“To the best of my ability, yes. Although, to be quite honest, it was more a matter of keeping her comfortable than anything else.”
Silence fell for a few moments, as Willow blinked away tears. “She passed peacefully. And the villagers were kind enough to arrange for a funeral. She rests now in the graveyard overlooking the sea.”
Harry was silent, his eyes on her face, intense and unblinking. “A tragedy indeed.”
“Yes.”
“Which leads to a question. Why are you still here, Willow?”
She gestured at the plate of bread and a pat of butter on the table. “Do you think you could manage to eat a few bites? It would be wonderful if you could, since you need to start regaining your strength.”
He narrowed his eyes at her, then smiled. “I will make a bargain with you. I will try to eat if you tell me what’s going on here.”
“There’s nothing going on,” she replied immediately, avoiding his gaze by buttering the bread.
“I know that expression,” he chuckled. “Something is definitely going on.”
For a few moments, he glanced around the room. “This is a tidy little house. I suppose cottage would suit it better.” He paused. “I have seen many like this, and they offer everything a small family would need in the way of comfort and protection.”
“Yes.” She was unsure of where his thoughts were leading.
“But you are not a family. In fact, you appear to be living here quite alone.” He paused. “Except for me.”
Willow cleared her throat. “That is, in essence, correct.”
He tilted his head to one side, and for a moment the flames from the fire danced in his green eyes, giving him a somewhat devilish appearance.
“So, tell me, dear girl, are we in the midst of a shocking scandal? You, me, and these four walls?”
“Not at all,” she sighed.
“Explain,” he ordered.
“Well…I was caught by surprise when you arrived, unconscious and clearly very ill. I did the only thing I could think of on the spur of the moment.”
He raised his eyebrows questioningly.
“I told everyone you were my husband.”
Chapter Three
In Which a Mystery Reveals Itself
“You did what?”
Harry managed to keep his voice relatively calm, although his brain felt as if it was on the verge of erupting like a volcano.
“Well, I should think it’s obvious.”
Willow’s chin went up, in that particular way that all the Trease women seemed to have. If the matter under discussion hadn’t been so serious, he might have grinned, but as he was still reeling from her revelation, he let it pass.
“Explain to me, if you would be so kind,” he breathed slowly, “how it is that you, a young woman of good birth and excellent family, should do something so bloody stupid as to risk your reputation by claiming to be my wife?” He blew out an angry breath. “For God’s sake, woman. Have you no sense at all?”
She glared at him. “It was either that, or let you die.”
“You’re being dramatic.”
“I am not.” She rose and began to pace. “Madam had gone, but she asked me to promise her something before she died.”
