“I remember the scratch on your hand in the garden.”
Ella’s gaze dropped to the gloves. His gloves. The thought of wearing his gloves seemed somehow intimate and caused a flush to spread over her cheeks. As she stared at his gloves, she noticed a thin red line, a cut, on one of his bent fingers. “Perhaps I will take one and you can keep one.” She took one of the offered gloves.
His eyebrows rose in surprise, but he nodded in agreement.
She slid the glove over her hand and turned away to hide the blush she felt rising within her. The glove was much too big on her hand, but it would serve its purpose and protect her.
As she bent near another clump of brush and heard his footfalls moving away, she couldn’t resist a glance at him over her shoulder. She liked the ease at which she could talk to him, she liked the feeling of comfort when she was around him. She liked him. And somehow, that thought made her smile.
As he looked through the brambles and sticks of the thicket, Graden’s mind wandered. He never expected Ella to stubbornly come with him, but he was glad she was here. They would be able to search the thicket quicker. As it was, he sometimes thought he could have missed the rose. It could grow anywhere. But he never lost hope. He had given his word to find the rose. And he would.
Still, she needed the rose as payment now, too. She was his competitor. Could they use one rose as payment for both of their debts? She was locked into the search as much as he.
When he had begun looking all those years ago, he had been certain he would find it. He was young and wasn’t concerned with consequences. There was only one consequence he cared about. And that was his father.
He glanced at Ella. She was looking beneath the thick brush at the base of a tree. At first, he had befriended Miles because he knew Ella’s garden was his best bet. She knew about roses and how they grew. But then he and Miles had become friends. It had been unexpected but welcomed.
Ella had not been what he expected. At first, she hated him, which he was prepared for. Now, something was different. Something had changed between them. She was actually helping him find the rose! Why? It must be for herself. She must need the rose for payment to the witch, as he did. She wasn’t helping him.
He glanced at the sky. The sun was moving lower over the horizon. They only had hours before their light was gone. They could search for a while more before they had to find cover for the night.
“Ella,” he called.
She paused and looked at him. She was bent over near the base of the tree. Waves of her hair hung down to the ground; her face was smooth and perfect.
He shook himself. “We don’t have long before nightfall. We should search for an inn for shelter.”
Ella shook her head. “The closest inn is half a day ride. We will camp here and start the search immediately come sun up.”
Shocked, Graden stared. If he was alone, there would be no question that was what he would do, but he would never have her sleep on the cold ground. Miles would skin him. “I think we should head back to the castle.”
Ella straightened. “That would be a waste of time.” She glanced at the sky. “There are no clouds, no possibility of rain. The river is close, we can clean up there.” She moved some fallen branches aside, continuing her search. “No. We’ll stay.”
She was more determined than he. “As you wish,” he mumbled and continued his hunt, looking for anything blue. But in nature, blue was a color that was not natural. He had found some flowers that had blue petals, but never a rose.
When the sun had all but set, leaving long shadows and a pink sky, they returned to the horses. They found a sheltered area in the thicket and made a camp. Graden gave Ella his blanket and shared his ale and bread with her.
Ella ate as Graden saw to their horses, removing the saddles so they could rest easy.
When he returned to her, she was watching him. The moon had risen enough for him to be able to see her in a pale glow. She sat on a blanket in a small clearing not far from the horses looking lovely and innocent and so…
“Did you look for the rose in France?” she wondered.
Graden nodded. “I searched everywhere I went.” He stopped before her, just off of the blanket.
“Is it true you saved Miles’s life in France?” she asked.
He bowed his head. He didn’t think what he had done was save his friend’s life, but Miles repeatedly told him he had done so.
“What happened?”
“It was during the fight with the French just outside of Agincourt. Miles was locked in combat with a French knight and didn’t see the other coming up. I did.” Graden sat in the grass across from her. “He would have done the same.”
Ella took a bite of the bread. “Maybe.”
Graden grinned and removed part of the loaf of bread from the sack. “Maybe,” he agreed. “After that, things were different between us.”
“It was a very noble thing of you to do.”
