Page 72 of Lord of Fortune
He bowed. “On my honor, of which I still have a bit, I will not.” He straightened. “I think it best if I don’t accompany you back to the house. Can you meet me here an hour before dusk? I’ll have a horse for you. I assume you ride?”
“Yes.” Well enough that Penn could’ve taken her with him. But then she wouldn’t have been here to receive the missive. She made a mental note to ask the maid where it had come from.
“Excellent. I’ll see you back here later. Until then, adieu.” He bowed again and took himself off, cutting through the trees away from the house.
Why had he come here instead of going to the house? She wished she’d asked, but decided it didn’t matter. As she watched him go, all she could think was how he would react when he learned the real reason behind Rhys’s summons. As upset as Penn had been about the revelation of his father, Kersey’s reaction could be far worse. He’d mentioned “dark times.” She knew his mother had abandoned him, and his wife had died. This was going to be a blow, and though they’d just met, she rather liked him.
She shook the dreary thoughts from her head as she turned back toward the house.
It was possible she’d have the White Book in hand when Penn returned. He would be so thrilled. And if he was able to stop the vicar from revealing his sire, things could perhaps continue as they’d planned. They’d have the book, find the real heart—
The smile starting to curve her lips faded. This wasn’t what she’d planned. She’d planned to protect her grandfather’s name and prove Penn wrong. If they found the real heart, her grandfather’s legacy would be tainted.
Book and heart aside, what would become of her relationship with Penn? With their quest finished, would they part ways? What else could they do?
She wasn’t free to marry. Not yet anyway. She’d have to have her husband declared legally dead, and she wasn’t sure what that entailed.
Besides, she and Penn hadn’t discussed a future, and until they did, all this was useless thinking. Better to keep her focus on the book and the heart.
As she neared the back of the house, the back of her mind asked,what ofyourheart?
