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“Ha!” Graeme scoffed. “Brother, you may have fooled yourself into believing as much, but you will never fool those who know you well.” He turned back to Gillian. “I’ve never seen Aidan that way before. Until much later when we learned she had married. And then, he was worse.”

“Married?” Gillian’s hands flew to her mouth.

“Enough,” Aidan bellowed. “That is enough.”

He strode to the door and was about to leave when Graeme’s voice stopped him.

“I assume no one knows you gave the lady escort?” He asked as chief, and not as his brother.

“None but the lady herself,” he said without turning around. “As well as Lawrence and the other men.”

“And you trust her to keep quiet?”

Did Aidan trust the woman he’d spent two years cursing? The one he’d thought, for the briefest of moments, he would make his wife?

“Aye, I do.”

Chapter 8

She should be happy.

In fact, Clarissa should be elated. For once, everything had fallen into place. Not only had she miraculously found an escort to Sutworth, but upon her arrival, she’d been treated better than she ever had in her life. Word of her presence had spread quickly, and she’d been given a joyous welcome. If they were surprised she’d arrived alone, none of them treated her as such. Rather, Clarissa had been fed and then shown to the beautiful chamber where she now sat.

Best of all, Father Patrick had agreed to help her.

She’d sought him out yesterday afternoon and asked to speak with him privately. Clarissa had always liked the portly man who smiled at everyone. Something about him had assured her that he would help, but even so, she’d woken up this morning expecting to find her world crashing down around her. Would her father somehow know where she’d gone? Would Father Patrick betray her confidence and send word to Theffield that his errant daughter was in hiding here at Sutworth? Instead, the priest had sought her out after morning mass with the happy news that all was being prepared.

He’d sent a missive to Dunburg Abbey requesting an audience. It was a formality, he assured her. The nuns would not turn away badly needed gold, nor a nobly born woman prepared to take her vows. In a few days’ time, he would accompany her to Dunburg, where she would live out the remainder of her days.

“You can remain there, under their protection, until the annulment is official,” he’d said. As to how they would know it had been made official, how long such a thing would take, and more importantly, if her father could arrive and drag her back to Theffield in the meantime . . . she still had many questions. Father Patrick admitted he did not have all of the answers, but once the nuns accepted her, he’d told her, she would indeed be safe, even from her father’s meddling. He could not forcibly remove her from Dunburg without serious repercussions.

All had gone remarkably well, and yet . . .

Aidan.

She’d never thought to see him again.

Even though he’d changed, those changes had all been on the surface. The bedrock of Aidan de Sowlis was still very much intact. Clarissa closed her eyes, attempting to clear her mind of memories it would not serve her well to dwell upon. Aidan de Sowlis was part of her past, not her future.

“My lady, may I come in?”

“Of course.” She nodded, waving her hand to indicate the maidservant was welcome. When she entered, Clarissa nearly gasped. The woman’s hair was a remarkable mass of bright red curls.

“I was told you may need assistance?”

Clarissa realized she was being quite rude. Jumping from the bed, she greeted the newcomer.

“Aye, thank you. What is your name?”

“Kirstine, my lady.”

She was perhaps ten and nine, and obviously new to Sutworth. Though Clarissa had not visited for some years, no one who looked like the maid would have escaped her notice.

“You’re not from here, are you?”

Kirstine’s capable hands did not pause. She removed the items of clothing from Clarissa’s bag and shook them out, one by one.

“Nay, my lady. I was born and raised in Barrington. When both of my parents died, I found work at the Anvil Inn. Master McConnell bade me come here, and I’ve been serving Sutworth since the last harvest.”