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and behave amicably, she'd only made things worse. |
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"Had you met Will Shepherd before?" she managed to ask Thorn. |
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He shook his head curtly, causing a lock of burnished dark hair to fall across his broad forehead. "Not that I recall. And I most certainly have no wish to make his acquaintance now." |
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Eventually Will returned to the room and stayed to one side with some cohorts, far from where Thorn conversed with Ainsley. The summer evening turned into night, and Thorn, René, Holly and Mariah lit lamps about the room, bathing it in dim, flickering light. The lingering scent of supper receded into the smell of stale ale and liquor as the men toasted everything from the king to their horses. |
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The time until the soldiers retired dragged, but eventually Ainsley called out, "Men, we will rise early tomorrow. It is time we were abed." |
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They were well trained. The men drained their tankards with no grumbling and headed off to rest. |
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Soon, the common room was cleared. Not even Thorn remained, for he and René followed to make sure the men had everything they needed. |
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Mariah tried to go to her room, but Holly stopped her. Despite the soothing tone of her voice, her question was what Mariah had feared. "What did you wish to accomplish when you tried to get that young Shepherd to shake Thorn's hand?" |
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Mariah sighed, sinking onto one of the hard wooden chairs. "Was my intention that obvious?" |
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"Perhaps not to all, but I could see in your eyes your dismay when the young scoundrel failed to partake in that symbol of friendship." |
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Elbows on the table, Mariah buried her face in her rough hands. She ached to confide in someone, to unburden herself of the impossible secret she carried deep inside. Of the people she'd met here, she sensed Holly might be the most sympathetic. Feeling moisture fill her eyes, she said, "If I told you what's going on, you'd think me completely bonkers." |
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