Chapter 40 Hidden Motives 58 +20 Free Coins " Lord Soren , please make it clear to her that I knew nothing of my grandmother's designs . I never intended - nor wished - to become engaged to you . " Not merely disinterested , she admitted to herself . If I could live a lifetime without crossing his path , that would be ideal . She suspected he had asked Harriet to guide her up Frostenden Mountain as a form of compensation . Had it not been for Naomi , she would have been admiring the season's first snowfall back in Jexburgh , not trudging through drifts beside him here . Before long , the rich aroma of roasting meat drifted through the wooden lodge , thick enough to make the rafters hum . When the strips were charred just so , Soren slid them from the spit and laid the juiciest pieces . into her dish . Fiona felt no flutter of privilege at his attentiveness . Instead , she noted - almost clinically- that the aloof young lord was perfectly capable of caring for others ; he had simply chosen not to before . " I heard you were wounded . Was it connected to Mr. Saunders ? " She reasoned that because the matter had long been settled yet kept from the public for half a year , Soren must have used his injuries as a convenient curtain of time . " And what makes you believe that ? " Soren asked without lifting his head , his tone light , almost indifferent . " You warned me to be wary of Mr. Saunders. That gained my gratitude and , at the same time , kept my father cautious . Had I urged him to stay neutral , the benefit would still have been yours . " Zachary held a senior post in the Ministry of Personnel ; his web of contacts was vast . He posed no direct threat , yet his involvement would have spawned endless complications Soren could ill afford . Though the two men stood in opposing camps , Soren's quarry lay elsewhere . Better to weave a quiet snare that kept the seasoned official from stepping onto the field at all . Soren's eyes cooled , yet the corner of his mouth lifted with faint amusement . " Continue . " " When you asked for my assistance , you solved two puzzles at once . You do need the Divine Doctor , but you also made me collateral . Should my father dare to help Matthew , you will 1/3 14:46 Fri , Oct 10 Chapter 40 Hidden Motives have leverage - me . Still , this arrangement profits us both , so I accept it willingly ." 58 +20 Free Coins That explained why Soren had revealed so much . The more she knew , the less boldly her father could act . And he had allowed her to learn that Harriet was his person for reasons she had not yet untangled . Soren did not oblige her with so much as a nod . The silence , heavy as fresh snow , settled between them . Waiting for his verdict , Fiona let her fingers drift too near the iron grate . Pain flared , and her skin blossomed crimson . Swift as falling ice , Soren caught her wrist and drew her outside the lodge . He pressed the back of her hand into a mound of powdery snow . They had shared bedding on countless journeys , so she felt no shyness over the gesture . Reclaiming her hand , she offered a quiet thanks . " If I obtain word of the Divine Doctor , how should I reach you ? " Soren rubbed his fingertips , surprised by the winter chill numbing her skin . " Go to Clear Sky Pavilion and speak with Ms. Fuller . " With their terms fixed , the weight lifted from her chest . The crystalline air tasted sweeter , and the snow - draped peaks breathed an ancient , silent grace around them . Whenever Fiona let slip a soft sigh or a passing musing , Soren would sometimes answer- never more than a pair of reserved sentences.He stayed cold , the chill of early frost still clinging to him , yet even that tiny thaw felt like hard - won progress . To be Soren's wife was , she had learned , a thankless burden that could grind any heart to dust . Still , he treated his subordinates with a soldier's fairness . For now , she told herself to serve him as one would a distant commander and leave affection out of it . Without their noticing , the last blush of daylight bled away , and the mountain path slipped into indigo shadow . Fiona drew a heavy cloak over her shoulders , the fur collar cupping her chin against the night air . " Lord Soren , your injuries are not yet healed . You should rest early , " she said , her voice low but sincerely concerned . Soren had no shortage of people offering hollow sympathy , and he treated this new handful the same - as silence not worth answering . The descent proved kinder than the climb ; stone steps stretched wide and even , as though 2/3 14:46 Fri , Oct 10 Chapter 40 Hidden Motives inviting them back to the world below . : 58 +20 Free Coins Partway down , Fiona spotted several plum trees bursting with crimson buds , their fierce color echoing the wooden lodge they had just left . After a moment's hesitation , she snapped a few flowering branches and turned back toward the summit . When she reappeared , Soren's eyes , calm as still water , settled immediately on the bouquet cradled in her hands . " Perhaps , a vase in your room could keep them alive a little longer - add a trace of life indoors . " The blossoms , icy and proud , mirrored Soren's own austere beauty so perfectly that she could not help the comparison . " Cut flowers are bright for a breath and dead forever after . Why cling to a corpse for its color ? " He did not lift a hand to take them . Rebuke no longer startled her ; Fiona only folded the twigs back against her breast and searched for a graceful escape . Just then , Soren reached out and , with deliberate gentleness , swept a loose lock from her ear . Heat travelled the small distance between them . Her breathing quickened despite herself . A few petals fluttered to the ground , silent as snowflakes . Only then did she see the fallen plum blossom he had brushed from her hair . 3