The Duke left Eisen and the other men behind to clean up the mess that the bishop had caused. Most of the mercenary-farmers had surrendered themselves in the wake of Fraiser’s gruesome death. A few had escaped into the woods and would need to be chased down. Darius was long gone. Liam would have stayed to oversee the round-up, but Willow made it clear that she was leaving with-or-without him, and he wasn’t about to let her out of his sight.
He tightened up Plod’s girth and helped her into the saddle. She settled herself and picked up the reins with a determined look. He put his hand over hers and halted her for a moment. He looked up into her eyes with a tortured expression. “Willow... what would you have done if he had given you the vial?” He swallowed with difficulty
