Page 78 of Laird of Smoke
His pulse began to throb again.
Could she have been abducted?That might explain why she’d left her satchel behind.
But how could that happen under his watchful…
That was just it.He hadn’t been watchful.He’d fallen into a deep sleep, not even noticing when she went missing.
Cursing himself for a fool, he returned to the bedchamber.
Time was wasting.He had no idea how long she’d been gone, or even in what direction she was headed.But he’d pursue her to the ends of the earth, if need be.
Shouldering her satchel, he perused the room for his.
It was gone.
Eve set out from The Red Lion on foot in the dim light before dawn, shivering.
Not from fear.Traveling alone was almost always safe in a nun’s habit.
Not from cold either.The wool was heavy and warm.
She shivered from the burden of what she was doing.
She’d made a difficult choice, and she still wasn’t sure it was the right one.
Prithee do not follow me ~ Lady Aillenn
That’s what the missive she’d left for him said.
She felt she owed him more of an explanation than that.But she couldn’t say more without revealing her identity.And she needed to make a clean break of it.To forget him if she could.
Her heart was heavy as she plodded along the path.
It had seemed so clear yesterday—as she held the wee bairn in her arms and felt his precious life slip away—that she was being punished.God had shown her the cost of violating her vows.It could be nothing else.She’d sinned, and the price of her sin was a life.Now that life would be her cross to bear.
She should have felt the satisfaction of penance today.She had prayed this morn, renewed her vows, and asked for absolution.Now she’d removed herself from temptation.She planned to return to the convent straightaway to devote herself with new vigor to the church.
Why then did she still feel so uncertain of her decision?
Because being in Adam’s arms made her feel like she was in the embrace of an angel.Kissing him had been tasting ambrosia.Touching him, flesh to flesh, had made her spirit sing.Coupling with him, she’d soared to heaven and seen the face of God.
How could such a stirring act of love and devotion not be God’s will?
It had felt like a miracle.Now she understood why the abbess spoke against it so vehemently as a distraction from one’s Holy Purpose.
It was a distraction.But was that so bad?Now, even worse than creating a lifetime of insatiable thirst for pleasure of the flesh, her heart ached as she realized a terrible truth.
She loved Adam.
Of course she would miss his kiss, his touch, his body.
Eventually, she supposed that longing would fade.She would forget how his smile quickened her pulse.How his glance heated her blood.How the brush of his fingers inflamed her senses.
But his companionship?Without that, she was going to be absolutely bereft.
Without his wit, his laughter, his passion, her life would be dull.Meaningless.Empty.
It had taken only a few days.But it was enough.Her heart belonged to him.
