Page 48 of Raven's Rise
He shook his head once. “Wareham? That’s a long way, Angelet.”
She felt his resolve slipping, and pressed on. “I’ll pay whatever price you set for your services. From where we are, the fastest way to Wareham is through Shropshire, is it not?”
“Yes,” he said, looking displeased. “I don’t wish to travel that way.”
“Why not? Is it dangerous?”
Rafe didn’t answer directly. “I have to think on this. I’m not agreeing to do it yet. For now, let’s just find somewhere safe for the night.”
Angelet held her tongue after that. She wasn’t sure what else she could do to persuade Rafe to agree to her new plan, and from what she knew of him, he liked to come to his own decisions. But if only she could get to Henry! Without Rafe to guide her, she had no hope of doing so.
She had to persuade him somehow. She bit her lip. She knew of one thing that often made men more agreeable. If she accepted Rafe’s offer, he’d be more inclined to indulge her, wouldn’t he? And she had wanted to say yes long before, anyway. She’d just been too nervous to take the step. But with this added incentive, perhaps accepting his offer would benefit them both. She closed her eyes.Oh, be honest, she told herself.You’re dying of curiosity.
The day was quiet, with no hint of pursuit. A little after nightfall they reached another village, this one tucked into the bend of a river, running high from the previous early rains.
Rafe arranged for a room and food, and care for the horses, all while Angelet stood about feeling useless. She attracted puzzled looks from the patrons of the main room, and no wonder. She wore the same gown as she’d been wearing when they escaped the robbery, and now it was quite dirty from days of riding and negotiating forest paths. Her cloak fared no better, now sporting patches of mud and several rents she would have to mend when she had a moment’s peace. The quality of her clothing and shoes told the world she was a lady, but the state of them suggested she was little more than a beggar. She pulled the hood of her cloak a little tighter over her head. Before they entered the village, Rafe suggested she hide her hair, since the silvery-blond was so noticeable.
As if Rafe himself could escape notice! He stood there dressed in all black, commanding attention with his stance and his looks. His thick, black hair fell across his face, making her itch to push it back behind his ear, partly to reveal those deep blue eyes. From the way the barmaid kept staring open-mouthed, Angelet knew virtually all the women in sight felt the same way. And why not? He was by far the most handsome man around. And he could be hers, if she asked.
Her gaze drifted to his shoulders and arms, the outline of the muscles evident even under the thick knit fabric of his clothing. She remembered when he’d helped her down from the horse with those arms, and blushed to think how much she wanted to linger in that embrace. To be so close to him that she could simply wrap herself around him and forget everything that happened.
“My lady?” Rafe asked quietly.
She jumped, not realizing that he’d rejoined her, and now stood in front of her, those lovely eyes searching her face. “What? Excuse me, my mind wandered…” How it had wandered.
“You’re tired,” he said, putting a hand to her elbow to steady her. “The good news is that we’ve got a private room upstairs.”
“What’s the bad news?” she asked anxiously.
“The bad news is that the bath is in the innkeeper’s home at the back of the property, so you’ll have to walk a bit.”
“The bath?”
He smiled. “The innkeeper is named Sarah. She mentioned she had a bath and that you might want it. So I paid the fee for you.”
“Oh, that would be amarvel,” she said.
He chuckled at the feeling in her words. “I thought you would enjoy that. Let’s find the room first, though. Follow me.”
Upstairs, the room was one of the best they’d seen thus far. Sarah kept a very tidy inn. Angelet put her small bag down while Rafe walked around the perimeter of the room, in a ritual she now recognized as his usual security.
Then Rafe turned to her. “I can risk letting you go to the bath on your own, yes?” he asked. “There’s been no pursuit, and the village seems calm. Everyone I’ve seen appears ordinary enough, and no hint of unsavory types…other than me, of course.”
She smiled at that. “You’re not the rogue you claim to be.”
“I’m twice the rogue I claim to be,” Rafe said jovially. “But I’ve been acting honorably for you. Well, as honorably as a man like me can, anyway.”
“Rafe,” she said quietly. “About that. I have been thinking.” Oh, she’d been thinking.
“Yes?”
“Your offer to me,” she said, her voice trembling despite her efforts to sound cool and calm about it. “The one you made before all this happened. I would like…I might…we could discuss it further.” Lord, this was embarrassing.
Rafe was evidently enjoying her discomfort. His smile was slight, but unmistakable. “You mean my offer to be your lover, on your terms?”
“I’m not agreeing to anything yet,” she said hastily, heat coursing through her and no doubt making her cheeks cherry red. “I only meant I was…am interested.”
“Well, if you’re interested, my lady, then we can discuss it further. Tonight.”
