Page 41 of The Lord's Compass
“Where are we going?” Eric asked, holding out an arm that Faith continued to purposefully ignore, needing to prove that she could walk without his aid. She had no wish to become reliant on him, nor for him to believe that she needed him to accomplish anything she was here to do.
“It’s a surprise,”DonRaphael answered, causing Faith to look up, wondering at his tone. Had it turned sinister or had she been listening to Eric more than she should have been? “Up the stairs now.”
They had entered a clearing, a stone structure appearing in the middle of it, so fitting to the landscape that it appeared to be part of it. Whoever had built it had certainly had a great interest in keeping it from appearing too ostentatious.
Faith lifted her skirts and started up behindDonRaphael, Eric behind her.
“What is this?” Eric asked.
“It is a lookout,”DonRaphael answered. “To keep an eye out for any approaching ships.”
Eric’s hand touched her waist as they started up the stairs, and she turned to him with a slight shake of her head, causing him to lift his palm as though in defence and then back away.
Guilt tugged at her, but it was just as important that he understand her independence as she remember who she was and what the two of them meant to one another – a bit of fun. Nothing more. To become too attached would only lead to heartbreak that she had promised herself she would never face again.
So consumed was she by her thoughts and memories that she wasn’t paying as much attention as she should to where she was stepping. They had neared the top of the tower when the stone under her foot seemed to crumble beneath her step, and she cycled her arms wildly, searching for purchase.
She thought she had nearly caught herself when she slipped backward, her ankle twisting painfully. She fought for foothold, anything to grasp onto, but it was no use.
She was falling down the stairs – with nothing behind her but stone.
CHAPTER13
Eric’s stomach had twisted the momentDonRaphael led them to this structure – and the higher they climbed, the more nervous he had become.
He usually wasn’t a man given to nerves, so that was saying something. However, it seemed that when it came to Faith, his usual carefree attitude failed him. Hecared. Which was concerning in itself.
Then Faith had lost her footing, and time seemed to stand still.
He was a few feet behind her, giving her the space she had asked for with her stare if not her words. Why she was so disinclined to accept any help he had offered her thus far, he had no idea, but it meant that when she began to fall he wasn’t immediately behind her – but he had enough time to shift sideways to catch her before any damage was done.
Thank goodness.
He moved quickly behind her, his arms wrapping around her. Her weight fell upon him, and the moment she was in his arms, the world righted itself. He knew then that he would do anything to make sure that no harm ever came to her.
No matter what she believed, she was his responsibility, and he took that seriously.
“Faith? Are you all right?” he asked as she winced in pain.
“My ankle,” she said, her voice just above a whisper as she was obviously trying to mask her pain – of course. She wouldn’t be Faith if she showed exactly how she was truly feeling. “It twisted, but I do not believe there is any significant damage.”
“We’ll return you to the house,” he said, before looking up atDonRaphael, who was watching them without a word, an inscrutable look on his face. “DonRaphael, did you know that these stairs were dangerous?”
“Of course not,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. “I would never have led you up here if I had. I only intended to show you the view of the ocean from the lookout.”
Eric studied the stair, noting the pieces of rock that had broken upon Faith’s step scattered below them. “It is odd that the step would break beneath Faith’s weight but not your own.”
DonRaphael’s eyes narrowed.
“Are you accusing me of something?”
“Simply making an observation,” Eric said, attempting to keep his voice light. They were in this man’s territory and it would be of no help to anyone if he angered him. “We must return to the house.”
He bent, placing one arm under Faith’s knees, the other around her back as he lifted her, ignoring her protestations.
“I am fine, Eric,” she said, but he shook his head.
“You are not,” he said, wanting to check her ankle, but not in front ofDonRaphael.
