The Queen's Choice by Cayla Kluver

Author:Cayla Kluver
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-02-01T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

THE PLANK

When the dinner hour arrived without Shea’s return, I headed to the main hall. The frequent meals I was skipping were starting to show in my weight and in my stamina, forcing me to pay momentary attention to my health. I scrounged up a tray and dutifully stood in line, then found a secluded corner in which to poke at my food. This day had become impossibly long and dreary, and I wished I had risen with Shea and either prevented her from leaving or gone along with her.

The bang of a tray on the table jolted me to reality, and my head jerked up. Shea was standing across from me, hair windswept and cheeks rosy.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” she said, plopping herself down in a chair as if nothing was wrong. “You were still sleeping this morning and I didn’t want to bother you. How are you feeling?”

I gaped at her, then clenched my teeth, trying to rein in my temper.

“How am I feeling? I’m feeling like you need to explain why four days ago Tairmor was too dangerous for you, but today you’re suddenly safe on the streets.”

“Look, I know it wasn’t smart,” she said, holding up her fork and knife in surrender. “But I had to see my home again. I had the impulse and the opportunity and just had to do it. I mean, I’m here for the first time in years. If it helps, I thought I would be back before you were awake—those herbs put you into a pretty heavy slumber.” Looking a bit guilty, she added, “I didn’t talk to anyone other than the officers who stopped me to check my papers. But they passed scrutiny, so no harm done.”

It was clear she’d thought about how best to explain her actions, which made me leery of her story. But her almond eyes were innocently wide, and her complexion, honeyed from our travels, was free of telltale pink. I examined her, starting to feel that I was being too hard on her. Then my eyes landed on the shoulder of her cloak, where a ragged tear revealed the navy of the coat she wore beneath.

Pointing to the spot, I asked, “How did that happen?”

She flung the cloak over her shoulders to hide the evidence that her outing had not been as smooth as she wanted me to believe.

“It’s nothing. Caught it on a fence is all.”

“And you couldn’t stop to unhook it? You were running from something, weren’t you?”

“I said it’s nothing.” She crossed her forearms on the surface of the table, a rubescent glow at last reaching her cheeks.

My face, in turn, lost its color. I’d been right to worry—she might have gotten away from whatever danger had pursued her, but that was probably nothing more than a fortunate fluke.

“You got lucky,” I sputtered, deciding not to pursue the issue further. She was back safe and sound. Sensing she was eager to talk about the day, I asked, “How was the old homestead?”

“Still there.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.