“You and Gabe need to rest,” Dominyk said firmly. “Now go.”
Before she could say another word, Gabe was untying the strings of her apron and pulling it off of her. He placed his hand on her back and guided her from the kitchen into the large main room at the front of the cottage. He led her to a chair and sat beside her.
They sat in silence. Then Gabe reached over and took her hand in his. She pulled it away. Why was he doing this to her? “What’s wrong, Sophie?”
She might have been imagining it, but she thought she heard pain in his voice.
“Nothing’s wrong.” She angled her body away from him so that he couldn’t see her face.
“Talk to me,” he pleaded.
Why did he have to make this so hard? She fidgeted, toying with the edge of the sash she had tied around her waist. Such ugly clothes. She was ashamed for Gabe to see her in this. How she wished she had something pretty to wear. But what did it matter? She shouldn’t be trying to look pretty for Gabe.
“I suppose your father will come to escort us back when Walther tells him where we are. Or perhaps Walther will stop here on his way to Hagenheim and I can go back with him.” She held her breath as she waited to see how he would respond.
Gabe was silent so long she took a peek at him. He looked a bit pale. “I didn’t even think of that.” He closed his eyes for a moment, and she wondered if his fever was coming back. “Of course Walther will tell Father about us being here. He could be here to fetch us in two weeks.”
He snatched her hands out of her lap, and this time he gripped them so tightly she didn’t bother trying to pull away. He stared hard into her eyes. Gabe’s throat bobbed as he swallowed. “Almost dying makes a man think about what’s important. My family is important to me. But Sophie —”
“I know, Gabe. Your family is important to me too. I’m glad you mentioned them, because I want you to know that I’m so happy you will be my brother after Valten and I are married.” She spoke quickly and didn’t look up at him, unable to meet his eye. “And if Walther comes back to the Cottage of the Seven on his way to Hagenheim, I will go with him. You can stay here with the Seven as long as you need to. You should be completely well before —”
“Sophie, wait.” She gazed up at him. He was looking at her intently, his brows drawn together in almost a pained expression. “That wasn’t what I wanted to … what I mean is …”
Heinric burst into the room from the kitchen. “Sophie, Sophie, Sophie.” Siggy and Vincz came in behind him, and Gabe let go of her hands, looking frustrated.
“Gabe,” Vincz said, “Dolf just saw a man lurking at the edge of the woods.”
“Do you know him?”
“Dolf had never seen him before,” Dominyk replied, having followed Vincz and the other men into the room. “No one else lives around here.”
“It could be someone the duchess has sent to ferret us out.”
“The rain has stopped,” Vincz said, grabbing a cloak and hood that hung from a peg on the wall. “Siggy and I will go search for him and force him to tell us what he’s doing here.”
Gabe stood. “I’ll go with you.”
Gabe glanced back at Sophie, his forehead creased in thought. He said softly, for her ears only, “We need to talk when I get back.”
Sophie was too numb to speak.
He turned back to Vincz and Siggy. “I’ll go get my crossbow.”
When Gabe started up the steps, Dominyk told Siggy and Vincz, “Don’t be gone long. He is still weak.”
Chapter 17
Soon they were gone and Sophie was left to wonder if the duchess had sent another man after them, someone who had tracked them to the Cottage of the Seven.
But mostly she wondered what Gabe had meant when he’d said, “Almost dying makes a man think about what’s important. My family is important to me.” What had he been about to say? That he couldn’t jeopardize his relationship with his brother? That he loved his family too much to fall in love with her? Then why had he grabbed hold of her hands? Why had he stayed in the kitchen and said kind words to her, held her in his arms, made her want him so much her heart felt as thought it were breaking in two? But she had done the right thing by saying what she did. She just wasn’t sure she could say it again and mean it.
Feeling very restless, she sat back down. She could still feel his hands, so warm and strong, holding hers, his rough callouses reminding her how he had held the horse’s reins the last three days, riding hard to save her.
He probably has no idea the effect he has on me.