Free Too Far to Whisper by Arianna Eastland Page A

“Is it not wonderful?”
    “I knew it!” Jonathan exclaimed, slapping his knee and laughing. “Barely two weeks it took the lass to blind him with her charms. I knew all of her protests and denials when I accused her being here for the purpose of snaring a Corwin lad rang false!”
    Shadow stiffened, his fists clenched at his sides. Surely, he thought, Grace was mistaken. Rosalind never would promise herself to a rogue like Nathaniel, and certainly not this quickly. Shadow held little doubt that within a week after the wedding, if even that long, Nathaniel would be out searching for some tavern wench to satisfy him. Rosalind deserved so much better…or at least until now, he had believed she did. Granted, he did not know her well enough to understand the workings of her mind, but he had perceived her to be different from other women and not the type who would wed a man solely for his wealth or power. Yet, try as he might, he could not deny what seemed so painfully obvious…that Rosalind had come to work for the Corwins solely to find a husband. Well, he thought bitterly, if that had been her mission, then she obviously had succeeded.
     
    * * * * *
    To Rosalind, the days preceding Nathaniel’s impending voyage crawled by at a snail’s pace. She purposely had avoided the captain, sharing all of her meals with Abigail in the confines of the woman’s chamber, and then often retiring to her own chamber even before the sun had set.
    On the eve of Nathaniel’s departure, Rosalind was returning Abigail’s tray to the kitchen when Nathaniel confronted her in the hallway.
    “When you come out of the kitchen,” he said evenly, blocking her path, “we shall take a walk.” His tone invited no argument.
    Not wishing to incite a quarrel, Rosalind nodded. She knew what Nathaniel wanted, and the thought had filled her with dread all week. He would insist upon a farewell kiss, especially now that they were betrothed.  It did not matter to him that such familiarity between an unwed man and woman was considered a sin – he already had proven as much when he had kissed her the night of Ben’s visit.
    Rosalind decided to stall her walk with the captain for as long as possible, hoping he would grow frustrated and give up waiting for her. After all, he was leaving early, before sunrise, for the harbor, so she assumed he would need his rest.
    She generously offered her assistance in the kitchen, and Grace, kind soul that she was, seized the opportunity to unburden herself of as many unpleasant tasks as Rosalind would accept.
    When Rosalind, her hair a mass of disheveled curls and her face smudged with soot from cleaning kettles, finally emerged from the kitchen well over two hours later, she expected to find no trace of Nathaniel.
    “I can be patient…when I wish to be.” Nathaniel’s calm voice startled her. He was leaning against the wall near the front door, his arms folded across his chest. Before Rosalind could recover from the surprise of seeing him, he moved toward her, grasped her by the wrist and led her outside.
    She silently cursed herself for having wasted so much time in the kitchen. Not only had she nearly worked her fingers to the bone for naught, it now was dark outside. Had she not been so determined to delay the walk, she at least would have had some remnants of daylight for an ally.
    The black evening sky was sprinkled with stars, and a gentle breeze caressed the couple as they walked to the edge of the dooryard. The air felt refreshing against Rosalind’s skin, which was damp with perspiration from her time spent in the hot kitchen. The moon offered only a small amount of light to guide their way as they walked in silence. The night was quiet, save for the sounds of chirping of crickets and the song of a night bird in the distance.
    Rosalind kept her head lowered and prayed for strength, for she knew not what Nathaniel was about to say or do. She found a small measure of comfort in knowing that after this