As they turned the corner, faint moonlight filtered through the opening. Miss Moreau moved up beside him and secured her hand more firmly in his. Almost as if they were out for an evening stroll. He’d never walked hand-in-hand with a lady under the stars. There’d never been a woman in Kettlewell he wished to do such with.
If Miss Moreau had been there...
He swiped the thought away before his mind could ponder it. They had to focus on discerning whether anyone was out there watching. Though it looked like all the searchers had left earlier, they had to be careful.
Settling into the same position as before, Levi scanned the landscape outside. The crescent moon shed a small amount of light, certainly more than they had inside the cave.
Somewhere in the distance, a horse whinnied.Chaucer.
Levi tensed, straining to hear more. He glanced at Audrey. She was staring at him, eyes wide with hope. He dared brave a low whisper. “Are there any other horses in the area?”
She shook her head, confirming what he’d suspected. That had to be his gelding.
He itched to go out and find Chaucer, but the risk might still be too great. “It sounds like the whinny came from over there.” He motioned to the right, the opposite direction of Laurent. “Would they have taken him so far from the village?”
Her brows furrowed with deep shadows in the dim moonlight. “No. Maybe he got loose from where they tied him. There’s a nice meadow there where he might have found good grazing.”
Levi eased out a breath. If Chaucer broke loose and had found a hearty section of grass as near as that whinny sounded, he shouldn’t wander far in the night. Tomorrow he would search for the gelding.
But there was also a chance the villagers might have moved him to that location as a trap to lure Levi there. He would have to be careful.
The animal didn’t make the noise again, and quiet settled over the land. A breeze ruffled the needles on the juniper tree. They stood there for long minutes, taking in the stillness.
A new thought flickered in, one he should’ve considered long before now. What would Audrey’s friends and family do when they realized she was missing? The ball of dread in his gut twisted tighter. They would send another search party tomorrow, and this time it might be the entire village. They would leave no stone unturned. As much as he worried about how they might punish her, everything within him knew beyond a doubt she was special to this community. How could she not be? And if they thought he’d kidnapped her or she was in danger, they would hunt until they found her.
He had to talk to Audrey. Had to convince her to go back. But he also had to be careful not to send her into danger or unnecessary risk.
Reaching for her hand, he signaled for them to return into the cave. She followed wordlessly, and he didn’t dare speak even in a whisper until they reached their supplies.
With his eyes still adjusted to the moonlight, this area seemed even darker than before—if that were possible. “Do you think it’s safe to light a candle? We need to talk about what happens next.”
“I ... suppose so. I’ll light it.” She likely knew better than he did where the candle and tinderbox were positioned.
She tugged her hand from his, and cold made his fingers tingle as rustling sounds drifted from the direction where she’d laid out the supplies. A moment or two passed before she whispered, “There.”
The sound of metal clicking came next, probably her flint and steel. A spark illuminated the darkness but faded almost immediately. Another flashed, and this time the glimmer lasted long enough to cast light on her chin as she blew a gentle puff. The spark wasn’t strong enough to survive, though.
The third flash bloomed brighter, illuminating her mouth as she sent a steady stream of air. The light grew brighter, revealing her cheeks and nose. Then a tiny flame sprung up in the tinder, casting a glow in her eyes, illuminating her smile, just like an angel’s.
Within seconds, she lit the candle and snuffed out the flame in the tinderbox. She turned to him and held out the light. He took it, then motioned for her to be seated. Instead of sitting against the cave wall, she settled beside the supplies.If he rested against the stone, they would be able to see each other as they spoke. That practical positioning would help with the conversation. Surely she hadn’t moved simply to keep from sitting beside him.
He settled himself and positioned the candle, then did his best to gather his thoughts. Better to ask about her first. “What do you intend to do next?”
Her face appeared paler than before, though that might be an effect of the candlelight. She didn’t speak for a long moment, then her shoulders dipped as she released the spent air she’d been holding. “I had planned to go back tonight. I’m sure once I explain why I released you, they’ll understand.”
Despite her words, her voice sounded like she most certainlydidn’tthink they would understand.
He dipped his chin to meet her gaze. “Are you certain of that? That they’ll understand?”
A sea of worry clouded her eyes. “I pray they will. They know my heart is to help people, not inflict pain. I hope they’ll be lenient.” She must hear how unlikely her line of reasoning was.
He leaned forward and propped his arms on his legs. “What can I do to make it easier for you? If I go back with you, would they pardon you?”
She jerked upright, her eyes widening and chin lifting. “I’m not taking you back to Laurent. That would defeat all our efforts so far. All of our risks would be for naught.”
He inhaled a steadying breath, then released it. She spoke the truth there. He couldn’t cast aside everything she’d done to help him, as if her sacrifices meant nothing.
But he also couldn’t leave her to face the wrath of her people alone.
