Not an unlikely possibility. Out here, a snowstorm or animal or anything else could wipe her out in a single vicious swipe.
Her family wouldn’t know Charlotte had help on her journey. They would think she traveled out here in these elements alone. On foot and carrying her pack. Any decent kin would be frantic long before now.
He tried to keep the worry from his own face and fought the urge to reach up and clasp her hand. “We’ll move as quickly as we can.”
She offered a tight smile—an offering of trust.
With a new determination, he turned toward the trail and nudged Gulliver forward. “Come on, fellow. We have ground to cover.”
17
As much as she’d liked Damien before, this new man she was coming to know drew her so much more.
Charlotte sat in front of the campfire with only a small space between her and Damien. They’d ridden so late tonight, the only shelter they’d been able to find was the cliff wall behind them to shield some of the wind. Thus, they both huddled in front of that protection, soaking in as much warmth as the fire would provide.
Exhaustion seeped through every bone and muscle, but her mind wasn’t ready for sleep yet. In truth, she wanted a little more time with the man beside her. She’d not realized how strong a barrier his deception had placed between them. He seemed lighter now, though not carefree. The weight of grief still shrouded him. But the reserve she’d felt—yet hadn’t been able to name before—had slipped away.
In two days, or perhaps three, they would reach Laurent. She had a feeling everything would change—both this camaraderie between them and likely the way her family and friends viewedher, as well.
She didn’t mean to sigh, but it slipped out as she thought of the sadness her father’s face would bear. Those worry lines etched deeper each year, and she’d probably added a few more with this ill-planned trip. Hopefully her father still believed she’d gone to the Dinee camp. But if he’d found the chalice missing or simply worried too much about her, he might have sent someone after her. He might know the truth by now—at least part of it—and would be frantic.
“Are you worried?” Damien turned his gaze on her.
She glanced his way and tried for a smile, but her exhausted features wouldn’t comply. “Worried about what?”
But she knew what he meant. This man’s intuition continued to surprise her. Was she so easy to read, or could he see inside every person the way he did her?
“Will you be in trouble for staying gone so long?” His brows had drawn together, forming the furrows she was beginning to love. They seemed a sign of his care.
She shifted her gaze to the fire as she thought through his question. Did she dare tell him how she’d left? When he’d asked before, those details had seemed to be none of his concern. But he’d become more than a guide and traveling companion. The man beside her felt very much like a friend.
Could she trust him with her own deception?
Even as the thought settled, the similarity in their actions raised its stark head. She’d lied to her father just like Damien had lied to her. She’d written the falsehood in her note to protect her father from worrying about her, and Damien had been trying to protect her from the dangers at the fort. Neither deception was right, but the situation called to mind that very familiar verse in Matthew.Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye.
She and Damien had a great deal in common it seemed—the need for grace.
And she needed to tell him all. It was time she own up to her mistake. She would need to do that over and over once she returned to Laurent, so this could be good practice.
But . . . she couldn’t bring herself to tell him about the chalice. Not yet. She needed to speak to her father first and beg his forgiveness. Shecouldtell Damien about her cowardice in leaving the note, though.
She picked up a twig from the ground to snap between her fingers. “I left early in the morning, before anyone else had risen. I placed a note on the table explaining that I was traveling with some of our Dinee friends to visit their village. I told them not to worry, that I’d be back before Discovery Day.”
She couldn’t meet his gaze as she spoke, but heat flamed all through her. Finally, she braved a glance at him.
Damien studied her, but his dark eyes gave no sign of what he might be thinking. Her fingers snapped the twig into smaller pieces, moving faster as the tension inside her built. Would he say nothing in response to her admission?
She straightened, tossing the bits of twig to the ground. “I know lying and leaving that way was wrong. I was desperate to get to the fort, and I knew I would worry my father if he knew where I was really going. He would have come after me, and he’s getting older now.”
His brows drew together once more. “If you’d told him, would you have been allowed to go? Maybe with a party of others? Or ... is no one approved to leave without permission?”
His tone held only curiosity, and she could well imaginehow odd their situation sounded. Especially when people came and went from forts every day.
In truth, she wasn’t fully sure of the answers to some of his questions. “It’s not that we’re notallowedto leave. The hunters go out all the time, and the women pick berries outside the village throughout the spring and summer. Trading parties go to the Dinee villages. We send men to Fort Versailles for trading, too.”
Several beats of silence passed. “So, this is your first time leaving the village except for gathering food?” Again, surprise seemed the only decipherable emotion in his tone.
She shrugged and nodded but couldn’t quite hold his gaze. How sheltered he must think her.
