Read Online A Daring Sacrifice by Jody Hedlund - Free Book Online Page A

heavy against my skin, but his fingers at the back of my neck were as soft as the feathers of a baby bird. Working at the clasp, he faltered and brushed the skin where tiny, loose curls had refused submission into the knot Mistress Higgins had wound upward on my head.
    I sucked in a breath at the contact.
    He finished tightening the links, but didn’t immediately pull away. His fingers lingered on the chain with the edges barely grazing my skin. A warm burst of his breath hovered above my neck.
    I held myself still, hardly daring to breathe. What was happening to me? Now that I was dressed as a woman, was I beginning to feel like one too? Perhaps I’d acted the part of a man for so long that I’d forgotten what it was like to even be a woman.
    I nibbled at my lip and then spun away from him, toward the door, toward Mistress Higgins—who still wore a secretive smile, as if she knew more about what was occurring between Collin and me than either of us could understand.
    â€œI’m not sure I should show you off tonight,” Collin said once he’d caught up to me in the hallway. He offered me his arm and the look in his eyes smoldered. “I’d almost rather keep you to myself.”
    I knew I ought to slip my hand into the crook of his arm and accept his gentlemanly offer of assistance, but I pretended not to notice. The merest contact with him was doing funny things to my composure, and if I hoped to survive the evening, I needed to be more careful.
    â€œI’d prefer to stay off to the side, out of the way,” I said as we neared the entrance of the Great Hall. “The less attention I draw to myself, the safer I’ll be.”
    â€œYou don’t really think anyone will recognize you as the Cloaked Bandit, do you?” Collin whispered with a mischievous grin.
    â€œOf course they won’t.” I feigned nonchalance. Even if Collin had figured out who I really was, I wouldn’t admit it, even to him. “They won’t consider such a thing, because it’s absolutely ridiculous and untrue.”
    He laughed. “You’re absolutely fascinating.”
    I didn’t have time to consider what the tone of his voice meant or the look in his eye, before he ushered me into the spacious hall. The other guests were already mingling, laughing, and chattering, and thankfully hardly noticed our entrance.
    The servants bustled about carrying ale and wine, refilling goblets. The minstrels were playing. And rich aromas of roasted fowl, almond pudding, and spiced apple tarts wafted through the air, coming from the hallway that led to the kitchen. My mouth watered at the thought of tasting an apple tart. It had been years since I’d had anything so fine or sweet.
    The long room was like the Great Hall of Wessex Castle, with a vaulted ceiling and oblong stained glass windows providing some light in the fading evening. But the decorations that graced the room were much more elaborate, the tapestries rich and complex, and the colors more vibrant.
    Collin Goodrich was indeed a wealthy man, and his family had always made sure everyone knew their status. His father had been among the neighbors who had turned a blind eye to all that my uncle had done to my father. He’d ignored my father’s plea for help when my uncle had first arrived with his army and pack of lies. Although my father had never said why the Goodriches hadn’t come to our aid, I’d guessed it had to do with the fact that the late Lord Goodrich had held a grudge against my father because he hadn’t agreed to the liaison that Collin’s father had wanted between myself and Collin.
    As we were seated at the front table, Collin carried on a lively stream of conversation with the guests around him and attempted to include me. He even introduced me to his sister, whom I recognized as the lady present in Collin’s hunting party when I’d robbed him earlier in the week.
    I didn’t