Page 38 of The Masked Baron
“Splendid idea! A group effort would be just the thing. Let’s act on it the moment he returns,” Matilda concluded.
Everyone nodded in agreement, and the discussion closed. Andalin left the kitchens with a little bit of hope in her belly. Breakfast had fed her in a different way. For the first time, she belonged, really belonged at Braitwood Hall. It touched her to be part of a small group of people who wanted to bring peace to someone they cared for. Hopefully, Ellis would survive long enough to hear what they had to say. If he realized how much they all wanted him to be happy, maybe he would see his strange ways were hurting those who cared most for him.
***
Ellis took a seat at the long dining table and then stood again. How could he sit with such aggressive feelings coursing through his body? He was hungry. Where was the food? And where was Annie? He refused to escort her down to dinner. They weren’t married, after all. She was capable of walking down the stairs without his guidance. Besides, before long she’d attract every suitor in the country and thoughts of her would cease to plague him.
Mr. Lewis pushed the door open to the dining room, and he and his wife entered with trays heaped with hot, savory food. Ellis sat again, and his anger diminished for a moment, seeing the couple doing the work five servants would do in any other household, and bringing his favorite soup, no less.
Just after they left, Annie walked in. She stopped short, surprise evident on her face. He pushed to his feet and bowed his head as she approached the seat to his right. She performed a quick curtsy and hurried to sit. It was plain she did not think he’d return so quickly from his ride. The smart girl noticed the tense set of his shoulders and the grim lines around his mouth and, thankfully, formed her own conclusion about his endeavors in the forest and held her tongue.
Their soup bowls were emptied, and still not a word passed between them. Apparently, Annie’s silence could only extend for so long.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Ellis clanged his spoon down. “No. But I’m sure I will not have any peace until your curious mind is satisfied.”
Clearly chagrined, Annie looked away and blinked back a hint of moisture.
Ellis sighed, regretting his inability to shake off his emotions at the door. Part of him wanted to show Annie he was right and she was wrong, but he could not bear to hurt her. “I apologize. That was unkind. I should not have taken my anger out on you.” Seeing her upset made him want to pull her close and comfort her. He remembered how it felt to hold her in his arms—how he had enjoyed it far more than he should have on their midnight ride. “I am not used to having someone I can confide in.”
Annie risked a quick glance, softening him further. “I am not the only one in this house who wants you to be at peace.”
Ellis looked at the door, where they both knew either Mr. or Mrs. Lewis was waiting on the other side in case their service was needed. “Perhaps I should have let myself be more open with them over the years. Surely you understand why this is different.” Ellis leaned toward Annie and rested his head on his hand, ready to unburden himself with the weight of his discovery. “I found the witch’s home today.”
Andalin covered her open mouth with her hand. “But you seemed so put out, like you were disappointed in your day’s labor.”
“The place was deserted,” Ellis said with a disgusted frown. “It was a small hovel in the side of a hill. The door was behind a tree.” He should have seen it before. “Inside I found three pallets.Three.So strange for one witch to have three different beds. And yet I always wondered. Hoped, really. But never mind. Today I did not find the answers I sought. I blame myself for being persuaded by you to wait to seek her out.”
“Oh, Ellis,” Annie said, her voice thick with sorrow.
“Do not dwell on it, Annie. I’m not angry with you. Leastwise, not anymore. How could I be when you sit there so prettily and with such eagerness to be my friend?”
Andalin ducked her head. “I am glad to hear it. I would not want you to stay angry with me. You were sorely disappointed today, and I am sorry.”
“Forget about today. It’s rather nice knowing someone cares for my welfare and whether or not I return home.”
There, her soft smile returned, and with it, he found a hint of his own. “Tell me more about Annie as a child. Were you as careful about your father’s whereabouts as you are mine?”
“You would not believe me if I told you,” Annie said with a laugh.
“I could believe you capable of all sorts of mischief,” Ellis teased.
“As you know, my father makes and sells beautiful salt-glazed stoneware and vases.”
“Yes, I made a rather large order as a Christmas present to myself.”
Annie grinned. “Well then, you will soon learn his pottery is wrapped carefully and cushioned with hay before it is transported in his wagon. I thought it a rather cunning idea to wrap myself in burlap and hide in the hay. Papa never once took me along on his deliveries, and I dearly wanted to see all the places he spoke of.”
“Did it work?”
“No. My father had just returned and had no intention of leaving, unbeknownst to me. I slept fitfully all night in the wagon, itching from head to toe from the burlap and bugs.”
Ellis cringed. “You were determined—a character trait I see stuck with you.”
“Is that a compliment or a criticism?” The candlelight danced in her eyes, charming away the last of his ill humor.
“Both,” he said. His lips twitched into a near laugh. “After all, you have survived another night in the Dark Rider’s company—a fate far worse than burlap and bugs.”
