Vernon finally settled down in a big wooden, slightly reclined, chair he had pulled out of a dark corner of the tavern. It looked heavy too. Michaela was impressed by the tavern keeper’s strength.

Now, sitting by the fire, smoking a pipe, Vernon smiled over at Michaela. She sat slouched in a chair across from him. A bear skin rug lay between them, and the townsfolk sat all around.

The blanket Martha had given Michaela had slipped off her shoulders, exposing her ...