The Protector by Carla Capshaw

Author:Carla Capshaw
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance, Historical
Publisher: Harlequin LIH
Published: 2010-07-20T04:00:00+00:00

The uncertainty of Octavia’s condition caused Adiona’s head to drum with tension. Hope for Octavia’s recovery wrestled with a fear that Adiona might be too late. The need to see her friend became paramount. Quintus’s steady pace frustrated her until she wanted to scream.

Adiona noticed that with each step their horses took, Quintus grew quieter, tenser. Alert and cautious, he sat rigid in his saddle, the reins clenched tight in his fists. His profile was hard and unyielding, as though his chiseled features had been cast in bronze.

“I know this place,” she said when they came to a short row of market stalls selling bread and other dry goods. “We need to go left. We’re almost there.”

She bristled when Quintus looked to David for confirmation before heading in the direction she’d indicated. Typical man!

Two blocks ahead, Adiona recognized the domus Drusus rented from her. The largest residence on the street, the stucco, two-story building was surrounded by a high protective wall and massive front gates. Stripped of the colorful potted flowers and hanging baskets Octavia used to soften the exterior, the stark facade radiated a sense of foreboding.

Adiona’s stomach churned sickly. She feared the worst.

A guard met them at the gate. Quintus explained who they were and offered the scroll Salonius had given Adiona in Rome as proof of their identities. The gate opened. A slave appeared on the front steps, then quickly retreated.

Once inside the courtyard, Quintus dismounted. He helped Adiona do the same. He took her satchel, carrying it for her as she moved swiftly toward the columned portico.

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