I whirled around to find Bram standing there, beaming at me. I didn’t think about what a scene I would cause, I merely reacted, throwing myself into his arms and squeezing him. “Bram! Is it really you?”
“Of course it’s me,” Bram chuckled, hugging me back. After a moment, he extracted himself from me and nodded to those who’d stopped to stare at the display, before smiling down at me, his dimples showing deeper than ever before. “You’re glad to see me, I take it.”
“Glad to see you?” I echoed. “I’ve never been happier to see someone in my life. But how did you come to be here?”
Bram grabbed my arm and gestured for the door. “We can talk about that on the way. For now, we should continue moving. I have two horses at the edge of town, waiting.”
“Horses?” Annette shrunk back at the word. “I’ve never been one for horses.”
“You’ll ride with me,” I told her, sending her a reassuring grin. “I’m a very good rider. You’ll be safe.”
Annette winced but bobbed her head in assent.
I walked alongside Bram, itching to grab his arm, but knowing that it would only attract attention. “How are you here?” I asked again.
Bram glanced at me, then shrugged. “Henri said you would have need of me.”
“Henri?” I frowned. “Henri sent for you? And you came?”
“If there’s one thing I can trust about Henri, it’s that he would only write to me, of all people, if the situation had become dire and you really needed me. I followed his instructions to wait at the pub each night for your arrival.”
“How long have you waited?”
“This was only my second night. I was expecting to wait longer.”
I swallowed hard, my mind racing at these revelations. Bram had come for me when summoned. He’d left his responsibilities behind, dropped everything, to see to my safety. I really didn’t deserve that sort of devotion from him. What would he think when I told him about how close I’d become with Henri? He would despise me, thinking all this trouble was for nothing.
And Henri had called on a rival suitor for help. It was almost unfathomable to me that Henri would deign to do such a thing. He’d set aside his pride for me. When faced with my peril, he’d chosen to keep me safe, putting me above everything. How could I ever repay that?
We reached the horses before long, and I rode with Annette clinging to me some forty minutes to a farmer’s barn. Bram had rented it for the week and had been staying there during the day. Now, we would rest until morning before continuing on our way, safe in the knowledge that we were far from Udolpho, and out of the way enough where it would be difficult to discover us.
“What has been happening at Udolpho Castle?” Bram asked as he seated himself upon a barrel of hay. Annette had settled into a corner of the room far from us, to give us privacy.
“A lot,” I said vaguely, running a hand back through my hair. “I hardly know where to begin.”
“Was my involvement truly necessary?”
“Yes, I’d say that it was.” I sighed. I wasn’t sure what to tell Bram. I couldn’t reveal that the family were werewolves. It would not only require a dramatic suspension of disbelief but also put Henri and Blanche at risk. Their uncle aside, their secret was a dangerous one, one that could get them killed. “I don’t want to go into details, but suffice it to say that Count Montoni was holding me there against my will. Even now, Count Morano and my aunt are his prisoners.”
“Prisoners?” Bram straightened. “Surely you jest.”
“I do not. There is a plan in place to extricate my aunt from the dungeon, and I don’t think any harm will come to Henri, but … it has been a trial.”
Bram looked pale, and the muscles in his cheek twitched. “That monster. The gendarmerie will see to him if it’s the last thing I do.”
I blinked. How right he was. Montoniwasa monster, but getting the authorities involved would only end in tragedy, and not in our favor.
“For now, I simply want to reach safety,” I told him. “I haven’t had time to plan my next steps. But Montoni is a very dangerous man, Bram. He shouldn’t be trifled with. Promise me, for now, that you’ll not raise a hand against him.”
Bram hesitated but nodded. “Very well. You’re more acquainted with the details. But I will hear a full account from you, and soon.” He reached out and touched my arm. “We can figure out how to proceed together.”
I melted under the tenderness I found in his eyes, and guilt immediately made me shudder under his gaze.
“I’ve missed you,” Bram said, beginning to stroke my arm. “I wasn’t sure I would ever see you again. You left me with a broken heart. I thought I would hear from you once you reached Udolpho. When I didn’t, I wasn’t sure what to think.” He shook his head. “I was going crazy for a time, Emile. Not a day has gone by when I haven’t thought of you.”
I blushed and looked away. Bram dropped his hand and cocked his head. “You don’t feel the same.”
It was a statement more than a question, and I knew he felt the distance between us. “So much has happened to me,” I said softly. “And it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t tell you that my affection for Henri has grown into something more.”
