Page 27 of Stay with Me

With calls only a dozen paces away down the ravine, he motioned for her to follow him again and started through the brush up an incline. As they reached the pinnacle of the hill, Nicholas crouched behind a boulder and pulled her down next to him. A finger to his lips urged her to silence, and she tried to quiet her breathing and heartbeat.

Down the hill, the shouts were impatient.

“They are riding due south,” he whispered, “but will soon be on our trail once more.”

“How long?”

“Within the quarter of an hour.”

“Alright, then let’s keep going.”

“You are rested enough?”

She pinned him with a sharp look. “If you are.”

His lips quirked up the hint of a grin.

What did he find so humorous? Her competitive spirit?

He reached for her hand as he’d done several times already. As before, she was tempted to resist to show she was strong and capable and didn’t need a man’s help. But as his fingers closed around hers and their palms pressed together, something about the connection drew her. Maybe it was how physically attractive he was. Or maybe it was because she was in the past and this was all so temporary, so fleeting, which meant she didn’t have to concern herself with repercussions.

Besides, he probably didn’t mean anything by the contact, other than to ensure that she didn’t get lost.

He kept low, pushing aside thorny branches and holding them back for her. “We should be able to reach a hiding place before they find a way around the ravine.”

“And how do you know of the hiding place?”

“I wandered the Weald as a boy and am more familiar with it than most.”

She suspected that wasn’t the entire reason for his familiarity with the area. And with every passing moment, she wanted to know more about this strong and fascinating man she’d helped to save.

She’d had full view of his back for most of the getaway. Though his wounds were deep and would leave his posterior disfigured, the salve seemed to have provided a healing relief. The oily coating had also acted as a barrier against the filthy moat water. During the swim, she’d tried not to think about what kinds of waste had been dumped into the water. But from the stench coming from her garments, she could guess easily enough.

Rather than the full-out run they’d maintained before, he guided her with a slower jog that allowed for conversation.

“Is there a river or stream we can rinse off in before going into hiding?”

“And why would you wish to do that?” His tone hinted at humor.

“I suspect you’ll enjoy being with me better if I don’t stink.”

He was silent a beat. “Not true.”

Something in the way he spoke sent her blood racing a little faster. “Well, I’ll enjoy being with you better ifyoudon’t smell like a sewage pit.”

“When we are together, I shall guarantee that you will not be thinking on sewage pits.”

Again, his tone had an almost seductive quality to it. Had he misunderstood her? When she’d said he would enjoybeingwith her, did he think she’d meant physically?

No doubt he already had many women at his beck and call. If he thought she would be one of them, he was in for a surprise. She wasn’t a loose woman. In fact, even if her faith in God wasn’t what it used to be before Mum disappeared, she hadn’t given up her morals. She’d never slept with a man before, not even Isaac.

“I’m guessing a man like you has a woman in his life.” She hadn’t seen a wedding band on his hand, but that didn’t mean anything since she didn’t know if men in the Middle Ages even wore rings after marriage.

“A man like me?” The note of humor tinged his question again.

She wasn’t a flushing woman, but she didn’t know how to respond. “Yes, a man like you.”

He didn’t push her to confess her true thoughts about him, that he was likely the handsomest man she’d ever met, along with one of the most physically fit. Not only that, but he was smart, courageous, and kind.

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