He held the garment further out, but her hands remained in her lap. “I’m not going to wear it.”
That made his smile slip. “You said it yourself. It’s the best way to hide your identity.”
“I’ve decided I don’t care about hiding my identity.”
He dropped his hand and his features hardened, the smile disappearing as his mouth dropped back into a frown. She cocked her head, trying to decide which look suited him more. Something about the sternness accentuated his masculine features, not that he looked frightening. Whatever else she might say about him, he didn’t scare her. Strange considering what a bully her father had been. Whenever he frowned, his wife and his daughter had understood that something terrible was coming their way.
It might have been a smack or a lengthy lecture about how absolutely useless they both were or how he deserved so much better in life. She’d always found that particular discussion odd. Her father had joined a ring of criminals when he’d run through her mother’s inheritance. Then he’d stolen from the family business, nearly bankrupting her cousins. Finally, he’d managed to get himself killed.
“Not protect your identity? Why is that?”
She crossed her arms over her chest. He’d not answered a single one of her questions. She was not about to answer his. “Where are we going? Why did Bash agree to this plan? Were those men from last night the same that killed my uncle and father?”
He paused then letting out a long breath. “Fair enough.”
Her chin notched a bit higher, but she had to be honest she appreciated that he had not grown angry in the face of her defiance. Her father would have lost his senses if she’d spoken to him that way. “I’ll start answering your questions when you answer mine.”
He ran his hand through his hair and then scrubbed his neck. “I can answer a great deal of them on the next leg of our journey but not here while we’re surrounded by people.” Then he held up the veil again. “Though unlikely, we might have been followed. The veil helps to keep you safe. So, if you would please wear it, I’ll be most appreciative. It makes the job of keeping you safe easier.”
Well, that was a solid point. “I concede,” she said reaching for the veil. “But this afternoon, you are answering some of my questions that you previously ignored.”
“Understood,” he answered and handed her the black strip of lace fabric. Then he peeked out the window. “Mr. Underwood?”
“Yes, my lord,” a man said. Avery recognized his voice as the driver from the night before.
“Is it safe for us to come out?” Noah asked as she adjusted the veil over her head, casting the world into a hazy grey.
“It is. I’ve pulled behind the stables.”
“Very good,” he answered and then reached over and snapped open the door. “I’ll be sure to get us a private dining room so that you may push back the veil to eat.”
Was that why he thought she’d objected to the veil? “I’m sure I’ll manage.”
He stepped out and then offered his arm. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to introduce you as my widowed sister.”
She nodded. It was as good a ruse as any. “All right. And what will my name be?”
He cleared his throat. “My family name is Everly. Why don’t we use that?”
Mrs. Everly? The name made her pulse jump. She didn’t wish to marry. Why should a name like that please her? Was it because it was attached to him or was she softening toward the idea of marriage? “Thank you for your efforts,” she said. “I appreciate the lengths you’ve gone to keep me safe.”
He gave a stiff nod, but his mouth remained in a frown. His shoulders had grown rigid… “You’re welcome.”
She looked at him and attempted to discern his mood. She was wearing the veil as he’d requested, and she’d acknowledged his help by thanking him. What had happened to the relaxed, smiling man who’d just been in the carriage with her?
Avery gave him a sidelong glance. His mood had changed when they’d discussed his family name.
“When we arrive wherever we’re going, will I meet your family?”
He stopped at the edge of the barn, looking about the street before he stepped out and led her to the tavern that was only a few buildings away. His arm grew so tense under her hand, she thought it might break. “I don’t have any family. Not anymore.”
Her heart turned over in her chest. That was a pain she knew well. “I understand. I’ve lost my family too.”
He gave a nod. “Let’s not discuss it now, Mrs. Everly. We’re both famished, I’m sure.”
She held in a sigh. Yet another topic they weren’t discussing. But her curiosity had been piqued. What had happened in his past to make him so tense?
Avery had gone quiet under the veil. He’d secured a table, ordered food, and now they sat in a room alone, the silence expanding uncomfortably around them.
“Did you get any sleep?” he asked, hating the veil that masked her expression.
“You already asked me that. Remember?” She folded her hands in front of her on the table. “I did fine, considering.”
“Considering?” he asked, grasping at anything.
She paused for a moment. “I’d rather not discuss it now.”
His brows drew together. What did that mean? “All right.”
But then the silence returned. She sat straight in her chair and if he wasn’t mistaken, she stared at him through the fabric, but spoke not a word. The innkeeper had come and gone and now only the distant sound of the common room filtered into the quiet.
“We must have met before. Were you at Isabella’s wedding?”
Again, she stared at him. “I don’t think we should talk about that.”
“The weather? The spring is warming nicely.” His mouth pressed into a thin line. Because he knew what was happening.
“Best not to speak on that topic.”
“Is that how you’re going to be?” He shook
