“I...I just never realized the story was real.”
“It is.”
“Why didn’t you share this with me when we were in school?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe because my mind had blocked it for a while. But I assure you that it all happened to me and my father.”
“That’s amazing, and yet, it’s scary at the same time.” He reached out and brushed off a leaf from her dress as it draped over the side saddle. “How can you speak so cheerily of a memory that had to have been quite an ordeal in your life?”
“I actually don’t remember much about it.” She drew an invisible line on the skirt of her gown, where Ryder’s hand had just been. “I only recall a few vivid details about that time. I remember being in the large tower. There wasn’t a lot of heat, and there was only one window in the room she’d kept me in. When I looked outside, the ground seemed so far away. It made me sick to my stomach because I was afraid I’d fall out. Father says I’m repressing those memories, which is why I suppose I created a fun story to tell the children. Perhaps if I imagine it being a children’s story, I can deal with it better.”
“That makes sense.”
“But lately, I’ve been having a recurring dream about someone sneaking into my room in the middle of the night.” She shrugged. “I’m about five or six in the dream, but the person comes to my bed and caresses my hair.” She shivered and rubbed her arms. “The voice is scratchy, and most definitely a woman.”
Worry flowed through him, not just because he was a guard, but because he was her friend. He shifted on his saddle and rewound the reins in his hand, wishing he could comfort her physically. “Do you think that’s another memory coming through?”
“Could be.”
“I wonder why you are having that dream now?”
“I don’t have any idea.” She swished her hand through the air before urging her horse into a trot. “Anyway, I didn’t mean to turn our conversation sad. I’d just wanted to remark on how I know you enjoy hearing me talk.”
He laughed. Indeed, she was quite a woman, especially since she could read him so well. “I’ve always enjoyed sharing moments with you. If you’ll recall from our childhood days, we had many secrets.”
“Oh, yes. I remember. We could have gotten in a lot of trouble if people knew we were the ones who caused such problems in school...instead of the classmates we blamed it on.”
His heart softened from the memories. “I’m particularly relieved that nobody told your father I was your partner in crime. He wouldn’t have allowed us to be friends.”
She nodded. “You’re correct there. I’m glad nobody knew.”
Clarissa studied his face for a few silent moments, then grinned. Moving her attention to the road, she steered her horse up the path. He followed, wondering why she’d decided to end the conversation there.
Her horse broke into a gallop. The thick braid resting on her back bounced crazily. She leaned forward and gripped the reins as if she were struggling to stay seated.
His heart dropped. Giving a shout to his horse, he kicked it into a run...praying she wouldn’t fall off and injure herself.
That wouldn’t look good since he was supposed to be protecting her.
