“Ah, no.” The man’s cheeks flushed as pink as a girl’s. “To spend time together.”
“Here we go…”
Sparrow was entirely focussed on the interaction.
“The journal is substandard.” Dain was up on his feet, plucking it from Ben’s grip before inspecting it closely. “The paper is too coarse.” His finger slid over one page. “Fern uses quite delicate pencil strokes and this will not suit. The pencils…” Inside the leather cover there were several small loops, each one holding a pencil. “Are too soft. Her drawings would smudge and be ruined.” With a snap, he closed the cover, then shoved it back into the other man’s hands. “This is not good enough for Lady Fern.”
“Oh…” The man took a step backwards. “Oh?—”
“I fear I have not had much time for drawing of late,” shesaid far more kindly to Ben, then shot the lot of us a dark look. “But your offer is most kind. Perhaps at a later date?”
“I’d…” Ben was losing his nerve by the second. “I’d like that.”
“That’s it…” I growled as he made a hasty exit. “Scurry back to your table.” With a glance down at Fern, I slid my arm across the back of her chair. “We’ll get you a proper sketchbook, lass.” I leaned in closer. “Dain will ensure it’s of sufficient quality.” With a smile, I watched her lips part. “Then we’ll steal you away from the keep. You draw.” My grin would not be suppressed. “And I’ll make sure there’s something worth looking at.”
I shouldn’t crave a woman’s frowns, but I did Fern’s. The way her teeth sank into that pillowy soft bottom lip had my whole attention, right up until the point she shoved my arm away. Her elbows hit the table as she glanced at everyone else in turn.
“We’ve decided we need a map to record all the ruins we visit.” Fern was all business, but that little waver in her voice made me think I was getting to her more than she let on. “But does anyone know where the ruins are around Nevermere?”
“I grew up around here,” Lance said. “I can direct us to at least some of them.”
“Used to play in the rubble of those ruins closest to the keep,” Sparrow added.
“We fly out with the lieutenant in the morning,” I said, glad that was decided. Now we could get some good food in our bellies and?—
“Flying around and visiting ruins in a haphazard fashion would be an inefficient way to discover the nest. Someone has to have made note of these sites somewhere,” Fern said.
“Might be a book in the library that has that information.”
There was nothing Lorien hated more than books, so for him to put this forward as an option was a testament to how he felt about Fern.
“Books.” Fern nodded sharply. “And perhaps some maps ifthe keep library’s collection is extensive. I’ll ask Christian in the morning.”
“We will.”
Lance and I looked at each other over. The realisation we’d said that at the same time was quickly moved past as we focussed on our girl.
“Well, now that’s decided…” Fern said in a prim tone.
We had dinner after that. I didn’t taste a thing. Too busy watching Fern to know if I was eating fish, fowl, or some other creature. My mouth knew what it wanted and food wasn’t it. Chatter washed over me. Dimly, I was aware that Sparrow and Fern were having some sort of animated conversation, right up until the point some strangers walked into the hall.
Quiet fell over more than one table, but while many people craned their necks to take the newcomers in, Lance’s response was the most marked. Barry used to have an old hunting hound that would scramble to his feet, going completely still when we got close to a deer, and that’s what the lieutenant resembled right now.
“What…?” Sparrow was a sharp one. “Oh, that’s Pippin.”
She caught the change in mood almost as fast as I did, following Lance’s gaze. If she looked stricken, it was nothing compared to Fern. Both women went curiously pale and I couldn’t work out why.
Perhaps because our Lance was staring at another woman.
I took the stranger for a lad at first. Not sure why because she had long white hair, but there was something about those broad shoulders, those narrow hips that made me think man, not woman. Lance seemed to be studying her just as closely, right before his eyes screwed down into a slight squint. This wasn’t the appreciative look of a man observing a woman he wanted to get closer to.
But Fern didn’t know that.
My arm was moving of its own accord, curling around her shoulders and pulling her closer. She’d made clear that the overture was not appreciated, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself.Whatever the fuck this was, I’d protect Fern from it. A glance up at me and I saw a flash of vulnerability, right before her mask was put back into place.
“If you’ll excuse me.” How often did she hide what she really felt behind that perfectly polite tone? “I’m exhausted from the flight home. It’s time for me to head to bed.”
“I’m tired too,” I said, smiling when her eyes met mine. “Maybe that’s a situation we can rectify together?”
