Averill: Historical Romance (The Brocade Collection, Book 3) by Jackie Ivie Read Free Book Online

I’ve finished . Here.” 
    Captain Tennison sounded like he spoke through a thick blanket . He pushed the plate at her before crawling out. Averill watched him stand and shuffle away, lamps lighting him as he walked past them. And then she shrugged, ate some of her supper, and set the remainder outside.
    Still, Captain Tennison didn’t return. So Averill snuggled into the blanket and tried to sleep. Stars filled the sky through the doorway, and the slowly abating noises in camp filtered in, yet still the captain didn’t return. And in her dream kingdom, Captain Tennison was a knight riding a dark charger into battle for his queen. Averill was his queen. She sat on the podium and watched him. This knight would accept a kiss from her as a token of her regard. It wouldn’t be beneath him.
     
    In her sleep, she felt him fill the space behind her. She smiled drowsily, before snuggling against him, using his warmth like another blanket.
    “Damn it, Averill!”
    She heard the curse and lost the warmth as he rolled away.
    “I’ ll sleep elsewhere,” he said and left her again.
    She wondered what she had done to provoke such a response . She didn’t have anyone she could ask. All she had was the captain. Perhaps she’d ask him in the morning. Perhaps not.
    She saw her secret kingdom before her again, and smiled, just before she entered it.
     

 
    CHAPTER F IVE
     
    It was almost dark when they called a halt the next day. Averill had added a string of camels to her painting. It still evoked a sense of loneliness that made her want to cry. The wind had risen steadily, stirring sand. Averill gave up fighting the grit added to her work. She looked forward to her bed and to smoothing the liniment on her sore inner thighs. There was supper, too, but she wasn’t anticipating that because the captain would be there. She was leery of being close to him again.
    “The captain would like you to follow me, miss.”
    It was Harvey . He waited as Averill dismounted from Pegasus. She was stiff and limped slightly. Riding a camel strained her legs. He didn’t comment one way or the other. He didn’t have to. His attitude spoke for him. Averill waited until he turned about, expecting that she’d follow. And she did. She couldn’t prevent the wince as she sat beside the captain, who already had a lamp lit.
    “Does the liniment work, Averill?” he asked indifferently.
    She nodded.
    “I see you’ve been working on your painting . It’s beautiful, but very sad.”
    She met his eyes momentarily before dropping her gaze. It was getting difficult to breathe. Neither said anything until someone brought supper. She nearly sighed in relief. It was on two platters again. Averill ate what she could, all the while aware of him studying her. Her hand trembled before she finished.
    “You’re finished so soon?”
    She couldn’t answer. She didn’t even know what was wrong. She looked out at the wind-borne sand filling the air in the distance.
    “Don’t worry . It’s miles off, and it’s not coming this way, yet. I’ve seen sandstorms before, though, and they’re very tricky. I’ll get extra canvas to spread over us if it nears.”
    Averill flicked her glance at him, then looked out again.
    “You’re wondering why I’m still talking to you when you’re giving me every indication to leave you be, aren’t you?”
    She shrugged, lifting one shoulder to her ear before dropping it again.
    “It’s because you’re such an enigma. Do you know that?”
    She slanted her gaze to him again . She knew what he meant. He wanted her to be crystal-clear and easy to read. That would never happen.
    “You have beautiful eyes, Averill,” he commented, surprising her.
    “I hate them!” she snapped.
    “ Ah. So, there is a crack in your indifference. I was beginning to think you weren’t human.”
    He didn’t wait for an answer . Maybe he didn’t expect one. She watched him leave. He wore the traditional red-checked headdress called a