Page 29 of Dancing On Air

“I think we should go somewhere else to talk about this,” said Eleanor. “Tell your guard to go get something to eat. I’ll get my horse and we can take a ride to the orchard by ourselves.”

It wasn’t long before the three women were in the orchard just outside the abbey walls. Eleanor dismounted, tying the reins of the horse to a tree, and plucking an apple, giving it to the horse. Lark and Raven did the same for theirs.

“It’s such a beautiful, sunny day,” said Eleanor, finding a patch of grass that looked halfway clean and plopping down on the ground, lying back with her eyes closed and her face to the sun. “Have a seat,” she told the others.

“Go on, Lark,” said Raven. “I’ll stay standing and keep watch.”

“I dinna want to sit on the ground in my good gown,” protested Lark.

“Have it your way,” said Eleanor, soaking in the sun.

“Ye ken, we are nobles and shouldna be out in the sun at all,” Lark reminded her.

“By the rood, Lark, you’re from the Highlands and live in a hut in the mountains most of the time,” said Raven. “How did you get to be so finicky?”

“Sorry. I guess being at the castle has changed me.” Lark fluffed out her skirt and sat down on the ground next to Eleanor.

“As nobles, there are a lot of things we shouldn’t be doing, and I don’t really care,” Eleanor replied.

“Like meeting in private with executioners?” asked Raven.

Suddenly, the mood changed. Eleanor sat up and faced her cousins. “Is that why you two are here? To try to convince me to stay away from Connor?”

“We didna say that.” Lark looked the other way.

“It’s true, isn’t it?” Eleanor stood up and brushed off her gown.

“Cousin, my father heard you’ve seen the hangman, and he is concerned that you will somehow shame the family name,” admitted Raven. “He sent us here to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“Hah! Now, that is amusing,” said Eleanor. “Uncle Corbett is forgetting that my mother—his own sister—was once a pirate. That didn’t seem to worry him, so why would anything I could possibly do concern him?”

“He’s afraid ye’ll marry Connor, now that ye have been speakin’ with him again,” said Lark.

“Lark, you didn’t need to tell her that much,” said Raven from the side of her mouth.

“Connor has been through a lot in his life. Bad things happened to him that he didn’t deserve,” Eleanor told them. “I feel bad for him.”

“He’s an executioner now,” said Lark. “Ye need to stay away from him, Eleanor, Uncle Corbett is right. The hangman is dangerous.”

“Nay, that’s not true,” Eleanor told them. “It’s Connor’s father doing the executing. Connor hasn’t killed anyone.”

“Mayhap not yet,” said Raven. “However, it’s his fate to become an executioner and he has no choice. He will execute people sooner or later.”

“Connor was my best friend and I miss him dearly. Remember, we were once betrothed,” Eleanor reminded them.

“Yes, but things changed. That was a long time ago.” Raven put her hand on Eleanor’s shoulder. “Why don’t you come back to Blake Castle with us for a while? It’ll help you to forget about Connor, as is proper.”

“Nay!” Eleanor pushed Raven’s hand off her shoulder. “I don’t want to forget about him. Ever. Besides, I still have two orphans to look after at the abbey, so I can’t leave.”

“Ye can bring the orphans with ye. I’m sure Uncle Corbett willna mind,” suggested Lark.

“I don’t know,” said Eleanor with a shake of her head. “Connor’s family is struggling and going hungry. That is why I helped him by giving him meat scraps and a bushel of apples. But that won’t last long. They need more. He needs me.”

“There is a man comin’ towards us,” said Lark, jumping up and shading her eyes from the sun.

“Who is it?” Raven’s hand went to the hilt of her sword.

Eleanor turned to see the undeniable silhouette of Connor as he climbed the hill to the orchard. His head was covered by his cloak, but she had no doubt it was he.