Chapter Nine

An Interlude in Simnel

When I woke, I found myself alone.

I suffered a moment of panic when I thought Nicolo had abandoned me in the night, but on reflection that seemed unlikely, and looking across the room, I saw that his sword was still leaning in the corner where he'd placed it.

As I was deciding if I wanted to leave the warmth of the bed, the door opened softly and Nicolo poked his head in.

"Ah, you're awake," he said with a big grin that was so unlike him, it took me a moment to remember how much he'd changed since arriving in Simnel. "Will you come down to break your fast or shall I bring something up to you?"

Much though I was first, shocked by his offer, and then secondly pleased by the idea of Nicolo bringing me breakfast in bed, I thought it polite to our hosts to put in an appearance.

"Just let me get dressed."

Nicolo gave me a wicked grin. "If you insist."

His flirting felt all the more wonderful for the knowledge that he meant it. Part of me (most of me, in fact) wanted to drag him back into bed and spend the morning in frenzied lovemaking, but I had to admit that might seem improper with his mother in the house (the previous evening we had just held one another all night which was equally wonderful, though in a different manner).

Downstairs, the family was installed around the rough, farmhouse table while Maria doled out oatcakes, fresh from the fire, that filled the kitchen with a warm, sweet aroma.

"Good morning, Charlotte. Breakfast?"

"Morning. Morning," I greeted the rest of the family and received another shy smile from Cady. "Yes. Thank you. It all smells lovely."

"Nothing like warm oatcakes in the morning," agreed Ranolf.

"Cady made yours herself," smiled Maria. "She insisted."

"Mother," Cady hissed in embarrassment.

"Thank you, Cady," I said. "I'm sure they will be wonderful." I wasn't exactly sure what to say, but that seemed to do the trick and won me another smile from behind the curtain of dark hair that Cady used as a shield.

Peri meanwhile retained his fixation on Nicolo, barraging him with so many questions that Maria eventually suggested that he ‘ Give poor Nicolo, a chance to eat '. But the defining question came from Cady.

"Are you our brother?"

The adults about the table were brought up short in a sharp rattle of cutlery. My eyes darted from Nicolo to Maria to Ranolf and back again, and I was quietly grateful it wasn't my place to answer.

"Cady," said her mother sharply, "have you been eavesdropping again?"

I looked guilty, but Cady just looked defiant.

"We've got a right to know." She included her younger brother in her gaze, no doubt in the hope that doing so would deflect some of the blame.

"It's rude to listen in on people, Cady," said Ranolf, backing up his wife in her attempt to avoid the question.

"I wasn't! I didn't!"

"We didn't bring you up to lie either."

"I'm not!"

"Then how did you hear…" Ranolf petered out as he realized he'd inadvertently answered her question.

It was hard to judge Cady's reaction—she was proud of herself for tricking her father, but she'd also revealed something very real, very unavoidable, something she couldn't now unknow.

"Half-brother," said Nicolo with a big grin that seemed to immediately put his sister to ease. "But it's a secret. Can I trust you to keep that secret, Cady?"

I would never have assumed Nicolo to be any good with children, but he played his reaction just right. This time Cady's shy smile was for him alone; she'd been taken into an adult's confidence and she must have felt like a grown-up. I could see as much in her eyes. Peri, meanwhile, was delighted, beaming as if his private wish had been granted.

"You're my brother?!"

"Yes," nodded Nicolo.

"Are you older than Tariq? You're bigger than Tariq."

"Tariq's my older boy," explained Maria. "He's off with the herders this month."

"I am older than Tariq, yes," confirmed Nicolo. "And if you say I'm bigger than him, then I can only take your word for it."

"Wow."

"Peri, you aren't to tell anyone he's our brother." Cady put a finger to her lips and Peri hastily did the same. Still beaming.

"Well," Ranolf returned to his breakfast, "that could have gone worse."

Like last night, the breakfast was convivial and familial, warm and friendly, and a whole bunch of other words that I'd had very little opportunity to use in the course of my life. That said, and while I did enjoy it, I also found my mind wandering in other directions.

