He has to be up so early to bake the bread, and I daresay he’s struggling to sleep with this hanging over him.”
I blinked but hadn’t formulated an answer before she disappeared out the door, pulling a scarf over her hair and her cloak around her shoulders.
“What in the kingdoms is Ash going to think when Wren turns up at his door in the middle of the night?” I whispered, although there was no one left in the kitchen but Audrey and me. “I thought she was trying not to encourage him.”
Audrey gazed toward the doorway where her sister had just disappeared. “I don’t think she quite knows what she wants.” She sighed. “And in actual fact, it’s not just fear that’s been bothering Ash.” She looked back at me and grimaced. “Telling Ash the truth meant he discovered that Wren had been using him. He was so pleased when she asked to visit, and so proud of her interest in his sample cakes. No doubt he thought she was finally coming around to his courtship. And now he’s crushed. She feels terrible.”
A pang shot through my heart. I had just rejected someone myself, and it was an utterly uncomfortable feeling. Poor Wren. And I couldn’t dismiss my own part in the drama.
“If only there had been another way,” I murmured.
Audrey sighed again. “I shouldn’t have reacted so openly. He wouldn’t have found out the truth and been crushed.”
I shook my head. “No. We concealed it from him beforehand out of necessity, not because it was the right thing to do. How would it be better to leave him in ignorance, thinking Wren was finally ready for him to progress his courtship? He’s been more than patient with her—giving her as much time as she needs for her grief—but it can’t be easy for him.”
I frowned. I understood something of grief myself—if not the loss of a husband—and I could understand the years Wren had chosen to spend alone. But she was different now—more peaceful than she had been when she first arrived, and less melancholy.
Juniper loved Ash, and I knew Wren wanted a father for her. And Wren herself always laughed at Ash’s jokes and seemed to take his advice with utmost seriousness. And now she had jumped up and run out of here—eager to carry the good news to him so he might sleep more soundly. So why did she still push him away?
I didn’t have the chance to ask her until two nights later, when Juniper was tucked soundly in bed and my voice had returned with the darkness. I had spent the day on tenterhooks, hoping for Gabe to appear with news of when the royal guards might arrive, but when he showed up at the haven, he made no mention of them.
Gregor was being particularly querulous, and Gabe had helped me keep him comfortable and entertained—his presence both welcome and trying at the same time. I had no easy way to ask him my questions—although he seemed to anticipate anything else I might need, being there with the cushion or glass I was reaching for whenever I turned around. I spent the whole day waiting for nightfall, only for him to disappear before the light left.
There was no doubt that Gabe had made caring for Gregor a great deal easier, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was trying to court me—acting as if a threat to the kingdom wasn’t lingering on our doorstep. All in all, it had been a tiring day, and I was more than ready to put my feet up and accept a cup of tea. Audrey had left in high dudgeon at our teasing abuse of her terrible smelling beverage, so only Wren and I remained.
I watched her for a moment as she pottered around, and it was no difficulty to imagine her installed in the bakery, with its spacious apartment on the floor above.
“Did Ash appreciate your visiting him despite the late hour?” I asked, as she joined me at the table.
She nodded. “He was most relieved.” She looked down into her cup. “Although I don’t think he was entirely glad to see me. I’m just thankful he opened the door at my knock.”
“It was dark,” I said. “He probably thought something terrible had happened. And I’m sure he wouldn’t turn his back if you or Juniper were truly in need—no matter how much it terrified him.”
“Oh.” Wren looked startled. “I didn’t even think that my arrival might