He could go after her—but what then? He had nothing to offer her, and he was not so blind that he couldn’t see she had growing affections for him. Logically, he knew it would hurt them both less to stop the feelings now. He tapped his aching heart. Even if he was granted a small parcel of land, that didn’t mean he could afford a wife. Not a lady, anyway. Her abilities to heal, or see auras, only served to point out how wrong she was for him. She acted on emotion and thought nothing of giving hugs or kisses. She was as unfettered as the wind. He was a restrained knight of God. He’d been to the Holy City, and his spirit had flourished. The Ten Commandments, the seven steps to Scripture—there were boundaries that kept a man on the straight road. Sir Percy’s upbringing of strict faith reminded him every day that the path to God was black and white and held no room for those who strayed. And Ela made him want to stray. Hell, she made him want to dive off the path and into the ecstasy he knew he’d find in her arms.
