It was a chaste kiss, almost a benediction. He followed it by rubbing the back of his fingers against her cheek. “Brave, brave, Anne,” he said softly, then turned and left the room.
She stood quiet for some time, lost in her own thoughts. Aidan had been telling her it was a question he would not answer and there was nothing she could do for it. He would make his own choices. He didn’t love her, so her opinion, and her fears, carried little weight.
But she worried she would be much like her mother. If something happened to him, a part of her would die, too.
Sometimes it hurt to dream of things one couldn’t have.
Anne shook away her dark thoughts. Aidan wanted nothing from her. She could have no expectations.
Always practical Anne.
Always the one left alone.
She went to her room to fetch her shawl. It was late afternoon and the day had grown cloudy.
No one was in the upstairs hallway. She opened her door and left it open as she crossed to an old trunk she had found and cleaned to hold her belongings. As she opened the lid, she sensed she was not alone.
Anne turned as the door closed, revealing Deacon hiding behind it. She gave a little scream of shock.
He placed a finger to his lips. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“What are you doing here?” she asked, groping for her composure.
“I needed a place to hide where they wouldn’t look.” He paused. “Why did you do it? Why didn’t you tell the English where I am?”
Anne straightened. “I do not wish you harm.”
“I’ve wished you to the devil a hundred times since you first arrived.”
“And I haven’t gone, have I?”
He stared at her and then chuckled. “No, you are a most stubborn English lass.”
The door flew open. Deacon moved just in time or he would have been smashed. It was Aidan. “I heard you scream,” he said to Anne.
She pointed to Deacon and Aidan relaxed. “I wondered where you’d gone off to.”
“Here all along,” Deacon said proudly. “Right under Lambert’s bloody English nose.”
“Well, we’ll have to find a place for you,” Aidan said.
“I can’t stay, Tiebauld. You are in danger with me here.”
“I’m in danger with you anywhere. Lambert wants me. I might as well be hanged for a wolf as well as a sheep. Come along. We’ll put you in the servants’ quarters. Stay out of sight and everyone will believe you’ve escaped.”
But Deacon didn’t move. “Is it all right with your wife?”
“Anne?” Aidan asked in surprise. Deacon had been so set against her, his asking her permission surprised him. Aidan looked to her. “What do you say, Anne? Shall we hide Deacon?”
She considered her former rival a long moment. Finally, “I believe we must.”
Aidan smiled his approval. “Come along then, Deacon.”
His friend hesitated a moment. “You were bold, my lady. You saved my life.”
Over the past week, she’d have loved to see Deacon humbled. Now, she understood why Aidan valued his friendship. The man was loyal, and she had proved her worth to him. He accepted her, his straightforward praise for her actions touching her deeply.
Anne waited until they left, and then she collapsed on the bed. She wanted to believe all would be fine.
She knew she was fooling herself—and yet she’d seen genuine concern on Aidan’s face when he’d heard her scream. Always the protector. She smiled sadly, wrapping the yellow Kashmir around her arms and burying her nose in it. For the past few days, she’d pretended not to care. She didn’t think she could live that way any longer.
And she was tired of arguing. She’d even offered herself to him, and short of parading herself naked in front of him, she didn’t know what to do.
Perhaps the time had come to try that, too.
Aidan led Deacon to the servants’ wing. “The only ones here are Norval and Cora, and they can be trusted.”
Deacon didn’t answer. Ever since the night he had propositioned her, he had not spoken to Cora. He’d been a coward.
Now, he was going to be practically living with her.
Aidan didn’t notice his quietness. He made sure there were blankets and left.
Deacon sat alone in his room, listening. After an hour, he heard a woman’s light tread. She went into the room next to his.
He rose from the bed and went out in the hall. The door to Cora’s room was closed. He could knock, but she would not let him in. She’d barely looked at him since the night he’d