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“Aye.” Conrad gave a quick nod of his head. “You said you wanted to pay your respects to Imanie the other day. However, you left so fast that you didn’t get the chance.”
“I suppose so,” she answered, almost wishing he had said he was coming here because he wanted to spend time with her alone. Then again, what did it matter? They weren’t meant for each other, she reminded herself. To her, he’d always be the boy who pulled her braid and hid frogs in her bed. He would always be naught else but Conrad the Cur.
They entered the garden and stopped right inside the gate. The moon lit up the surroundings making everything seem so surreal. Imanie’s house sat lonely and empty across the garden. The stall that once held her horse was empty, too. At her death, the girls brought the horse to the castle and Morag claimed it.
Weeds choked out the flowers that came back year after year on their own. Where once this was a place of solitude and safety, now Willow felt as if it were naught more than a place for evil to lurk in the shadows. With Imanie gone, it seemed as if her years of mentoring were naught but a dream. She found her thoughts drifting back to the time when Imanie taught her that she was more than just a pretty face. She had skills and talent as well.
“You are a bright girl, and prettier than most women,” said Imanie.
“Do you really think so?” asked Willow.
“I’m sure you have made many noblemen feel good about themselves, just by being on their arm at a dance or festivity.”
“I don’t really care to dance, and don’t talk to men much unless they talk to me first.”
“Now, I know that is a lie. I’ve heard your cousins say how much you like the men. If you are going to try to trick me, you need to make it sound more convincing.”
“I’m not trying to trick you, and neither do I want to deceive anyone.”
“Of course not. But if you are going to be a member of the queen’s Followers of the Secret Heart, you might be required to do things you’ve never done before.”
“So, you’re saying I will need to lie?”
“Nay, I’m not saying that at all. But when the time comes to help your country or your fellow man, you will need to make a decision and stick with it. No matter what it might be.”
“Do you think I can really do that, Imanie?”
“I think you can accomplish whatever you set out to do. You have a way of saying things that make men – or anyone listen. I’ve heard you convince your cousins of doing many things in the past that they had no intention of doing. It was easy for you. Embrace who you are, Willow. Don’t be afraid of it. Fear will only hurt you in the end.”
“I wish I could be brave, but I’m not sure I can.”
“Of course you can. But I must warn you. Always be sure to really want what you wish for because you might get it. And sometimes it isn’t at all what we’d hoped it would be.”
“I still don’t know how to use my skills for anything helpful or for a good purpose.”
“You’ll know when the time comes.”
“But what if I don’t? What if there is something important I need to convince someone of and I can’t do it?”
“If it isn’t working, then use the element of surprise to catch them off guard. That always works.”
“Element of surprise,” she said, pondering the idea and wondering if it would really work.
“Lady Willow?”
Willow was dragged from her thoughts by Conrad’s voice from the ground. She looked down from the horse to see him with outstretched arms, waiting to help her dismount. The moonbeams gave a bluish cast to his dark, oaken hair that was almost black. Brown eyes reflected in the midnight sun, making him look devilishly handsome as well as dangerous. Somehow, getting her braid pulled by him didn’t seem so treacherous anymore. She was alone with a handsome man in a secluded garden at night. What if he tried to ravish her? Would she fight him? Or would she welcome his advances?
Holding out her arms, she felt his hands close around her waist as he helped her from the horse and slid her down his body to the ground. A delicious shiver of anticipation swept through her. When he looked down into her eyes, she found herself wanting to kiss him again. And when he reached out to touch her chin, she was sure he was going to press his lips against hers. Instead, he brushed his hand against her and dropped his hand to the side.
“You had a smudge on your face,” he told her, turning away quickly to look at the garden. “Now, where was that grave?”
Conrad knew preciselywhere Imanie’s grave was but needed an excuse to turn away from Willow before he did something he would regret. After touching her, he almost kissed her again. At the last minute, he pretended to be brushing away some dirt from her cheek instead. He needed to be careful when it came to Lady Willow. Lately, his feelings for her were getting stronger. He couldn’t believe he’d admitted he felt anything for her at all. And to his disappointment, she didn’t even seem to care. One kiss in a dark, secluded garden could tempt him to want to do so much more. He promised her father he’d keep her away from the men. He was sure that included him, too.
They made their way across the garden, his hand on the small of her back to guide her and keep her from tripping in the dark. The moonlight lit up their surroundings enough for them to see.
“It’s over here,” she told him, leading the way to Imanie’s grave. The wind picked up, swaying the branches of the trees overhead. The scent of rain suddenly made the air heavy.
“I think there’s a storm coming,” he said, perusing the sky. “Perhaps you’d better pay your respects quickly. We’d better leave before we’re caught in the rain.”
