He frowned at her. “The dinner you didn’t eat.” He sat beside her near the water, laying out the meal on top of the cloth.
Eva didn’t move. “And how would you know how much I did or didn’t eat?”
“I watched you,” he replied, not bothering to explain any further.
“I don’t need a nursemaid,” she grumbled, sitting down on the other side of the cloth.
“But you do need food.” He handed her a slice of bread. “And I’m not leaving until you’ve eaten all of this.” She may not need a nursemaid, but she clearly needed company.
Her face softened as she took the bread from him. Pulling a miniscule piece from it, she popped it into her mouth. “You don’t need to worry over me,” she whispered when she’d finished chewing. “I’m fine.”
“Well, that’s a relief,” Finn replied teasingly.
They sat together in silence as she ate slower than Finn had thought humanly possible. But he didn’t have anywhere to be, other than resting, and she clearlywasn’tfine. When she ate the last bite of cheese, he handed her the waterskin he carried on his belt.
She took it gratefully, drinking long and deep before handing it back. “Thank you,” she muttered, as though embarrassed by the entire situation. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I did,” Finn argued. “And I will do the same as often as necessary.”
“What message did my brother have for me?” she asked.
Finn had been so concerned over her eating that he’d forgotten he told her he’d be meeting with her only to relay messages. He cleared his throat, reluctant to do as Dallan had asked that morn.
“Is it so terrible?” she pressed when he said nothing.
“Dallan wishes me to teach you to play the harp.”
He turned to look at her, catching the glimmer that came to her eyes at his suggestion. The hint of a smile played at the corners of her mouth.
“Really?” she asked breathlessly. Then, apparently having second thoughts, she cleared her throat. “I mean, I wouldn’t want you to do it out of pity. I’ve had quite enough of that.”
Finn watched her face fall as she spoke, wrenching his heart out of place. “It’s not pity,” he argued. “I want to do it.” And he meant it. Aye, when Dallan suggested it, Finn hadn’t cared for the idea. He couldn’t put a name to his reasoning, but something about spending so much time with Eva put him on edge. But he quickly tossed aside his nameless worries when he realized how happy it would make Eva.
Her arms crossed her chest defiantly. “Is it not? Would you want to do it if my brother hadn’t put you up to it?”
He considered her carefully before answering. He knew what he said mattered a great deal to her. “Your brother may have suggested it,” he began, “but I would like to do anything that will bring a smile to your face. And that was as close as I’ve come so far.”
She did smile then, her lips transforming into a full, taut bow. “That’s not true, actually.”
“No?”
A flush of pink invaded her creamy cheeks, reminding him once again of flowers blooming in snow. “Your music made me smile.”
His chest swelled at her admission. “Then you shall hear it as often as you’d like.” He’d had folk complimenting his talents since he was a child. Yet for some reason, knowing that he could raise her spirits and coax a smile from her troubled countenance felt like the highest praise he’d received.
“You play so well,” she began, “yet you’re here to fight. How can you have trained adequately for both?”
Finn grinned at her. “Worried I’ll be speared to death, and you’ll lose your music tutor?” he teased.
“The latter more than the former, for certain,” she replied in kind. “But really, how can you have trained to play so perfectly and also learned to fight well enough for the trials?”
“’Tis true I studied music and poetry for most of my life,” he admitted, “but my father and uncle are as fierce as any warriors you’ll meet. They trained me well enough.”
“May I ask a personal question?” she ventured.
“More personal than how I trained as a warrior?” He tried to sound as though it didn’t matter, when in truth he avoided all discussion of his family. Which, based on her previous question, is where he wagered this was headed.
She nodded. “Your father and your uncle. What brought them here?”
