Page 47 of Song of the Dawn
“Bless me, no, I’ve always been out here.”
I nodded and brushed the thought away. For why would the inn have anything to do with the supernatural?
Giselle poked my side. “I saw you with Ezra during the festival.”
My face heated. “Yes, we were dancing.”
“Looked like more than dancing.” She winked.
She’d seen us kissing, which had been anything but chaste. I fixed my gaze on the hay, unable to meet her eye. “Yes…I know…well…”
“I’m only teasing,” Giselle said. “Ezra is a good man, and he’s always been alone. It’s good for him to have someone like you.”
My heart softened as she validated our relationship with words I had desired to hear. Still, I wondered with a pang if indeed she knew him truly. The version of himself he presented to the world differed from the version he presented to me. He was more mysterious, with secrets that were being slowly unveiled to me. Did she know about his workshop and the statues that appeared so alive? The shadow of darkness that haunted him? His banishment? Yes, he was a good man now. But who had he been before?
Mila
“You shouldn’t work for me anymore,” Ezra said as we left the inn.
It was afternoon, and he’d found me in the staff’s lounge. I had been on my way upstairs to practice, but his presence was too tempting to ignore. Besides, I wanted to ask him about the violin I’d heard that morning, but his words about me not working for him stole my excitement. “Why?”
“Given our relationship, I don’t want you to feel you have to work here. You should be free to come and go as you please.”
“And do what?” My pulse pounded, and my fingers twitched. I gazed across the rolling meadow, the blue mountains in the distance, and my throat went dry. Without waiting for Ezra to answer, I continued, “Ezra, I enjoy working here. It gives me a schedule, something to do. I’m not the kind of woman who can sit in a room doing nothing. I need a goal, a purpose, activities to challenge my mind. If I wanted to do nothing, I’d be at my sister’s estate. Here there is my music, the garden, the animals, the lake, the guests, the inn itself. There’s always something to do, and each day is new, exciting, and fresh. If you take away my work, you take away the excitement, the reason I came. It’s staying busy that makes me appreciate the time we can spend together after the work is done.”
He stroked his chin. “You’re quite passionate about this.”
“Yes.” I wondered what was going on in his mind. “I know I don’t have to work, but I’d feel terrible taking advantage of my sister’s generosity. Her husband, Tomas, has a good trade, but now I can assist with Mother’s medical bills and pay old debts. The work I do helps my family. Besides, I feel good doing something for myself instead of relying on the kindness of others. It’s not that I don’t appreciate kindness, but working with my two hands gives me something to be proud of. Like I’ve told you, I’ve always been different.”
“I know. That’s what I like about you, Mila.” His eyes were warm like the summer sun. He took my hand, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles. “I know that work is important to you. I didn’t realize how important, and I don’t want to take it away from you. Selfishly, I wanted more of your time.”
“Well, you are my employer,” I blurted out.
That knowledge hung there between us. What were we doing? If this happened in Solynn, it would be forbidden, but out here in the country, no one noticed or cared. A twist of something wicked and delightful simmered in my belly. Because what would happen to me if anyone found out? It was Ezra who owned the inn, and Ezra’s final word was the only one that mattered. I was untouchable, for there were no politics, no rules, nothing that would drive us apart, and I basked in that satisfaction.
“I am.” He sighed. “Which is what makes it harder. I must admit that I’m conflicted. It feels wrong to have you work for me even though you want to.”
I squeezed his hand. “Ezra, I’m here because I choose to be here.”
Tugging me to a stop, he spun me to face him. “Say it again.”
Boldly, I grinned up at him. “I’m here because I choose to be here.”
The slow kiss was sweet like sugar on my lips. His rough hand cupped my cheek, the other still holding my hand tight. My stomach fluttered as I closed my eyes, well aware we were in plain sight of anyone in the inn or meadow. But it felt real and right, and when he pulled away, my legs trembled with need. I wanted him to take me right then and there…preferably with no one watching.
Wordlessly we continued, and I basked in the miracle of what I had. I stole a glance at Ezra, tall and broad-shouldered with his muscled arms and warm fingers gripping mine. The breeze tousled his golden hair, and the set of his jawline and the profile of his long, straight nose were so beautiful and so perfect my heart melted. Was it possible that he wanted me? Mila? With plum-purple hair? A nobody from Solynn?
The knowledge that none of that mattered, that he actually liked me for exactly who I was, made a lump form in my throat. How was it possible that in the expanse of such a wide world that our paths had crossed? Was it fate? Luck? For this could be no coincidence. I made myself a promise not to ruin or lose what was between Ezra and me. I had the sense it was precious, beautiful, slowly growing stronger. We were only at the beginning, on the cusp, but I wanted to fall headlong, deeper.
It was cooler by the waters, and it left me refreshed as we walked down the soft bank. Ezra held my hand as if it was perfectly natural. It was quiet. A hush fell over the land. The bleating of the sheep and goats stilled, although soon the crickets chirped. Ezra led me to a grassy knoll, and we sat on the embankment, our backs against the rise of land.
“This is what you like to do?” I asked.
“I like the water and how calm the lake is. What do you see when you look out at it?”
“Water.”
“Yes, water, but beneath the surface, there are hundreds of living creatures. You wouldn’t know unless you went for a swim or dived below to see it teeming with life. Each animal is unique, the fish, the frogs, the serpents, and others that live below. Water creatures have always fascinated me, and the conditions that allow them to breathe underwater, unlike us with the air we breathe up here, pure, undiluted with liquid. Ah, but I am boring you.”
