Page 35 of The Enemy's Daughter

My eyes slide closed.

She drops the tablets in a pile beside the shirt.

My chest is so tight there’s no room for air.

“Do you want help with your nightgown?” Her voice lacks anger or suspicion.

Peeling one lid open, I stare at her. That’s it? She’s not going to take them? Or punish me?

Her kindness hits me with a devastating blow, and my plan to be guarded around her crumbles along with my pride. “How do I escape?” There’s an unsteadiness to my voice.

Enola presses her lips. Then her shoulders straighten and, in an instant, her softness disappears. “You don’t.”

My skin turns feverish. I misjudged her.

“As I’ve stated, not every couple in Kingsland gets to experience the connection. That’s not a gift you walk away from.”

“We’re not a couple, and I don’t want the connection,” I say, unable to keep the vehemence out of my voice. “I want to go home.”

Enola bends to shut off the water, then joins her hands serenely in front of her. “As you know, our entire territory is surrounded by an electrified fence that is guarded at all times.”

Ididn’tknow that.

“You are the only clan member to have entered in decades, which complicates things greatly. Our safety will be compromised if you leave. The soldiers know to stop you if you try.”

My mouth pops open. “How was Farron captured if no clansman has gained access inside?”

Her eyes narrow on me a second before turning somber, and I’m reminded how fresh her grief is. She must have known him well. “Farron was training a skeleton crew of new soldiers the night he was taken. It was a planned event outside the fence. Somehow, your father got wind of it, which, I presume, is why he scheduled the attack for that night.”

I swallow hard, hating that she’s probably right. “What about traders? They get access to come in. They probably know more about your people than I do. How are they not a risk?”

“We have our own traders, but on the rare occasion that weoutsource, we will offer food and lodging while we do business. But as a rule, they aren’t allowed beyond the gates. We’ve learned our lesson on that.”

Gates? Is it really possible that the entire Kingslandisfenced off and protected? How have I never heard that before?

And if it’s true, how am I going to escape?

“Do you want to get in the water? It’s getting cold.”

My gaze jerks to her, then to the water. They’ve had hot, running water all along?

Oh, those women must really hate me.

I remove my nightgown and slip into the water, immediately turning into a wilted leaf. Enola offers to wash and comb my hair, and it’s all I can do to nod. Perhaps I should be embarrassed, but I don’t have the strength. When she’s finished, she wraps me in a towel so soft I suggest sleeping in it.

“I have a better idea.” She disappears for a moment and returns with another of Tristan’s white button-up shirts. “It appears he has a few of these,” she says, delight dancing in her eyes.

I grow wary as she slips the white fabric over my shoulders and buttons it. “Why are you being nice to me? I mean, I assume Tristan asked you to help me, but...” This woman doesn’t strike me as a bumblebee-stomping fox.

Enola’s lips pull to the side before she speaks. “Tristan’s mother passed away when he was fourteen in an... accident. It left his father lost for a long time. It’s been my pleasure to fill in the gaps and love that boy. I’ve cooked and cleaned and”—her fingers brush over my shoulder, flattening a wrinkle in the fabric—“made sure he had clothes. Vador and I never had children, so I think of Tristan as my son.”

Is she saying she got him this shirt?

“I love him.” She raises her chin, and I see the truth of those words in every inch of her face. “Please don’t break his heart.”

She leaves me alone in the bathroom to choke on her request.

Don’t break his heart? But I don’t have his heart.

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