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But ht, even if Brinna didn't love him, she felt sorry for him

No, that was ridiculous You don't lie to protect a murderer simply because you feel sorry that he loves you and you don't love him back, Nola reasoned Especially if you were so her Everybody loved Brinna Nola saw that with Galvin's reactions to her And Halig's And they'd only just met her

More likely Kirwyn had threatened her, convinced her that he could cause her har that she would fear hiht be that Brinna was simply mistaken In the horror and chaos of Innis's murder, she had simply lost track of here

But whether Brinna had lied or had been confused about Kirwyn being in the kitchen with her, Kirwyn had to be worrying that she e her story That made Brinna a threat to him

Whichat the house, beginning with two young wohters They caling and asking where they could find this and that in the kitchen Each ti that they'd take her feigned grogginess as the reason why she didn't char with them - rather than that she had no idea what their na her

But others ca food - people whom Nola didn't knohose relationships with Brinna she had no way of guessing Many had no co their beads into the sickroom to offer their condolences and their advice, and she feared that they'd see through her act of ache and exhaustion And it was beco less and less an act She had walked ht, and she wasn't used to lying in bed doing nothing

It would be so easy to drift off

Don't fall asleep, she mentally prodded herself If the spell dial made her look like Brinna slipped ahile she dozed, chat was sure to be the time one last person would decide to look in on the poor invalid

Eventually the priest came, and the noise of the crowdInnis's body for burial Nola squeezed her eyes tight, trying not to i not to i for the benefit of all those onlookers

The outer door shut behind the last of theet her eyes back open It would be so wonderful to res:, truly rest, just for away back to Saint Erim Turi to unravel whatever catastrophe her htly on the bedroo spell about herself like a shawl

"Brinna?" It was Galvin's voice

"Yes?" She struggled to sit up

He opened the door "Everyone has gone to the funeral," he said

She nodded, relieved that she hadn't gotten up the uests leave As soon as Galvin left, too

He told her, "I will reht's intruder returns - or so the opportunity of an eed to say, hoping he couldn't read her true thoughts on her face, her GO, GO, GO, DAMMIT thoughts

He smiled kindly "I'm sorry I disturbed you But I was afraid you'd wake up and not hear anybody, and then you'd beco alone"

The worst part was she suspected he wasn't goading her as part of soet the truth out of her, but that he was being entirely sincere

"Can I get you so to eat?" he offered "First choice of all that food laid out"

"No Thank you"

Still he hesitated She wondered if he was deciding whether to talk to her further about last night The way things seeuessed that now that she had the answers he wouldn't ask any more questions And, indeed, what he asked was, "Arc you feeling better? Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?"

"I'm fine," she assured hily annoyed, but fine

He didn't look convinced Judging by how she felt, she probably looked too pale and weary for someone who had supposedly rested all afternoon - like someone in worse pain than she actually felt That worked out to her advantage, for he nodded and stepped back into the hall "I'll let you rest Call out if you need anything"

"Yes Thank you"

Nola sighed and tried to be patient And to re on to both her glamour and her wits

Galvin, too, she reht Maybe, alone in the kitchen and bored, if she was lucky, he would fall asleep

She knew not to count on luck

Better to count on sih the bedroos over the edge of the bed but hesitated For the s, her ankle didn't feel too bad; but she knew that as so on as she stood, the increased blood floould h there was no sound fro that so funeral guests - though that was unlikely, for they had left such a short tihters would coer to fetch so he hoped would please her

There's ti is to be absolutely silent

She tightened the laces on her bodice then found her shoes, which soht - had taken off when they'd put her to bed She had trouble getting the right one on because of the swelling and bandages; and once it was on, she was unable to fasten it

With one hand on the bed and one on the wall, she stood, holding her breath for fear of breathing too loudly She tried putting just a little weight on the injured foot It hurt, but not beyond enduring She tried actually taking a step and had to cla out in pain

You have to do this, she warned herself You have to get out of here

She was able to hobble forth a few steps, as long as she had so to hold on to: the bed, the clothes chest

It took forever to cross the room, which, when she and her h to accoet far, she reminded herself Once she was outside, she could take on a different appearance and sit and gather her strength for as long as she needed

So long as Galvin didn't pick now to look in on her

Alan had thoughtfully closed the shutters in an atte Nola tried to pull them open, but they simply rattled faintly

Nola held her breath and listened with all her h to have alerted Galvin in the next room