If she had any qualms about helping herself to his knapsack without asking, her curiosity squelched them. After all, she knew what some of the contents were—the gun, the dried beef, his tin cup.
But what else would she find? What secrets did he hold?
Her curiosity was overwhelming. With trembling hands, she pulled out the knapsack and opened the leather flap. She found the tooth powder immediately, with his shaving kit. The contents smelled of the strong soap he used.
She should have stopped then.
She didn’t.
Instead, she pushed aside his pistol and the gunpowder flask. There was another cloth-covered packet that contained the dried beef, and the tin cup was in the bottom. She told herself she would need the cup for water and used the need as an excuse to probe to the very depths of the bag.
That is where she found the packet of letters and the crucifix.
For a second, Lyssa couldn’t move. She stared at the amber prayer beads. She’d heard of them before. Every English child was taught about papist idolatry. She knew that even in London there were Catholics, although she didn’tknowany. A piece of ribbon tied the crucifix to the letters.
Without untying the ribbon, Lyssa scanned the letters. The handwriting was definitely feminine.My dearest sonwas the salutation on one. Leafing through, she could see they were all written by the same hand. Lifting an edge, she saw the closing,Mother. Holding the letters, she sensed an overwhelming air of sadness and she could not have stopped herself from reading the first if she’d tried.
Lyssa sat on the floor and glanced over a paragraph she could see without untying the ribbon:…Matters are much better. Please do not fear for your father and I. None of this was your—
The door opened without a knock.
Slowly, Lyssa turned fearing the worst. She was right. Ian stood there, his gaze dark.
She pushed the letters and holy beads back into the recesses of the knapsack. “I…um, wanted to borrow some tooth powder.”
“Did you find it?” His voice was flat, his expression guarded. She could not judge his mood.
“Yes. Thank you.”
He walked over and picked up his knapsack. He could tell she had rifled through his belongings and she was ashamed.
His gaze did not meet hers. “I’ll wait for you outside. I need to shave.”
“Of course.”
He left, and Lyssa wanted to collapse. She knew he was upset. She shouldn’t have pried…and she wished she’d not seen the crucifix.
Quickly seeing to her morning ablutions, she was putting on her shoes when she discovered the tarot card where she had hidden it a day ago. The Knight was looking the worse for wear. The gilt was coming off the edges and she interpreted this as a sign she should not have snooped.
Ian was a Catholic. She wished she didn’t know, and yet now she did. Perhaps in the back of her mind she had suspected but confirmation had taken her back a bit.
She tucked the card in her belt, combed her hair with her fingers the best she could, picked up her plaid, and went out to face Ian.
The hour was very early after a night of partying. No one stirred at the house. Maggie didn’t come out to wish them well. Even the village was quiet. Without a word, he filled his tin cupat the pump and offered her some dried beef. Her guilt had robbed her of appetite, but she took what he offered.
They started down the road that would lead them to Appin and Amleth Hall.
Neither of them spoke for a good hour. She kept her eye on the angry muscle working in his jaw. She knew she’d been wrong to go through his personal things.
Still…had her father known he was hiring a Catholic?
And even though she was silent, she was very aware of him. Since following in his footsteps was easiest, she couldn’t help but notice the strength in his back or the way the muscles of his legs worked when he walked. The day before, she’d thought she was getting to know him better than she did any other person of her acquaintance.
Now, she didn’t know if she knew him at all.
Ian’s silence was reserved for her alone. They met several travelers on the road and he always said the first word of greeting. A tinker walked with them a way, and his presence helped to ease the tension.
Around luncheon, they came upon a farmer’s wife attempting to catch a runaway piglet. Ian charmed the pig into trotting right up to him and the woman was so grateful, she offered them meat pies she’d just made that day.
