Page 87 of The Beautiful Pretender

“Very well. But Geitbart’s guards are everywhere, roaming the corridors of the castle, stopping people and questioning them. Frau Schwitzer and Sir Stefan are the only ones—besides Lady Magdalen and me—who know where you are.”

They ate quickly, with Avelina on the bed with her foot stretched out. When they had finished breaking their long fast,Lord Thornbeck asked, “Do you have any extra bandages? We have to get this one off you.”

She started to get up.

“No. You stay. Just tell me where they are.”

“I think there are some on that shelf.” She pointed to the cupboard on the other side of the bed.

He brought over a stack of bandages and set them on the bed near her foot. He reached for her ankle.

“Wait.” She pulled her feet up and covered them with her skirts.

“I am going to change the bandage on your ankle.”

“Only if you let me change the bandage on your arm and shoulder.”

He stared back at her. “Very well, but we should hurry. I need to start rounding up my men.”

She stretched out her leg and let him unwrap the bloody bandage on her ankle. He looked very stoic about touching her bare foot, but every time his fingers brushed her skin her stomach fluttered.

“It doesn’t look as if it is bleeding at the moment,” he said.

The gouge marks made by the wolf’s teeth were open holes in her skin, but they did seem a bit smaller than before. Perhaps they were closing up.

He picked up the bandages and soon finished wrapping and tying the bandage in place.

“Now it is your turn,” she said.

“But I have to look at your arm first.”

“I am not even bandaging it.” She raised the loose sleeve of her undergown. “See? It is nothing.” The scratches on her arm were healing well. She scooted over and patted the bed. “Sit, so I can see your shoulder and arm.”

He looked at her askance for a few moments before pulling hisouter tunic and shirt over his head, then he sat at the foot of the bed instead of where she had indicated.

She tried to avert her eyes from his bare chest. Sheshouldavert her eyes and not admire his magnificent, broad, powerful-looking chest, and focus only on his shoulder injury. She swallowed past the dryness in her throat.Shoulder, Avelina. Injury, Avelina. Breathe, Avelina.

She unwrapped the bandage, trying not to touch his bare skin any more than necessary. “It is looking well,” she said to cover her nervousness.

“Just leave it uncovered. It doesn’t need a bandage.”

“Are you sure?”

“It’s not bleeding, is it?”

“No, but let me look at your arm.”

He stretched out his arm to her.

“It seems to be healing quite well,” she said unnecessarily as she examined the scabbed-over scratches.

He arose and reached for his clothing on the chair. The muscles across his back bunched and flexed as he pulled his white shirt over his head and put his arms through the sleeves. Even though it had been at least a year since he injured his ankle, he still had the body of a well-trained knight. Lord Plimmwald’s knights often trained without their shirts. She’d always thought it was disgusting the way the other maidservants used to watch them. So why was her heart thumping, and why did she not feel disgusted now?

Please don’t let him turn suddenly and catch me staring at him.

Soon he was completely covered again and she was breathing more freely. He tied his shirt laces and then pulled on his outer tunic over his shirt.

Suddenly someone knocked on the door. “Go, hurry!” Avelina whispered desperately.