Page 70 of Castle of Refuge

He turned toward her, finally looking at her. Then he continued on his way, as they were walking through a meadow of tall grass and heading toward a stand of trees. Had she angered him?

“What I mean is, you should simply accept that you helped me and that I am grateful to you. There is no need to reject my gratitude or pretend you did not save my life. You are whole and good, and you helped me.”

She immediately worried she had spoken too vehemently and had overstated her point. Would he say something cold and harsh, as her sister would in this situation? Or would he ignore her as if she mattered not a whit to him, as her father would?

“You are right. I am stubborn. And I’m sorry for burdening you with my gloomy thoughts. You are very welcome for my help. That is the truth, and it is what I should have said. I am very glad God used me to help you.”

“Good. Thank you.”

He looked her in the eye, finally, and stopped walking. Then he smiled. “I have never known anyone like you.”

She smiled back, relieved and surprised at his reaction. “I have never known anyone like you either.”

“Come. We must get out of this open field before someone sees us.”

Lord Dericott continued walking but then suddenly stumbled and fell forward.

Audrey’s heart leapt into her throat. “Are you all right?”

Lord Dericott rolled over and kicked at something on the ground. “Stay back.”

“What is it?” Audrey suddenly saw it—a wolf lying on the ground, bloody and unmoving. She gasped. “Is it dead?”

“Yes.” He got to his feet and stared down at the animal. He kicked at it again with his booted foot. It was stiff. “It looks fairly fresh. Probably your sister’s friend killed it last night.”

“Do you think the wolves chased them while they were trying to find us?”

“That is possible. And we might actually find that the wolves... Well, I will just say that wolves run in packs, and they attack their prey in packs, and they may have greatly outnumbered your sister and her henchman.”

“You mean, they may have killed Maris and Umfrey?” Audrey felt slightly sick but also a little relieved.God, please forgive me.

“It is possible. But we cannot depend upon it. And it is even more likely that your sister and her henchman killed this wolf, which means they came through here in the last several hours. We must take care.”

They walked to the shade of the forest, and Lord Dericott proceeded cautiously, looking hard into the trees. Audrey stayed close by his side, again thinking how it would feel to take his hand in hers. She’d felt the comfort of it twice before. But if she grabbed his hand now, would he be horrified at her boldness? But of course, she would not do it. She was only wondering what it would be like if he cared for her and if she were ready to declare her feelings for him.

She wished she had the courage to ask him if he was still pledged to Lady Ophelia.

They made their way through the trees, cutting a very wide path around the place where Maris and Umfrey had bedded down and from where Audrey had escaped.

Audrey’s heart was beating fast. She slipped on a large root sticking out of the ground, making her stumble forward.

“Are you all right?” He turned and waited for her to catch up to him.

She nodded. She walked beside him, making her way through the thick bushes and vines and thorns.

Something moved about six feet from where they were standing. Audrey sucked in a loud breath, clamping her hand over her mouth to stifle a scream. As it ran away, she saw it was a rabbit.

Audrey pressed her hand to her chest. Then she realized she had grabbed Lord Dericott’s arm with her other hand.

“It’s only a small rabbit,” he said in a quiet voice.

She let go of his arm, thinking he was annoyed at her silly fear over something as insignificant as a rabbit. But when shedid, he put his arm around her shoulders. And when he did that, she leaned into him, pressing her face against his chest. He tightened his arm around her and she slipped her arms around his back.

Her breath went out of her at how she felt when he pulled her close to him, in the vulnerability of embracing him.

It did not mean anything. He was simply comforting her... as a friend comforts a friend. And perhaps he needed a bit of solace and comfort too.

But did she dare to let herself enjoy it? To draw strength from his solid chest and his strong, muscular arm around her? To imagine that they might mean more to each other than mere friends? She tried not to move, wishing the moment never had to end.