Two nights ago, Nicolo and I had made love for the first time—my first time ever. Momentous events had occurred in his life since then and I was happy for him but… well, to put it bluntly, I was feeling a little frisky. Having just been introduced to this amazing new… hobby? Pastime? Call it what you liked—having been introduced to the act of coitus, I'd been quite looking forward to having more of it and the wholesome family atmosphere was not exactly conducive to such exploits. I liked Nicolo's new family very much, but if they could just pop out for long enough for Nicolo to hurl me to the bed and make the world explode (a few hours would be enough) then I would have been quite appreciative.

"You're welcome to stay here for as long as you like," said Maria.

Humph. I was never going to have my corn ground again.

"Stay forever!" Peri shouted.

Nicolo smiled "I have to go back to the castle eventually, Peri. But I should like to stay here for as long as I can and… get to know you all?"

"And will you come back to see us every now and then?" Cady asked.

"Of course—I shall come back as often as I can," Nicolo answered and Peri looked from his mother to his father with the largest of beaming grins.

It took an effort for Maria to hold back the tears of joy that welled up in her eyes.

***

After breakfast, as the family busied themselves with the chores that hadn't gone away just because we'd showed up, Nicolo and I took a turn around the village and its environs. I'd already had a look around, but doing it again with Nicolo made it special.

"There's something I'd like to show you."

He followed me as I led him out of the village and into the quiet forest, through the trees to the lake and the waterfall.

"What do you think?" I asked once we were ensconced in the very magical forest. At least, it felt magical to me.

Nicolo shook his head. "I suppose I must have known that such places existed. I've seen paintings. But actually seeing this now in front of me… the unspoiled wilderness and the happiness of nature… well, it's like a dream." His hand closed on mine and squeezed it. "Like the best dream I ever had."

If it were a dream, then I was happy enough to sleep forever.

I moved towards Nicolo and we kissed as he put his arms around me, pulling me in even closer. Slowly we descended to the grass, shedding clothes as we went.

***

Afterwards, we lay out in the open, quite naked, our sweat-sheened bodies dappled by the sunlight that pierced the branches of the trees fringing the lake.

"I wonder if the villagers come here much," mused Nicolo. "They probably take it for granted, living so nearby."

My eyes went wide as I thought about it. "I don't think I could ever take it for granted. Not even if I lived the rest of my life here."

It was hard to be here and not think about what it might be like to stay. Perhaps I ought to have felt embarrassed or exposed, lying naked as we were, but I felt none of those things. The Guild had encouraged body confidence—it didn't do for an assassin to have any inhibitions; sometimes you had to kill people while naked and you couldn't be worried about how you looked while doing it—but even so, out here amongst nature, it felt quite normal to be like this. Especially together. I pressed myself tight against Nicolo's side, adoring our closeness and sliding my hand across the hard, cut landscape of his chest—I loved touching him, as if I could still scarcely believe I was allowed to.

Nicolo sighed as my hand went lower and then he twisted his head to kiss me.

"The sun is high. We shall have to go back for lunch some time," he said on a laugh, clearly reading my thoughts.

"Not for a little while yet."

"No."

"Well, then… perhaps we should play a little game?"

"A little game, Charlotte?"

I nodded and then on a sudden impulse, I sprang up from where we'd been lying on the grass, and ran to the edge of the lake. I turned back to face him, only to find him standing there, staring at me with a frown.

"Catch me if you can!" I called out and with what I hoped was a graceful jump, I dove in, feeling the cooling waters of the lake all over me. Without looking back, I struck out for the waterfall, and was pleased to hear the splash from behind that told me Nicolo had decided to join me. With powerful strokes of his strong arms, he soon caught up to me—not that I'd tried very hard to get away. I giggled as he encircled me with his arms and our naked bodies twined together in the water.

"What do you suppose is behind the waterfall?" I asked.

"A rock wall," replied Nicolo, lifting me so he could kiss the wet skin of my breasts.

"Aren't you interested in finding out if there's anything more?"

"I guarantee there is nothing more interesting than what I have in my arms right now."

Despite the cold water, his ardor was growing again in a very noticeable way.

"Come on." I twisted free and swam towards the falls, Nicolo falling beside me. As we got closer, the lake became shallower, so we could stand up under the stream of water, pattering down around us and over us.

"See; nothing," said Nicolo, his hands seeking out my body, stroking and teasing, as if he were as infatuated with touching me as I was with touching him.

"Now we know that," I admitted, my hands reaching back for him of their own accord. "But we had to look to find out. You never know what's out there if you don't play the part of explorer."

