Chapter 32

"Daniel!"

"Beth."

The name almost caught in his throat. Did, actually, and he had to disguise it by clearing his throat. But there was no need. She didn't even notice as she threw herself at him, and naturally, easily, like he had done it forever, his arms came around to embrace her around the waist.

He had never held her like this before, not since the night in the gardens when she had collapsed from fever and exhaustion. She probably didn't even remember any of that night at all, but he did. She was so soft...so warm.

He shouldn't be doing this. He had an armful of a beautiful woman he knew he had been thinking of far too often at the wrong times, a beautiful woman who was his dead brother's wife. It hadn't even been but a few months since he and everyone else was massacred. He shouldn't be thinking like this -

She pulled away far too soon. "Did Andrew try anything?" she demanded as she pushed him toward the closest armchair in the sitting room where he had been waiting for her. "Yo