Cree returned to the Great Hall, grabbed his cloak and walked out of the keep. His mind was overrun with different possibilities. He had no doubt that Lucerne had directed Bree to plant the poison, but now he wondered if Lucerne had also arranged it so that Bree was placed in a situation where the servant could gather information for her. And was Bree more of a willing participant in the plan than she made it seem? And what of the poison? Would the amount have caused Dawn to take ill as it had done to him or would it have killed her? And if it was meant to kill, then could it in anyway be connected with the warriors sent to kill Dawn?
He had a strong feeling that it all had to do with Dawn’s true heritage and the sooner he could resolve that, the sooner he could resolve this whole dilemma.
His men were busy plowing a path, with the help of a couple of horses and two sizeable logs, through the village for when Gerwan and his troop arrived. He hurried along, a fierce look of determination on his face that had villagers scurrying out of his way and a few brave souls bidding him a good morning.
He had briefly considered stopping to see Dawn but he knew that would be a mistake. They had enjoyed each other last night and had fallen asleep exhausted, not just from their lovemaking but from the trying day. He had itched to have her again this morning but she had been deep in slumber and he hadn’t had the heart to wake her.
Now, however, she would be awake, her body warm and the scent of their lovemaking still on her. Damn, he was getting aroused just thinking about it. He pushed the thought away. It would wait until later when he was finished with all the things that needed his attention. Then there would be nothing to interfere with their time together. And he’d leave his scent on her again.
He turned past a large snow pile and stopped when he saw Sloan speaking with Bree. He was smiling at her like a love-struck fool and her cheeks were blushed pink as she smiled sweetly at him.
Damn, Sloan was going to be useless to him were this was concerned. Unless they learned that it was all a ruse, then Sloan would be livid. He hated deception in women, which was why he always made it clear that he was only interested in one thing from them… coupling.
He seemed to be different with Bree and Cree wondered yet again if love had struck his friend. He only hoped that Bree was who she appeared to be or God help her if Sloan found out differently.
He walked over to them and looked to Sloan. “Bring Bree to my solar.”
Sloan went to say something but the look Cree shot him warned him against it and so Sloan nodded his head and took Bree’s arm and started walking toward the keep.
“Have I done something wrong?” Cree heard Bree say nervously and that was exactly what he intended to find out.
~~~
Dawn was disappointed when she woke to find Cree gone this morning. If she were his wife she would be able to go and find him and no one would think anything of it. She warned herself against thinking such foolish thoughts, though she couldn’t help it. Life would be good with Cree as her husband, but then she would need a miracle for that to happen.
Deciding against feeling sorry for herself and her circumstances, new and old, she chose instead to keep herself busy and free of worry if only for a while. She donned her fur-lined cloak and scooped the black leather gloves off the table to slip on. She sniffed the leather before sliding them on and her senses prickled with images of Cree. He had insisted on leaving his gloves for her to use. He had made it clear that he could not abide having her hands wrapped with strips of cloth to keep them warm.
The gloves were soft and supple the complete opposite of Cree and she smiled hugging them to her chest. She opened the door and greeted Elwin with a smile.
He returned it in kind and asked, “Where to today?”
She gestured how she wanted to collect some pine branches so that she could place a few along the mantel and allow the pine scent to permeate her cottage.
Elwin nodded. “Dorrie did the same to mine. You know I’ve been meaning to thank you for rescuing Dorrie from the stockades that night. If you hadn’t I would have never been assigned to guard her, and we would have never gotten to know each other.” He laughed. “A pretty thing like her wouldn’t have looked twice at me. And I had to see for myself that Dorrie is a good soul; she was just misguided until you paid her that act of kindness. That changed everything for her.”