Page 28 of Waking Roslyn

I shook my head. He wasn’t going to believe me when I told him the truth. “Neither.”

“Come on, mate. I don’t want to guess forever. Just tell me.”

We closed the shed door, and I secured the latch before turning to look down at him. “It’s Miss Rose.”

His smug curiosity morphed into stunned disbelief. I waited patiently for him to find his words again.

“You’re teaching Lady Rockwell’s very pretty cousin to fight?” He made it sound like I was stark raving mad, which…maybe I was.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because she asked.” We each gathered an armful of tools and headed back toward the manor house.

“But why did she ask?” he demanded, following after me.

“I assume it’s because she wants to learn.”

“But why—”

“Tyson,” I cut him off. “I have no idea. I’m just as baffled as you are.”

“But why did she ask you?”

I couldn’t very well explain about being shut up in the old wing with her. Even I didn’t understand how or why she’d asked me to stay there with her. “I was in the vicinity when she had the idea, I suppose. And she’d seen us training, so she knew I was skilled.”

“Caught her eye, did you?” he teased, nudging my ribs with his elbow.

“Don’t be daft.” I turned to face him, tapping his shoulder with the handle of a rake. “And don’t go starting any rumors. The last thing any of us needs is to be caught gossiping about Lady Rockwell’s relatives. I already feel like we’re walking on shaky ground with Lord Rockwell.”

Tyson shrugged. “What’s he going to do?”

I chuckled without humor. “Do you really want to find out?”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to be stupid.”

I barked a laugh and continued walking. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”

Roslyn

I took breakfast in my room, which was not unusual, so it would not be suspicious. Lisette stopped by after she’d eaten to check on me. She slipped in the door and came to sit right beside me, her face and posture anxious.

“Are you all right?”

I nodded. “Thus far, I have avoided him. Do you know how long he intends to stay?”

She gave a helpless shrug. “He has not said, and Edmund seems to enjoy the company, so…”

My shoulders fell a little, so she set a reassuring hand on my arm.

“Tonight over dinner, I’ll be certain to ask how long we might have the pleasure of his company.”

“That way I’ll know how long I have to hide?” The idea of hiding shouldn’t bother me. I was used to hiding.

“Where did you go last night anyway?”

A smile pulled on my lips. “I found a very good hiding spot. But I’m not going to tell you where.”