Page 28 of Laird of Smoke
And this looked very bad.
Before he could explain, the prior shouted, “Guards!”to summon two strapping monks posted at the gates.
He tried to explain.“I meant no—”
“Seize him!”the prior ordered.
Adam could have fought his way free.He was fast and agile.He could have run past them all and left them in the dust.But he didn’t want to abandon Aillenn, who was clearly upset about something.
Besides, there was no point in resisting or trying to explain.In the prior’s eyes, Adam was a monk who’d laid hands upon a lady.A lady who, if he’d guessed correctly, had just made a very generous donation to the priory.If Adam had been in the prior’s place, he would have made the same assumption.
Eventually, Adam would straighten things out.Meanwhile, it would serve no purpose to antagonize the guards or the prior.So he allowed them to seize him.
“Take him to an empty cell,” the prior growled.
As they lugged him away, behind him, he heard the prior speaking to Aillenn.“I must apologize, m’lady, for my monk’s inexcusable behavior.I assure ye ’twill be punished.But ye’re shakin’ like a leaf.Did he harm ye?”
“’Tis only shock,” she said.
“O’ course,” he said.“Well, make no mistake.I’ll be sure the sinner pays for what he’s done.”
Just before Adam was dragged out of range, he overheard the lady’s parting words.Her cold dismissal soured his stomach and sank his heart.
“My thanks, prior,” she said.“I trust your judgment.”
It took every bit of Eve’s willpower to put one foot in front of the other and abandon Adam at the priory.
She knew he’d meant nothing by his actions.He was only concerned for her welfare and didn’t realize he was becoming so physical.She’d done similar things herself, trying to make a point.
But to the uninformed eye, Adam appeared to be an errant monk accosting a lady.And she could think of no alternative explanation for what the prior had witnessed.Not one that he’d believe.
Could she say the monk’s hands had somehow become innocently tangled in her girdle?
That he’d been practicing for an upcoming mystery play?
Or demonstrating a wrestling match he’d seen at the fair?
It all sounded absurd.Nay, she had to walk away.She had to come up with an alternative plan to get him out of this.And an alternative persona to pull it off.
It was mostly her fault.She shouldn’t have acknowledged Adam in the first place.She should have ignored him.
He could have gone on pretending he was a monk.She would have maintained her composure and continued on her way.
But she’d been so surprised to see him.Almost as surprised as he was to be recognized.And once she’d gazed into his enthralling eyes, her mind had gone blank.Panic set in.She forgot for a moment who she was supposed to be.
As for whohewas, she honestly didn’t know.Maybe hewasa monk from Scone Priory.If that were true, there wasn’t much she could do to save him from the prior’s wrath.
But something told her that wasn’t his real identity.And since she’d gotten him into this mess, it was up to her to get him out of it.
Hopefully, he’d be safe enough until the morrow.Most monastic punishments weren’t too severe.They commonly involved things like confinement in one’s cell for a day or going to bed without supper.
Meanwhile, she’d change into her habit and seek lodging at the nearby convent as Sister Eve.
She dug her satchel out of the leaves and opened it to do an inventory of the contents.She had an idea for a costume that would take the rest of the day to complete.But with any luck, when she returned to Scone Priory in the morn, no one would recognize her.
As it turned out, Eve got a late start the next day.At breakfast, the abbess at the convent was eager for news from the traveling sister.Eve had scarcely buttered her bread when the nuns began peppering her with questions about the nunnery in the west.
Eventually she was able to excuse herself.She thanked them for their charity, though some of it they weren’t aware of yet.But she left ample coin in the cell where she’d slept to pay for the things she’d procured without permission—the bedsheets, a wax tablet and stylus, a wooden candlestick, and most of the tail hair from the convent’s old mule.
