Chapter 3

NATALEE

I saton the large blanket I’d spread out beside the riverbank, my nervousness growing with each passing second. It was ten minutes until noon, and I tried to quiet my worries that Knot might not show, but it was no use. I couldn’t calm my nerves or quiet my fears about the handsome orc (and former priest) I was supposed to have lunch with today.

Perhaps he’d decided to leave town earlier than planned. Perhaps he was already back at his cabin in the mountains. I glanced toward the mountains in question and caught sight of the mighty dragon Dhomlyss soaring from peak to peak.

A light breeze ruffled my hair, and I tucked a few errant locks behind my ears, unable to cease fidgeting. Why hadn’t I fashioned my hair in a neat bun? Why had I left it halfway down? In the Northern Isles, such a style would be considered scandalous. Drat. Maybe I ought to have worn a bonnet or a scarf over my hair.

I smoothed the wrinkles from my skirt as I continued fretting over my appearance. I very much wanted Knot to find me pleasing. Of all the males I had been introduced to recently, I liked him the best.

Never mind that we hadn’t spoken more than a few sentences to one another.

I considered why I liked him best and couldn’t help but smile as I recalled our brief interaction in the mercantile. He had kind, dark eyes and hair as black as the night, and his skin was the usual dark green shade of an orc.

Though he was part orc, part fae, and part human, aside from his lack of tusks, he looked more orc than anything else. He was also tall and striking, with a broad chest and shoulders, and he spoke in a manner more civilized than most of the males I’d met here. He also hadn’t leered at me inappropriately.

Several miners I’d met recently gave me the same horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach as Mr. Foxthorne often did. But not Mr. Thazurok.

I looked at the covered basket on the blanket beside me. I’d prepared ham sandwiches and sweet cakes for our picnic. The sweet cakes were a recipe Nanny Tess had taught me. Even though my mother had forbidden me from learning how to cook—according to her, cooking was for the lower classes and for servants—my nanny had secretly taught me the basics of cooking and other household tasks when my parents were away traveling.

Dear gods, how I missed Nanny Tess. I blinked back tears and tried my best not to think of the Northern Isles and the good and bad parts of my past that lurked in the back of my mind.

Sometimes I hated myself for having married Logan. Because maybe if we hadn’t gotten married, he would still be alive, and I would still be in decent standing with my family. I had a difficult relationship with my parents, sure, but I adored my sisters and wished I could visit them. Nanny Tess, too. Oh, if only I could visit her. She would give me a hug and offer words of comfort and wisdom. If only.

A tall figure approached, distracting me from my thoughts, and I squinted to make out the male’s features. I quickly recognized the same hat Knot had worn yesterday, as well as the impressive width of his shoulders.

My heart skipped a beat. He’d shown up.

He’d shown up!

I jumped to my feet, then felt incredibly silly for the rapid movement. My mother would have berated me for such unladylike exuberance. Still, I smiled at the male as he approached. My heart skipped another beat when he returned my smile and the lines around his dark, gorgeous eyes crinkled.

Needing to break eye contact with him before I fainted, I looked pointedly at the basket he held in one hand. “Good afternoon, Knot. I-I’m sorry, did you say you were bringing the picnic?” I’d assumed I would be the one bringing the picnic since he was staying in town far from his cabin.

He glanced at the basket I’d set on the blanket. “Good afternoon, Natalee. And I don’t believe I said one way or another, however, Mrs. Bluebird—she runs the inn with Mr. Bluebird, in case you haven’t yet met them—insisted on packing a lunch for us when I told her of my plans today.”

“How nice of her. Oh, and yes, we’ve met a few times.”

“Why don’t we sit down and get to know one another better, Natalee?” His eyes darkened. “I must confess I’ve been thinking about you all morning.”

I felt a flush cover my entire face. “I, um, thank you, Mr. Thazurok, uh, I mean Knot,” I stammered. Oh dear, I couldn’t even speak intelligently in his presence. He would probably decide I was a dolt after the first five minutes of our picnic. Nevertheless, I sat down facing him on the blanket, and the former priest soon joined me. I was ever aware of how close our knees rested.

We made small talk while we unpacked both baskets and spread the huge picnic out. To my surprise, he took one of the tin plates Mrs. Foxthorne had provided and fixed a plate for me.

“Here you are, Natalee.”

“Th-thank you.” Gods, I needed to stop it with the stammering. And the blushing. My face felt red-hot.

“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but I’ve heard you rarely come to town. How long will you be staying at The Bluebird Inn?”

“Another day or two, then I’ll be heading back up to my claim. It’s true that I don’t come to town often, but to be honest, lately I’ve felt the urge to be around folks more. Perhaps I’ll make more trips to town in the future than I have in the past.” He paused, looking pensive. “Are you staying in Faircross for good?”

I hesitated. I stared at my half-eaten ham sandwich and the cucumber sandwich from Mrs. Bluebird that I hadn’t tried yet. “I don’t…” My throat closed up and I started blinking hard.

This was a mistake. Why had I accepted Knot’s invitation? I harbored an intense attraction to the orc male seated across from me, but I also felt deep guilt for allowing myself to get sweet on a male only months after Logan’s passing.

Shouldn’t I mourn for a year or longer? Wasn’t I dishonoring Logan’s memory by constantly blushing under Knot’s stare? If I were in the Northern Isles, I would still be wearing black and forgoing all social occasions.

“Are you unwell, Natalee?” Knot reached forward and took my hand. He squeezed it gently and looked at me with such profound concern that I stopped breathing for several seconds.

When I eventually found my voice, I said, “I am fine. It’s just that… my husband died six months ago. We, um, eloped. Our families did not like one another, you see, and the announcement of our marriage did not go over well with my parents or his. Now that he’s gone…”

“You don’t feel as if you can go home?” he finished for me.

“Yes, that’s exactly it. I’ve been staying with the Foxthornes, but I cannot live with them forever. Mrs. Foxthorne can be quite grumpy, and she is insisting I meet as many males in town as I can and marry soon. Honestly, I think she wants to get rid of me. She takes me on walks almost every day, telling me to put on my temple best and look pretty.”

My eyes widened after I realized how freely I’d just spoken, but Knot’s gaze remained trained on me, his eyes devoid of judgment. He didn’t appear taken aback by anything I’d just said, even though I’d basically admitted my reason for meeting him today was because I was in desperate need of a husband.

“I’m sorry. I believe I spoke too freely, and perhaps it’s only my imagination that Mrs. Foxthorne wants to be rid of me. It’s not very gods-blessed of me to speak like that.” My face burned hotter. Knot was a former priest. What must he think of my lapse in character?

To my surprise, he squeezed my hand again and shot me a comforting smile that warmed my heart. His dark eyes glinting with mischief, he inclined his head closer to mine and said, “Your words about Mrs. Foxthorne are much more charitable than the thoughts I had about her yesterday when we met in the mercantile. Grumpy is putting it nicely.”

Relief swarmed me, and I found myself trying—and failing—to keep from laughing.

There was no denying it. I definitely liked Knot better than all the other males I’d met recently, and despite the qualms I’d experienced earlier, I couldn’t help but hope we would spend more time together in the days to come.