"That is very true," murmured Nicolo. "And right now, I'm very eager to play the part of explorer."

He was now firmly erect in my caressing hands, and there was no mistaking what was going to happen next.

"One of these days we must try this in a bed," I whispered between kisses.

"Anywhere you want, any time you want, as often as you want."

Nicolo's hands cupped my ass, and he lifted me easily. I wrapped my arms around his neck, gasping first in anticipation, then in satisfaction as he lowered me onto the strength of his rigid weapon.

The water cascaded about us as we made love. I locked my legs around Nicolo's thrusting hips, running my hands all over him, enjoying the sensation of his muscles moving against me, as they worked hard to keep me up, bearing all of my weight, lifting me up and down; endless, relentless, inexhaustible. My own muscles seemed to tire, drained by the pleasure that rippled along them, but Nicolo just kept going, as strong as a bull, as hard as diamond.

Amidst the roar of the waterfall, my cries of ecstasy were swallowed up.

***

Back at Maria and Ranolf's house, lunch was laid out, awaiting our return.

"Ah," Maria beamed as we entered. "Perfect timing. Sit down. Eat."

We all packed around the table once more.

"Your hair is wet," Peri pointed at my head.

"We went for a swim in the lake," I responded, trying to look innocent.

"It's lovely at this time of year," nodded Ranolf. "Tia, our local teacher, often takes groups of the kids there."

"Really?" I tried to hide my reaction. "That is… That is good to know."

"Certainly, something to bear in mind," agreed Nicolo.

From the look on Ranolf's face, he knew exactly what had been going on at the lake and a second later, he couldn't control himself and broke into a laugh so deep, it echoed in his belly. Nicolo and I couldn't help but join in.

Maria, meanwhile, had once again pushed the boat out for food.

"Do you always eat like this?" I asked.

"There's always work to do," Ranolf explained, helping himself to a thick slice of bread and butter. "A man works up an appetite."

"A woman does, as well," Maria, reminded him.

"No one works harder than Maria," Ranolf added.

"Can we help?" asked Nicolo.

Honestly, I'd rather been enjoying being the pampered guest; eating, sleeping and making love in the lake. But Nicolo had a point; here we were imposing on his family's hospitality and offering nothing in return. They wouldn't take our money (Nicolo could probably have bought the whole village, but they didn't really use money, Simnel was self-sufficient and traded mostly through bartering), thus it was right that we did something.

"You don't have to do that," Maria insisted.

"We'd like to," Nicolo pressed. "Or at least… I would. Charlotte…"

"I'd like to help too."

"And it would be a good way to get to know each other better," Nicolo went on. At first, I thought he meant he and I, but of course he meant he and his mother. I saw Maria's face soften as he made the offer.

"Well, in that case."

Ranolf nodded. "Get ready for a hard afternoon."

***

My squire's costume was deemed too nice to ruin, but some old clothes belonging to Maria and Ranolf's eldest daughter, Petra, were brought out. Petra must have been a taller and fuller figured woman than I was, but a belt at the waist made the rough, working dress fit well enough.

"It suits you," smiled Nicolo with a little chuckle. "From my squire to my country girl."

" Your country girl?" I asked as I smiled up at him.

"You'd better be mine," he answered while pulling me into his arms and planting a kiss on my mouth.

"It's a while since you watched me try on clothes," I grinned.

"Hasn't been that long."

No, it actually hadn't because I'd only know him for two months and change. "Feels like a very long time strangely."

So much had happened since then, so much had changed; our lives in the Great Castle seemed as if they belonged to a different epoch. Back then, Nicolo had certainly appreciated watching me trying on clothes that he'd chosen for me; revealing clothing that flaunted my body. But, strangely, he seemed to enjoy it more now. Our relationship had changed in more ways than one; it had become sexual, yes, but it now being sexual had somehow allowed it to become less reliant on sex, for as bizarre as that sounded. It now felt, to me at least, that lovemaking was only one part of what we had together, whereas, when we hadn't been making love, that was all our relationship was about.

Nicolo went off with his mother to learn how to milk goats (which was a strange image in and of itself and took a minute for me to adjust to—‘The Unbreakable' milking goats?), while I was hastily apprenticed to Ranolf.

"Yussi's roof needs fixing. I've cut the wood so we just need to fix it on. Yussi's knocking on in years now and she feels the cold even at this time of year, so it's important we make a good job of it. A draught at her time of life is a serious thing."

