Marcus glared at her. He was ready for a fight. “What?”
She sighed softly. “I am truly sorry for leading those men to us.”
Marcus’s gaze swept her face. He had been unprepared for that. Her brown hair was longer on one side of her face than the other, a constant reminder of how close she had come to dying. He fought the urge to tuck the lengthier strand behind her ear. He scanned the street. Trees swayed in the gentle breeze, and branches rustled. A few leaves rolled across the road. “How many people do you know in this town?”
“Many,” she admitted.
He nodded, shifting the saddlebags on his shoulder. It was time to separate. “Look…”
“I tried to tell you I knew people in le Carla, but you wouldn’t listen. You wouldn’t let me talk.”
He had been angry. He hadn’t wanted to hear her excuses. And now was the perfect time to depart. She knew people here. They would take care of her. She would be in no danger. “I think it’s time—”
“Are you hungry?” she interrupted.
There was desperation in her tone. She knew what he was doing. He glanced at her in resignation.
“We can get food,” Sage hurried on as if knowing what he was going to say.
She was only postponing the inevitable. Marcus began to shake his head.
“You have an hour,” she protested. “You might as well get something to eat.”
“I have no coin, remember?”
She raised an eyebrow. “I have friends, remember?”
Reluctantly, Marcus followed her down the dirt road. Separating was going to be much more difficult than he anticipated. He had to remember that he was angry with her. But with her kindness and loyalty, his anger was fading.
Sage led the way into the inn at the edge of the village. It was a small cottage with harvested fields behind it. Farmer William and his wife, Agnes, lived there, along with their son Jacob and their two girls, Amy and Emily. They were good friends of the Hawke family, and Sage was certain they would give them some bread and ale. She knew Marcus was out of coin and most likely hungry.
The main room, which consisted of two wooden tables and a hearth, was empty as they entered. “Good day!” Sage called.
Marcus glanced around uneasily. “We should go.”
“They’re friends,” she promised him. Plus, she wanted to see how Amy and Emily were getting along. She hadn’t seen them for years. They must be...
A slim girl with dishwater blonde hair emerged from a room in the back. She wore a brown dress that came to her ankles and black boots. She brushed her hair from her shoulder, grabbed a cloth, and met them in the middle of the room. “Good day. Sorry. We’re rounding up the ducks. Can I get you something?”
Was she really twelve summers? Sage could only stare. She had blossomed into a beautiful young girl. Sage was so happy. It didn’t seem that long ago that she and her sisters had saved Amy and Emily from the horrible life they had been leading. “Amy?” she asked with bated breath.
The girl scowled, and her gazed at her in confusion. “No,” she replied hesitantly.
“Emily!”
The girl’s scowl deepened.
“Sage!” A male voice boomed with excitement from the doorway. A tall man with dark hair stood in the doorway. His face lit up with happiness.
Sage gaped in disbelief. “Jacob?” He had been a lanky boy when she had last seen him. “What happened?” she demanded as he came out of the room to stand beside Emily. “You were a scrawny little boy the last time I saw you.”
He shucked his head.
“Told you that you were scrawny,” Emily whispered.
Jacob gently shoved her. “What are you doing here?”
Sage’s eyebrows rose. “Not exactly the greeting I was hoping for, but…” She smiled. “Peter is shoeing our horse.” She indicated Marcus. “This is Marcus.”
