He pulled the calf to the area where he had dug a fire pit and began to slice the coat from the flesh. She watched his concentration as he worked methodically around the creature, not an ounce of meat going to waste. How clever to have such a skill, she thought. She was lucky to have been rescued by a man who was able to fend for them both, and a gentleman too.

When he finished, he rose. “I’m going to wash,” he said, and she saw that he was covered in the animal’s blood. “I hope you will forgive me if I wash my clothes. They should dry quickly in the sun and I will take care not to offend you with my nakedness.”

She laughed at that. “We are living outside society here and I think we must make our own rules based on pragmatism.”

He frowned, and she sensed he didn’t understand the word.

“We must live in a manner that is practical. I will not be remotely offended if I see you wandering around in your undergarments.” That was what she did when she washed her own clothes.

He strode off toward the spring, and a few minutes later she smiled as she heard the customary yell he gave when he splashed himself with the icy water.

When he returned an hour later, his hair was still wet and his clothes clearly damp. He shivered as he made the fire, whistling a tune under his breath.

“What is that song?” Maria asked, and he started.

“I hadn’t realized I was whistling out loud,” he said. “It’s a marching song from the war. I seem to remember it was called ‘Farewell to Slavianka.’ I don’t know the words but the tune is catchy.”

“You have a tuneful whistle.” She smiled and saw he was embarrassed.

“Me? No, you are surely wrong.”

He had brought a pile of sticks with him and used them to build two tripods on either side of the fire. He threaded a haunch of the elk calf onto a longer stick and suspended it on the tripods to roast above the heat. It dripped juices, making the flames crackle and spark.

Maria found herself watching the way Peter’s hands moved. She liked the contrast between his precision when performing a delicate task and his extraordinary strength. It had not occurred to her at the time, because she was stunned with shock, but somehow he had carried her through the forest for the best part of three days, barely stopping to rest. How had he managed that? His body was strong, with a thick neck and clearly defined muscles on his arms and legs. He was a man who had lived an active life.