He waved her off. “No need. I could have refused the betrothal. I was well aware of what it would mean, being related to de Neville.”
Her gaze flickered curiously. “Then why did you agree?”
His smile returned. “Because I saw you once at a feast held by the Earl of Oxford. It was a few years ago, but even then, you were the most beautiful woman in the room. I suppose I was blinded by your glory and thought the prize would be worth the risk.”
His smile broadened as he finished. Avalyn laughed softly at him. “You fool.”
He laughed also. “I suppose so.”
She understood this man much better now and she was not sorry to say that she found him warm, kind and humble. He would have made an exceptional husband had she not been madly in love with someone else. There was something deep inside her that did not want to get too close to him lest she feel guilty for fleeing him for Brogan. The man was being open with her. She was sorry that she would not return the favor.
“Well,” she stood up, brushing her hands off. “I truly am fatigued, my lord. I will see you early on the morrow.”
He bolted up, his demeanor returning to that of an eager young pup. “Of course,” he said as he moved to the door. “I shall be right next door if you require anything.”
She was following him to the door, her hand on the latch as he passed through. “I know. Thank you.”
“I enjoyed speaking with you tonight.”
“Thank you. I enjoyed it as well.”
He smiled awkwardly and waved even more awkwardly as Avalyn closed the door in his face. She stood there a moment, listening to his boot-falls fade away before securing the bolt and turning her attention back to the room. Trunks were all over the floor. Food was littered on the table. The bed was mussed where Charles had sat on it. She absorbed the sights, trying to settle her mind, knowing that Brogan was somewhere close by and had probably seen Charles leave. She knew he would be coming.
So much had happened in the past several minutes that her head was swimming. But she moved into the room, struggling to collect her thoughts, waiting for the moment when Brogan would come to her door. She ended up pacing the floor with taut anticipation, pausing several times because she thought she heard footfalls. But no boots were forthcoming. She finally sat on the bed and waited.
Come to me, Brogan.
CHAPTER TEN
“Do you seeanything more?”
Brogan was standing beside the shuttered window, peering out into the yard beyond. There were four cottages in a semi-circle around the grassy area: having seen Avalyn and a man he did not recognize go into the last cottage to his left, his eyes had never moved from it. When Thel entered with food, he watched. When the tall, fat man entered and left, then came back and entered and left again, he continued to watch. St. Alban’s question had been repeated many times throughout the evening.
“Nothing more,” Brogan replied in a low, quiet voice. He turned away from the slats. “I would think everyone has gone to bed. It is late.”
The man glanced over at Thel, Aggie, and Noe; they were sitting on the only bed in the room, gazing up at Brogan with a mixture of fear and anticipation. St. Alban, as was typical for him, sat by the roaring fire as black smoke belched into the room and settled up around the ceiling. The little cottage was almost too warm, yet everyone but Brogan seemed comfortable. He was sweating rivers.
“Surely the lady has not yet gone to bed, Brogan,” Thel said. “She will wait for you.”
Brogan moved away from the window and crossed his massive arms in a thoughtful gesture. He was ready to rush to the distant cottage without hesitation, but St. Alban had force him to bide his time while Aubrey within earshot. As it was, Brogan was taking a tremendous risk, not to mentionwhat would happen to Avalyn should he be discovered. After a moment, he shook his head.
“I should not have let you talk me into this,” he growled at the old man. “She told me to wait. I should have waited. To follow her to Merseyside only puts her in danger.”
St. Alban had danced this conversation with him many times over the course of the day. He had always convinced Brogan this was the right thing to do if he ever wanted to see his lady again, but the old man had never said what he was really thinking until this moment. “If you hadn’t truly wanted to come, you would not have,” he said flatly. “But you are here; therefore, you must know deep down that this is the right thing to do. If you let the lady go to Merseyside without you, then you will lose her forever. You know this.”
Brogan looked around the room; in addition to the girls sitting on the bed, his mother sat in the corner with a tiny blond bundle sleeping in her arms. His stance softened and he shook his head.
“Look at what we have done,” he hissed at the old man. “Look at all of these people we have pulled into this. If I am discovered, it is not only my life and Avalyn’s that is in jeopardy, but others as well. My mother… the baby…”
St. Alban stood up and moved purposefully to Brogan, standing before the man. His expression was hard. “I am not sure where this self-doubt is coming from, but you must stop it. You worry over inconsequential things.”
“But Avalyn told me…”
St. Alban grabbed his arm with gnarled fingers. “She told you to wait for her to send word. But she is overwhelmed with men and politics at the moment. She is a strong woman, but not strong enough. She needs help. And we are here to help her. You must have faith, Brogan. You have many people willing to risk themselves for your happiness. Instead of expressing suchreluctance, you should be willing to do what is necessary. We are all here to help.”
Brogan knew that. The hesitation that had been plaguing him for most of the day was the result of confusion and grief. The lady was gone, in another man’s company, and he was struggling to think clearly. St. Alban’s plan to follow the lady to her new home and infiltrate the ranks of her betrothed was as far as they had gotten. There was no resolution of that scheme. St. Alban was simply trying to keep Brogan near the lady until a solution became evident.
After a moment, Brogan sighed heavily. “You are right, of course,” he muttered, running his fingers through his dark blond curls. “I do not mean to sound cowardly. ’Tis simply that I do not want to put Avalyn in danger. She told me to wait until she sent word.”
