Page 7 of Obeying the Orc
Needing to break eye contact with him before I fainted, I looked pointedly at the basket he held in one hand. “Good afternoon, Knot. I-I’m sorry, did you say you were bringing the picnic?” I’d assumed I would be the one bringing the picnic since he was staying in town far from his cabin.
He glanced at the basket I’d set on the blanket. “Good afternoon, Natalee. And I don’t believe I said one way or another, however, Mrs. Bluebird—she runs the inn with Mr. Bluebird, in case you haven’t yet met them—insisted on packing a lunch for us when I told her of my plans today.”
“How nice of her. Oh, and yes, we’ve met a few times.”
“Why don’t we sit down and get to know one another better, Natalee?” His eyes darkened. “I must confess I’ve been thinking about you all morning.”
I felt a flush cover my entire face. “I, um, thank you, Mr. Thazurok, uh, I mean Knot,” I stammered. Oh dear, I couldn’t even speak intelligently in his presence. He would probably decide I was a dolt after the first five minutes of our picnic. Nevertheless, I sat down facing him on the blanket, and the former priest soon joined me. I was ever aware of how close our knees rested.
We made small talk while we unpacked both baskets and spread the huge picnic out. To my surprise, he took one of the tin plates Mrs. Foxthorne had provided and fixed a plate for me.
“Here you are, Natalee.”
“Th-thank you.” Gods, I needed to stop it with the stammering. And the blushing. My face felt red-hot.
“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but I’ve heard you rarely come to town. How long will you be staying at The Bluebird Inn?”
“Another day or two, then I’ll be heading back up to my claim. It’s true that I don’t come to town often, but to be honest, lately I’ve felt the urge to be around folks more. Perhaps I’ll make more trips to town in the future than I have in the past.” He paused, looking pensive. “Are you staying in Faircross for good?”
I hesitated. I stared at my half-eaten ham sandwich and the cucumber sandwich from Mrs. Bluebird that I hadn’t tried yet. “I don’t…” My throat closed up and I started blinking hard.
This was a mistake. Why had I accepted Knot’s invitation? I harbored an intense attraction to the orc male seated across from me, but I also felt deep guilt for allowing myself to get sweet on a male only months after Logan’s passing.
Shouldn’t I mourn for a year or longer? Wasn’t I dishonoring Logan’s memory by constantly blushing under Knot’s stare? If I were in the Northern Isles, I would still be wearing black and forgoing all social occasions.
“Are you unwell, Natalee?” Knot reached forward and took my hand. He squeezed it gently and looked at me with such profound concern that I stopped breathing for several seconds.
When I eventually found my voice, I said, “I am fine. It’s just that… my husband died six months ago. We, um, eloped. Our families did not like one another, you see, and the announcement of our marriage did not go over well with my parents or his. Now that he’s gone…”
“You don’t feel as if you can go home?” he finished for me.
“Yes, that’s exactly it. I’ve been staying with the Foxthornes, but I cannot live with them forever. Mrs. Foxthorne can be quite grumpy, and she is insisting I meet as many males in town as I can and marry soon. Honestly, I think she wants to get rid of me. She takes me on walks almost every day, telling me to put on my temple best and look pretty.”
My eyes widened after I realized how freely I’d just spoken, but Knot’s gaze remained trained on me, his eyes devoid of judgment. He didn’t appear taken aback by anything I’d just said, even though I’d basically admitted my reason for meeting him today was because I was in desperate need of a husband.
“I’m sorry. I believe I spoke too freely, and perhaps it’s only my imagination that Mrs. Foxthorne wants to be rid of me. It’s not very gods-blessed of me to speak like that.” My face burned hotter. Knot was a former priest. What must he think of my lapse in character?
To my surprise, he squeezed my hand again and shot me a comforting smile that warmed my heart. His dark eyes glinting with mischief, he inclined his head closer to mine and said, “Your words about Mrs. Foxthorne aremuchmore charitable than the thoughts I had about her yesterday when we met in the mercantile. Grumpy is putting it nicely.”
Relief swarmed me, and I found myself trying—and failing—to keep from laughing.
There was no denying it. I definitely liked Knot better than all the other males I’d met recently, and despite the qualms I’d experienced earlier, I couldn’t help but hope we would spend more time together in the days to come.
CHAPTER4
KNOT
“Tell me about your husband.What was he like?” I asked. My heart ached, knowing that I would disappoint Natalee when I returned to my cabin soon. I shouldn’t have asked her to meet me here today, but I couldn’t say I was sorry for it either. With her enchanting beauty, her soft-spoken manner, and those adorable blushes she kept displaying, I thought her to be the real treasure of this mining town.
“Well, his family lived near mine, but they did not get along. You see, our fathers used to conduct business with one another, but they had a huge falling out. Logan was kind to me though, despite the bad blood between our families. I met him during my home city’s Dragon Day celebrations one year, when we were both ten years old. We used to sneak off to meet each other as children, always careful to make sure our parents didn’t discover us, but as we grew older, our relationship changed.” She grasped a tall blade of grass, pulled it from the ground, and twirled it in her hand. “He was a good man and I miss him, but I thank the gods for the time we had together, however brief it was.”
Her words stunned me. For several moments, I could only stare at her and wonder how she could sit there and thank the gods, despite having lost her childhood sweetheart and husband. I felt as if the wind had been knocked from my chest. I gulped and took a series of slow breaths.
“Knot? Are you unwell?” Concern was written all over Natalee’s face. She gave me a brief but encouraging smile. “Well, go on. It’s your turn. Tell me about your wife.”
The world seemed to spin around me. I felt dizzy, despite that I was sitting down. My palms suddenly hurt, and I glanced down to find I’d clenched my hands into tight fists. I relaxed my hands and reached for a long blade of grass, plucked it from the ground, and twirled it between my fingers, mimicking Natalee’s actions. I should’ve expected her to ask about my late wife directly after I’d inquired about her late husband, and I rebuked myself for not being better prepared.
Two years. Two years after her passing, I should be able to speak about Emalise without becoming so anxious. A few more deep breaths and finally I trusted I could speak in a level tone. The last thing I wanted was to make Natalee feel bad for asking a question that was only natural.
