his arms around her, his breath stirring her hair. The burble of the creek and the chirp of night insects. The red glow of the dying fire.
“Well?” Tam whispered in her ear.
“That was . . .” She searched for a word to do it justice. “Phenomenal.”
Tam laughed. “Phenomenal? You use big words, Hazel Miller.”
I need big words to describe that.
“Better than Drewet, huh?”
Tam sounded so smug that Hazel was tempted to lie, to say Actually, no. I doubt any man could equal Drewet . “A hundred times better.”
“Only a hundred? We’ll have to practice some more. See if we can do better.”
“It can’t get any better than that.”
“It can, if we practice. And we’re going to practice a lot. Every day.”
“Twice a day.”
Tam nipped her earlobe. “Thrice a day.”
Hazel stroked the back of Tam’s hand, tracing the ridges of his knuckles, the lines of his tendons. I’d rather live in a one-roomed cottage with you than in a manor house with any other man.
Tam pressed a kiss into her hair. “I have to eat,” he said. “Or you’ll marry a corpse.”
----
THEY REKINDLED THE fire and finished their meal. Hazel hugged her blanket around her bare shoulders, hugged her happiness to herself. She hadn’t realized it was possible to be this happy. She was happy right down to the marrow of her bones.
She watched Tam eat, enjoying the play of firelight over his face. Such a wonderful face, strong and good-humored. The flickering shadows made his brow more prominent—
Suddenly, Hazel knew where she’d seen that forehead before, that high-bridged nose. The shock of recognition made her gasp.
Tam looked up. “What?”
Everything fell into place. The older brother named Hugh. Tam’s knowledge of Drewet’s near-expulsion from the vale.
For a moment, Hazel’s tongue refused to work, and then she blurted: “You’re the Lord Warder’s son. You’re Wistan Dappleward!”
CHAPTER TWELVE
TAM’S GRIN BECAME wary.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Shock was replaced by indignation, and a swift, stinging hurt.
“Hazel . . .”
“Why didn’t you tell me!”
Tam put down his bread. “I didn’t tell you because it gets in the way. People treat me differently when they know who I am.”
Hazel’s indignation grew. “You thought I’d throw myself at you?”
“No,” Tam said firmly. “I didn’t think that at all.”
Hazel narrowed her eyes, not sure whether she believed him or not. “Then why didn’t you tell me?”
Tam sighed. He pushed his hair back from his brow, looking suddenly weary. “I wanted to be Tam with you. Just Tam.”
“Why?”
“Because I thought I could fall in love with you.” Tam’s smile was wry.
Hazel snorted. “You introduced yourself two minutes after we met. You didn’t even know me!”
“Hazel, I could see very well who you were. You were brave and determined and strong-minded and not at all like most women I know.”
Hazel bit her lip. Oh .
“And then you told me about Drewet.” Tam grimaced. “Gods, I couldn’t believe it. Drewet, of all men!”
Hazel winced inwardly.
“I was determined to do anything I could to stop you marrying him. Anything! But it turned out I didn’t need to. Drewet did it all himself.
“By then, I knew I loved you. And I knew you were poor and you were proud, and I thought that if I told you my name, you’d be so determined to show me that you weren’t going to throw yourself at me that you’d do the exact opposite.”
“Oh.” Hazel looked down at her hands. Tam was probably right.
“I didn’t want you to keep your distance. It was as if the gods had given me a gift, meeting you like this. I wanted to see what would happen. Without my name getting in the way.”
She glanced up and met Tam’s eyes. The expression in them took her breath away.
“I love you, Hazel Miller,” Tam said softly. “I will always be true to you.”
I love you, too . But she couldn’t utter the words
“Well?” Tam whispered in her ear.
“That was . . .” She searched for a word to do it justice. “Phenomenal.”
Tam laughed. “Phenomenal? You use big words, Hazel Miller.”
I need big words to describe that.
“Better than Drewet, huh?”
Tam sounded so smug that Hazel was tempted to lie, to say Actually, no. I doubt any man could equal Drewet . “A hundred times better.”
“Only a hundred? We’ll have to practice some more. See if we can do better.”
“It can’t get any better than that.”
“It can, if we practice. And we’re going to practice a lot. Every day.”
“Twice a day.”
Tam nipped her earlobe. “Thrice a day.”
Hazel stroked the back of Tam’s hand, tracing the ridges of his knuckles, the lines of his tendons. I’d rather live in a one-roomed cottage with you than in a manor house with any other man.
Tam pressed a kiss into her hair. “I have to eat,” he said. “Or you’ll marry a corpse.”
----
THEY REKINDLED THE fire and finished their meal. Hazel hugged her blanket around her bare shoulders, hugged her happiness to herself. She hadn’t realized it was possible to be this happy. She was happy right down to the marrow of her bones.
She watched Tam eat, enjoying the play of firelight over his face. Such a wonderful face, strong and good-humored. The flickering shadows made his brow more prominent—
Suddenly, Hazel knew where she’d seen that forehead before, that high-bridged nose. The shock of recognition made her gasp.
Tam looked up. “What?”
Everything fell into place. The older brother named Hugh. Tam’s knowledge of Drewet’s near-expulsion from the vale.
For a moment, Hazel’s tongue refused to work, and then she blurted: “You’re the Lord Warder’s son. You’re Wistan Dappleward!”
CHAPTER TWELVE
TAM’S GRIN BECAME wary.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Shock was replaced by indignation, and a swift, stinging hurt.
“Hazel . . .”
“Why didn’t you tell me!”
Tam put down his bread. “I didn’t tell you because it gets in the way. People treat me differently when they know who I am.”
Hazel’s indignation grew. “You thought I’d throw myself at you?”
“No,” Tam said firmly. “I didn’t think that at all.”
Hazel narrowed her eyes, not sure whether she believed him or not. “Then why didn’t you tell me?”
Tam sighed. He pushed his hair back from his brow, looking suddenly weary. “I wanted to be Tam with you. Just Tam.”
“Why?”
“Because I thought I could fall in love with you.” Tam’s smile was wry.
Hazel snorted. “You introduced yourself two minutes after we met. You didn’t even know me!”
“Hazel, I could see very well who you were. You were brave and determined and strong-minded and not at all like most women I know.”
Hazel bit her lip. Oh .
“And then you told me about Drewet.” Tam grimaced. “Gods, I couldn’t believe it. Drewet, of all men!”
Hazel winced inwardly.
“I was determined to do anything I could to stop you marrying him. Anything! But it turned out I didn’t need to. Drewet did it all himself.
“By then, I knew I loved you. And I knew you were poor and you were proud, and I thought that if I told you my name, you’d be so determined to show me that you weren’t going to throw yourself at me that you’d do the exact opposite.”
“Oh.” Hazel looked down at her hands. Tam was probably right.
“I didn’t want you to keep your distance. It was as if the gods had given me a gift, meeting you like this. I wanted to see what would happen. Without my name getting in the way.”
She glanced up and met Tam’s eyes. The expression in them took her breath away.
“I love you, Hazel Miller,” Tam said softly. “I will always be true to you.”
I love you, too . But she couldn’t utter the words
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