Commander Nella

7). Nothing He Can't Handle

"Nella,"Nancy called as she walked back in. "Commander Princeton of the Windsor tribe is here to see you."

Nella dropped her fork and took a sip of wine from her glass. "He's right outside?"

"Yes,"Nancy answered. "I'll clean this up,"she gestured to the table. "You go see to him."

Nella muttered her thanks and went outside. She walked down the stairs with a hand on the hilt of her sword. Yes. A week after the festival and she was back to wearing breeches. First time she wore a dress and look what happened.

Commander Henry Princeton was a very tall man. He had dark brown hair and his dark eyes were unsmiling as they stared ahead at her. Two guards stood diligently to his sides. A third person stood directly behind them and looked nothing like a guard. He had dark hair falling over his forehead like Dominic's and he looked a few years younger than her. And yes, he had clear eyes that reminded her too much of Dominic's. Why was she seeing so much of Dominic in this young stranger?

"Commander Princeton,"she said in a loud voice, standing about two feet away from him. "To what do I owe the honour of this visit? Business? Or pleasure?"

"It is neither business nor pleasure, Commander Brighton,"his voice rang out.

"Then what brings you here?"she asked with a little smile, not in the least bit intimidated by his voice, height or attitude. She knew all the twenty-four other Commanders well. Commander Princeton's bark was worse than his bite. "Surely you're not here to declare a war?"

"I just might,"Princeton said.

Nella's smile dissipated and she folded her arms beneath her breasts. "What is this all about, Henry?"

Henry took a step forward. "You have something of mine and I want it back."

"I'm afraid you must be mistaken, Henry,"she said. "I have nothing of yours on my lands so you might as well take your leave now."

From the corner of her eyes, she could see one of the guards slowly reaching for his sword. With the speed of light, she pulled out her sword and pressed it against his bobbing Adam's apple.

"If you as much as touch that sword, I will separate your head from the rest of your body faster than you can pull your sword out of its sheath. It would do you well to remember that you're on my lands now."

"Enough, Brighton,"Henry said, his eyes on the sword pressed against his guard's neck. "No need to get violent."

Without retracting her sword, she turned to face Henry. "You were the one talking about declaring a war."

"You do have something of mine,"Henry said, bringing his determined gaze to meet hers. "The information I was given was specific and I'm not leaving here without it."

"Then you're going to be here a while,"she said, retrieving her sword and sheathing it. "Commander Princeton, it is an insult for you to stand before me on my lands, in front of my manor and accuse me of theft." She held out her arms. "And what is it, pray tell, that I'm supposed to have stolen? Animals?"

"My son,"was Henry's answer.

Nella was quiet for a while. Then to everyone's surprise, she burst out laughing.

"You know,"she said after her laughing had subsided. "I don't know what I find funnier. The fact that you've been referring to your son as 'it' like he's some object of no importance or the fact that you actually think I stole your son." She shook her head. "I'll be going back in now. If you and your little playmates decide to stay rooted to that spot, then be my guest. And just because I'm nice, I'll have Nancy bring you tea and some biscuits."