She released the hair almost immediately and took satisfaction in its weight falling upon her shoulders. Barely a year ago, she thought, I had borrowed shears to cut this ragged and short.Then, almost unconsciously, she smoothed her dress with quick pats and tugs.“Have no fear, m’lady,” Thomas said. “You are a sight to ravage the hearts of men and to send jealousy quivering through the ladies of the court.”“Thomas,” she scolded, for he had guessed correctly at her nervousness, “must you peer at my innermost thoughts?”“In all these months of travel together, not once have I seen you so concerned about your appearance.”Katherine softened. Indeed, all these months of travel together. Moments of extreme danger as they had avoided Mameluke soldiers in the Holy Land, fought wayside bandits, survived the most vicious storms at sea. Hours of conversation during the quieter times—beside evening campfires or on a ship’s deck shifting to the waves beneath starlight. How could they not know each other?
