The sound of a door closing pierced into her consciousness. Amelie brought a hand to her eyes, wanting to keep them closed. Off in the distance, she could hear the busy chatter of birds, interspersed with the heavy clopping sounds of horse hooves and rickety carts. Dogs barked, children laughed. She smelled freshly baked bread in the air, and someone, somewhere was frying fish.
She let out a loud groan. It had taken her hours to fall asleep, and she spent most of the night tossing, turning, and wrestling with impossible questions. And then finally, when she exhausted herself from her internal war, she fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
The floor creaked as if someone walked toward her, and she ceased her movements. Slowly taking her hand away from her face, she opened one eye and then promptly closed it again, the morning sun nearly blinding her.
Trying again, she opened both eyes and blinked rapidly several times in order to get her bearings, to understand why the noises she heard seemed excessive and loud, and the scents overwhelming and strong.
“How did morning arrive so soon?” she murmured, sleepily scanning the small, room. The first thing that caught her attention was the worn furniture that looked as if it needed repairing. She went to push a strand of hair from her face when her hand stopped in mid-motion. Suddenly full realization hit her. This was not her bedchamber at Stanbury Castle. Sitting up abruptly, she rubbed her eyes. “Where am I?”
“The Fox Trail Inn,” a male voice answered.
Amelie spun her head around at the direction of the voice, and saw Derrik grinning at her a foot away from the bed.
His cheerful disposition caused her mood to blacken. She didn’t know what he was so happy about. Her back was sore from sleeping on the hard straw mattress, and even though a linen sheet and a wool blanket covered it, she could still feel the prickly lumps underneath.
His eyes wandered over her as if she lay naked on the bed.
“What are you staring at?” she demanded, pulling the woolen blanket out from under her and wrapping it around her body. The rough blanket felt slightly cool to her skin.
“My, that was not quite the greeting that I hoped for,” Derrik said, his voice slightly sardonic. “I think I prefer it when you were asleep.”
Amelie pursed her lips. “I did not sleep very well,” she said, her voice low and cranky. “This bed is decidedly uncomfortable. The inn keeper should be hanged for offering such a poorly stuffed mattress to paying customers.”
“I had no problems sleeping,” he said, shrugging. “In fact, I found it exceedingly comfortable. I especially enjoyed the knowledge that I could sleep soundly without having to worry about wild animals roaming about and looking to devour me.” He tossed her a piece of bread. “Perhaps if you eat something, your temperament might improve.”
She caught the bread before it fell onto her lap, his thoughtfulness momentarily silencing her. The steam came off the coarse barley bread as she broke off a piece. She blew at the hot item before stuffing it into her mouth.
A satisfied grin spread across his lips as he watched her eat. “I was actually surprised by your — er — disposition this morning. You seemed like you were in a deep sleep, and I assumed that you would wake up feeling rested.” His tone then dropped suggestively. “I dare say that you looked quite peaceful, and I thought ‘twas me that you dreamt about.”
She pulled the blanket tighter around her. “You are the last person I would care to dream about,” she said, chewing the bread carefully, and trying her best to curtail the blush that rose to her cheeks.
While it was true that she didn’t dream about Derrik, she refused to admit to him that he was on her mind for most of the night. It disturbed her greatly that she wasn’t preoccupied with further thoughts of her father’s welfare. Fortunately it was just before Amelie fell asleep that she resolved not to be affected by Derrik’s allure. He was too appealing by far, and likely used his sinful charm to manipulate her. Like a simpleton, she had fallen for his trickery. However, she was wise to his game now.
Derrik turned and moved toward the small table, placing the same sack that he had carried last night on the wooden surface.
She eyed the bag with interest. “Where did you go?” she asked, trying to sound conversational. Glancing down at his boots, she noted the mud on them. “You seem to have been up for quite a while.”
He followed the direction of her eyes. “I had to use the bucket,” he said, shrugging.
“Is there no chamber pot in here?” she said, undecided whether she should believe his simple explanation or not.
“I don’t know.” He raised his hands in the air and he yawned. “If there is one here, I couldn’t find it.”
She studied him as a nagging, suspicious doubt crept in her mind. When she felt the blanket earlier, it was cool to the touch. That would indicate that he hadn’t slept on his side of the bed for several hours. Her calculating mind began to wonder how long it actually took for him to reach the bucket and return to the room. Once again she glanced at the sack on the table. That little bag sat on the table when Derrik had left her in the room last night, although it never occurred to her to take a look inside it. But now her curiosity was roused. Why was he walking around, carrying this bag? A trek to the bucket didn’t require a person to take their belongings with them, did it? And then there was the tiniest pause before he responded to her observation. What was Derrik hiding from her?
“I am not certain if I believe you,” she said, finishing the last of the bread and brushing away the crumbs from her lap. “But I am suffering from a lack of sleep, and this may be the reason why I am more suspicious than usual.”
“Well, thank you for your consideration, my lady,” he said, giving her a mocking bow. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”
“I fail to see why you are in such a good mood,” she said, giving him a slanted look. “There is something serious afoot, and makings jests will not help us resolve the problems.”
Amelie glanced over to the small window in the room. Threads of golden light penetrated through the tiny cracks in the shutters, causing the dust in the air to dance. Derrik walked over toward the window. Grabbing the stool that had fallen over the night before, he placed it upright.
“I hope that you’re not planning to spend all day in bed. Because if you are,” he winked at her, “perhaps I should join you.”
She scrambled off the bed and watched him warily. “Nay, I am up,” she said quickly.
“Are you ready to go to the stables now?” he asked.
When he mentioned the stables, a sudden doubt rolled over her. “What if speaking to the stable boy yields no results?” she asked, unable to stamp out the fear in her voice.
“The inn keeper has already assured us that the boy witnessed the quarrel. We will hear what he has to say and then form a judgment. As of right now, ‘tis too soon for us to tell.” He arched a brow at her when she didn’t move right away. “Well, are you ready?” he asked.
Amelie took in a deep breath. “Before we go, I need to know something.”
Derrik regarded her silently, waiting for her to speak.
She hesitated and then asked the one question that was foremost on her mind. “Will you promise me that if we find my father, you will not arrest him?”
He looked taken aback by her direct question. “I told you that I’ll help find your father,” he said, his tone cautious. “However I cannot promise you that I won’t arrest him. As you know, he must stand trial before the king.”
“But my father is innocent of the charges against him,” she said helplessly.
“And so you have told me many times.” He raked his hand through his golden hair. “’Tis not up to me to judge,” he said, his tone apologetic. “Nevertheless I believe that we should focus on finding proof of your father’s innocence before we speak about his arrest.”
Amelie nodded slowly, his tone convincing her that his intentions were honorable. And for the first time, she felt that she could trust him to help her set things right.
And as her stomach was now filled with a bit of food, she felt her spirits improving. Today just might be the day where she could finally find some answers.