But she wasn't sure she would be able to survive Haroun's hovering for those three days without exploding. She should never have told him about the babe.
"Do you need another blanket?"
"No, I'm quite warm."
"I could stir the fire."
She said slowly and carefully, pausing between each word, "I don't need anything, Haroun."
She didn't know which was worse: Layla, with her relentless determination to use her to better the lot of all women, or Haroun, who wanted to smother her beneath this blanket of cosseting.
She'd be glad to get to Rome.
And Kadar.
Even if she could not stay with him, it would do no harm to imagine his joy when he learned of the child. He had grown up alone in the streets, and a babe, someone of his own, would mean as much to him as to Selene.
Too much? Would it hurt him when she left with the babe? Dear God, she never wanted to hurt Kadar.
One step at a time. She would face the consequences later. Now she must only get to Rome and make sure the babe was protected by holy vows from the cruelties of the world.
"Lady Selene!"
Haroun.
His hand was on her shoulder, roughly shaking her.
"You must wake. We must leave. Nasim--"
Nasim.
She was instantly awake and saw Haroun's anxious face above her.
"Antonio says there are riders coming down the road." He pulled her to her feet. "He thinks he recognized Nasim."
It was still dark. Only a thread of pale moonlight filtered through the cloud cover. How could Antonio be sure of--
They couldn't take the chance. "How far?"
"I don't know. Minutes--" He turned away and ran toward the horses and began saddling her mare. Layla had finished saddling her own horse and was leading it toward Selene. "Get on my horse and get out of here," Layla said curtly. "Hurry."
"No, I'll wait for--"
"No time. We'll be right behind you. Would you risk the child?"
Iwant that child.
Terror tore through her. If Nasim learned she was with child, he would take a boy child, kill a girl. She could not put the babe in danger. She stopped arguing and mounted Layla's horse. "Where will we meet?"
Layla pointed to a dense wood in the distance. "It should be easy to hide among the trees." She struck the horse on the hindquarters and sent it careering off at a dead run.
Wind stung her cheeks.
Her clothes pressed close to her body.
She glanced over her shoulder.
No one was coming. Where were Layla and--
