Chapter 2. “Let go of me!” Susannah screamed.

“Let go of me!” Susannah screamed.

To her surprise, the hands obediently released her.

She spun around, her blue eyes wide with fright, and stared into the laughing face of Edward Fier. “Do I look like the Evil One to you?” he asked.

Susannah felt her face redden. She glared angrily at him. “Yes, you must be the Evil One,” she said. “Why else would you be out in these woods?”

“I followed you,” he replied, his expression solemn.

Edward was tall and good-looking. He wore a wide-brimmed black hat over his straight dark brown hair, which fell below his ears. His gray doublet was made of the finest linen. The cuffs at the end of his sleeves were white and stiffly starched.

His navy blue breeches ended just below the knee. Gray wool stockings covered his legs. On his feet were Dutch-style clogs fashioned of dark leather.

No other young man in the village dressed as well as Edward. He seemed to take his clothing as seriously as he did everything else in life. In private some villagers criticized his fancy dress, accusing him of the sin of pride.

But no one dared criticize him in public. For Edward was a Fier, Benjamin Fier’s son. And no one would dare say a word against Magistrate Fier or his son.

As the trees shuddered around them in a sudden cold breeze, Edward’s dark brown eyes locked on Susannah’s. “We should not joke about the Evil One,” he said, lowering his voice. “My father says the Evil One’s slaves have overrun our village.”

“I—I am so afraid these days,” Susannah confessed, lowering her gaze to the dark ground. “I keep dreaming about Faith Warburton. She—she was my friend,” Susannah stammered.

“I know,” Edward muttered softly.

“They seized her as a witch … because she wore a red ribbon in her hair. Th-they burned her—!” Susannah’s words were cut short by a sob.

Edward placed a hand on Susannah’s trembling shoulder. “I know that my father must have had proof of your friend’s evil practices. He appears stern, but he is a fair and just man, Susannah.”

“We should not be here together. We have to stop our secret meetings. They put me in great danger,” Susannah said softly.

“You are in no danger,” Edward replied. “I … wanted to talk to you, Susannah. I wanted to—”

Before Susannah could back away, Edward had his arms around her waist. He lowered his face to hers and kissed her.

The hat tumbled off his head, and he pressed his lips against hers, urgently, hungrily.

Susannah was breathless when she finally pulled free. “You—you are suffocating me!” she exclaimed, grinning at him. She raised a hand to his shoulder. “What if the Evil One is watching us?” she teased.

To her surprise, he pulled away from her touch. His dark eyes flared with anger. “I told you,” he warned, “do not joke about the Evil One.”

“But, Edward—” she began. His intensity always startled her.

“You know I cannot bear blasphemy,” he interrupted in a low, steady voice.

They had been meeting secretly for weeks, stealing moments behind the grain barn or behind the trees at the riverbank. Susannah had been surprised by Edward’s seriousness, by his solemn attitude about most things.

She liked to tease but quickly learned he didn’t share her sense of humor.

Why did she care so much about him? Why did she think about him night and day? Why did she dream about being with him forever?

Because he needed her. Because he seemed to feel as she did.

She gazed up at him coyly. “Being here alone together in the woods, that is a crime against village custom,” she said. “What do you think your father would say?”

He picked up his hat from the ground, gripping it tightly in one hand. “Being here with you, Susannah, is no crime.”

“Why is that?” she teased.

He hesitated, gazing at her as if trying to see inside her head, to read her thoughts. “Because we love each other,” he said finally.

And before she knew it, they were wrapped in each other’s arms again.

I want to stay here, Susannah thought happily. Stay here with Edward in the dark woods. Live in the wild together, just the two of us, away from the village, away from everyone.

She pressed her cheek against his, surprised that his face was as hot as hers.

A sudden noise made her cry out and pull away.

Voices!

“Edward—someone else is here!” she cried, raising her hands to her cheeks in horror. “We’re caught!”

Дата добавления: 2015-07-20