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Authors: Susan Carroll
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Simon that aren’t there,”
she adjured herself. Miri carried the towels over to him, taking great care to keep an arm’s length away.
“There now, Elle. You are safe. You have nothing to fear.” As the mare calmed beneath his hands, Simon turned to Miri. “
You
have nothing to be afraid of either.”
“That is a strange assurance to come from someone who once did his best to terrorize me and my entire family.”
“That was a long time ago, almost ten years. I—I have many regrets about that summer.”
“And perhaps your chief one is that you never charged me with witchcraft. So is that why you are here? To finally remedy your error.”
“No.” Simon frowned as he loosened the straps of Elle’s saddle. “After all this time, I hoped you would have realized I never wanted to hurt
you.
”
Miri regarded him incredulously. “Thanks to you, the king of France attainted my entire family for sorcery and treason. We had to flee into exile while the crown confiscated Renard’s estates on the mainland. They even took Belle Haven, my family home that was handed down through generations of daughters of the earth, the land that was never any man’s to take. And I can’t even begin to describe what you did to Faire Isle itself, turning it into a place I don’t even recognize anymore.
“God help me, Simon, if you ever did decide you
wanted
to hurt me.”
“Miri, I—” He broke off, apparently realizing the futility of anything he could say. But his face was shadowed with regret as he stripped off Elle’s saddle.
“You might as well have charged me with witchcraft, too,” she persisted. “Why didn’t you?”
Simon propped Elle’s saddle up in a corner. “Because I believed you were innocent.”
“No more innocent than many other women you persecuted, including my own sisters. So why did you always insist upon sparing me?”
“I don’t know.” Simon’s lips quirked into a rueful half-smile. “Perhaps because you have always been my one weakness.”
Just as Miri feared he had always been hers, but she was not about to admit that to him. She thrust one of the towels into his hand. Thunder boomed outside but to Miri, it seemed as nothing compared to the tension crackling inside the barn. As Simon began to rub down Elle’s flanks, Miri tried to towel off the animal’s neck, but the horse shied back in alarm, nearly stepping on Simon.
“Whoa,” he called, patting the mare reassuringly. “What’s the matter, Elle?”
Peering into the mare’s wide brown eye, Miri could tell at once.
“She’s afraid of me now,” Miri said in a small voice. “Because she saw me try to hurt you.”
Simon stroked the mare until she calmed again. “My poor Elle,” he murmured “She ought to be used to people attempting to kill me.”
“It—it happens that often?”
“Often enough,” came his wry reply.
The information provided her with a disturbing glimpse into what Simon had become, the object of hatred, isolation. Why did he travel alone? Why was he no longer surrounded by an army of men to protect him? Miri fiercely reminded herself that it was none of her concern. The last thing she wanted was to feel any interest or empathy with the man.
When he went back to toweling Elle down, she approached the horse with more caution, gradually winning back her trust, until she was able to dry off the mare’s powerful chest. Miri knew she’d be better off not knowing, but she could not stop herself from asking. “So how did you know where to find me? Who did you bribe?”
“Some sour-faced creature. Madame Elan was her name, I believe.”
“Madame Alain,” Miri corrected, more saddened than angered. “Of course it would be Josephine. I only hope you paid her well. She has a large family to support and things have not prospered on Faire Isle. People from the mainland have been afraid to come here since your raids and our trade has fallen off badly.”
Simon paused in his vigorous toweling to peer
she adjured herself. Miri carried the towels over to him, taking great care to keep an arm’s length away.
“There now, Elle. You are safe. You have nothing to fear.” As the mare calmed beneath his hands, Simon turned to Miri. “
You
have nothing to be afraid of either.”
“That is a strange assurance to come from someone who once did his best to terrorize me and my entire family.”
“That was a long time ago, almost ten years. I—I have many regrets about that summer.”
“And perhaps your chief one is that you never charged me with witchcraft. So is that why you are here? To finally remedy your error.”
“No.” Simon frowned as he loosened the straps of Elle’s saddle. “After all this time, I hoped you would have realized I never wanted to hurt
you.
”
Miri regarded him incredulously. “Thanks to you, the king of France attainted my entire family for sorcery and treason. We had to flee into exile while the crown confiscated Renard’s estates on the mainland. They even took Belle Haven, my family home that was handed down through generations of daughters of the earth, the land that was never any man’s to take. And I can’t even begin to describe what you did to Faire Isle itself, turning it into a place I don’t even recognize anymore.
“God help me, Simon, if you ever did decide you
wanted
to hurt me.”
“Miri, I—” He broke off, apparently realizing the futility of anything he could say. But his face was shadowed with regret as he stripped off Elle’s saddle.
“You might as well have charged me with witchcraft, too,” she persisted. “Why didn’t you?”
Simon propped Elle’s saddle up in a corner. “Because I believed you were innocent.”
“No more innocent than many other women you persecuted, including my own sisters. So why did you always insist upon sparing me?”
“I don’t know.” Simon’s lips quirked into a rueful half-smile. “Perhaps because you have always been my one weakness.”
Just as Miri feared he had always been hers, but she was not about to admit that to him. She thrust one of the towels into his hand. Thunder boomed outside but to Miri, it seemed as nothing compared to the tension crackling inside the barn. As Simon began to rub down Elle’s flanks, Miri tried to towel off the animal’s neck, but the horse shied back in alarm, nearly stepping on Simon.
“Whoa,” he called, patting the mare reassuringly. “What’s the matter, Elle?”
Peering into the mare’s wide brown eye, Miri could tell at once.
“She’s afraid of me now,” Miri said in a small voice. “Because she saw me try to hurt you.”
Simon stroked the mare until she calmed again. “My poor Elle,” he murmured “She ought to be used to people attempting to kill me.”
“It—it happens that often?”
“Often enough,” came his wry reply.
The information provided her with a disturbing glimpse into what Simon had become, the object of hatred, isolation. Why did he travel alone? Why was he no longer surrounded by an army of men to protect him? Miri fiercely reminded herself that it was none of her concern. The last thing she wanted was to feel any interest or empathy with the man.
When he went back to toweling Elle down, she approached the horse with more caution, gradually winning back her trust, until she was able to dry off the mare’s powerful chest. Miri knew she’d be better off not knowing, but she could not stop herself from asking. “So how did you know where to find me? Who did you bribe?”
“Some sour-faced creature. Madame Elan was her name, I believe.”
“Madame Alain,” Miri corrected, more saddened than angered. “Of course it would be Josephine. I only hope you paid her well. She has a large family to support and things have not prospered on Faire Isle. People from the mainland have been afraid to come here since your raids and our trade has fallen off badly.”
Simon paused in his vigorous toweling to peer
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