Lying to innkeepers and fat nobles was one thing; deceiving this plain, kind, desperate girl was quite another.

Side-stepping his conscience as best he could, he pressed on, carefully doling out the tale he and Seregil had concocted.

"There's a seamstress in the next street from ours wanting a girl to apprentice. It's clean work, and it would get you out of the kitchen." He paused meaningfully. "And it's just in the next street over from mine."

"Is it?" Stamie smiled knowingly. "I've no complaint with that. Do you have a horse? Let's go before I'm missed."

"We can't go now!"

So much for charming her away, thought Alec. The trick was going to be holding her back long enough to get into the keep.

"Why not?"

"Well—"

Alec scrambled for a plausible impediment. "You'll need to gather your things up and give your notice."

"Notice? As if they'd let me go! I've been a slave to them since I was old enough to carry a pan. Just let me nip back and fill a kerchief, then we can slip away tonight!"

Outflanked, Alec had to rethink his strategy again.

"Two servants traveling in the night?" he scoffed. "The patrols would take us for thieves or runaways before we ever reached the city. And that's if the real outlaws and night riders didn't get to us first. You don't want to end up dead in the ditch, do you? Or worse?"

Stamie's eyes widened in alarm. "No, but how do we get away, then? They'll never let me go, not Aunt or Illester or any of them."

"They won't know." Alec slipped an arm around her waist and walked her deeper into the forest. "It's simple enough to manage. You wait until everyone's asleep, then gather your things up and wait until just before dawn. That's the time to travel. Anyone we meet on the road at first light will think we're off to market. Do you see?"

"Oh, yes! I'll do it just as you say. And I'm ever so grateful!"

Turning, she pulled him close with surprising decisiveness and delivered a rough, tooth-knocking kiss. Lips still locked against his, she drew his hand up against her flat bosom with one hand and began rucking up her homespun skirt with the other.

"Here now, there's no time for that," Alec gasped, trying to pull away. She'd been chewing raw garlic to keep away the winter ague.

"It don't take long." Stamie giggled, reaching for the hem of his tunic.

Freeing himself with an effort, Alec held her at arm's length. "Hold off, can't you?"

"What's the matter with you?" the girl demanded indignantly. "One minute you're all sweetness, and the next you act like you don't want me."

"Of course I do," Alec assured her. "But not if it means you getting in trouble. If you don't get back with the kindling or whatever it is you were sent out for, they'll come looking for you, won't they? Or maybe lock you up when you get back?"

"They would, too," Stamie said resentfully. "They done it before."

"Course they would," Alec said, loosening his grip to a caress. "And then where would we be, eh? But if we're careful, we can be in Rhнminee tomorrow night. Together."

"Together!" Stamie whispered, won over anew.

"That's right. Now come on and I'll help you."

Keeping out of sight of the tower sentries, they gathered sticks to fill Stamie's basket. The excited girl chattered readily, and Alec soon turned the conversation to the broken tower.

The tower over the gorge had been in ruins for years, it seemed, though she didn't know how long. No one was allowed there ever, and old Illester said there was even a ghost, some lord who'd been in the tower when it was struck.

"They say he'll push you off to your death if you go up there at night," she confided with a delicious shiver. "And it's true, too. Lots of servants have heard strange sounds from there, and seen lights moving. Aunt says a servant she knew went in once, just a little ways, and felt the touch of a dead hand against his face. He didn't die of it then, but within the week he fell into the gorge and was smashed to bits! Aunt saw him after they carried him up. Ghosts are unlucky things, you know, even just to see one."

"I've heard that," Alec replied uneasily, recalling the strange breeze he'd felt in the main hall.

The basket was soon full. Giving Alec a farewell kiss, she ran her hands down over his hips and whispered, "I won't sleep a wink tonight, I promise!"

"Nor will I." Ready to spring the final ruse, Alec cast a yearning look toward the keep and sighed deeply. "It'll be cold out here again tonight."

"Oh, you poor dear! And it looking like to snow, too."

Alec held his breath, watching her waver.

Let her think of it first, Seregil had warned.

"It'd be worth both our skins if we was caught."

She hesitated, frowning. "But I could creep down and let you in after they're all asleep. If you stayed in the back pantry and didn't make a sound, it might be safe."

"What about the watchmen?"

"They mostly keep an eye on the road. And this side of the yard is good and dark. Oh, but we'll have to be quiet, though!""

"Quiet as ghosts." Alec smiled as he took her hand in his. "Just a warm corner out of the wind, that's all I need."

"I wish I could warm you tonight," she murmured.

"Soon," he promised. "In Rhнminee."

"In Rhнminee!" she sighed. Breathing garlic against his cheek, she kissed him a last time and hurried off.

Alec waited until she was well out of sight, then turned to retrace his steps into the woods. Coming around a fallen tree, he nearly stepped on Seregil.

"Lucky for us she's a lonesome country girl,"

Seregil said shaking his head. "A Helm Street maid would've given you the air. "Here now, there's no time for that!" and "Hold off, can't you?" A fine, hot suitor you sounded!"

"I told you I'm no good at it," Alec retorted, stung by the criticism. "Besides, it felt rotten lying to her like that."

"This is no time for an attack of conscience. Illior's Hands, haven't we lied to someone on any job we've ever done?"

"I know," Alec grumbled. "But this was different. She's not some footpad or randy ship's captain, just a poor nobody like me. Here I am offering her the one thing in the whole world she wants, and tomorrow all her hopes will be dashed."

"Who says we have to dash her hopes? She wants a position in town; I'll see she gets one."

"You'd do that?"

"Of course I'd do that. I forge a lovely reference. She can have her pick of situations. Think you can live with that?"

Alec nodded, abashed. "I guess I just didn't—"

"Come to think of it, perhaps we could take her on at Wheel Street," Seregil added ruthlessly. "What with you taking such an interest in her welfare and all."

"That's not exactly what I had in mind."

"No?" Grinning, Seregil threw an arm over the boy's shoulders as they headed back up the slope. "Now there's a surprise!"