When She Said I Do by Celeste Bradley

Author:Celeste Bradley [Bradley, Celeste]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Romance
ISBN: 9781250016126
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: 2013-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

Ren, riding hard through the hail and the stinging rain that came down in its aftermath, almost missed it. There, across the path, a line drawn as if with a stick, scored right through the tracks of the filly and of the plow horse. Reining the gelding to a squealing halt, Ren twisted his mount about on the narrow path and trotted back to the mark. Jakes followed a few minutes later, remaining respectfully back from the evidence.

Ren dismounted and knelt to inspect it. The mark was strange but the ones preceding it were stranger. A series of small depressions, single footprints? No, they were opposed by a hole, dug into the trail by a stick? A small woman with a cane? Or a crutch.

She is injured.

His belly tight with worry for her, he followed the odd line to the edge of the path, and then followed the scuff marks through the soaking grass on the riverbank. Someone had scrambled up the bank.

The trail of crushed grass led to a small willow tree halfway up the slope. Its infant withies barely swept the tall grass. Through the dangling branches Ren saw a flash of something pale. A shapely pile of muddy muslin.

He found her within, curled up on the far side of the trunk, her gown and spencer and face daubed in mud.

“Calliope?”

She opened her eyes. “Oh, it’s you.” She sat up a bit. “I didn’t think you were coming after all.”

“I’m sorry. I had a late start.”

She blinked at him. “Were you brooding again?” she asked indifferently.

Guilty as charged. He nodded, bemused. “I fear so.”

“I knew it.” She shivered. “Such a bloody waste of time, brooding.”

He was beginning to see her point. He reached for her hands. They were like ice. He drew her up into his arms and easily lifted her.

“I want a bath,” she declared flatly.

“Yes, you do. You look as though you had a fight with a mud monster.”

“I did it deliberately.”

“Why ever for? It made you nearly impossible to see.”

“Exactly.” Her gaze was fixed at a point across the river, but when Ren looked there was no one there.

* * *

Ren rode at high speed back to Amberdell with Calliope in his arms. He left Jakes in the yard with the horses and carried her straight up to her room. He found Betrice there, pouring a steaming pail of water into the smallest copper tub.

“I had a farmhand carry it up here. I hope you don’t mind. Oh, goodness, Callie—quickly, into the tub!”

“I have her, Betrice. But thank you.”

Betrice gaped at Ren for a long moment. Then she seemed to fade a bit, shrinking into the background as she had always seemed to before. “Of course, Lawrence.”

She left, closing the door behind her. Ren stood Calliope on one foot and swiftly began undoing her wet spencer. The damp wool fought him for a moment. She slapped weakly at his hands.

“No, you’ll stretch the fit. I haven’t another.”

Ren paused. She didn’t? As he eased her arms free of the clinging wet short coat, he tried to remember what she’d worn for the past week.

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