Crow blinked as he felt Penelope grab hold of his arm and pull slightly as she slowed to a stop. He glanced down at her hesitantly, unsure what she was trying to do. The part of him that was still worried she might have second thoughts about being with him sent a ripple of anxiousness through him as he feared she might tell him that his apology wasn’t enough—that he had disappointed her too much this time. The thought left a pit in his stomach, and he swallowed nervously, forcing himself not to look away as she finally opened her mouth to speak.

Her following words made him feel weak with relief. He nodded wordlessly, glad that she had been satisfied with his apology after all. As she moved to kiss him, he leaned down to meet her halfway, finding her lips sweeter than usual after they had reconciled with each other. He wished she didn’t pull back so quickly, but what she said next warmed him as well. Even though he hadn’t been afraid that Gavin’s accusations would change her mind, he felt reassured to know that she still intended to be faithful to him. He had messed up today, but she was forgiving enough to move forward and leave his mistake in the past. Her kindness made his heart flutter with a burst of affection, and he realized he was smiling in spite of himself.

As they continued walking, Crow reached to wrap one arm around her waist, wanting to hold her close to himself in his fondness for the knight. At her question, he nodded faintly. “It’s not the best plan at this point, but it’s still better than wandering aimlessly through the forest, hoping we’ll happen to stumble upon their camp,” he said with a sigh. “I hate to say it, but getting your supplies back is a bit of a long shot at this point. Aramoor is two full days’ walk from here. They’ll have sold everything off by the time we arrive without a doubt.”

Drawing her a little bit closer to himself, he looked down to meet her gaze with a frown, “Speaking of which, will your barons let you leave camp for that long? Even if we travel fast, it’s going to be at least a four day round trip before you get back to your camp, possibly five if we want to spend extra time searching around the village. Are you allowed to leave for that long?”