Yussi's house was a pretty little cottage in the center of the town.

"Reckon you can climb up to the roof?" asked Ranolf.

Could I climb up to the roof? He turned around to pick up his tools and by the time he turned back, I was sitting on top of the cottage, waiting for him.

"Oh." Ranolf smiled in bemusement. "I meant using a ladder, but you seem to be a natural. Let's see how you manage with a hammer."

Home repair was a rare skill not taught to young assassins on the assumption that we would always have people to do that sort of thing for us. People like Ranolf. But I was a quick learner.

It was a long afternoon, but an unexpectedly pleasant one. I would have happily said that learning how to fix a roof was the highlight of my day except that I'd had a really good morning. All the same, assassins didn't go in for manual labor and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it, and by the sense of satisfaction I got out of it.

"There you go," nodded Ranolf, as we stood back to admire our handiwork. "Job well done."

I hadn't really thought about it before, but being an assassin left you with less than you had before. Yes, you had money, but you had to remove something from the world which had previously been an active part of it. It wasn't something I'd considered until I was here doing a job that had a ‘legacy'. We'd completed the job and Mistress Yussi had paid for it with a pair of hand-woven blankets for the children, but beyond that, there was the roof itself. It was there, it was real, it was something you could look at and be proud of, something that hadn't existed before you came along. The exact opposite of being an assassin. I found that I liked being able to leave proof of my existence far more than I enjoyed removing proof of someone else's existence.

"Where'd you learn to climb like that?" asked Ranolf, as we strolled back through Simnel, Ranolf nodding ‘hellos' to everyone we passed.

"I had three older brothers," I lied, quickly and easily. "Had to keep up. I think Father had gotten the hang of raising boys and when a girl came along, he was too much into his stride to change his parenting style."

"We all just do the best jobs we can," smiled Ranolf. "Keep a roof over the heads and food on the table and take everything else as it comes." He patted his belly. "I'm ready for dinner."

"It seems like life here is all work and big meals," I laughed.

Ranolf laughed too. "We do other things. But work and big meals give the day a bit of shape."

"Does it ever get dull? Doing the same thing, day after day?" I was genuinely curious.

Ranolf grinned. "Depends who you're doing it with… but no, I love my life. Wouldn't change a thing."

At that moment, I thought his life sounded pretty great and I imagined were Nicolo and I to remain in Simnel, our lives would sound pretty great as well.

The evening preceded much like the previous one, with slightly less emotional upheaval and slightly more playing with the children. Nicolo and I took Peri and Cady off their parents' hands for an hour and the two children managed to exhaust both of us before their bedtime. I allowed myself a moment's imagining that they were our children which was a very strange thought, most certainly. And one I'd never dared to think about before. If Nicolo had certainly changed over the course of this trip, then I had too.

The more I pondered such changes, the more I wondered: what might this sort of life be like? Inevitably, my thoughts would lead to thoughts about the many obstacles that stood in the way, things I didn't wish to think about.

***

That night, Nicolo and I climbed the narrow stairs to the attic together and went into our little room, and I felt more than ever as if we were in another world, one wholly separate from, and incomparably better than that which we'd left in Woodfall Gath. Not only that, but I was firmly resolved to believe that the Nicolo who stood gazing at me now, was the real Nicolo and not the person he pretended to be at the Gath. That man, The Unbreakable, had nothing in common with this man now. And though I'd come to like that man, in my own way, I could only wonder if any fondness I'd harbored for him back then was fondness for this man who was peeking out through the cracks of The Unbreakable.

Nicolo took me in his arms and kissed me. As I kissed him back, I felt his hands untying my belt, and felt the unmistakable bulge pressing against me.

"You said we should make love in a bed sometime," he whispered, as my clothes began to come off.

"Aren't you afraid your family will hear?"

Nicolo shrugged. "We can be quiet."

I scoffed at that. "I'm not sure I can." So far, Nicolo had made me make sounds I hadn't even been aware I was capable of.

"Well, Mother's had five children, I'm sure she's heard it all before."

I certainly wasn't in the mood to argue, and my hands were way ahead of me, tugging off his clothes (which only smelled faintly of goat).

"Nicolo," I whispered. Maybe that name now had even more meaning to me than ‘Master'.

