“Good night, Ceana said to Alina.
“Do have a restful night, Ceana. Good night.”
Once in her room again, Ceana prepared to eat dinner with her ma. It was a quiet affair with just she and her mother in attendance, and Alina was sorely missed at the table, but neither complained. Food had been taking up to her, and they were grateful that, at the least, the trays didn’t return untouched.
Sleep didn’t come easily as the events of the day were heavy on her mind. Ceana realized that she could barely tell what had happened in the play, but she remembered everything Torcall had said to her. She remembered his eyes, his smile, and the way his hands had felt on hers. Ceana smiled to herself. Perhaps indeed, luck was smiling on her, and there was hope yet for her and Torcall. When sleep came, Ceana welcomed it with open arms. It would lead her into a land of dreams where Torcall was already hers.
* * *
Ceana was awoken by pebbles thrown at her window. Slightly groggy, it took her a while to fully come to, but when she did, fear filled her. However, the pebbles continued, and so, she dared to peek out of her window.
She stepped off her bed and walked gingerly to the window, not far off. With a sharp breath, she unlatched it and peeked out.
Beneath the window, Torcall stared up at her with a wide grin on his face and a hand full of small pebbles.
“Ceana,” he said to her. “Come down.”
Chapter Nine
When she said nothing, he stretched his hands up to her. “Come down,” he said again.
“How?’ she whispered to him.
“Get dressed and jump!” he urged. “I will catch ye.”
For a moment, he thought she would refuse or change her mind. He didn’t know what he would do. In fact, he didn’t know what he was doing. He had been in his uncle’s house and had endured dinner missing her. The thoughts of the night they had spent together had given him joy and had made him smile even when his uncle had insisted on speaking about his rage.
Seeing that he had not gotten through to him, his uncle had let him be, and he had moved to his chamber, but he hadn’t found sleep. No matter how he had tossed and turned, he hadn’t been able to sleep, and when he finally had, dreams of the night his parents had died tormented him. He had woken up with the intense urge to see her. He couldn’t explain it, nor did he care to. Instead, he had snuck into the kitchen and then out of his uncle’s house and headed for hers.
Ceana stepped out of the window gingerly until she was sitting on the ledge. He saw her close her eyes, and then, she jumped.
Easily, he caught her. Her eyes fluttered open, and they stared at each other. She was as light as a feather, and he could hold her all day. It would be a very rewarding thing to do too. Her body pressed into his in ways that drove him crazy.
“Hello,” she whispered to him.
“Hello,” he replied with a grin and set her down. His hands felt bare without her, and he wished for a reason to hold her in them again.
“What are ye doing here?” she asked him. He noticed how pleasantly pick her cheeks were.
“I missed ye,” he said truthfully.
It was obvious that she hadn’t expected the words, for she blushed furiously and looked away.
“Let’s go,” he said to her.
“Where?” she asked him. It was pitch dark outside, and aside from the candle in her room and the little lantern he carried, there was no other visible light. The full moon shone brightly, providing just enough light for them. He put out the lamp.
“Where would ye like to go?” he picked the basket he brought and showed it to her.
“What is inside?” she asked, ignoring the question.
“Things for a picnic.”
Ceana laughed quietly but full of delight. “A picnic at night?”
“Aye,” he said, with a cocky grin filling his face. “A picnic.” He offered her his hands which she took immediately.
“Let’s go.”
