Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
He approached her, suppressing a smirk. She was making him come to her.
Her grin faded the moment his arm slipped around her waist. With little effort, he lifted her so that her face was level with his.
She barely had time to react before he spoke, his voice low enough for her ears only. “The woods… soon.”
Her grin returned. “Anyone tell you that you were a man of few words.”
“Stay out of trouble,” he ordered loud enough for all to hear.
Or else what? The words nearly slipped from her lips, but the warning in his dark eyes had her thinking better of it.
Instead, she simply nodded. “Aye.”
“Soon,” he whispered as he set her down.
She didn’t waste time. There was still one person she needed to see.
Dru hurried through the market, past the last few scattered stalls, and toward the outskirts of the village, where a familiar cottage stood.
“Who goes there?” an elderly man called out from where he sat on a bench in front of his small cottage that looked in need of desperate repairs.
“It’s Dru, Albert,” she said.
Albert, his face creased with age, nodded, his concern evident. “Are you alright, Dru? I didn’t detect your usual offensive scent.”
She laid the blame once again on… “Cramond Abbey.”
Albert nodded, accepting the excuse as easily as everyone else had.
Dru dropped down on the bench beside him, reaching for the apple she had tucked in her plaid. She took his hand and placed the fruit in his palm.
He chuckled. “Funny how age has taken my sight, weakened my body, yet left me with good teeth and sharp hearing. Thank you, Dru. I look forward to these apples you bring me.”
“And I count on that sharp hearing of yours and look forward to our visits.”
Albert took a bite, savoring it, then let out another chuckle. “People are fools. They talk in front of blind men as if we were deaf too. Idiots the lot of them. Is there anything in particular you’re looking to hear about?”
“Autumn, Lord Torrance’s half-sister,” she whispered.
Albert went still. “That’s a dangerous one, Dru. Stay away from it.”
“Unfortunately, I can’t. It means my freedom.”
He sighed heavily. “That saddens and frightens me to hear. Be careful, lass. The consequences could be deadly.”
“I know. That’s why I need your help. Have you heard anything?”
“I heard something. Lord Torrance hired a mercenary, a strong one, to find Autumn and return her to him—” Albert paused, tilting his head to listen. “Is anyone else nearby?”
Dru glanced around. “Just some bairns playing off in the distance.”
Albert listened a moment longer, then leaned in. “There’s a rumor that someone else is searching for Autumn. No word on who it might be or for what reason.”
Dru frowned. “Why now? Autumn is of no importance, except to Lord Torrance. Why the sudden interest?”
Albert sighed. “I wondered the same myself. It’s troubling, so again, be careful.”
She squeezed his arm gently. “I’m always careful.”
Albert gave her a knowing smile. “Are you now? Then what’s this I hear about you taking a beating to save a monk?”
Dru smirked. “That’s a whole other tale, and I’ll tell you one day. But for now, I need to go.”
“You’ll come back?” he asked anxiously.
“Always.”
His weathered hand tightened over hers. “I’ll hold you to that promise you once made me, Dru.”
She smiled softly. “No need. I keep my word. If I’m lucky enough to find a safe place to settle, I’ll make sure there’s room for you.”
Tears gathered in his blind eyes. “You’re like the granddaughter I never had.”
Dru kissed his cheek and whispered, “I’ll be back, Granddad. Count on it.”
She hurried off, leaving Albert smiling.
Instead of going back through the village, she slipped behind Albert’s cottage, cutting into the forest where Knox would be waiting.
Before she barely took two steps into the woods, a strong arm clamped around her waist, pulling her flush against a solid chest. At the same time a large hand covered her mouth before she could let out a yelp.
CHAPTER 6
“Not a sound,” Knox’s low voice murmured in her ear, his breath warm against her skin. “Not until we reach the horse.”
Dru stilled, her heart racing like mad from fright or was it something else? Knox was as immovable as a stone wall, and yet she felt no fear in his arms. She calmed herself and nodded.
Satisfied, Knox moved his hand off her mouth but kept his hold firm as he guided her deeper into the forest. She didn’t resist. It wasn’t as though she wanted to linger where Seth or anyone else might come looking for her. Besides she had information to share with him and a task to complete.
The shadows thickened as they moved amongst the trees, the sounds of the village fading behind them. It wasn’t long before they reached Knox’s waiting mare, the beast flicking its tail impatiently.