“You’ll have to get in line,” Annika growled.
Gwennore smiled. Her circle of friends was growing. As she watched Margosha giving Olenka a hug and then Annika showing her how to salute, her heart squeezed.
She had wanted to leave in a week to keep from getting hurt. But it was already too late. It would hurt to leave her new friends behind.
And it would hurt like hell to leave Silas.
* * *
The next morning, Gwennore woke to find the sun was already up. She’d overslept, even though she’d gone to bed early. But yesterday had been far too exhausting. She closed her eyes, remembering the troll attack, her near plummet over the waterfall, Puff’s dramatic rescue, and then Silas’s kiss.
Were they the same? Was Silas actually a dragon?
She rolled onto her side and rested her hand on the pillow where he had slept. Why don’t you just ask him?
No. She sat up. She’d asked him before to be honest with her. If he couldn’t do it, then there was no point in seeing him.
But it was so tiresome having to avoid him. She’d eaten dinner in the workroom last night with her friends. And today she’d probably have all of her meals there.
She climbed out of bed and rang the bell for Nissa. Then she relieved herself in the privy next to the dressing room. As she filled the tub with water, she heard similar noises from the dressing room next door.
Silas was there. Had he overslept, too? Was he missing her? She tiptoed over to the door to listen. Yes, he had to be bathing. Or shaving, perhaps.
“My lady?” Nissa rushed into the dressing room.
Gwennore jumped back from the door. “Oh, good morning. I—I’ve started the bath.”
“I’ll heat some water for you.” Nissa held the kettle under the spout of running water and gave Gwennore a curious look. “Are you considering taking him back, my lady?”
“No, of course not.” Gwennore glanced at the door once again as she stepped away.
Nissa set the kettle on the stove, then added some wood to the fire. “It must be hard to turn down a man like the general.”
Gwennore sighed. Definitely hard.
* * *
She must be bathing, Silas thought, as he pressed his ear against the door. How many times had he stopped himself from knocking on her door last night? He’d been up half the night, fighting temptation.
With a sigh, he stepped back. He wanted to respect her wishes, but weren’t they supposed to be working together? Didn’t that give him a legitimate reason to talk to her? He’d heard about her new workroom in the western wing. Maybe this afternoon, he could drop by for an official report.
He clenched his fists. How could he wait till this afternoon? Maybe, if he timed it right, he could run into her in the hallway?
What a lovesick fool he was. He quickly washed, shaved, and threw on his clothes, all the while listening to the noises next door. When the noises stopped, he rushed to his bedchamber door and peeked out.
When she stepped into the hallway, he quickly exited, then stopped as if surprised to see her.
Damn. He was surprised. She was wearing breeches!
“What?” He strode toward her. “What are you doing?”
Her cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink, but she avoided looking at him. “Good morning.”
“You’re wearing breeches.”
“I am aware of that.” Her pretty ears turned pink. “Annika loaned me a pair. We’re going to collect wild herbs and such from the forest today, so I thought—”
“You’re going into the forest?” Silas scowled at her. “You should take an armed soldier with you—”
“I am.” Gwen gave him a wry look. “Annika.”
His mouth twitched. No one could set him straight as well as Gwen. Even so, he would ask Karlan to send some guards to make sure the ladies were safe. No matter how capable Annika was, she’d have trouble fighting off a bear all by herself.
He crossed his arms over his chest as he studied Gwen. “So did you want to join the army?” He leaned close. “I have a really nice tent you could share with me.”
She snorted. “If you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.” She walked past him, and as he turned to follow her progress, his gaze dropped to the lovely sway of her hips, so well defined in those tight breeches.
Damn. He stalked after her. “It’s against regulation not to wear the complete uniform. You’re missing the breastplate.”
Gwen stopped. “Annika had only one of those.”
The breastplate was long enough to cover most of a woman’s hips. Didn’t Gwen realize how much of her sweetly rounded rump was on display? He grabbed her shirt and started pulling it from the waistline of her breeches.
Gwennore stiffened. “What are you doing?”
“Hiding your sweet ass,” he grumbled as he let the shirt fall around her hips.
She huffed. “I’m hiding enough, already. I’ll be in the workroom most of the day.”
“Hiding from me?”
She pushed his arms away. “Avoiding you.”
“I miss you.”
A pained look crossed her face before she affected a bland expression. “It hasn’t been that long. You saw me yesterday.”
“I kissed you yesterday.” He reached for her, but she stepped back.
“I told you, the make-believe affair is over. I have no intention of copula—”
“It wouldn’t be copulating, dammit! It would be making love!” He froze, stunned by the words that had come out of his mouth. Damn, had he just confessed?
Her eyes widened with shock.
“Gwen.” There was no point in denying it now. “It’s true. I have fallen for—”
“I have to get to work!” She darted down the hallway.
Crap! He slammed a fist against the wall. She was running away again.
How could he convince her to stay? What could he do to impress her?
The truth about her parents. Gwen was a person who appreciated the truth. And he could do that for her.
He dashed down the stairs and strode across the courtyard. Hopefully, after missing dinner and breakfast, Romak would be hungry enough to spill a few secrets.
As Silas neared the
