Chapter Twelve
Jolie hid in the bushes outside the walls until dawn. She was tired and drenched from a sudden morning thundershower. Her only thought was sleep, a peaceful, mirthful and relieved sleep, and yet her belly was anxious and burning as the significance of her journey remained clear in her thoughts. Did she have any hope of establishing herself with Patrick Dunleavy again? Her mind played back the past, from when she met him on the dock to those first tenuous explorations of his mood and character on the ship. If only she’d accepted fate then—as have it nip her firmly now… she might have avoided so much unpleasant business between them. He wanted her then and she refused to budge on so many things. Why had she been so stupid? Could he possibly believe the newfound sincerity in h
