Chapter 21
The next morning, they packed up in silence.Marcus couldn’t help casting Sage quick glances. Lord, she was beautiful. Sultry. And smart. He never wanted to let her go. And that worried him.
He tried to concentrate on the upcoming meeting with Guillume. He planned to hand the book over and leave. But he didn’t want Guillume to see Sage. Just as he hadn’t wanted Guillume to know about Rose. He thought about the fact he hadn’t told Guillume about Rose, and it struck him that perhaps he and his cousin were not as close as he thought.
He stared at Sage again as she rolled the blanket up. It would be safer for her to wait here for him. The assassin would follow him into town and leave her alone. After all, the killer was after the book, and he would have it.
“Are you well?” she asked.
He inhaled a deep breath and straightened. “I’d like you to wait for me here.”
“Here?” Sage asked with a frown of disapproval as she approached with the blanket. “It’s a long ride to Les Labadous. I’m not staying here.”
Marcus took the blanket from her and shoved it into one of the bags. He wrapped his hands around her, gathering her close, his gaze trailing over her hair. She had already lost some of her hair. He couldn’t risk her losing her life. “Why haven’t you asked me to teach you to read?” Marcus wondered.
Sage shrugged. “I thought it was more important that we decode the book, which we haven’t finished. You can finish teaching me to read anytime.”
Marcus ran his fingers along her cheek. “You already know how to read. There is nothing further I can teach you.”
Her brows rose in surprise and then slowly lowered to a scowl. She stared at him for a long moment, and something guarded passed over her features.
Marcus couldn’t tell if it was relief or something else. “We had a deal. You wouldn’t try to escape if I taught you to read. Our deal is finished.”
“I’m not staying with you because of a deal,” she said and stepped away from him. “Besides, I don’t know how to read.”
She must be toying with him, he was certain. Shedidknow how to read. And she knew it. She must.
“You’ve always known how to read, how to sound words out. You know how to read. You just need to have faith in your abilities.”
She shook her head. “No. You said you would teach me. Write something on the ground.” She signaled a spot on the forest floor. “Here. If I can read it, I will wait here. If I can’t, I will go with you.”
Marcus’s gaze swept over her soft, determined features. He nodded. He bent and picked up a branch. What to write? He wanted to write “‘I love you.’” But he wasn’t certain how she would react. He could pick words that were difficult to figure out or words that were simple. He hesitated, staring at the stick. There was still an assassin out there looking for the book. It would be dangerous for Sage to come into the town with him.
He wrote on the ground, read the words, and then nodded.
The sky is blue.
Sage gazed down at the words for a long moment.
Marcus tossed the stick aside and waited.
“The,” Sage proclaimed, reading the word.
Marcus knew she knew that word.
Her lips moved as she sounded the second word out. “Sky.”
He nodded.
“Is,” she read. “The sky is.”
Shecouldread. He was right. He couldn’t help the feelings of pride and admiration swelling in his chest.
Her lips formed the word as she sounded the last one out.
It was simple. Logical. All she had to do was read the first three letters, and she would know the word. She would wait here for him. Relief swept over him. At least, he wouldn’t have to worry about her. He could concentrate on getting rid of the book.
She grimaced, her lips silently creating the sounds. “Bl-E?” she said. “Bleh?” She shook her head and turned to face him. “I can’t read it. I don’t know what it says.”
