Page 36 of The Masked Baron
“Thank you.” Andalin gave him a genuine smile.
Ellis reached over and somberly squeezed Andalin’s hand. “It is not a matter I can put off for long.”
Andalin knew he was right. Perhaps he kept holding her hand because he knew it rendered her speechless, keeping her from arguing.
Chapter 13
Andalin woke to the soundof dogs barking. The noise ripped her from her dreams. They hadn’t been the most pleasant, so she silently thanked the loud, furry creatures.
Her eyes suddenly lit with full wakefulness. If the dogs were barking, was it because of Ellis? Had he gone into the forest after all? She had spent the hour leading up to midnight on her knees pleading for rain. A drought could not have made her prayers more earnest. Only minutes before midnight she finally heard the first drops that soon brought on torrents of rain against her window.
She peered out her curtains. The overcast sky, now absent of rain, hid much of the sunrise. She glanced down at the courtyard, but it was still too dark to make anything out. Andalin pulled her riding boots on under her nightgown and then added her robe and shawl to her attire. She crept quietly out of her room, down the staircase, and out the front door. She peered toward the stables, wondering if she could make out if someone was there from where she stood on the steps.
She heard the dogs barking again and realized the sound came from the direction of the stables. She shivered. Her fear abated only by the need to reassure herself Ellis was safe.
The question she should be asking herself was not about the fear she felt, for truly, she had earned the right to feel a bit of anxiety after all the frightening experiences she’d had since arriving. What she didn’t understand was her acute concern for the welfare of Ellison Cadogen. She had thought on it several times since dinner the night before. Was she so lonely she had forged a friendship based on circumstance?
No. Ellis had been kind to her. He had been patient and forgiving. It was right for her to be concerned for him. He needed her to keep him from letting his past consume him. She had to be brave.
Andalin gathered her courage, climbed down from the steps, and hurried toward the stables. She did her best to avoid conjuring up images of strange witches jumping out at her from inside the stables. The dogs ran and greeted her before she made it to her destination. She welcomed their company and hoped they’d bonded enough to protect her had she any need of them.
She breathed a sigh of relief when Ellis exited the stables in search of the source of the commotion.
He put his hands on his hips. “For heaven’s sake! What are you doing out here at this hour and in such a state of undress? I thought I instructed you to come outside only in Mr. Lewis’s company.”
The cold at least prevented her cheeks from warming at the harsh tone of Ellis’s voice. She had not been prepared for his reaction. She decided to play innocent. “But you are here. Aren’t you as capable as Mr. Lewis?”
Ellis folded his arms firmly across his broad chest. “So which is it? You felt the need for some fresh air? You were so anxious to see me again that you couldn’t sleep? Or you are intent to follow me again, despite the scare you’ve had and the promise you made?”
Andalin rubbed the head of the dog nearest to her as she searched for an answer. If she admitted she couldn’t sleep any longer because she was anxious to see him again, then she would sound like a lovesick calf. She had merely been concerned. It was the truth, since her mind had summoned the same word moments ago when she had been on the steps.
“Well?” Ellis demanded.
Andalin tried to shrug off her blush by answering in a nonchalant tone. “I wanted fresh air. And yourself? Are you coming or going?”
Ellis dropped his arms in frustration. “I kept my bargain to you, if that is what you are asking. I am going. Now. I told you this could not wait.”
Andalin bit her bottom lip. Ellis was riding off emotion, and he was liable to throw himself into harm’s way. Certainly he was a great fighter, but he wasn’t facing a man; he was facing a woman. Andalin tried to think fast. She was a woman. What were women capable of? Well, for one, they could be persuasive. There was no better time like the present to put those skills into practice.
“Ellis,” she hedged, making her voice sound softer. “I wonder if you might consider taking me along again. It would throw Sephira off. We could collect nuts... or something. Mr. Lewis could chaperone. It would be the perfect distraction. She can’t watch all three of us at once. I promise I am far braver in the day than I am in the night.” She gave a small smile.
“Absolutely not. I forbid you to enter those woods again.” Ellis’s tone rang with finality, and Andalin’s smile faltered. Apparently, she didn’t have the persuasive powers some women did. He looked fierce and unbendable, and Andalin remembered why she found him so intimidating. She took a step back and held her shawl a bit tighter to keep out the cool morning air.
“Very well. I wish you luck.”
Ellis nodded curtly and returned to the stable for his horse.
Andalin didn’t have the desire to watch him ride off into harm’s way, so she hurried back to the house with the dogs at her heels. She went straight to the kitchen to wait for the few occupants of the household to awaken. She needed a distraction, and being alone would not suffice. After a quarter of an hour the sun started to creep into the sky. Matilda made the first appearance and was shortly joined by Mrs. Lewis and Mr. Lewis. The last to arrive was Hannah.
“Are ye going to tell us what gives ye such an eager face this morning, child?” Matilda asked as she whisked some eggs and poured the mixture into a pan to cook for breakfast.
Andalin absently scratched at a dip in the grain along the counter’s surface. “Just feeling a bit out of sorts is all.” It wasn’t far from the truth either. The thought of Ellis alone with a crazed witch left her feeling ill.
Mr. Lewis kicked his long legs out in front of him and stretched back in his chair. “Wouldn’t have anything to do with the determined way his lordship rode out of here this morning, would it?”
Explaining would only worry them. They were like family to Ellis and quickly becoming just as endearing to her.
“It ain’t healthy for him to take off like that. Too much alone time ain’t good for a person,” Hannah stated, taking the plates off the shelf to set the table.
