She would expect him to sit on his fur as all the guards did. He started toward the pallet so she wouldn’t have to command him.
“You’re hurt?”
He paused to look at her, then shook his head as he raised a hand. “Just some scraped knuckles.” There was a time he might’ve smiled about that, but inflicting pain held nothing good any longer. The only benefit came in helping Audrey.
Her gaze sharpened on him. “Thank you. For standingup to Gerald. My father said he deserved all you gave him and more.”
The older man was her father? No wonder he’d seemed familiar. Now that Evan thought about it, they had the same pointed chin and dark brown gaze. No surprise he liked the father as much as he did the daughter.
Well, almost as much.
He nodded in answer to her thanks. “I couldn’t sit by while he said the things he did.” He sharpened his gaze on her. “He’s different than the other guards.” Had she realized the man’s nature? It didn’t seem she had, the way she’d teased Audrey.
A sadness slipped over her features, similar to the expression on her father’s face. “He is different, I suppose, although I’ve never seen him like this.” Her brows dipped. “He lost someone in the massacre—Chrissy, his betrothed. I didn’t know him well at the time, but I do remember seeing him smile much more back then. Through the years, he’s separated himself more and more. He’s not shown interest in any other woman since, not until Audrey.” Her face hardened and her eyes narrowed. “I never thought his intentions were so base.”
Something inside him yearned to reach out to her. To soothe away the anger that seemed little more than a cover for deeper emotion. Concern for her friend? Worry? A reminder of her own loss?
“I’m sorry, Brielle.” The words slipped out before he could plan something better to say.
She met his gaze, and the pain there nearly stripped him. She’d endured so much. If only he could make things better for her. Bear some of her load.
Instead, he was adding to the weight on her shoulders with his presence alone.
14
Brielle took another step back. “Well.” Her voice trembled, so she swallowed and tried again. “I suppose I’ll be staying with you for the day.”
The awareness sparking between them was already enough to steal her breath. How could she stand a day with him?
Did they reallyneedto guard this man? Hadn’t he proven himself trustworthy, even to the point that he would defend one of their own? Warmth flowed through her again at the thought of what he’d done for Audrey.
Evan was a good man; she knew it with every part of her being. Even though she didn’t know everything about him.
She glanced toward the door. Too bad there wasn’t an outside window so she could see how much of the morning had passed. He would love to spend time in the courtyard.
She turned back to him. “We could go skin the elk I brought in this morning. . . . But it might not be best to take you into the courtyard so soon after what just happened with Gerald.” The others would just be learning of the incident, and Papa might be in the midst of meting out punishment. Better to keep Evan away until things settled.
Evan motioned to her spot at the wall and gave her a grinthat stole away all her angst. “Sit and talk to me.” He moved to his fur and sat, settling in.
She did long to learn everything about this man. Not just his intentions toward Laurent or who had sent him, but the things he enjoyed, his childhood stories, every little thing about him. His birthday. She should know when his special day was. She always took effort to make that a pleasant time for her family. How awful if he’d already spent that day locked up in this dark room.
She sank to the stone floor in her usual place against the wall, crossing her legs in front of her as she leaned back against the stone.
“Tell me something I don’t know about you.” His voice soothed like honey coating a sore throat, and his gaze said he really cared about what she would say.
“I have a younger sister and brother. Have I told you that?” That’s right, she had mentioned it when she told him of the coming of the Englishmen. She wasn’t very good at this game.
He nodded. “But I haven’t met them. How old are they?”
“Charlotte is ten and six, and Andre ten and two. Charlotte keeps the house, and Andre spends most of his days with my father and uncle doing metal work. They both want to meet you.” She’d commanded in no uncertain terms that her siblings stay far away from this room, but maybe she could bring Evan by the metal shop.
He leaned back and crossed his hands around his knees. “So, you have an uncle here, as well? Any other family? Aunts, cousins, grandparents?”
She shook her head. “We’re all family in Laurent, but I don’t have any others like you mean.”
As good as his interest felt, there was so much she wantedto learn about him. “What of you? You spoke of your brother and your parents. What of other family? Aunts, cousins, grandparents?” She echoed his own words, and it drew a smile from him.
Then a distant look came into his eyes. “I think I have some cousins in Scotland, but I haven’t kept correspondence with them.” He glanced at her wryly. “I wasn’t much for letter writing when I first came to America. I think I may have sent one note to say I arrived safely.”
