“You’re afraid of being caught?”
“Well, that and…it’s not right. Not here, among these people. They’re your friends and they’ve taken me in. I can’t abuse their protection by sneaking off like this.” She gestured to the dark surroundings. “And if we should be discovered, then what? What’s the outcome for you or me? I’ll wager you hate to have your hand forced. No matter what happens, you’ll resent any choice that isn’t your own.”
He looked at her, his brow slightly furrowed. “What’s your alternative then?”
“That should be obvious! We need to behave. Not continue this…”
“Dalliance.”
“Yes.”
“However,” he added, “Since we’re already here…” He leaned forward to capture her mouth with his, and she immediately felt the heat spiral through her.
“Oh,” she sighed.
“That’s what I thought,” Rafe murmured. She could hear the smile in his voice, the satisfaction he got from knowing how much she needed him.
“Please,” she whispered.
“Please what?”
“Please don’t waste a moment.”
He wasted nothing.
Chapter 29
Angelet had slipped back intoher bedchamber in the manor house before dawn, and Rafe had gone to his own bed after seeing she was safe. Her absence had been noticed the previous night, but when she said she’d gone to the church to pray for a while and then had fallen asleep—which was not precisely a lie—the answer was accepted instantly, not only by the various servants who tended the house, but by Lady Cecily as well.
“You must be careful,” Cecily reprimanded her. “Even praiseworthy tasks such as prayer can be overdone. And you are still weak. I hope you did not suffer from cold, or exert yourself too much.”
“I assure you that was not the case,” Angelet replied, her eyes on the floor.Not at all.
“And today? What do you have in mind?”
“I have some items to work on,” she said, “and with the day being so warm, I thought I would embroider in the gardens.”
“Very good. I’ll send one of the maids out to check on you around the midday meal.”
The day was indeed finer than any before it that spring. The air was marvelously soft, the breezes gentle and the sun warm. Puffs of clouds raced in the sky above.
Below, a pack of boys raced around at about the same speed as the clouds, dashing more erratically, and shouting the whole time. Angelet spied the bright orange head of Goswin among them, and was glad he could enjoy some simple pleasures. After a time, the whole rowdy pack ran through the wide open gate to play in the fields and woods outside. Spring days seemed to be specially made for children.
Angelet settled down beneath a spreading apple tree to work. She wanted to complete the embroidery she’d started on the gown for Cecily’s coming infant. It was an inadequate repayment, but she had to start somewhere.
She lost track of time, but when a shadow eclipsed her work, she looked up.
The man towering over her was a stranger, but since he was dressed in the same manner as all the men-at-arms she’d seen at Cleobury, he must have been one of them.
“My lady,” he said. His tone was in marked contrast to his size—diffident and very soft. “I’m sorry to tell you that your boy Goswin is hurt. He wants to see you.”
Angelet’s sewing dropped into her lap, and her breath caught in fear. “Hurt? How?”
“The boys were climbing trees, and he fell.”
“Oh, no! Where is he?”
“Still there. The boys feared to move him. Will you come? He asked for you specifically.”
