Rowan and Delaney walked in silence. The leaves crunched under their boots.
"You lied," Rowan said suddenly.
Delaney stopped. "What?"
"Your husband," Rowan said. "Captain Smith. You mentioned him to annoy me."
"Well you made him up yourself, remember?" Delaney corrected. "And he is very useful. He taught me French, he taught me to shoot, and he apparently hates mutton." She smiled at the irony.
Rowan stopped walking. He turned to her.
"I hate him," Rowan said.
Delaney looked at him. "You hate an imaginary man?"
"Yes," Rowan admitted. "Because every time you say his name, you smile. And I want to be the one making you smile."
The air between them suddenly felt very thin.
The birds stopped singing.
Delaney's breath hitched. She looked at his lips.
"Your Grace..."
"Shhh," Rowan hissed suddenly. He held up a hand.
He pointed.
Fifty yards ahead, in a small clearing, was a rabbit. It was brown, twitching its nose, completely unaware of the drama unfolding nearby.
