She nodded, her smile slipping just a little. Why did he never eat with her? Was he ashamed of his table manners? She would never understand the man. Why did she even try? With a shake of her head, she turned back to Elon and his parents.
Stefan watched her from the shadows, his jealousy feeding his rage when the boy asked her to dance. The sight of Bryony smiling and laughing in another man’s arms was almost more than he could bear. He clenched his hands into tight fists when they left the dance area and sat together, justthe two of them. He could have destroyed the boy with no more than a thought. He pictured himself doing so and cursed himself for imagining it. For enjoying it.
Later, there was a puppet show. And fireworks. He watched it all from a distance, hating the boy for making her laugh and smile. Hating her for having a good time. Hating himself.
He waited until the celebration was almost over before he told Bryony it was time to leave. She didn’t argue, but he saw the cheerful smile she gave the boy as they said goodbye.
And it broke his heart.
Chapter Nine
When Bryony went downstairs in the morning, she found a note on the mantel.
Bryony ~
We are leaving here this evening.
Pack everything you wish to take with you.
Stefan
Frowning, she read the missive again. Leaving? Where were they going? And why?
She fretted over the note all through breakfast and while washing and drying the dishes. If Stefan took her away from here, she might never see her family again. What if she refused to go?
What if he left without her? Did she want to stay here alone, with no way to leave the house? If the delivery boy stopped coming, she would starve to death.
With a shake of her head, she closed the door on her morbid thoughts. Going upstairs, she opened the wardrobe doors and found a leather-strapped trunk inside that hadn’t been there last night. Dragging it out of the wardrobe, she put it next to the bed. She laid her dresses on the mattress and folded them one by one. When that was done, she opened the trunk and found a smaller one inside. Lifting it out, she pushed it out of the way.
She packed her books first, then her shoes, clothing, and nightgown. Her needlepoint yarns, thread, patterns, and scissors came next. She loaded her oils, paint brushes, rags, palette, and cleaning solution in the smaller trunk. The canvases wouldn’t fit.
Reaching under the bed, she removed the painting she had done of Stefan. For a moment, she held it up, thinking once again that it was the best thing she had ever done. She placed it between a couple of blank canvases where it wouldn’t be seen and loaded them all into a box she had found in the mudroom.
She took a last glance around the room to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything before going downstairs to prepare the noonday meal.
Sitting on the couch, her plate in her lap, she wondered anew why they were leaving this place. Was he going to sell her into servitude? Dispose of her? Or worse? She had heard stories of women who had been sold into brothels in distant countries.
She grew more and more anxious with every passing moment. As the sun began to set, she paced the floor, wishing she could stop time from passing. All too soon, Stefan entered the main room.
She stared up at him, her heart hammering like thunder in her breast. Had he always been so tall? So intimating?
Stefan frowned as he glanced around the room, wondering why she was so upset. “Are you ready?” he asked.
She backed away from him, her arms folded tightly around her waist.
He shook his head as he let his mind brush hers. Sell her to a brothel? Is that what she thought? No wonder she was upset. “Bryony, look at me.”
Reluctantly, she met his gaze.
“I am not going to hurt you. Or sell you into slavery. Or send you across the ocean to a foreign brothel.” If anyone was going to explore that exquisite body, he intended to be the one to do it. “We are moving to a larger house, that is all.” It was the truth. And a lie. They were moving because of the way she had smiled at the boy. The way the boy had smiled at her.
Her gaze searched his. She wanted desperately to believe him.
“Are you ready?” he asked again.
She nodded.
He lifted the new traveling cloak that had been folded over his arm and shook it out. Muttered an oath as she flinched when he placed it around her shoulders.
