ‘Let’s go.’

The group travelled around four miles to a dense section of forest, then lit two separate campfires. Margery returned with not one but two hares, dropping the corpses at Isabel’s feet like a dog. Hadewaye and Blackmane went to skin and clean the hares while the two women got reacquainted.