Page 54 of Kingdom of Locks

Mama Gail nodded slowly. “It certainly doesn’t hurt. He said his name is Amell?”

“That’s what he said,” Aurelia confirmed. “But he hesitated. I think it might be a false name.” She looked hopefully at her mother. “Like I gave him.”

Mama Gail smiled in amusement. “Yes, you keep mentioning that.”

“Well, I know you think I was foolish to speak with him alone,” said Aurelia defensively. “And I don’t want you to think that I blindly trusted a total stranger just because he was handsome.”

“Because he was what?” Mama Gail demanded, alarm crossing her face.

Aurelia winced slightly. “Well, he seemed handsome to me,” she said frankly. “But then, I don’t have much basis for comparison, do I?”

“That’s precisely my concern,” muttered Mama Gail.

Before Aurelia could respond, she caught a flash of movement in the corner of her eye, and spun back around.

“He’s here!” she cried, and Mama Gail appeared beside her so quickly, Aurelia half suspected her of flying across the room.

“Well?” Aurelia demanded, as the two of them watched the tawny-haired figure cross the clearing. “Is he handsome?”

Mama Gail gave her a long-suffering look. “Yes,” she admitted. “I’d have to say he is. But that tells us absolutely nothing about his character.”

“I know,” Aurelia assured her lightly. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she called out, “Amell!”

He looked up quickly, breaking into a smile at the sight of her.

“Oh dear,” muttered Mama Gail beside Aurelia, as the expression transformed Amell’s face. “He’s far too handsome.”

Aurelia chuckled at her mother’s dismayed tone, already pulling her hair from the floor and threading it through the hook. She’d released it from her braid an hour before, in faith that he would come as promised.

“I thought you said he was going to bring help,” Mama Gail commented, her eyes passing over the otherwise empty clearing.

Aurelia paused with her hair halfway down the tower. “Yes, that’s right.” She frowned at the tree line. “It looks like he’s alone though, doesn’t it?”

“Hm,” Mama Gail was skeptical again. “I wonder what his explanation is.”

“Good morning, Honeysuckle,” Amell called up, having reached the base of the tower. He bowed in Mama Gail’s general direction. “Good morning, ma’am.”

Aurelia lowered her hair the rest of the way, then poked her head out the window. “Climb up, Amell, and we can talk more easily.”

He hesitated, looking between her face and the hair now hanging in front of him. “You’re sure it didn’t hurt you yesterday?”

“Not this again.” Aurelia rolled her eyes. “Just climb up already.”

She’d already pulled her head back into the tower, but she heard a low chuckle wafting up from the direction of the ground. For once Mama Gail didn’t offer to help her with the weight, instead watching carefully as their visitor climbed the outside wall. Aurelia braced herself, noting again how much lighter this younger man was than Cyfrin.

Old codger is getting chunky in his middle age, she thought to herself, her heart impossibly light at the vindication of her faith in Amell.

When a tousled golden head appeared over the windowsill, she almost dropped her hair in her excitement. Forcing herself to focus on the task, she waited until he’d fully climbed through the opening, his clear gray eyes passing from her to Mama Gail, who’d stepped back out of the way.

“Ladies,” he said, bowing low again. “Thank you for inviting me into your home.”

Mama Gail said nothing, her chin slightly raised as her eyes completed a slow pass over his form. Aurelia noticed that in spite of his gracious words, one of his legs was bouncing a little. Nervous, or just full of energy? Perhaps both.

“You came back,” she said, smiling brightly at him.

“Of course,” Amell replied easily. “I said I would.”

Aurelia sent a triumphant look at Mama Gail. “This is my mother, Abigail,” she said, with a gesture. “Mama Gail, this is Amell.” It occurred to her how ridiculous it was to perform introductions when they might very well all be using false names, but she supposed the niceties had to be observed.

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