Page 25 of Laird of Smoke
It was then he began to suspect she mightnotbe Lady Aillenn after all.
Had she slipped up, exclaiming over the goose-down with such naive enthusiasm?
Was she unaccustomed to such extravagance?
Was she not the noble she claimed to be?
How curious that would be.
And how astonished she’d be if she knew that while she luxuriated tonight in her own chamber, in her own goose-down bed, the man waiting on her and bedding down by the communal hearth was a noble warrior of the Rivenloch clan.
Eve had made a grave error.Almost revealed her humble roots.
He didn’t seem to notice her slip.But he could have.And she couldn’t afford that kind of sloppiness.Not when her life depended upon it.
She dared not let down her guard again.Not for an instant.If anyone knew who she truly was—a runaway nun—they’d oust her from this royal chamber in a heartbeat.
She’d let childish delight, unbridled desire, and misplaced trust in a stranger interfere with her common sense.
When Adam finished with the fire, she’d thank him politely and say farewell.
And she would absolutelynotlook him in the eye.That would only cause trouble.
It seemed an eternity before he was at last satisfied with his fire-building efforts.Meanwhile, she pretended to sort through the things in her satchel.
Finally he replaced the poker and dusted the ash from his hands.
“I’ll be but a shout away,” he said, “if ye need anythin’ in the night.”
Staring into her satchel without seeing, she immediately thought about a dozen things she might need in the night.A hug.A kiss.A cuddle.
“I’ll be fine,” she said, stuffing the green hood farther into the bag.
“I’ll be sleepin’ with one eye open anyway,” he said with a touch of sarcasm, “huddlin’ by the fire with my other bedmates.”
Guilt washed over her.It seemed silly for her to commandeer an entire bedchamber while men slept shoulder to shoulder in the main room below.She had never liked the idea of class distinction and social ostracism.One of the comforts of a convent were that the nuns might be daughters of nobles or orphans of harlots.But all were equal in the eyes of the Lord.
So believed Sister Eve.
To Lady Aillenn, however, such a thing would never occur.She’d been raised to believe she deserved preferential treatment.And at the moment, to behave otherwise would reveal Eve’s secret.
Still, she couldn’t let Adam leave without expressing her gratitude.
Keeping her gaze fixed on the floor, she said, “Ye’ve been a kind and chivalrous companion, sir, and I cannot thank ye enough.”
She was holding her breath when he abruptly reached for her hand.
It was a simple reflex for her gaze to flit to his face.And once she fell into the deep, dark pools of his eyes, she was helpless to look away.
Chapter 5
For an instant, Eve felt like Lot’s wife.Unable to resist temptation, she’d peeked at him and been turned into a petrified pillar of salt.Unable to speak.Unable to breathe.
With a brief smile, he lifted her hand in his with care, as if he cradled a baby dove.Where their skin met, she felt a warm tingling, like the healing rays of the sun.
Then he lowered his eyes and his head.He pressed soft lips against her knuckles.His breath curled between her fingers, stirring her spirit.
“Sleep well, m’lady,” he whispered.
