He could control himself. He was not some addle-brained boy of fifteen who would take advantage of any girl who let him. And Avelina probably would not let him anyway.
He had to not think about how good she felt in his arms, how trusting she was, how beautiful, and especially how good she smelled.
“Am I hurting you?” she whispered.
“No. Go back to sleep.”
“I’m sorry I made that noise and nearly gave us away.”
“Were you having a bad dream?”
“I was dreaming that I was in the forest with one of Geitbart’s guards. He was coming after me, and then he turned into a wolf.” She pressed her face against his chest, and her breath caressed his neck with every word she spoke. “I know it was only a dream, but it was terrifying. The wolf bit my ankle. It felt just like when they attacked me in the forest.”
He resisted the urge to caress her shoulder . . . her hair . . . her back. He closed his eyes, concentrating on not moving, trying not to think.
She was quiet for a few minutes, then said, “How are your arm and shoulder? Are they healing?”
“Only scratches.”
“What is our plan, when we get out of here?”
“I will find Jorgen and together we will rally the men from Thornbeck and my guards and expel Geitbart from the castle.”
“And I shall help you.”
“You shall not. You will go to your bed and rest your ankle.”
“I will not argue with you, except to say that I will not be able to stay in my room. I will have to do what I can to help.”
She was right. It was no use to argue.
After a short pause, she said, “So why did you choose me?”
“What?” His heart lurched in his chest.
“Why did you choose me instead of Lady Magdalen?”
The last thing he needed to think about was all the things about her that had made him want to marry her.
“Magdalen is a wonderful girl, but she is very young.”
“Not much younger than I am.”
He grunted.
“Did you not think me very strange, that first day when you asked me those questions?”
“You were . . . not what I thought I wanted.” He should leave it at that. He should not say more. For a long time there was silence. Perhaps she would fall asleep again.
“You disagreed with what I said about love?”
He should stay silent . . . “You said people should marry for love, not out of duty, because if there is no love and if you have no romantic thoughts about each other, then you are much more likely to treat each other badly.”
“And you liked that?”
“My mother married my father out of duty. They despised each other. It was painful to see my mother and father treating each other with contempt.”
“That does sound painful.”
“You also said, ‘A woman wishes to be swept up by a man’s fervent feelings for her, by love and longing and depth of feeling. She does not wish to be married for her money or her noble birth or because she is a sensible choice. She wants to be wooed, even after she is married, to be cherished and loved for her very self.’ ”
“You remembered.” She sounded breathless. “It is true. It is what I want. To be cherished and loved.”
Being with her was what he wanted. But it was impossible.
“I wanted to talk to you. I wanted so much to . . . but I am not an earl’s daughter.”
It must be morning, as more light was finding its way in and he could see her a little better now. Her hair had fallen over her cheek and one eye. He succumbed to his desire and smoothed her hair off her face. As he did so, his fingers caressed her cheek. She made a tiny sound, like her breath catching in her throat. His heart crashed against his chest.
“You passed the tests, and you are the most worthy woman I’ve ever known.”
She sat so still. Would she let him kiss her? Dangerous, tempting thought. So tempting.
Shouts and the sound of footsteps broke through his consciousness. Someone was running down the corridor.
“Fire! Come and help!”
The two guards in the library scrambled to their feet and ran out.
Lord Thornbeck lifted Avelina by her waist, and they were both on their feet in two seconds. He pushed open the bookcase door and they hurried out and across the library and into the corridor.
They were free!
Avelina smelled smoke. Men ran toward the stairs and Lord Thornbeck went after them.
“You stay here,” he said over his shoulder at her.
She followed him anyway as he stopped in the first bedchamber he came to and yanked a curtain down off the bed. He rolled it in a ball and tucked it under his arm as he limped toward the stairs.