Page 33 of The Silent Songbird

“And you lied about saving Westley from the river.” Evangeline made her expression emotionless as she stared down at the shorter girl, but inside, her heart was pounding.

Sabina uncrossed her arms and planted her fists on her hips. “Westley is mine. And if you dare to tell him that you were the one who saved him, then I will tell him what a liar you and your friend Mildred are, telling everyone you are mute.”

Evangeline’s chest rose and fell rapidly. “Westley is a human being. He does not belong to you.”

“You stay away from him or I will tell him your secret.”

They stared at each other. When a house servant opened the door to throw out a bucket of water, Evangeline darted inside. Sabina made a startled noise and followed on her heels.

Westley’s sister Cate stepped into the corridor. “Eva. Did you want to see Westley?”

Evangeline nodded.

“Sabina!” Mistress Alice called. “I need you to give your mother a message . . .” Her voice trailed off as Evangeline hurried after Cate.

Cate turned down one corridor and then another and finally stopped in a doorway.

Inside, Westley was sitting up in a bed propped up with pillows. She drank him in—the healthy color in his face, the blue of his eyes, the movement of his hand as he signaled to her.

“Eva, please come in. I was hoping to see you.”

As she drew near to him, he looked almost back to normal, except that his hair was mussed and sticking up over his cut. He also had shadows under his eyes.

“The men told me you were there with me when they arrived. Sabina said you waited with me while she went to get help.”He held out a wax tablet to her. He must not know she could talk. She scratched her answer, feeling guiltier than usual at her deception.“I did. I pressed a cloth against your head wound.”

He pointed to his head and winced. “My mother insisted on stitching it up.”

Evangeline grimaced back.

“I am glad you came. I wanted to thank you for waiting with me.”

She had no real reason to tell him she was actually the one who saved him from drowning. If Sabina would keep her secret, Evangeline might as well let her get the credit for saving him.

“I am grateful you are alive. Do you know who hit you?”

“No one hit me. Sabina said I hit my head when I fell in the river.”

“Don’t you remember what happened?”

“No. That’s the strange thing. All I remember is getting my fishing gear and walking to my favorite fishing spot. And I’m not even sure I’m remembering that from this morning or from another day, since I go fishing so often. All the memories seem jumbled. I don’t remember falling in the river at all. I think the head injury has addled my thoughts.”

She should tell him the truth, even though Sabina would tell everyone she lied about being mute. But the dangerous man who tried to murder Westley would surely hear that he was not dead after all and would try again to kill him.

But if Westley discovered her lie, he wouldn’t trust her. Besides, she did not know who the men were who attacked him and couldn’t even describe them very well.

“Perhaps someone pushed you. It seems unlikely that you would fall.”

Westley raised his brows. “It does seem strange. I should probably question Sabina a bit more closely.”

But before he did, Evangeline needed to tell her what had actually happened. She had to convince Sabina that Westley was in danger soshe could warn him. If only Sabinahadseen who hit him, she might have recognized his attackers. They were strangers to Evangeline.

“Is there someone who might be angry enough to want to kill you?”

“There was a man attacking his wife in the woods just after I helped you get the pigs back in their pen. I heard her scream and helped pull the man away from her. He was very angry. He is the only person I can think of who might have done such a thing.”

“Yes, perhaps it was that man. Or a worker who is still dwelling on the Peasants’ Uprising?”

“That is possible, I suppose.” He looked so troubled. “I told you a little about the uprising.”