heel, walking slowly back to the castle.
A stone bench was hidden from the view of the path beneath an arbor to her right. She shuffled forward and collapsed onto it, finally allowing herself a moment to break as the coldness of the stone soaked through her gown and tears poured from her eyes.
Her heart ached, a lancing of pain shooting straight through her chest. How was she to know whether he could be trusted? Allowing Toran to remain was too high a risk, and to let him back into her heart could be disastrous.
Was she willing to risk her heart, her plan?
Jenny swiped angrily at her tears. Why did she have to fall for him in the first place? Why did she have to insist on one last run that fateful night? If she hadn’t, they never would have crossed paths. And then he would have likely been caught by Boyd. By the time she’d found him and Archie, the lad would not have been able to travel much further. The idea of the two of them in Boyd’s evil hands was enough to send a chill up her spine. The idea of never having met Toran at all made her grief all the worse.
Footsteps on the garden path jolted Jenny from her thoughts. The sun had already lost its battle with the moon, blanketing the garden in darkness.
Jenny’s heart skipped a beat. She used the cuff of her sleeve to wipe away any more tears and then stepped onto the gravel path with her dagger in her hand.
Annie and Fiona walked with purpose toward her, their faces covered in shadows, but she knew them well enough to make out their shapes in the dark.
“What are ye doing out here?” Annie asked.
Her friends surrounded her, their presence a warm comfort. “I wanted some air,” she lied, shoving her dagger back into her boot.
Fiona let out a sigh and leaned her head against Jenny’s shoulder. “Are ye all right? We…heard what happened.”
“Ye were spying on me?”
“Not exactly,” Annie said. “We were talking with Dirk about the upcoming ball, and we just so happened to stumble across the two of ye. We told Dirk we’d make certain ye were all right.”
“Toran betrayed me.”
Annie took Jenny’s hand in hers and squeezed. “For what it’s worth, he sounded as heartbroken as ye. And what if it had been your mama sent back in a box?”
“I canna believe it. Why would they make it look as though I’d killed her?”
“Because those bastards didn’t want the entirety of the rebels to come down on their heads. They hoped to pull rebels to their side. Boyd is clever, and he wanted ye to come out of hiding to defend yourself,” Fiona said.
“But we never even heard about how she returned… Oh God, I canna believe how much she was made to suffer.” Jenny dropped her face into her hands as she sobbed. Her two best friends held her close as she cried, whispering soft words to calm her, but the tears kept coming. To be sure they’d been waiting to be shed for a long time.
She cried for the loss of her friend, for the loss of Toran and her broken heart, for the loss of their fathers and all their men and the ruin of the country.
When Jenny’s tears subsided, Annie said, “I know just want this calls for.”
“What?” Jenny wiped at the tears streaking her face.
“Sweets. I’ll go raid Cook’s kitchen and see if I canna find us something delicious.”
“And wine,” Fiona added. “Grab a jug of that too.”
“What would I do without ye two? I’m so glad ye’re here.” Jenny hugged them both once more, and then they made their way back to the keep. “We’ve been through so much together. I pray one day, the three of us will be old ladies, sitting about the drawing room and sipping tea, reminiscing about our escapades.”
“We made a pact,” Fiona said.
“A blood pact,” Annie added.
Jenny smiled. “Friends forever, rebels always.”
Dirk waited by the back door of the castle, just far enough away not to hear what they’d said but close enough to be of assistance in the garden if he was needed.
“I’m going to go help Annie,” Fiona said. “We’ll meet ye upstairs.”
Alone with Dirk, she didn’t know quite what to say. Luckily, he filled the silence. “I thought we could talk about the upcoming journey.”
“Aye, let’s.”
She shooed him back toward the castle, setting a brisk pace for them both and glad to be talking