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Evan was idling in his camp, shifting some of the meat around the fire. They had set up their camp a short distance from the nunnery, for they did not wish to impose on the nuns. The bacon curled and he plucked up a rasher, popping it into his mouth. It didn’t taste as pleasant as it usually did, however, and he decided this was because something inside him was rotten.

He couldn’t leave without seeing Amelie again. After leaving the nunnery and returning to the camp he had tried to move on from her. He had joked with his men and spoken of different battles, hopes for the future, and had even engaged in conversations about romance. He tried to picture a life for himself that did not involve Amelie, but he simply couldn’t. She meant too much to him and he hated how he had tangled things up into such a mess. He was certain that his uncle would have been able to handle things with more dignity. There had to be some way he could make Amelie see how important she was to him. Perhaps he just needed to find another way to describe things, or maybe he just needed to kiss her again. It was a daring move and one that might not be well received, especially by Pascal if he ever found out. The end result might be Evan being dismissed from his position and being exiled from the clan in disgrace, but the reward seemed worth the risk. What if the kiss reminded her of what they shared? What if it reawakened her feelings and proved to her that they shared something special?

In a way, he thought that her inexperience actually harmed her. She had nothing to compare it to, so she could assume that it was the same every time. Evan knew better though. He had kissed other women, perhaps too many, but none of them mattered to him now. He was quite confident that nobody would ever mean as much to him again. Amelie was special, and he had to prove it to her. He had to show her that he was devoted to her and that he would do anything for her.

He just hoped he hadn’t left it too late.

One more chance, he promised himself, one more attempt and then, if she still refused him, he would leave her alone.

He walked around the perimeter of the camp, looking for beautiful wildflowers. He plucked them from the ground until he had a colorful bouquet, and then headed towards the nunnery. He was more nervous about speaking to Amelie than he ever had been when rushing into battle. But in battle only his life was at risk, with Amelie it was his heart that was in danger.

He smiled at the nuns who greeted him and then found Sister Cora.

“Where is Amelie?” he asked. She noticed the flowers and smiled.

“She’s likely daeing her chores in the garden,” Sister Cora said. There was a wistful look in her eyes that set him on edge though, as though she knew that his efforts were already doomed.

When he entered the gardens he was amazed by the beautiful array of plants in front of him. Suddenly, he was filled with shame that the flowers he picked were so inferior to the ones the nuns grew. He hoped that Amelie would appreciate the effort, however. The sweet scent rushed into his nostrils and he made his way around the gardens, hoping to bump into Amelie, this time determined to not let her get away until he had made his feelings so clear that she could not deny them at all. And this time he intended to ask her a few questions himself, like how she felt about the kiss, and how often she had thought about him during their time away from each other.

He knew she was sensitive. He knew she was inexperienced in such matters. She was likely afraid of her own feelings, and he should have taken that into consideration as well. It was no exaggeration when he said that she was unlike any other girl he had known, and sometimes it meant that he treated her in the wrong manner.

He had walked all around the garden without finding Amelie, and now his brow was furrowed in confusion. He went into the kitchens and asked the women there if any of them had seen Amelie. They all shook their head, and one of them noted that she wasn’t in her chambers, because they had already been cleaned. They looked puzzled, and it was Evan who started to worry first. She was so quiet that the sisters were used to her not making a noise, so they wouldn’t have noticed if she was missing. But that begged the question; where had she gone?

He asked the nuns. Frenzied words burst from his mouth as he tried to get to the truth, but none of them knew where she could have gone. It was as though she had just vanished into thin air, and of course, it was highly unlikely she would have left of her own accord. Amelie just wasn’t that type of person. Evan was forced to confront the possibility that she might have been taken. Given her disability she would not have been able to scream out, but how could anyone have sneaked into the nunnery without being detected? It was a vile plot, but Evan couldn’t see any other reason as to why Amelie had left, and he felt a responsibility to protect her. If anything happened to her… no, it didn’t bear thinking about.

Before he could ask any other questions he raced to her room and began to investigate. When he didn’t find any clues there, he went back down to the ground to see if he could find any tracks or a sign that someone had intruded on the grounds. However, he found nothing. But, as he was investigating, a young nun came up to him. She had a bashful look on her face and she cleared her throat to get his attention.

“I heard ye were looking for Amelie,” she began. Evan nodded. “Well, I know she is nae prone tae leaving by herself, but I thought she might hae gone off with the charming merchant she hae been spending time with.”

“Merchant? What merchant?” Evan asked, his voice thick with jealousy. Amelie hadn’t mentioned anything about a merchant to him. Was it possible that she had another suitor? Well, of course, it was possible. Frankly, he was amazed that she didn’t have more men fawning over her, and it wasn’t beyond the realms of possibility that some merchant who came across the nunnery had been taken with Amelie. Perhaps he had been able to steal her heart in a way that Evan hadn’t. He was dismayed that she might end up with someone else, but he wasn’t ready to accept defeat yet. Unless she was betrothed to him there was always a chance.

“I dinnae know that much about him. He spent most of his time with Amelie when he was here. His name is Ro,” she said. Evan winced again. He didn’t like the situation at all and wished that he didn’t have to hear about it, but if he was to find Amelie then he needed to know where she might have gone. So he asked more questions and learned that she and Ro had spent quite a lot of time strolling through the gardens. The merchant seemed sweet on her, and Amelie seemed to feel the same way, at least according to this nun. Evan felt sick to his stomach as he imagined Amelie and Ro walking through the sweet flowers, losing themselves in conversation. Without any distractions, they would have been able to spend hours with each other, and he could now understand how she found it so easy to run away from him. She already had another man to receive her affection, a man who had probably not made the same mistakes as Evan.

“Dae ye know where he is now?” he asked. She nodded and told him that she overhead Ro talking about an inn in a nearby village. Evan nodded and thanked her for her troubles, returning to the camp to fetch his horse and his sword.

* * *

Evan was moving in a hurry, not wishing to waste any time. Stephen, the young lad who had shown admiration for Evan in the past, came up to him.

“Some of the men want tae know if we’re moving out,” Stephen asked.

“I am, but the men can stay here. I hae some urgent business tae attend tae,” Evan replied.

“Urgent business? Can I help?”

“Ye can help by staying here and making sure that the men clean up this camp before they leave,” Evan said. Stephen looked perturbed.

“If ye are riding intae danger then ye should hae someone with ye. Ye hae always told us that the way tae avoid getting overwhelmed is tae always hae someone tae watch yer back. I would be honored tae dae that,” Stephen slammed his heels together and puffed his chest out, lifting his head to the sky and jutting out his chin.

“I am nae gaeing intae danger,” he replied slowly, making the final preparations to his horse.

Stephen looked confused. “Then where are ye gaeing in such a hurry?”

“I’m just worried that a friend is in trouble.”

“A friend?” Stephen twisted his body around, peering at everyone around him. “But there is nae anyone missing.”