Page 54

She averted her gaze. Then, after a long moment, she said, “I needed to catch up on my work today. The noises from the street are a distraction, and⁠—”

Still talking, she removed her hand from the door to finger aside her hair.

The perfect opportunity.

He stepped forward. Shoved the panel. It swung inward, hit the wall, and bounced on its hinges.

“Dominic!”

He brushed past Gisela, his gaze scanning the room’s interior. Candles flickered on the worktable. He noted sewing implements scattered on the table’s surface. A half-finished chemise. The wooden stool, pushed to one side.

Scowling, he spun to glance behind the door. No one else occupied the room. Not even Ewan.

“All that scraping and thumping…” he said under his breath.

“Why did you barge in?” Gisela demanded behind him. “I told you ’twas not convenient.”

He turned to meet her flashing blue gaze. She stood with her hands on her hips and her chin thrust forward. She looked so indignant, he almost bent at the waist in a gallant apology.

“I had to be certain you were not in danger.” Thank God his drink-hazed brain didn’t fail him. “For all I knew, someone stood behind you, threatening your life.”

“Why would you assume that?”

Ah. A very good question. The thumping and scraping sounds were likely caused when she moved the wooden stool across the planks. What other explanation could there be for the noises?

Dominic scrambled for an answer that didn’t make him look a complete fool. “You told me yourself that thugs are preying on shopkeepers in this town. They might have been robbing you of your cloth, and any other items they could sell elsewhere.”

Her gaze softened. “True.”

“I had to be certain, Gisela,” he said more gently. “I would never forgive myself, Sweet Daisy, if aught terrible happened to you that I could have prevented.”

A heart-wrenching expression shadowed her features. Misgiving? Regret? Mayhap both of these, blended with stubborn resolve. For a moment she looked desperately… alone.

Only once before had she looked at him so: that blue-skied summer day he’d said good-bye. He’d embraced her, kissed her with all the love in his soul, and said he’d never forget her. She’d stood in the daisy-strewn meadow, the breeze tangling her hair, her face wet with tears. Still, silent, she’d watched while he turned and strode away.

Dominic hadn’t looked back—even when her sobs had threatened to bring him falling to his knees. He couldn’t bear for her to see him weep or sense the pain splintering his soul. For all the joy she’d given him, he had let her go, to find another man and fall in love again. He could promise her naught when leaving on crusade. She deserved a good marriage. To be happy. Cherished.

The anguish of their parting cut through him again. He longed to slide his arms around her, to draw her close, to comfort her with the warmth of their touching bodies. How alive he’d felt when they embraced.

Would she let him hold her? Just this once? “Gisela…”

Her name broke from him in a rough plea. She drew a shaky breath, as though the emotion in his voice grazed a wound inside her.

Shaking her head, she stepped away. Again, she wore her invisible shield, enforcing an emotional wall between them. “Please, Dominic. I did not lie when I said I had much work to do.” She gestured to her worktable. “The blacksmith’s wife liked her gown so much, she asked me to sew her a new chemise.”

He nodded, trying hard to dismiss his disappointment. His gaze slid to the chemise, awaiting her skilled attentions. As much as he yearned to touch, taste, and feel her again, he must respect their lives were very different. Very… separate. They both had commitments other than the love they’d once shared.

“I will return later, as you suggested.”

“Ewan is with Ada today. He would like to see you, as well. If you return by early evening, we can eat together.”

“I would like that.” He winked. “I shall have to remember more stories about dragons.”

A smile touched her mouth. “Until this evening, then.” While she spoke, she turned to face the open doorway, encouraging him, with her body language, to leave.

“Until this evening.”

Gisela pushed the door closed, secured it, and leaned her brow against the wood. A tremor jarred through her. How close Dominic had come to discovering her deception. She’d managed to stow the silk in the hidden cavity and replace the panels, but only just.