Page 45 of Midnight Conquest

Subtly, he extended his incisors and pierced the pad of his thumb. When Amice reached for the honey, he used his body to block Davina’s view and squeezed several drops of his blood into the mixture. Amice gave a faint nod, then drizzled the honey in, and resumed grinding.

Once finished, she took the other chair beside the campfire and worked quickly, applying the poultice to Davina’s eye and inflamed palms, then securing clean cloths over her hands with practiced efficiency.

“Voilà!” she declared, tying off the final wrap.

Davina sighed and flexed her fingers. “I… What did you use?”

Amice tapped the side of her nose. “I cannot revealallmy secrets,ma chère.”

“Well, whatever it was, the pain’s already gone.” She gingerly touched her cheek, eyes widening as the swelling began to fade. “I can’t believe it.”

“Très bien!This makes me happy.” Amice beamed as she packed her herbs and tools into her basket.

Davina handed her a few coins. “Thank you.”

“Of course,ma chère.” Amice gave Broderick a sideways glance, and he helped the old woman climb into the caravan.

“Shall we?” Davina asked, rising to her feet.

“Aye, lass.” He fell into step beside her as they made their way toward the castle road. “So, what is this plan ye have in mind, milady?”

As Davina began explaining, Broderick wondered, wouldTammus remember him? Perhaps he could compel the man to forget. He could only hope Tammus wasn’t as strong-willed as Davina was, or this might prove to be an interesting meeting.

The castle loomed in the distance, its jagged moonlit structure cutting against the black night sky. The road beneath their feet was uneven, the stones shifting with every gradual step, but Davina hardly noticed. Her mind churned with the plan they’d just hashed out. Her uncle would be a challenge, aye, but if Broderick played his part well, they just might pull this off.

“My uncle never likes to venture into the village overmuch,” she explained in response to his concerns. “And I can’t imagine him wanting to visit the Gypsy camp. He certainly didn’t do so when your caravan came to Aberdeen, so I wouldn’t worry about him catching you being a Gypsy.”

Broderick snorted softly beside her. “Suspicious men like yer uncle have ways of sniffin’ out trouble.”

She glanced at him, her brow lifting. “You think he’s going to march into the camp and interrogate the lot of you?”

He shrugged, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I’ve seen stranger things.”

She sighed. “Well, he’s not the type to sully his boots amongst the common folk. Unfortunately, my uncle thinks himself above. He’ll stay in his study, grumbling and pacing, content to let others run his errands.”

Broderick studied her for a moment, his emerald eyes searching hers, before he finally nodded. “Fair enough. Ye know yer uncle better than I do. I’ll leave that to ye, then.”

Her chin dipped in a curt nod, and she continued up the road. “Now that we’ve agreed on who you are and your role here, just follow my lead when we speak to Uncle Tammus. And listen to my thoughts for cues.”

“Hold on there, lass.” Broderick stopped abruptly, his hand catching her elbow. “To do that, ye’re goin’ tae have to trust me.”

She blinked up at him, confused. “Idotrust you. Or I wouldn’t have asked you to do this.”

He tilted his head, his expression softening, though the intensity in his eyes didn’t waver. “If ye trusted me, ye wouldnae be blockin’ yer thoughts.”

Her chest tightened, frustration bubbling inside her. “I’m not doing it on purpose.” Or was she? The last thing she wanted was for Broderick to find out Cailin was his daughter. Then he could lay claim to her and even have more priority than any suitor Uncle Tammus was lining up. She didn’t want to marryanyone. Period. Her eyes fell to his lips. No matter how scrumptious the man was.

“Aye, I ken that. But ye’re doin’ it all the same.” He pinched her chin between his thumb and finger. “I had to coax ye to open up in the tent, and ever since we left the camp, ye’ve been shuttin’ me out. I cannae hear a single whisper of yer thoughts.”

Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “How am I supposed to stop doing something I don’t even know I’m doing?”

“Take a deep breath,” he said gently. “Relax. Ye’re gettin’ agitated, and that’s part of it, ye see? Listen to the very words I’m usin’. When ye feelguardedordefensive, when ye hold everything in and try to keep it all to yerself, that’s when ye put up those barriers.”

Her jaw tightened. “So, it’smy fault, is it?”

“Nay, Davina.” His tone softened further, his hand brushing her arm lightly. “Ye’ve been through a lot. Every man in yer lifeseems to have mistreated ye in one way or another.” He hesitated, his gaze dropping for the briefest moment before meeting hers again. “Even me.”

The admission caught her off guard, the razor edge of her frustration dulling. She opened her mouth to argue, but the sincerity in his eyes silenced her. Her chest ached at his words, though she wasn’t sure why.

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