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She liked Arabella. There was a future for her with her half-sister.
Another internal voice whispered that she’d hate to leave Ash, as well. He’d become…she wasn’t certain.
His arms were safe and warm and—and then she realized.
He felt like a home.
One she hadn’t had for a very long time. Was that her fondest desire? A real home of her own?
But she squeezed her eyes shut.
This train of thought was dangerous too. He was a lord, a man who could never be hers even if she were willing to break all her rules to be with him.
And just like her father, he might be part of her life for a time, but what if he left her? Or worse, left her with a child? She could never do to a little one what had been done to her. Never.
Turning toward the window, Lily crossed the room to stare out into the inky night. Was she looking for her next hiding spot or contemplating her future?
She couldn’t be certain.
But as she stared, a rustling caught her ears.
Her muscles froze as she stopped in the middle of the room. Was it more men?
Slowly, she inched forward as she squinted into the night. Without a candle, she wasn’t worried about being seen—she could barely see herself.
She caught sight of a lone horsemen. One arm held the reins of a horse, his other arm seemed to tuck into his body. A massive fellow, something in the way he moved was familiar. She gasped, inadvertently backing up. Was that Ox?
Her hands began to shake as she dropped down and then peered out the window again so that just the top half of her face would be visible. She couldn’t see much, except that he tied his horse to the hitching post and made his way into the inn.
Creeping across the floor, she pressed an ear to the door. The voices were too indistinguishable for her to discern if it was him or not. And then the voices stopped.
She heard the distinct sound of the door. Scrambling across the room once again, she caught the blurry outline of the man untying his horse and making his way to the stables.
Lily hadn’t realized her hands were shaking until she pressed them to her lips. The urge to run was stronger than ever and she nearly jumped when a soft knock sounded at the door.
“Lily?” Ash whispered. “Let me in.”
On trembling limbs, she walked to the door and fumbled with the lock. And when Ash came back in, she fell into his arms.
“What’s wrong?”
How did she even begin?
Ash held Lily in his arms, embracing her tighter to his chest.
She burrowed into him.
“Lily? What is it?”
“He’s here,” she whispered. “It’s really dark but I’m almost certain. Ox—I think I saw him.”
“Here? At the inn?”
“He went to the stables.”
Ash grimaced. “We’re going to Arabella and Edge’s room.”
“Why?”
