Page 27 of The Wise Daughter

When they came to the river, the memory of the men’s fists pounding into him surprised Aaron with a roiling in his stomach that threatened to send him falling off his horse, but he held on.

The scene looked too peaceful for something like that to have happened there.

The only thought that eased his discomfort was the reminder that this was also where he had met Nora.

“Do you see those trees in the distance?” He pointed.

“That is where I confronted the man I had been following. Three other men came out of the woods and came at me at once. After their attack, one of the men hit me so hard, I fell unconscious. Whether I fell in the river or they threw me, I don’t know, but the cold water woke me with a jolt.

I was already being carried by the current when I hit my head on a rock or log.

I fought to pull myself to the bank, but I was struggling to stay awake.

The next thing I remembered was a pair of slender arms wrapping around me and a lovely voice suggesting I weighed as much as a horse. ”

“I stand by what I said.” She smiled, then glanced at the bridge. “I was standing in the center of that bridge when I saw you.”

He noticed her eyes lingering on that spot on the bridge and returning to it even when he had pointed elsewhere. It might have been his imagination, but he was certain there was something more she was not saying.

“What is it, Nora?”

“I was just thinking about,” she hesitated, “a wish I made there.”

“A wish?”

“I know it sounds silly. It’s something my mother and I always did when I was little. It’s nothing really. When you stand on a bridge, you stand between two worlds, the place you’ve been and the place you’re going. So it’s the perfect place to make a wish.”

Her cheeks were growing a becoming shade of pink.

“What a charming idea. What did you wish for?”

“Oh, no. A wish is entirely private.”

“Please?”

“We had better ride to those trees where the men attacked.”

She spurred Locket into a trot, leaving him to follow, then stopped right outside the woods where the trees thickened.

“Nora, did you make the wish before or after you found me?”

“What lies beyond these trees?” she asked, ignoring his question and peering through as if she might discover something within.

“More trees. Did your wish have anything to do with me?”

She glared at him, then slowly led Locket into the trees.

“You don’t want to tell me.” Aaron led his horse in after her.

“Yes, I thought we had established that.”

He probably should have left her alone, but the opportunity to tease her was too great, especially since he suspected what her wish was. “Perhaps I shall return and make a wish of my own, and I won’t tell you mine unless you tell me yours.”

She shook her head. “It doesn’t work like that. It must be your first time crossing the bridge. You, I’m afraid, have crossed that bridge before.”

“But I could cross it with you. That would be new.”

“Aaron, stop teasing. Let’s take a look in these woods.”

Shadows grew deeper the further in they went. With each movement of branch or bush, he imagined one of the men emerging as they had when they attacked him. It was a mistake to bring Nora here.

“We should turn around, Nora. I can’t let you march into danger, especially if you might have seen one of our thieves only an hour ago.”

She didn’t seem to care. Fallen leaves and pine needles hushed all sounds.

Nora halted Locket and gazed through the trees. “Aaron, how far do these trees go?”

“They’re quite extensive, but if you keep heading south, you will eventually come to one of the more well-traveled roads.”

“A convenient way to leave Ravenglass if they wanted to sell their stolen wares. What is down that way?” She pointed in another direction where the trees were more sparse and a thin trail broke up the brush.

“If you head that way and cross the river again, you eventually come to Raven Manor.”

“The house you are repairing for my father?”

“The very same.” Aaron suddenly worried he had made a mistake by choosing Raven Manor for her father. Was it possible the house had also been touched by thieves? He didn’t think it would be tempting enough, but it was possible.

“May I see it?”

“Raven Manor? Now?”

“I see no reason to delay.”

This was another quality he liked about Nora. While he had spent weeks thinking about his situation, wondering what to do to break out of broken routines, she didn’t hesitate to charge forward. “Neither do I. Let’s go. It isn’t terribly far.”

Aaron took the lead, guiding the horses through thinner portions of trees when the trail disappeared, then easing them down the side of a hill where the narrow path became visible again.

When the house came into view, he stopped them on the hill where their height gave them greater advantage for surveying the land.

The three-story brick house stood in the center of trees and overgrown gardens that could quickly be restored to a respectable state with a fair bit of pruning and care. Aaron hadn’t been inside for years, but according to the ledgers, the previous tenant had left for London over five years ago.

“Welcome to Raven Manor.” Aaron spread his arm wide, then pointed. “Do you see that pond off in the distance? There is room beyond there to build a few small homes for tenants or to grow crops. Your father might be able to regain some stability with the income such endeavors could provide.”

“Aaron, this is lovely.” Her admiration made him realize how much he wanted her approval. “This is so much more than I could have expected. I hope my father will appreciate the opportunities you are giving him and rise to the occasion.”

Her words were hopeful, but there was a sadness that wilted them.

“Is something wrong, Nora?”

She shook her head and stared at the reins in her hands. “Nothing. This is perfect. Only, I can tell there is something my father isn’t telling me.”

Aaron did not know Mr. Lacy well, but his reclusive behavior might have been more telling than Aaron had realized. Nora was probably right. “Perhaps you should talk with him.”

She shrugged as she gazed wistfully over the landscape.

“Whenever I press him, he retreats further away.” Was she seeing Raven Manor, or was she imagining her previous, far-off home that her father had lost?

“There is still so much that makes no sense to me. Why did he bring us here? I’m grateful for all you’ve done for us, marriage or no, but I still feel there is something I am missing in this whole arrangement. ”

She had used the word arrangement again rather than engagement and referred to the possibility that they might not marry, just when he thought he was making progress. It hurt every time.

He wanted to say that it didn’t matter why her father had brought them here.

Aaron might not be alive if she hadn’t seen him by the riverbank.

He owed her more than she realized. But the words were not coming.

He looked at those slender, gloved hands clutching the reins.

What he really wanted was to reach out and close the space between them, but sitting atop their horses, the distance was too great.

“Nora, I…”

“Who is that?” she asked, pointing.

Two men exited Raven Manor.

“Ah. It’s Carver. I assume he is seeing to the repairs we discussed.” It was a comfort knowing he could always rely on his steward to manage the affairs of his estate.

“Yes, but who is the other man with him, the one with the blue scarf?”

“I believe that is Vander, one of the servants. Why?”

Her brows scrunched together. “Because that is the man I saw fleeing the castle today.”