Page 48 of His Betrothed
But the ocean reminded him of his mission, and his mission reminded him of his brother—and this latest scandal Roselyn mentioned.
What the hell was going on in London?
Far in the distance, a shout broke through his reverie, and his head came up in a sudden sharp awareness. He felt a tremor shake Roselyn, and he wondered for a moment if another Spaniard had been sent forhim.
But it was only a young woman, running toward them across the meadow, waving. He allowed himself to relax slightly, but noticed that Roselyn didn’t.
“’Tis Charlotte,” she hissed, even while she put on a false smile and waved back.
She glanced up at him, and her eyes were narrowed and thoughtful, making him uneasy with suspicion.
“Do you want to reveal yourself yet?” she asked.
Spencerfelt confused and trapped as the girl drew ever nearer, wearing a large welcoming smile. If it became known he was at Wakesfield, Shaw and his men might find him before he could tell the queen his side of the story.
He felt a chill at the thought of luring even more of his enemies to Wight, where Roselyn—and the Heywoods, of course—would be in the way of danger.
But he had to play this carefully,so as to make her no more suspicious than she already was—luckily she’d seemed downright reluctant to reveal his presence to anyone. “Youmake the choice. You have hidden me for almost a fortnight now.”
“At your request.”
“Yes, but you don’t seem to want my presence known, either.”
Before Roselyn could answer, the girl was within yards of them. He saw a country miss on the brink of womanhood,wearing an innocent, happy smile.
“Roselyn!” she called, but her curious gaze lingered on him.
He could tell by Roselyn’s reddened cheeks how embarrassed she was to be caught with him, held so intimately against his body. He let himself enjoy the moment—her annoyance, the chance that he could be discovered, even though it could be dangerous for him.
“Hello, Charlotte,” Roselyn said, with warmthin her voice.
He thought for certain there would be an awkward moment as the two women decided what to say to each other. But the girl looked at him and grinned.
“Hello,” she said. “I’ve never seen you before.”
He found himself smiling.
Roselyn quickly said, “This is Mr. Sanderson, a soldier with the garrison in Shanklin. Mr. Sanderson, this is Mistress Charlotte Heywood, daughter of the Wakesfieldbailiff.”
“Mr. Sanderson” gave a bow. “Good day, Mistress Charlotte.”
“Good day, sir,” she answered, looking down at the splint that bound his lower right leg. “I do hope your wound is not paining you greatly.”
“It is healing, thank you, due to the considerable help of Mistress Roselyn.” Let Roselyn make of that what she would, he thought, looking down at her with a polite smile tinged withintimacy.
Roselyn quickly said, “I have not done much, merely walked with Mr. Sanderson when I am able to.”
He could see Charlotte’s high spirits dim as she considered the two of them. Of course, she was John Heywood’s sister, and would naturally want her brother to have Roselyn’s attention.
“I enjoyed our baking lesson this morning,” Roselyn offered. “Did your mother like the pie?”
Charlotte’svoice was subdued. “Yes, but she thought that I shouldn’t have bothered you, that you might be too busy with the harvest.”
“It’s over now, so perhaps I can come up to Wakesfield. I’ve missed working with both of you.”
“I don’t mind coming to see you at the cottage,” Charlotte said, with more determination in her voice.
“Of course,” Roselyn murmured.
