Page 61 of Arrows and Gems
“None of the incidents since I took you to Lady Marielle’s involved women. So the only thing you’re guilty of is staying at his camp.” Rubbing his hands together, he opened his mouth, closed it again, and then met her eyes. “There is a village not far from here. Let me take you there. Don’t make me take you back to General Valentin.”
Helena doubted she wanted to learn what Amitian justice prescribed for associates of bandits. And she preferred not to reveal her heritage and find herself back in Ralnor. But… “What’s the catch?”
“Show me where the last camp was.” Erwan’s eyes were sad but serious. “I can tell my captain that I stumbled across it, and we’ll start searching tomorrow. You’ll be safe, and Le Capuchon will have a day’s head start. It’s more than he deserves after the way he’s treated you.”
The way Cap had treated her…
Bandaging her wound after defending himself.
Putting up with her attempts to pull off his hood.
Seeking her out when she had left the campfire in loneliness.
Getting flustered but not angry when she accidentally kissed him.
She returned Erwan’s gaze steadily. “You know I can’t do that.”
“Margit—”
“I can’t tell you what I don’t know. And even if I did, I wouldn’t.”
Shoving to his feet, he strode off a few paces and ran an agitated hand through his hair. Helena watched him with one eye while she resumed her work with the arrowhead. A little more…
“It’s for your own good.” He set his hands on his hips and dropped his head. “Please don’t make me turn you in. I’m just trying to help.”
The rope snapped. Helena awkwardly stood, then pulled the arrow free and whipped her bow out. Erwan spun, eyes wide.
She glared down the length of her drawn arrow. “But I don’t need to be rescued.”
CHAPTER 22
Cap
She might not be working for the General, but Margit was going to be the death of him.
Cap fingered the fletching on his arrows and tried to focus on Jean-haut’s words instead of their chestnut-haired guest. Why did she persist in attacking him? First his hood, now his arrows...
Was Jean-haut right? Was she finding excuses to touch him? The idea seemed preposterous, given the way she shied away from contact when they first met.
Although when he returned from interrogating Nathalie, Margit had leaned up against his shoulder. And yesterday…nothing about yesterday had suggested a distaste for his presence.
“Laurent took three of the boys hunting,” Jean-haut said. Cap refocused his attention. “He mentioned that he might let them split up.”
“Do they all have tokens?” Cap asked. The urge to turn and watch Margit evaporated like a drop of water near Rouge’s flames.
“Do you think I’m a fool?” The forester rolled his eyes. “Of course I gave Laurent extra tokens when he told me that. Even if it weren’t standard procedure, do you think I’ve forgotten that magic-laced breeze two weeks ago?”
“No, sorry. I suppose I’m a little jumpy as well,” Capapologized, rubbing his jaw. He needed to get his mind off green eyes before he offended his friend.
After discussing a few more administrative details, they parted ways to attend to their responsibilities. Cap was tempted to look for Margit, but he planned to hunt today. And he couldn’t take her with him until her ankle was healed.
The right side of his mouth curved up. When her arrow had hit a different spot than he’d suggested, he’d believed her aim was mildly better than most ladies. But her next two shots proved him wrong. Once she was able to move on her own again, he couldn’t wait to take her—
The smile slid off his face. Once she was more mobile, he would need to send her back to Marielle. Cap’s life wasn’t suitable for a lady. He didn’t know what rank Margit held, but he knew from her comments that she had one.
Pushing thoughts of chestnut hair and lively personalities from his mind, he crept through the trees, eyes peeled and ears stretching for signs of prey. He wanted to travel farther before making their next semi-permanent camp, but they needed food that they could carry. Margit and Rouge couldn’t make bread on the road.
He had just spotted a deer trail when the wooden token around his neck started buzzing.
