Page 24 of His Orc Lady

His voice is dry, but the glint in his eyes tells me he’s teasing, trying to lighten the mood.

“I don’t know,” I admit. “I just don’t see how things would ever work out between us.”

Poppy reaches out and squeezes my hand. “Trust in him. He might surprise you. And if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m always here.”

Chapter

Seven

Owen is long gone by the time I make it out of the pantry.

It’s also high time to get some work done, so I find Jasmine in the great hall and work with her and the kitchen staff on the meals for the following fortnight, focusing on the items in our larders that will go off the fastest. I try to stay as present as possible through discussions of cabbage fermentation and ideas about drying some of the meat our hunters have brought in, but I can tell Jasmine has noticed my distracted state.

As soon as we’re done for the day, I excuse myself, and even though dinner is less than an hour from now, I walk away from the mouthwatering scents of roasting meat. I don’t think I could eat a bite. This day has been too taxing for me, not that I did anything strenuous. But the effort required to stay away from Owen is weighing on me, and I simply want to rest, to crawl under the covers and disappear for the rest of the night.

My room is dark when I enter, and I don’t bother lighting the lanterns. I see well enough in the gloom, so I undress, leaving the pretty woolen dress draped over a chair. I unpin my braid from the top of my head, comb out my hair, and groan in relief as I dig my fingertips into my scalp for a slow massage. The cold water running into the trough in my privy niche has meshivering when I wash, so I hurry through the motions, then put on my most comfortable, well-worn nightgown and thick woolen socks.

With a sigh of relief, I climb into my bed and snuggle under the soft blankets, ones I asked Ozork to buy in Ultrup for me, beautiful silken things embroidered with flowers. They were expensive and probably unnecessary, but I’d saved up for them from my steward’s wages and decided to treat myself.

Now they prove to be worth every silver piece I paid for them. I draw one end over my head, tuck my feet in at the bottom, and close my eyes.

I must fall asleep because I jerk awake sometime later. There’d been a noise—or did I dream it?

Then it comes again, a knock at my door.

“Just a moment,” I croak.

I stumble from the bed, my legs tangling in all those blankets, and feel in the dark for the door latch, my eyes still bleary from sleep.

“What?” I throw the door open, squinting in the sudden lamplight. “What’s happened?”

“Er, hello.”

Owen materializes in front of me, and his scent hits me right in the chest, as powerful as always. He’s still dressed in his day clothes, his hair pulled back in a severe style, his short sword hanging from his belt.

My thoughts grind to a halt, and I just stare at him, wondering if I’m still dreaming.

He’s been haunting my thoughts and my dreams, so it’s a reasonable explanation.

But in my dreams, he never frowned at me like he is now—so it slowly registers that this isreal, which means I’m standing in front of him in nothing but a nightgown and socks.

“Oh!” I jerk back, stumble over my feet, and barely catch myself on the doorjamb. “Owen!”

“Were you asleep?” he asks, blond eyebrows climbing up. “Is this a bad time?”

I turn and reach desperately for my dressing gown—at least he has already seen me in it. “No—I mean, yes, I was asleep. What time is it?”

He scrunches up his nose. “Hard to tell underground, but I think just after dinner. Are you unwell? Is that why you were resting?”

Pushing back my hair, I realize it’s unbound and messy, and I stifle a groan at the thought of how I must look. Is my face creased from the pillows, too?

“No, I’m all right.” I shove my arms into the sleeves of the dressing gown and draw it tight around my waist. “Why are you here?”

He straightens at my answer, his shoulders snapping back. “I was told you were searching for me.”

Oh gods. “Who told you that?”

“A human woman with curly blonde hair,” he says, frowning. “She had a tall orc with her, slightly older than us. Didn’t tell me her name, but she’s, ah, she’s with child, I believe.”

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