Would he leave the area as soon as he was recovered? Of course, he would. He needed to return to his family. To England. She could only pray he didn’t rush his departure and reinjure the hip before it fully healed.
But that wasn’t the only reason she didn’t want him to leave right away.
Once Brielle brought her within Laurent’s walls, she’d be watched every minute—maybe even kept under guard until the council decided her punishment. She wouldn’t have another chance to sneak out. To say good-bye.
Even as tears stung her eyes, she turned toward Laurent.With Brielle close behind her, she had no choice. But that didn’t change the fact she was leaving her heart in a cave on the mountain.
The snow still whipped around Audrey as she and Brielle approached the gate of the only home she’d ever known. Brielle sounded the call to alert the guards of their approach.
The churning inside Audrey grew stronger with every step. She couldn’t seem to stop herself from imagining what it would be like to see the villagers again, the people she’d known her entire life.
And Papa. Would disappointment dim his eyes when he looked at her? Would he understand when she told him why she left and stayed away so long?
And what of Chief Durand? She couldn’t bring herself to think of him as Papa Durand any longer. He likely didn’t possess many tender feelings for her now. Hesitation—or maybe worry—tried to slow her steps, but she pushed herself forward.
Voices sounded from inside the wall. Male voices.
She gripped the inside of her pockets and kept herself moving. When she and Brielle stepped inside the gate, two men were sprinting toward them, within ten strides of reaching them.
Both slowed when they saw her, and the familiar faces of Wesley and Philip seemed surreal as shock morphed their features.
Philip recovered first and strode forward, his steps determined. “Audrey. You’re the last person we expected.” His expression was hard to read.
She sent both men what would hopefully pass for a pleasant look. “Hello, Philip. Wesley.”
When both men came alongside her, their intentions grew plain. She was flanked on three sides by guards, giving her no chance to run again. Panic tried to well at the thought of being escorted through the village like a criminal.
She glanced back at Brielle. “Could I speak with you and Chief Durand? And maybe my father, too, if he can.” She wasn’t sure she could manage the disappointment—or worse yet, anger—from the three people who meant most to her, all at the same time. But it would be better to tell the whole story to them at once.
And the Lord would sustain her. No matter what came, He would be her strength. She simply had to make sure she followed His promptings.
A glance passed between Brielle and Wesley, and he jogged forward, probably to alert the others and hopefully coordinate the meeting she’d requested.
Even with the loud sound of the wind, the silence from Brielle and Philip weighed heavy. Philip had been like a mentor for Leonard. Did he think she had something to do with the young guard’s death? At the very least, Leonard never would have been out there if it hadn’t been for her actions.
Grief tightened her chest, stinging her eyes. She couldn’t think about that now. The meeting ahead required her to be strong.
When they reached the outer door of the Durands’ quarters, Philip rapped once with his knuckle, then pulled the latch string and opened the door. He motioned for Audrey to enter first, and the rush of warmth that wrapped around her as she stepped inside nearly made her light-headed.
Or maybe it was the dimness of the candlelit room compared with the bright white swirling outside. Or simply the fact that she was entering a chamber she knew so well. Stepping back into her old life.
But she wasn’t.
It might be a long time before the people of Laurent allowed her to slip back into her old life. And did she really want to? The thought of day after day without Levi felt unbearable. He’d become so much more to her than any patient. More than any man she’d ever known. If she allowed herself to face it, she’d been coming to love the man more each day, with every conversation, every peek into his life and his character and his integrity. The way he sought to live out his faith had claimed her. And every look into his eyes certainly sealed her desire.
Could she really live without him?
But that was a fate she would have to contemplate later, for motion across the room snagged her gaze. The sight of the man who’d just entered the door made her breath cease.
Time slowed to a crawl as her father lifted his eyes to hers. The sagging lines of his face dipped lower as his mouth opened in disbelief. Had he not been told she was here? Or maybe he’d not believed it.
His expression gradually lifted, his eyes lighting with more joy than she’d seen on him in ... so long.
A sob caught in her throat, and she took a step forward as he began striding toward her. Papa’s arms spread just before he reached her, and just like when she was a girl, he enveloped her, squeezing her tight and rocking back and forth.
She soaked in the feel of him, the familiar scent that was his alone, though a little stronger than she remembered. Had henot been taking care of himself properly while she was gone? With her arms around him, his body felt as slender as it always did. Had someone been bringing him meals in her absence? She’d not allowed herself to think much about Papa’s care.
But now, the ache of leaving him to fend for himself, of abandoning this man who’d poured his life into helping her from the moment she was born, brought a rush of shame. How could she have set aside her responsibilities so easily? She’d notintendedto desert him. She’d planned to return to Papa as soon as Levi set out. But then Levi’s injuries...
