Free Dangerous by Julia Hawthorne

said as she smoothed the bedcovers and sat beside him, “is why that man would attack you in the bailey that way. Do you know?”
    “After I left the funeral, I overheard some men in the forest plotting a way to attack Caileann Castle and returned to warn your father. I took a winding route, but one of them must have followed me here.”
    He debated whether to tell her Timothy had been at the cave but decided against it. The man was dead, after all, and knowing who he’d been would only bring her more worry.
    “This is the second time you’ve stepped between me and disaster,” she told him in a gentle tone. “I owe you more than I can ever repay.”
    In truth, her grateful smile was all the reward he needed.
    ***
    Never had Eric been so bored.
    He’d been abed for two days now, and the inactivity was beginning to wear on him. He’d counted the strands in the tapestry hanging on the wall above his head, amused himself guessing which games the children were playing in the courtyard below.
    Rest, Elisabeth had told him, brushing her lips over his forehead before leaving. He’d dozed fitfully, his leg protesting whenever he shifted position. So he lay flat on his back, following the swirling pattern of the canopy as he would a map. He’d just reversed his course to go in the other direction when the door swung open. Elisabeth entered, carrying a tray whose contents filled the room with aromas that made his stomach rumble insistently.
    “Hungry, are you?” She laughed, setting the food on the table beside the bed. “These should all settle well in your stomach, so you may have whatever pleases you.”
    Eric thanked her as he reached for a steaming bowl.
    “’Tis healing nicely,” Elisabeth announced as she assessed the dressing on his leg. “A few more days, and I’ll be satisfied.”
    A few more days? He’d be asylum fodder by then.
    He managed to stifle the ungrateful words, but his quiet sigh didn’t escape his sharp-eared nurse. She pulled back to look at him. “You’re bored.”
    “I’m not accustomed to lying about with nothing to do.”
    “I understand that well enough. Mother doesn’t require much help from me, so I often feel useless here. Were it not for you, I’d have very little to occupy me.”
    “I could have Christian hack up my other leg if you’d like.”
    “Certainly not!” The humor in his eyes made her laugh. “I’ll miss your company, but I’m pleased you’re mending so quickly.”
    “’Tis from your fine care. In time, I’ll barely notice the scar.”
    Elisabeth could see it in her mind, from the many times she’d cleaned and tended his wound. “It’s healing in the shape of a crescent moon. Much like—”
    When she paused, he regarded her with an expectant look. Foolishness, the flutter that passed through her. Brought on by fatigue, no doubt. “Much like mine.”
    “You have such a scar?”
    “Oh, no. I was born with mine.” She rested a hand at her right hip. “Here.”
    “A faery mark.” The eyes that met hers gleamed with fascination. “So you are one of them.”
    The very thought of it made her laugh. “No, just an ordinary person.”
    “Not so ordinary, milady.” Blazing with sincerity, his eyes held hers fast. “You possess a remarkable spirit and a caring heart. Very few can claim either one.”
    Her cheeks warmed in response to his praise, and she murmured her thanks.
    Looking to the bedside table, Eric nodded at the book lying open there. “What is it you’re reading?”
    “Stories about Odin, an ancient Norse god.”
    He gave her a curious look. “Not Christian tales?”
    “I have those as well.” She crossed the room to her tall bookshelves, grateful for an excuse to move away from the bed. At times, it was all she could do to keep herself from curling up beside him. “Would you care to hear some?”
    “Claire used to read stories to me when I was home. I miss it greatly.”
    “I hear so much admiration in your voice when you speak of