She spared him not a glance.Which wasn’t surprising.He looked more like a pile of rags than a human.But even though he saw her only through his one uncovered eye, when she drew near, his breath caught.
She was the one he sought.The archer.And the nun.
How was that possible?
She scurried through the palisade gate and out of sight.
Adam unfurled, coming to his feet, and shouldered his satchel.He shuffled forward on his crutch with a limp that was only half feigned after falling to Brand’s lance and Hallie’s boot.Then he passed through the gate and eyed the road in both directions.
There she was on the northward path, racing like a hare pursued by hounds.
Still, he hung back.There was no need to alarm her.Unless she took a turn, the road ran directly to the ancient bridge across the Tay.
She probably meant to cross the river.But he doubted she’d go far after that.It was already late in the day.It would be unwise for a woman so richly appointed to journey alone after dark.Indeed, it was unwise enough for a woman so eye-catching to travel alone by day.
Even if he hadn’t been tracking her, Adam would have likely followed the foolish lady for her own protection.Outlaws lurked around every corner.
He was well-versed in handling outlaws.He knew all their tricks.Indeed, he was the son of such an outlaw.A mysterious woodland thief who robbed from the rich and gave to the poor.He occasionally enjoyed such pursuits himself.
The lady slowed as she crossed the bridge.He likewise slackened his pace.
On the other side she continued on the north road.
Adam was careful to hobble harmlessly along the path, keeping his head bowed.He didn’t want to arouse her suspicions.
Still, every now and then she turned nervously, as if she sensed she was being followed.
Eve couldn’t shake her suspicion that the old, crippled beggar doddering along behind her was following her.
Honestly, it was absurd.Why should she fret?This was a public road.He was simply a traveler.
Besides, why would an old, crippled beggar be following her?
Clearly, encountering that knight who had the same eyes as the Pope’s emissary had unsettled her.She needed to pull herself together before she started jumping at shadows.
The poor old man walked with a crutch, for heaven’s sake.By his raggedy clothes and his raggedy beard, she guessed the satchel he carried contained all his worldly possessions.The load bent his back into a severe hunch.Under other circumstances, Sister Eve would have offered to carry it for him at least a mile or two.
But she wasn’t Sister Eve now.She was Lady Aillenn.A refined Irish noblewoman of wealth who was accustomed to getting what she wanted.And she wanted to get to Scone before the silversmith closed his shop.
So she satisfied herself by maintaining a safe distance.Surely in his condition, he wasn’t planning on traveling to Scone anyway.It was a three-mile journey.
He must have been fitter than he looked.Against all odds, he did indeed manage to shadow her all the way to Scone.
Now she definitely had to lose him.He could be a thief.If he wasn’t considering robbing her already, he’d be inclined to do so if he saw her visiting a silversmith.And she absolutely couldn’t have him following her to her place of lodging.
So once she entered the village, she intentionally dawdled, stopping in at several shops to make small unnecessary purchases.A ribbon here.A pair of gloves there.Herbs for the bath.
But always when she exited a shop, he was there.
He no doubt imagined himself inconspicuous among the crowd of villagers.Lounging against a wall.Sorting through his satchel.Examining the wares at a craftsman’s counter.
But his ubiquitous presence was too coincidental.He must have marked her for theft.She needed to shake him once and for all.
Walking briskly, she turned left down a narrow street between shops and then made an immediate right.She pressed herself against the plaster wall, waiting to see if he would follow.
She heard the clop of his crutch and the scrape of his boots as he came down the street.She held her breath, waiting for him to arrive.
She would do him no harm.She only meant to scare him.To make sure he learned she was not a lady to be victimized.
