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“I slept a bit,” he told her with a quick grin.
“Yeah, well, apparently so did I. What time is it?”
“I’d say well past midday.”
“Mid—” She blew out a breath. “Guess my advanced healing powers have been getting a hell of a workout.”
“I’ll go see about some food if you promise to stay where I’ve put you.”
Gingerly, she rubbed her aching knee. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Obviously, he didn’t take her at her word as Glenna came in moments later.
“You look better.”
“Then I must’ve looked like the wrath of God.”
“You did.” Glenna set her case on a table, opened it.
And Blair gave it a long, meaningful frown. “I really don’t need any more of that magic tree bark.”
“We’ll switch to something else. Double vision?”
“Down to the regular kind. Head aches like a mother.”
“I can help with that.” Glenna came over, laid her fingers on Blair’s temples. “How’s the shoulder?”
“Achy, worse than the ribs, but they’re not too bad. Must’ve cracked my knee pretty good, too. It’s a little wobbly.”
“Considering it was about twice its normal size when Larkin got you here, a little wobbly’s good. You know, this is the first time he’s left this room since he brought you back.”
“But he said he slept some.”
“I convinced him to lie down next to you for a while.”
“He blames himself. It’s stupid.”
“It’s stupid, I agree. But that’s only part of it. He’s watched over you all night because he’s desperately in love with you. How’s the head now?”
“The what? Oh…Better,” she realized. “A lot better. Thanks. Oh God, what am I going to do?”
“You’ll figure it out. They’ll be sending up some tea—one of my infusions. We’ll add a little of this and that to it. You’ll drink it all. Let’s see what I can do about that shoulder.”
“If I stayed here in Geall, I’d be turning my back on what I was born for. On what brought me to him in the first place. Glenna, I can’t. Whatever I feel, whatever I want, I can’t not be what I am.”
“Duty and love. They can make their own nasty little wars, can’t they? Relax now. Try some yoga breathing. You’re a strong woman, Blair. Mind, body, heart. A lot of people don’t understand how difficult it can be to be a stro
ng woman. If I were taking bets, I’d say Larkin’s a man who does.”
Later, when she’d eaten and felt steadier, she convinced Larkin she needed to walk. She sensed he was waiting to scoop her up at the first sign of weakness. She did feel weak, but in heart rather than body. She had to tell him, he deserved to be told, that she couldn’t make promises to him. When what they’d been charged to do had been done, she would have to leave him.
She knew what it was to be rejected, and wished with everything inside her things could be different. That she could be.
They walked to the courtyard with the fountain she could see from her window, where the sun was strong and the air cool with the first brush of autumn.
“Only a month left,” he said, and sat with her on a bench of deep blue marble.
“We’ll be ready.”
