He's a spy.
"What do you know of it, daughter?"
Anna's gaze snapped to her father's. She opened her mouth to speak the words that would condemn him, but they froze in her throat.
She couldn't. She couldn't do it. Not before she gave Arthur a chance to explain.
"Nothing," she said quickly, lowering her eyes, unable to meet his gaze.
Alan was looking at her strangely. "Are you sure you are all right, Annie? You don't look so well."
She didn't feel so well. She felt dizzy. As if the room were spinning around her, or the floorboards had just been jerked out from beneath her feet. She swayed and then took a step to steady herself. "I-I think I'd better return to my room."
Alan came forward, concern written on his face. "I'll take you."
"No." She shook her head furiously, tears burning tight in her eyes. "It's not necessary. I'm fine. Finish what you were doing."
She fled before he could stop her.
Feeling as if she were suffocating, she quickly made for thebarmkin. The cool night air slapped her with relief as soon as she opened the donjon door. She inhaled deeply, filling her lungs and trying to even her quickening breath. She clutched the wooden railing at the top of the stairs like a lifeline, allowing the fresh air and the soothing canopy of the black, starless night to calm her racing heart, her racing breath, and most of all her racing head.
A few of the men patrolling thebarmkinwall were staring at her, but she was too upset to care.
Upset? Nay, poleaxed. Crushed. Horrified. Her head still spinning with disbelief.
She was trying to decide what to do. Whether to march across the yard, knock on the barrack door and demand to see him--to Hades with propriety--when the door to the barracks opened and a group of soldiers came out, dressed in full armor.
Her heart lurched, realizing one of them was Arthur.
They were heading toward the stables.
He was leaving.Leaving.
Her fingers squeezed the railing until splinters bit into her hands. She stared at him, her chest burning with pain, a small part of her still not wanting to believe it.
As if sensing the heat of her gaze, he glanced up and jarred to a halt midstride. Their eyes met across the torchlit darkness.
He said something to one of the other men, then broke off from the group to walk toward her.
Drawing a deep, uneven breath, Anna started down the stairs, meeting him at the bottom.
Her breath caught when she saw his face.
It can't be true. How could he look at her with such concern and be planning to betray her?
"What's wrong?" he asked. "I was worried when I didn't see you earlier."
He reached for her, but she twisted away. She couldn't let him touch her. It would only confuse her further.
"I need to speak with you."
The stiffness in her voice alerted him. His gaze slid to the stables where the men had disappeared. "I don't have much time. They're waiting for me."
"You're leaving ... without saying goodbye?"
The small tic below his jaw gave him away. It spoke of guilt.
"It's a night patrol only. I'll be back in a few hours."
