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your brother the truth, Roanna. You need not fear you will be mistreated"
    Actually, the thought had not occurred to her. Even brief exposure to Colin was enough to assure her of his honor. However much he might hate the Normans for what they had done to his country, he showed no tendency to take those feelings out on her.
    Unwilling to reveal how much faith she had in him, she muttered, "There are all sorts of ways of mistreating people. You've left me shut up in here for days with nothing to do!"
    The accusation, so sincerely uttered, surprised Colin. The serving women had orders to tell him if Roanna refused to eat or if she showed any signs of becoming ill again. When they said nothing, he presumed that all was going well. But now it seemed she had not enjoyed her leisure.
    "But you had only to ask if you wanted something, and it would have been provided."
    "Would it?" Roanna scorned. "So far I have been offered pretty pieces of needlework, drawing paper, and musical instruments, the refuges of women who have nothing of worth to offer. Meanwhile, I will wager that everyone else on this demesne is working hard to prepare for winter. Do you have any idea how useless I feel?"
    "I don't understand. . . Are you saying you think I should put you to work?"
    "Of course! Anything would be better than sitting around here all day feeling about as lively as an effigy carved on a sarcophagus."
    Colin shook his head, more in bewilderment than rejection. "But you are a lady. I cannot work you like some ordinary prisoner."
    "I am hardly asking to be put out in the fields! I just want something useful to do."
    In her anxiousness to convince him, Roanna sat up straighter in the bed. The sheet slipped slightly, baring her smooth shoulders against which golden curls lay temptingly. Colin stifled a groan. He could think of something extremely useful for her to do, but doubted she would view the suggestion kindly.
    Though she had come a long way since his first impression of her as a weak, fearful woman, he could not yet credit the sincerity of her plea. Suspiciously, he suggested, "This desire to work wouldn't have anything to do with some idea of escape, would it?"
    Shock widened Roanna's eyes. Was he seriously suggesting she didn't understand the etiquette of being a hostage?
    "I am perfectly aware of my position here," she informed him coldly. "You refrain from harming me and in return I don't make trouble. Will your cousin, I wonder, behave as well?"
    "I doubt it," Colin admitted, relenting slightly. "He's never behaved well in his life." "Then why are you trying to free him?" "Because he is my kinsman, sworn to my service. I have no choice but to protect him. But when he gets home . . ."
    Roanna nodded understandingly. "He may wish he was still a captive."
    "It doesn't matter what he wishes," Coin said grimly. "He will pay for his foolishness. There are enough problems with the Normans without provoking more."
    Roanna did not want to talk about the conflicts between their two peoples. Deftly, she turned the subject back to the matter at hand. "Now, about what I can do . . ."
    Colin sighed. "I'm sure your skills are extensive."
    Ignoring the sarcasm, she informed him, "I'm very good at preserving foods, spinning, dying, and weaving. I can read and do accounts and ...."
    His rugged face abruptly brightened. "You do accounts?"
    Apprehensively, Roanna nodded.
    "That's marvelous! I can manage fine with letters, but numbers are always a struggle. More than one good priest gave up on teaching me"
    "I suppose you don't have to do them very often . . ." Roanna ventured, only to have her last hope dashed.
    "They've really piled up. I was dreading having to spend the whole winter on them. But since you're here and want to help . . ."
    "Oh ... yes ... I'd be glad to .... "
    Jumping up, Colin grinned at her, an action which stripped years from him and gave her a startling glimpse of the boy this hard warrior chieftain had once been. "We can get