Better to get to the point. And soon. Before he spoke first.
Gathering herself, she swallowed down the dread building in her throat. “Will you tell me why you were taking me away from the fort? Why you lied about our destination?” She tried to make her voice strong, maybe even hard. But the sound came out more weak and timid, too much like she’d always been back in Laurent. Maybe that was who she really was.
He turned to face her. “Charlotte, I’m sorry. I misled you, but I did it only for your good.”
His words started the ire building inside her, but he was still speaking, so she forced herself to hold her tongue.
“Fort Versailles is no place for a woman, especially travelingon her own. If you knew the kinds of men who frequent the place, you would understand. Some will be decent. Others mostly well-meaning, but they may not have seen a woman in months, maybe years. There will be some who will tell you any falsehood to lure you under their covers.”
She raised her brows at him, letting her look speak for itself.
But he shook his head. “What I did was for your good, to keep you safe. Those men will be thinking of nothing but their own desires.” His brows gathered. “I truly am sorry I deceived you. So many times, I thought about telling my plan, but I was afraid you would leave on your own. Then you’d be in a worse spot.”
He seemed in earnest, but so many questions still stirred unrest within her. “Whatwasyour plan exactly?”
His mouth pressed into a sheepish expression. “I planned to take you to your home. I don’t know exactly where your village is, but I thought I could get you fairly close. By then I expected you would realize where we were, and hopefully I would have talked you out of trying to get to the fort. I don’t know why you left Laurent to begin with or why you’re so determined to get to Fort Versailles, but you’ll be so much safer with your family. Especially since I imagine you hold them in deep affection.”
Indignation rose in her chest, something even stronger than the ire of moments before. “I do, but that doesn’t mean I can go back there. Not yet. I have to get to the fort first. I have to see if there’s—” She barely caught herself before spilling the rest of her need.
Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to tell Damien she was searching for a master engraver. But she still wasn’t certain she couldtrust him. But the confusion and curiosity on his face showed he’d noticed her slip.
He tipped his head as he studied her. “See if there’s what? Perhaps I can tell you if what you seek is within fort walls.”
She opened her mouth to speak of trade goods, for he likely wouldn’t know exactly what supplies were on hand since he hadn’t been there in months. But then the possibility in his words struck her. Perhaps hewouldknow if the fort held a craftsman capable of what she needed. Could she ask without disclosing why she had to find such a man? He would never know about the chalice unless she told him.
And she wouldn’t.
She studied him for another moment, searched within her spirit for any sense that she might be making a mistake in answering the simple question. Nothing rose up within her.
“I’m looking for someone who’s an expert in molding metals. Not just molding, but engraving, too.”
His brows rose, curiosity shifting to ... well, something deeper. Intrigue?
“What kind of engraving? A name or verse? On what type of metal?”
She shook her head. “An image. An elaborate one. As for the metal, I believe it’s brass.” That should give him enough details to know whether such a man would be at Fort Versailles.
Damien’s expression turned to something unreadable, and a shadow seemed to cloak his face. He was silent for long moments. Was he thinking through the skills of the people there? He seemed to be pondering, maybe even struggling within himself.
She waited. Perhaps he was debating whether to tell thetruth. If that was the case, she wanted him to reach the answer on his own, with no prodding from her. She had to be able to trust him, and he wasn’t making that easy.
“I...” Then something like resolution settled across his features. He met her gaze, and his eyes darkened with intensity. Or maybe that was only the shadows from being tucked under the overhang. “There’s not such a man at Fort Versailles. Only a blacksmith who hammers out horseshoes and makes traps on the forge. He’s not very skilled at the latter. More than one man told me it was better to buy from the trade store at twice the price than from his stock. There are also men brought in to do work on the fort walls and buildings. I didn’t know them long, but from what I saw, their abilities seemed a bit rougher than the blacksmith’s. At least one of them was just learning how to hammer out a flat piece of metal.”
Her stomach sank at his words, but she studied him. How could she know for sure whether he spoke the truth or was only trying to convince her to turn back?
He laid down the strip of meat he’d been eating and turned to face her fully. “What is it you need, Charlotte? Maybe I can find the kind of craftsman you’re looking for somewhere else. Let’s get you back to Laurent, then I’ll seek out the right man. If he can be found anywhere, I’ll locate him.”
The earnestness in his voice struck a chord deep in her heart, that intensity in his gaze easing her worries. Would he really be willing to do all that? “Why? Why would you go through all that effort for me?” It didn’t make sense, this willingness to expend himself for someone he’d met days before.
He pulled back the slightest bit. In fact, the movement seemed more internal than to his physical position.
Her defenses flared into anger. “Tell me, Damien. Tell me what you want from me. Why have you spent so much time and effort tohelpme?” She emphasized the wordhelp, for she still wasn’t sure whether that had been his motive or not. “Is it my village? You want to see Laurent? Do you have something evil planned for my people?”
Even as the words tumbled out, she could feel their unfairness. This man wasn’t cruel or evil. He’d been kind and generous from their first meeting, and not just with her, but with the animals, too. Never once had she seen a sign of harshness in his actions. And traveling in these elements had pushed them all far too close to their breaking points.
But what else could be driving him?
He drew back even more, though his expression no longer seemed closed off. Shocked was a better description. His lips parted, and the surprise in his eyes mingled with something like hurt.
