Page 37 of Ties of Legacy

Again Elliot looked like he wanted to argue, but he shot a look at her and remained silent. They didn’t talk as they laid out their bedrolls side by side on the floor, Avery climbing into hers while Elliot slipped into the invitingly soft bed instead.

Avery told herself it would be perfectly easy to fall asleep because it was no different from previous nights in her bedroll with Elliot across the fire. But despite her glib mental reassurances, she couldn’t seem to settle.

She rolled over for the sixth time. Did four walls really make such a difference?

A carriage rolled into the courtyard below bringing late arrivals to the inn. She listened to the stomp of the horses’ hooves and the creak of the wheels and realized she felt exposed without the cart above her and Nutmeg beside her. Between her accidental enchanted sleep and the fight over who would take the bed, she hadn’t considered that being in the inn meant sleeping without Nutmeg’s protection. No wonder it felt different.

Maybe she wouldn’t be able to sleep at all. If part of her didn’t trust Elliot, she wouldn’t be able to relax enough to drift…

She stirred slightly, not properly awake, but conscious enough to know an unknown length of time had passed. The fire hadn’t yet burned low, but faint moonlight came through the window.

Strong arms scooped her up, holding her close against a firm chest for the few steps it took to cross the room. A distant part of her brain registered that she should protest, but she was too delightfully sleepy to rouse enough for speech.

As she was placed gently on the bed and blankets were tucked around her, she recognized the sensation. It was the sleepy peace that came with warmth and safety—and knowing you could truly relax because someone else was there to watch over you.

She hadn’t felt that feeling in a long time.

But, no, that wasn’t quite right. If she hadn’t felt that feeling in years, why had those arms been so familiar? She couldn’t remember being carried by them before. She couldn’t remember ever being cradled like that—at least, not since small childhood. And yet, she couldn’t shake how familiar that sensation of sleepy peace while held in safe arms had felt.

And the rumble of Elliot’s voice above her felt equally familiar. “Sleep, Avery. It’s your turn in the bed. I’ll be here in my bedroll.”

Drat,she thought as sleep pulled her fully back under.I thought he wouldn’t wake up.

Avery woke to bright sunlight and an empty room. She stretched luxuriously before freezing as memories from the past day and night washed over her. Where was Elliot?

Her panicked hands flew to the satchel, but it was still there, the lump of the lamp inside. She scrambled out of bed, a new source of panic gripping her. What had happened to Elliot? The evening before he had joked about being forced away from the city, but what if?—

She cut off her frantic thoughts. How could someone have seized him from their inn room? From her hazy memories, she had slept embarrassingly deeply the night before, but she never slept that deeply.

The door opened, and she spun toward it, her hand reaching for her closest dagger. But it was only Elliot strolling through with a cheerful smile.

“I fetched a fresh wash jug.” He held up the heavy pitcher in his hands.

Avery frowned, noting the less obvious lines of strain around his mouth and eyes. “Did you have to go far?”

Elliot shrugged. “I can endure a little discomfort, you know. I just can’t sleep through a whole night of it.”

His bright smile returned, and Avery quickly turned away to pack up her bedroll, her cheeks flushing. Apparently she could sleep through more than him because she was pretty sure that when he’d carried her to the bed during the night, she’d snuggled into him. Snuggled!

He whistled as they packed the few items they’d brought up to the room. Apparently spending a chunk of the night on the floor—she strongly suspected it had been more than half—hadn’t dented his mood at all.

“We’ll cross the river here,” Avery said as they ate a final meal in the inn’s dining room. “That way we can use the Marleston ferry. It’s one of the best ones on the river.”

“If we’re crossing over, I assume our next destination is Ethelson?” Elliot asked.

Avery nodded, her mouth full. Swallowing, she added, “I have some good contacts there. I’ll store the cart and most of my goods with one of them, and we can take a boat upriver most of the rest of the way to Bolivere. We’ll move faster without the cart, and my priority is speed over trade now.”

She was glad Elliot didn’t quibble over that comment when she immediately followed it up by asking him to wait while she dashed out to the cart to retrieve a commission. It was hardly delaying them, however, given the intended customer was the cook at the inn.

Avery tried to complete the sale subtly, but Elliot trailed behind and watched it from the doorway to the inn’s kitchen. Observing the delighted surprise and gratitude of the cook hopefully made up for any impatience he might have been feeling.

“What was that all about?” he asked as they finally hitched Nutmeg to the cart and led her through the streets of Marleston toward the river.

Avery shrugged. “Last time I was here, I congratulated the cook on an excellent pie, but she was bemoaning that it didn’t taste the way she remembered from when she was a girl because she couldn’t get the right spices. They only grow in Auldana, and the regular merchants that stock Marleston no longer sourcethem. I was in Auldana a few months ago, and saw some in a small market, so I bought a packet for her.”

“As a gift?” Elliot was clearly surprised.

Avery raised an eyebrow. “No. Didn’t you see her pay for them? I am a merchant, remember.”

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