“I need to return this food to the kitchen,” she said, holding up the sack, not bothering to glance at either man.

She hadn’t thought that her husband would leave and not return to her, but listening to what he said to James gave her pause to think about it. If he could tell her he loved her and leave without a word, what would stop him from ever doing so? Would he wake one day, tell her he loved her, and be gone forever? What if she got with child and he left them both? Was she a fool for believing him more honorable than he actually was? Had she let love blind her to the truth?

After she was done in the kitchen, she went to the Great Hall to find her sister to let her know she wasn’t leaving and stopped when she saw Slatter talking to her. He caught her eye and she could tell he was there purposely waiting for her.

She stopped Eleanor who was about to rush past her to James. “Would you tell Snow that I’ll see her in the morning?” And before the young woman could respond, Willow hurried off.

Willow went to see how Sara was doing.

“Has she stirred, Carna?” Willow asked, after entering the room and going to rest a gentle hand on the old woman’s brow and glad to find no fever.

“She has and she drinks the brew each time. She does well, I think.”

“She does and you do well watching over her. I will look in on her in the morning.”

Willow made it seem that she was retiring for the night, but that wasn’t her intention. She wanted some time alone to think, something she feared she hadn’t done enough of lately. She had allowed her heart to rule and she didn’t know if that was a good thing. Being sensible had always served her well and she hadn’t been sensible since the day she was dropped in the hole with Slatter.

It was time to be practical about her circumstances before it was too late, before she foolishly fell into bed with him, sealed their vows forever, and possibly got with child. She had to come to terms with what she believed since she had met Slatter or she had to let him go.

She went to her mum’s solar where she’d always found peace. She added more logs to the low flames to chase the chill that had settled in the small room, slipped off her boots, and curled up in one of the chairs to think.

“How long did you intend to avoid me?”

Willow sighed, not glancing at the open door where her husband stood. “I was hopeful it would be a bit longer.”

“I’m not going away,” Slatter said.

Willow turned and looked at him. “But you were going away and without me and without telling me. It took my brother to make me realize that I could wake any day and find you gone, without even a good-bye.”