Her eyes were dark. “We’re not poisoning you.”
As much as he tried, he couldn’t keep from raising his brows. She was blunt, especially for a woman.
One side of her mouth twitched, the only hint that she noticed his reaction. “I’m sure that question crossed your mind.”
He let his smile ease out, although the effort reminded him he still wasn’t as strong as he should be. “I had wondered.”
Her brow lowered again, as though debating whether to say whatever was pressing in her mind. At this point, he couldn’t even imagine what that might be.
“We don’t intend to hurt you. As long as you don’t intend to hurt us.” Her eyes bore into him. “We’re keeping you until we can be certain of your intentions.”
Now they were coming down to the bedrock, the core of the matter, unencumbered by casual conversation or bushes to beat around.
He didn’t shirk from the intensity of her gaze, letting her see deep inside him to the truth in his words. “I mean no harm to you or your people. You have my word.” He couldn’t confirm that the United States government wouldn’t do themharm if he found what he sought here. And with the markings he’d seen on the southern side of this mountain, he had a feeling he’d find pitchblende somewhere nearby—likely deep inside a mountain, according to the army’s source.
“Then what is your reason for being here?” Her stare had lost none of its intensity.
Letting her see so far inside him was starting to burn his chest now, especially with this question. “Like I said, I’m exploring. Few from the east have ever been to this land, and very few descriptions of the area are recorded.”
Except for the journal entries he’d memorized, ones written by a trapper over a century ago. Those few pages where he’d remarked on the curious copper stone that sparked a small explosion in his fire had been the catalyst to the army’s research. The man had been intrigued by the rock enough to save a sample with his journals. And the army had been able to reproduce the explosion with the tiny stone. Thus the purpose for his mission.
“Why are you interested in our land?”
Please, Lord. Make her stop asking questions.Was God testing him? Had the Almighty decided his time had come and planned to take him out at the hands of this she-warrior?
He wouldn’t lie, but he’d also sworn an oath on a Bible that he would keep the details of this mission secret at any cost. If she pressed harder, he’d have to hedge.
But her intuition would probably realize he wasn’t being forthright. What would she do then? Kill him outright, or let him die a slow wasting death in this cell?
He pushed back the thoughts and focused on his answer. “I’m looking for things I’ve never seen before.”
“Like what?”
Was she trying to benefit from his weakness by pushing so hard? Maybe they really had poisoned him, and she was pressing the advantage. Twisting the blade, so to speak.
He could only die with honor. And truth. He forced his muddled mind to find an answer that would be both honest and hide his mission. “Things I’ve never seen before. Things that can’t be found where I live. Like caribou.” He tried for a smile, but it had no effect on her. As he knew it wouldn’t.
“Anything in particular you’re looking for?”
It was as though she knew of his mission and was trying to force his confession. Could that be possible? Did they have another spy in the war department? The way General Benedict Arnold had turned, anything was possible.
Maybe someone from the States had heard of his mission and ridden ahead to find the mineral first.
He studied Brielle from that new perspective, trying to align what little she’d said and done with that possibility. If a stranger had come to this village ahead of him, the man likely would have received the same treatment, would have been locked away in this dungeon for days.
Unless ... they were only doing this to Evan because they knew what he sought and were trying to hold him back.
Perhaps it was time to turn the questioning on her. “Do you treat all your visitors as you have me?” He nodded toward the door. “Lock them away and assault them with endless questions and no daylight until they nearly lose their senses? Poison them until they’re so weak they’ll admit to any crime, no matter whether they performed the act or not?”
Her eyes flared and her back stiffened. “We didnotpoison you. Not other than the sleeping potion on the arrowhead.And if you committed a crime, or plan to commit one here, you can be certain I will hold you responsible. No Englishman will enter Laurent and hurt my people. Never again.”
Never again?The lethal tone of her voice spoke even more than her revealing words.
8
Brielle hated feeling out of control. But watching Evan cast up his accounts all through the night smothered her with the sensation.
Audrey had stayed with them for a while, soothing his brow with wet cloths after each episode, then coaxing sips of cool water down his throat.
