Page 108 of Laird of Smoke
She sighed and nodded.He was probably right.“After the tournament then?”
He furrowed his brows even more deeply.“I hate to do this to ye,” he said with a grimace.“But there’s somethin’ I have to attend to first.It may take a fortnight or so.”
“A fortnight?”A frisson of alarm shivered up her spine.Something to attend to?That sounded awfully vague.And dismissive.
Did he mean to leave her?Was this revenge?Now that he had his precious satchel, would he give her a taste of her own betrayal and abandon her?
With her heart in her throat, she reiterated, “Somethin’ to attend to?”
“Aye.”
“And what’s that?”If he was telling the truth, he could be more specific.
“I can’t tell ye.”
“Can’t tell me or won’t?”
“Won’t,” he admitted.
Eve’s heart dropped.She’d always heard there should be no secrets between husband and wife.The abbess said keeping hold of secrets was harder than keeping hold of leeches, and once your grip on them was lost, they could suck the life out of you.
“Why not?”she asked.“Do ye not trust me?”
“I do, but…” He winced.“This is a matter o’ grave secrecy and great importance.”
“If ’tis so important, maybe I can be o’ help.”
“Nay.Not this time.”
She blinked in surprise.They’d seemed like such companionable cohorts before.Perfect partners in crime.And now that they’d agreed they belonged together, she expected to share their adventures.The fact he was choosing to exclude her was hurtful.
“Fine,” She raised her chin in defiance.“’Tis just as well.Ye’re not the only one with somethin’ important to attend to.”
Actually, that was true.She still had that mission to accomplish for Hew and Carenza.Getting the king’s seal on their marriage document.Traveling to Perth and back would take at least a fortnight, probably more.
“Indeed?”he said with a disbelieving snort.“And what would that be?”
She arched a brow.“I’m not at liberty to say.”
He smirked.“Fair enough.”But after a moment, he cocked a concerned eye at her.“I hope ’tisn’t too dangerous.”
“Oh, ’tisverydangerous,” she taunted.
“Now ye’re tryin’ to worry me.”
“Are ye worried?”
“O’ course I’m worried.”
She smiled in satisfaction.
Until he added, “Without Lady Aillenn on my arm, innkeepers won’t be givin’ me goose-down pallets anymore.”
She gave him a chiding cuff on the shoulder.
He laughed.
It was a beautiful sound.A sound she wanted to hear every day for the rest of her life.Every day, she supposed, after he returned…if he returned.
