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It had upset him to hear her struggle with her garments, and in pain, and stand there and do nothing. Why he had let it disturb him, he didn’t know. But it was done. He’d get her home and make sure they’re paths crossed as little as possible. She’d been right about people accepting the explanation, it having been obvious he and Snow didn’t care for each other.
“I’ll keep my back to you. Do what you must and let me know when you’re done,” he said.
She was blunt. “I do not trust your word.”
“There’s nothing I can do about that. My back remains to you. Do what you will.” He turned his back on her and went and sat on a chair. “The bucket of water and cloth are not far from your right foot.” He intended to say no more after that, but a thought had him deciding otherwise. “Is there anything you can recall about this man who grabbed you?”
Snow was relieved for the change in conversation. “His grip on my shoulder was strong. He didn’t speak. When he went to drag me away, I fought him.”
“You fought him?” Tarass asked, not sure he had heard her correctly.
“I did.” Fear had her recalling it clearly. “I kicked at him, swung at him.” She shook her head. “But to no avail. Finally, I swung my head and caught him under the chin, sending him stumbling enough for his hand to fall off me, then I rushed off in the snow, hoping it would swallow me up enough that he wouldn’t be able to find me. I didn’t know in what direction I went and I was frightened he might not be alone. That was why I didn’t call out to you at first, for fear someone else might find me.”
Tarass’s stomach twisted tighter and tighter with each word she spoke. It took courage to fight, to defend yourself. But it took tremendous courage for a blind woman to fight and run off in a snowstorm.
“You’re a brave woman, Snow.”
“Is it bravery or the instinct to survive that forces courage upon us?” she asked.
“Not all have courage. And instinct to survive comes in many ways. Some surrender easily. Some beg for mercy. Some are fearless and some are fools.”
“It takes a fool to be fearless,” she said with a light laugh.
He chuckled as he said, “So you think yourself a fool.”
“Aren’t we all fools one time or another?”
“I’d like to argue that, but I can’t, since there have been times, when thought upon, that I was a fool,” he admitted.
“And I as well,” she said, surprised that he would admit such a thing. “I am done. You can turn now.”
She had wrapped the blanket around her from under her arms down and was sitting on the bed with her back braced against the wall, her feet tucked up nearly under her. She had braided her hair, though loosely, letting red strands fall free around her face. The scratches were more prominent there after being tended, and still, she was beautiful.
“Tell me of a time you were a fool,” he encouraged, needing to stop finding her so appealing. He’d only recently been with a willing woman, but then his appetite to couple never seemed satisfied.
“That would be the first time we met,” she said with a smile and rubbed her bare arms, feeling chilled. “I believe I was eight years and you were ten and three years.”
“You remember that?” He stood, grabbing her cloak from the chair to take it to her. “I have your cloak, let me drape it around your shoulders.”
Snow leaned forward, eager for the warmth of the fur-lining. The warm fur ran another shiver through her, followed by another one when Tarass tucked the cloak around her and over her chilled feet.
He sat beside her on the bed, the side of his arm resting against hers. “So do you remember?” he asked again.
She was glad for the cloak’s warmth and for his added warmth, the cold sneaking in through the walls.
“I remember it quite clearly. Father brought me and Sorrell with him when he came to your keep to speak with your father. You dared Sorrell to climb a tree with you and got mad when she climbed higher than you. You went and told your father and mine that Sorrell had climbed high in the tree when you warned her not to climb the tree. Your father gave her quite a tongue lashing.”
“Which you interrupted by shouting ‘liar, liar’ and punching me where a young lass’s fist should never touch and sending me to the ground.”
Snow chuckled. “I was short. It was the only spot I could reach.”
He laughed himself and shook his head. “Did I ever suffer for that one. First with the punch from you and second for lying to my da.”
