“What were you dreaming about?”
She couldn’t tell him, not without revealing her deepest fears.
“Daisies.”
He frowned.
She took a deep breath. “I should clean up.”
“Wait for daylight.” He sat down on his bed and held out his hand. “Come. You can sleep with me in my bed.”
She glanced to the door and back. “What about Mr. Todd?”
“Devil take Mr. Todd. Besides—if that didn’t wake him, nothing will.”
“Are you sure?” She smiled reluctantly. “Sometimes, I kick.”
“I gather. But there’s only one bed, and I’m offering to share.”
She settled into the crook of his arm.
“That’s better.” He pulled up the blanket, making sure to cover them both. “Do you hear that?”
“I can’t hear anything.”
“Exactly.” His arms tightened around her waist. “The storm has passed.”
She inhaled his musky male scent with a sigh. “I guess that means we can continue at first light.”
“Yes. If we leave early enough, we can reach Periwinkle Gate by tomorrow evening. As long as no other bridges have washed out, that is.”
Hoping a bridge had washed out just to delay their separation was wrong. She wished for something else…something less harmful.
Short of pleading with him to come to his senses and see how much better everything was when they were together, nothing came to mind.
“Try and get some sleep.” He rested his cheek on the top of her head. “I’ll keep the daisies at bay.”
She smiled.
For the first time in ages, she felt something she hadn’t felt since she was small.
Safe.
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Chapter Ten
With Lily’s help, Julia transformed back into a young woman. When finished, she paused to glance in Lily’s mirror. She twisted this way and that and decided she’d pass as a traveling tradeswoman, farmer, or maid.
Her hair was properly coiled with a few strands left to dangle. The hat she’d purchased from Lily—at a high price, for the sake of the maid—sat slightly askew. Her full shift fell in pretty folds, and, once properly cinched and tied, the brown bedgown showed just enough of her shape to please.
As she moved down the stairs, her legs, breeches-free for the first time in days, felt exposed. She joined Rayne in the courtyard. His expression did not help her feel any less conspicuous.
“You disapprove?” she demanded.
He blinked. “No—no, not in the least. I…I’ve just never seen you in clothes like those.”
“I’ve neverownedclothes like these. They’re a tradeswoman’s clothes. A former blacksmith, to be specific. And I love them!” She waved her arms. “I can move!”
