Finn’s head swam with anxiety, frustration, and confusion as he walked. He had no idea what was going on, and even less of a plan for dealing with it. First, he was going to forget everything and try to enjoy some time with Eva. Hopefully he’d be able to sleep then, at least. He wasn’t even going to think about the trial tomorrow.
After Finn learned that she couldn’t swim, he’d made Eva promise never to come down to the shore alone. Their new arrangement was for her to wait for Finn on a large, smooth stone about halfway between the fortress and the lake.
She wasn’t there.
Finn’s heart hammered in his chest as he approached the clearing along the shore where they were to meet. Still no sign of Eva.
Had she been attacked? Had she fallen in and drowned? Gods, where was the woman!
He stepped onto the small beach, his answer awaiting him. When he saw Eva standing there, alone by the lake, breaking her promise plain as day, he opened his mouth to tell her exactly what he thought about that.
But then she turned around and all thought fled him.
There, clutched in her arms, was his harp.
Chapter Eleven
Earlier that day
Eva paced therush-covered floor of her chambers in exasperation. What on earth was the matter with her?
The thought of attending dinner, of seeing Finn now that she knew he had a secret lover, turned her stomach sour. Nay, she could hardly breathe, let alone eat. She couldn’t possibly attend dinner. She wasn’t ready to face him yet, and she knew he’d be looking for her come nightfall. He had no idea that anything had changed between them.
Eva groaned in frustration. It shouldn’t matter at all to her. But it did.
He hadn’t done anything wrong. She shouldn’t be upset with him.
But she was.
Which is why, instead of attending dinner, Eva rushed down the trail toward Loch Derg in search of solitude and comfort, intending to be safely back in her quarters long before Finn came. As she raced toward the lakeshore, her tears began to fall. She was so overcome by her whirlwind of emotions that Eva didn’t notice when she ran right past the stone where she had sworn to stop and wait for Finn.
She didn’t realize she’d broken her promise to Finn until she barreled through the trees and onto the sandy shore.
To find that she wasn’t the only one seeking the solace of the lake.
Eva halted instantly, regretting her recklessness.
A woman sat by the water’s edge, her face turned away from Eva, her sand-colored hair reminiscent of Finn’s. Eva began to tiptoe back into the cover of the trees until she noticed what the woman held in her lap.
Finn’s harp.
Eva would recognize it anywhere. Why this woman had it, she couldn’t imagine. But Eva knew Finn would be wanting it back. So instead of retreating, she advanced.
“I suppose you had to sneak into his tent to get that?” she asked, hoping this meant that Finn did not, in fact, have a lover.
The woman’s head snapped around and Eva drew in a heavy breath. She knew she wasn’t masking her shock well.
The woman, of an age with or perhaps younger than Eva, was so covered in bruises that her features were nearly impossible to discern. “Are you alright?” Without thinking, she rushed to the woman’s side, hoping her injuries weren’t as grave as they appeared.
Thief or not, no one deserved such treatment.
The woman burst into tears before Eva could get another word out. She reached a hand out in comfort, but the woman flinched away. Oh, aye, someone had hurt her terribly.
Eva swallowed, taking a deep breath and contemplating what to do next. She needed to get the harp, but this woman was clearly in very serious trouble and needed help. She’d need to tread carefully on both counts.
“I’d like to help you,” Eva said softly, so as not to startle her further. “We should get you to a healer.”
The woman shook her head. “I’m fine.” She wiped the tears from her own cheeks, wincing when her hand pressed on the bruises. “I’ve been to one already.”