***

This was the pattern of life in Simnel for Nicolo and me over the next few weeks. It was an idyllic period, staying with Maria and her family, a time of long walks and lazy days, interspersed with hard work and good hearty food which just made the lazy days all the sweeter.

Nicolo and I blended in well and we learned new skills, met new people and were welcomed into their community with open arms. We played with the children and taught them too, Nicolo telling them stories from history, while I showed them how to climb the trees in the forest, Peri and Cady racing each other up through the branches.

We sat by the lake and watched the animals come to drink, strolled through the forest and listened to the birds singing. We spent a night high on a hillside and watched the stars twinkle into existence before snuggling down beneath a heavy woolen blanket that Maria had given us. They were days made for doing everything and nothing, for working, for resting, for eating and drinking. For reading, chatting, walking and sleeping, for enjoying the rising and setting of the sun, for working up a sweat in the fields and washing off in the stream, and for making love long into the night.

Actually, we made love every chance we got. I'd swiftly become addicted to this new sensation and was anxious to learn all I could, to do everything I was able and have everything done to me, exploring the apparently limitless possibilities of sharing our bodies. To my delight, Nicolo, despite the fact that he'd done it all before (and more, most likely), seemed endlessly and impossibly aroused by me. All I had to do was smile at him for him to whisk me off to a quiet spot for an afternoon delight. Everything I knew about male physiology (taught in exhaustive detail at the Guild) told me that he should have tired at some point, but Nicolo was apparently beyond biology, and I was happy to reap the benefits.

But, fun though the weeks were, that was only part of the evolution of our relationship here in Simnel.

"Being here now… it's bringing memories back to me," Nicolo said as he lay on his back on the hillside as the goats grazed, "I remember staring out at the clouds through the window of my bedroom. And seeing clouds. I think that must be my earliest memory."

"Was that before you were taken to the Great Castle?" I asked.

"I think it must have been, because… in my memories… the window frame was wood. And I could see the branches of a tree. When I came to the castle, I shared a room with Balduin and there were no trees outside." He paused. "Come to think of it, I suspect there were bars on the window. But I still stared at the clouds."

"Maybe doing so connected you to your old life," I suggested. "Clinging on to some little piece of what you'd lost."

"I hadn't thought of that." He kissed me on the cheek. "It's nice to talk to someone about… well, about me . Does that sound too self-involved?"

I laughed. "I guess it is, probably. But everyone's self-involved, Nicolo."

"Nicolo," he repeated, shaking his head. "I don't like the sound of my name on your tongue."

"Why ever not?" I laughed. "It's your name."

He chuckled. "Shouldn't you have come up with a pet-name for me by now?"

I frowned at him. "A pet name?"

"Some sweet title you call me that no one else does."

I laughed at that. "You want a nickname?"

"I want exactly what I just said—a name you're only allowed to call me."

"Hmm…" I said as I tapped my chin and smiled down at him. "What about… Max?"

"Max?" he frowned.

"I met a dog named Max once, and he was quite a nice dog."

Nicolo frowned further. "Charlotte, I don't wish to be named after a dog."

"Very well," I continued tapping my chin and continued teasing him. "What about Oliver? He was a very sturdy and handsome horse…"

But I wasn't able to continue because Nicolo reached out and started tickling me and it was only then that I realized how ticklish I was because I couldn't catch my breath. "Truce!" I finally called out. And we both fell back against the ground, each laughing all the while.

"What if…" I started as I reached out and looped a silken tendril of his hair around my index finger. "What if I just called you… my love?"

He was quiet for a few seconds and I wondered if I'd said too much. Then he reached down and traced the line of my temple, down to my cheek and then down to my chin.

"I think I like that best."

And he kissed me and I kissed him. When he pulled away, he collapsed back against the grass and breathed out a frustrated sigh that told me something else was on his mind.

"I'm not used to it," he admitted. "Being here and living as if… as if we haven't a care in the world. While I love it… it doesn't feel quite real to me yet."

"And your life at the castle does?"

He shook his head. "I admit… that life seems to be fading, as well. It's almost as if I can't figure out which is the real and which is the dreamed."

"Here you live your life for you," I answered as I traced the swells of his pectorals and swirled my fingers around his brown nipples. "At the Gath, you've lived your entire adult life for someone else," I pointed out. "In the Great Castle your only value is propping up the prince."

