will be fine here.”
His gaze held hers. “Would you come with me?”
Her breath caught. “I would.”
He smiled then, pulling on his leggings. He buckled on his scabbard, sliding the sword in place.
A nervous tremor ran through her, and she fought to rein it in. “Where are we going?”
He turned back to face her. His eyes held a mix of emotions, and she could not quite name them.
“I think it is time I headed home.”
Chapter 5
Mary was impressed; clearly Erik’s time in the Holy Land had taught him the value of efficiency. He had them packed and through the outer gates in less than a half hour. They would not be able to make it all the way to the keep before night fell, not with her injured leg, but they could at least get close. Then it would only be a short walk the following morning before they were safely behind the walls.
Mary gave her head a shake at the thought, drawing in a deep breath to forestall the rising tremor in her heart. She had planned for this as one possible outcome, and the keep’s staff would know what to do. They would claim the lady of the house was ill and could not be seen. It would give Mary a window of time to observe Erik in his home, to see how he acted, how he treated the men around him.
Mary winced. The burden of lying would mount on her shoulders, pressing down on her, until she became unable to –
Erik pulled to a stop at her side, looking down at her with concern. “What is it, Mary? Is it your leg?”
Mary looked down, keeping her gaze away from his insightful stare, running a hand along the bandaging. The leg was throbbing, it was true, but it came nowhere close to the turmoil that was gnarling in her heart. It was not natural to her, this deceit. Every ounce of her being called on her to simply reveal the truth, to explain the situation and hope he would understand.
She let out a long breath. “I will be fine,” she murmured.
He held his eyes on her for a long moment, as if trying to gauge her stamina, then he nodded. He slid an arm around her waist, gently supporting her, and they set in motion again along the narrow deer track. The woods were oak and maple, leafless in the winter chill, with dappled light sending golden streaks down between the bare branches. Her cloak was well crafted, keeping a layer of heat against her body, but the tip of her nose tingled with the cold.
They came up to a large, misshapen boulder of icy grey granite, and Erik turned left. “Ten years, and I know these woods as if I played in them yesterday,” he mused, half to himself. “This was my world. I thought I would live here forever, would raise my children and my children’s children ...”
Mary kept her gaze lowered, holding back a wry smile. At that same intersection she would have turned right, not left. Five years ago Erik’s mother had built a wooden bridge across the stream, creating an easier route through this pass. Erik was heading the long way ‘round, toward a natural ford. Erik had no way of knowing about the change, and given her current restrictions she had no choice but to follow silently at his side.
Her foot hooked on a root and she stumbled, cursing under her breath. Erik knelt at her side, his face creased with worry. “If there is somewhere you would rather go, I would do all in my power to get you there safely,” he offered.
She gave a sharp shake of the head. “I have nowhere else to go,” she stated. The truth of it pierced her to the core, just how much she was risking. If things went poorly, everything she had known and cared for could, once again, be ripped away from her.
Erik’s eyes were steady on her, and he nodded, drawing her back to her feet. They moved along in silence for a while, through moss and fallen trunks, past birch trees stripped of their bark by hungry deer.
The sun was nearing the horizon before Erik called for a break, drawing them into a shallow cave. He looked regretfully at the mouth before shaking his head.
His gaze held hers. “Would you come with me?”
Her breath caught. “I would.”
He smiled then, pulling on his leggings. He buckled on his scabbard, sliding the sword in place.
A nervous tremor ran through her, and she fought to rein it in. “Where are we going?”
He turned back to face her. His eyes held a mix of emotions, and she could not quite name them.
“I think it is time I headed home.”
Chapter 5
Mary was impressed; clearly Erik’s time in the Holy Land had taught him the value of efficiency. He had them packed and through the outer gates in less than a half hour. They would not be able to make it all the way to the keep before night fell, not with her injured leg, but they could at least get close. Then it would only be a short walk the following morning before they were safely behind the walls.
Mary gave her head a shake at the thought, drawing in a deep breath to forestall the rising tremor in her heart. She had planned for this as one possible outcome, and the keep’s staff would know what to do. They would claim the lady of the house was ill and could not be seen. It would give Mary a window of time to observe Erik in his home, to see how he acted, how he treated the men around him.
Mary winced. The burden of lying would mount on her shoulders, pressing down on her, until she became unable to –
Erik pulled to a stop at her side, looking down at her with concern. “What is it, Mary? Is it your leg?”
Mary looked down, keeping her gaze away from his insightful stare, running a hand along the bandaging. The leg was throbbing, it was true, but it came nowhere close to the turmoil that was gnarling in her heart. It was not natural to her, this deceit. Every ounce of her being called on her to simply reveal the truth, to explain the situation and hope he would understand.
She let out a long breath. “I will be fine,” she murmured.
He held his eyes on her for a long moment, as if trying to gauge her stamina, then he nodded. He slid an arm around her waist, gently supporting her, and they set in motion again along the narrow deer track. The woods were oak and maple, leafless in the winter chill, with dappled light sending golden streaks down between the bare branches. Her cloak was well crafted, keeping a layer of heat against her body, but the tip of her nose tingled with the cold.
They came up to a large, misshapen boulder of icy grey granite, and Erik turned left. “Ten years, and I know these woods as if I played in them yesterday,” he mused, half to himself. “This was my world. I thought I would live here forever, would raise my children and my children’s children ...”
Mary kept her gaze lowered, holding back a wry smile. At that same intersection she would have turned right, not left. Five years ago Erik’s mother had built a wooden bridge across the stream, creating an easier route through this pass. Erik was heading the long way ‘round, toward a natural ford. Erik had no way of knowing about the change, and given her current restrictions she had no choice but to follow silently at his side.
Her foot hooked on a root and she stumbled, cursing under her breath. Erik knelt at her side, his face creased with worry. “If there is somewhere you would rather go, I would do all in my power to get you there safely,” he offered.
She gave a sharp shake of the head. “I have nowhere else to go,” she stated. The truth of it pierced her to the core, just how much she was risking. If things went poorly, everything she had known and cared for could, once again, be ripped away from her.
Erik’s eyes were steady on her, and he nodded, drawing her back to her feet. They moved along in silence for a while, through moss and fallen trunks, past birch trees stripped of their bark by hungry deer.
The sun was nearing the horizon before Erik called for a break, drawing them into a shallow cave. He looked regretfully at the mouth before shaking his head.
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