"Right. Well. If you could point me back to the path..."
He gave a low chuckle. "Lost already, are ye?"
"I am notlost."
"Fine. Which way would ye go to get back to the path?"
She pointed, and he laughed again, shaking his head.
"Nay, that'll send ye deeper into the forest. Here, it's this way."
He turned and shouldered his way through the undergrowth, leaving Paisley with no choice but to follow him.
"But that was the way I came!" she insisted.
He shook his head again, not bothering to look back at her. "It wasnae. I understand ye might think so, but forests tend to be deceiving. Ye cannae trust yer senses."
Paisley bit her lip, not liking to imagine herself plunging deeper and deeper into the woods, thinking that she was walking back to safety.
She imagined herself feeling more and more desperate, eagerly looking out for the path, a cold feeling of dread settling in her stomach when it became obvious that she would not find it again.
Apparently, she hadn't gotten far. After a minute or two of determined trudging, she found herself stepping back onto the path, and breathed a sigh of relief.
The barkeep turned to face her; arms folded.
"See?" he said, with just a hint of smugness. "I mean ye nae harm, lassie."
She nodded, not meeting his eye. A lock of hair hung in front of her eyes, hopelessly tangled. There was no point trying tountangle it now. She could brush out her hair when she got home.
Not home,she reminded herself.You can't go home, remember?
"Me name is Dominic," the man said abruptly. "Tell me yer name. I think ye owe it to me."
Paisley opened her mouth, tempted to argue the point, but decided against it. He had done her a series of services that night, and she owed him at least a name.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Dominic," she said primly, just like Mama taught her. "My name is Paisley."
He gave a short nod. "Paisley... what?"
"Just Paisley."
He eyed her for a long minute, then gave a grunt, letting it drop. Paisley let out a sigh of relief. She needed to keep her surname secret if she didn't want to be followed, but the barkeep –Dominic– showed no inclination to insist on knowing it.
"Right. Well,just Paisley, let me tell ye that ye are barred from me pub."
There was a moment of silence.
"Are you serious?" Paisley managed after a while. "Did you follow me all the way here, demanding my name, just to tell me I'm banned from going back to your pub?"
He shrugged. "Aye, that's the long and short of it. Have a safe trip home, Paisley. Ye and yer ridiculous hat had better nae show yerselves atTheSinneragain."
"It is a bonnet, you fool!"
He shot one of those steely, paralyzing looks at her, and Paisley regretted her sharp words. Nobody liked being called a fool, and after all, her bonnetwassomewhat ridiculous.
It was a present from her brother, and he'd simply bought the most fashionable style of bonnet he could find, in a truly shocking shade of yellow silk. She'd added black silk over the top now that she was on the run, but it still looked hideous.
"Listen," Paisley said, trying to keep the hint of desperation out of her voice, "I truly didn't cheat. I didn't, I promise."