"Balduin is the only one there who sees me as a real person."

How long could I keep the secret of Balduin's treachery from him? At least, Nicolo was in no danger from Balduin as long as I was there—because Balduin had hired me to do the deed. But sooner or later, the prince would come up with another plan to kill his ‘friend'. And I had a feeling, his plans would include offing me, as well. If Balduin didn't get to it first, then the Guild certainly would.

And that thought was one that sunk my entire stomach. I couldn't help but think, but hope, that maybe Nicolo and I were close enough now that I could tell Nicolo the truth? Yet I was still afraid, too scared by what could go wrong to open my mouth and tell him all of it—every last detail.

"Do you never worry that the prince sees you the same as all the others?" I asked, testing the ground.

But Nicolo's face instantly hardened. "No." He shook his head and the harsh hold of his mouth softened as he looked at me. "I know you dislike him, Charlotte, most people do. But that's just because you don't know him like I do."

"Well," I started, cocking my head to the side.

"You think I had a rough go of it? That's nothing compared to what Balduin's been through."

"Balduin? A rough time?"

Nicolo nodded and I noticed he didn't correct me and insist I call Balduin by his title. Yes, things certainly had changed between us. And certainly for the better.

"Balduin never had a choice as to who or what he should be from the moment he was born," Nicolo continued. "He could have treated me like a slave and instead he made me his friend. I'll always be grateful to him for that. I think I would have died without him. That's what all the others don't understand. All those who come to me, asking me to betray him."

"His sisters?" I suggested.

"And others still."

I pressed no further, neither about Balduin, to whom Nicolo's loyalty was absolute, nor about Balduin's sisters, where there was clearly a story I didn't know. I wondered about telling Maria of Balduin's plans, but it would be cruel to make Nicolo choose between his mother and his almost-brother. No, this was my problem; I had to deal with it. But not now, not here—such problems didn't exist in Simnel. If only we could stay here forever…

Balduin's sisters came up again, quite unexpectedly, in a later conversation.

"But… all those women—don't tell me there was never anyone you cared for as you do for me?" I was taunting him deliberately, wanting him to tell me there had never been anyone else.

But the look on his face told me I'd inadvertently happened on something.

"Nicolo?"

He sighed. "I don't want to hurt you, Charlotte."

"It's okay," I answered, giving him an encouraging smile. "I know you have much more experience where your heart is concerned than I have."

"While I might have more experience in the art of physical love, there is only one other woman who has ever had entre to my heart," he answered.

"What was her name?"

"Willow." The youngest of Balduin's sisters—though all were older than Nicolo.

"I thought you hated the princesses."

"I hate the ones left alive. Willow was different."

I swallowed. "Was she your first?"

Nicolo's smile was more like a sneer. "Not even close." He was silent a moment, as if deciding whether to share this rawest of secrets. "It was her sisters who were first. All four of them."

"Four of them?!"

"They came to me, one night after the next." He paused. "Strangely, I don't actually remember who was first—which of them actually made me a man."

"How old were you?" I breathed.

"Old enough for their purpose. But too young." He shook his head. "They recognized even then the power I would one day have over their brother, and they wanted me on their side. That is the ridiculous thing; they thought that by seducing me, they would win my trust. Because what boy wouldn't want what they had to offer? Instead, they won my ever-lasting hatred."

I put an arm around him and held him close, feeling strangely protective. What a strange thing it was to care about someone—I wasn't sure what to make of it—whether it was a blessing or a horrible curse.

"Over the next few years, it became… something that happened. Until Willow. Until she and I were old enough to enter what might have been termed a courtship. The only courtship I was ever in until…" his eyes flashed up at me. "But then Willow was packaged off in a marriage of convenience to some old duke, as they all were. She died in childbirth."

"I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "It was a long while ago. And it was… I don't know if I'd call it ‘love'. More along the lines of two lonely people finding each other." He kissed me. "Perhaps I used to think of it as love."

"I'm still sorry."

"So am I. Love or not, she was… she was happiness at a sad time. She was my friend."

Hand in hand, we walked back to Simnel. Just before we entered the village, Nicolo turned to me.

"I've never told anyone that story before."

"Thank you for telling me," I said, sincerely.

"Thank you for being the person I could tell."

For an instant, I wondered if I might mean more to him than Balduin did.