Tension simmered between the two men. Any anger Julianna had left in her fizzled away now that her brother was here. It had been almost seven years since she had last seen him, and they had only communicated by way of the occasional letter. He told her little of his life but the scars on his face made her heart ache. Whatever happened during those seven years?

Knowing him, he would tell her little. His dark hair was longer too, and a touch of gray sat at his temples. But she’d recognize that big, protective frame anywhere. Before he had left home, Knight had been like a guardian. Unfortunately, when he left, he could protect her no longer. Life had been bleak without him, but she had learned to defend herself. There was little a woman could do to protect herself from an arranged marriage, however.

“Drake, um, helped me.” She would not mention the run-in with those men. Knight would only want to tear the village apart to find them. “I have been working here with Louisa.”

Her brother’s face softened at the mention of the innkeeper. His gaze swung toward Louisa who was behind the bar. Could there be something between them? Louisa had not said anything but why would she? She hardly knew Julianna. However, she knew the woman had been widowed several years ago after her elderly husband died, and she’d been left with the inn as her inheritance. As far as Julianna knew, Louisa did little else but work. She was attractive and kind, though. Perfect for Knight.

“Well you need not work here anymore,” Knight said gruffly. “I can look after you.”

Julianna shook her head. “No, I would make my own way.”

“Why search me out then?” Knight glared at Drake who had remained on the edge of their conversation. “Let us go elsewhere.”

“We can go up to my room.” She gestured upstairs.

“Do you not have a bottle of whiskey to attend to?” Knight snapped at Drake.

Drake lifted both hands. “As a matter of fact, I likely do. Far be it for me to interfere in a reunion. I shall see you soon, Princess.” He grinned and hastened away before Knight could say anything.

Knight turned to Julianna. “Princess? How much time have you spent with him?” His eyes were dark with annoyance.

“He helped me, Lewis. Nothing more. You should be grateful to him.”

Knight gave a grunt. “I would rather not owe Nicholas Drake anything. The man cannot be trusted.”

Her brother began upstairs, forcing her to follow without allowing any time to question the statement. She already knew there was something strange going on with Drake. How did he know her brother? And why had that man been trying to persuade Drake to take him to France? Not to mention how furious Drake was over her asking questions. 

She pushed open the door to her room and strode over to the window to stare out. Knight followed. Even as a child she had known him as Knight. No one called him by his first name and apparently that had not changed. As a little girl, she’d felt he owned the name far more than she ever did—after all, he was her big brave protector.

She heard the door shut and turned to eye her brother. “What have you been doing all these years?”

“I wrote to you,” he said gruffly.

“Yes, but you told me little.” She motioned to his face. “What happened?”

He smirked. “Many, many things. But that does not matter. Why are you here? What has father done? Do I need to—”

“You do not need to do anything. I came here for help from you, but I have a job and lodgings now. I can manage.”

“I have money.”

“How?”

“I have worked hard. I can keep you comfortably if you wish.”

It was tempting. Life at home had been unpleasant thanks to their cold, cruel father who gave her the bare minimum to keep up appearances, but she had always been warm and well-fed. Her fingers had never felt raw from washing up or mopping floors and muscles she did not know she had twinged. However, after escaping the grasp of one man, she could not quite bring herself to throw herself upon the charity of her brother.

“I think I shall keep my job here.”

“So, will you tell me why you left? Why you had to run?” He paced toward her and pushed a curl from her eyes. “You know how much it killed me to leave you.”

Julianna nodded and bit her lip. “I used to wish you had taken me with you, but I know you could not take me.”

“It was hard enough looking after myself. You have found yourself in better circumstances than I did, it seems.”

“Thanks to Drake,” she admitted.

“Stay away from him. Stay away from his ship.” Knight’s tone brokered no discussion.

“So, he is a captain,” she mused.

“And the docks,” he warned. “In fact, anywhere that Drake might possibly be.”

“I know he is a rogue but surely—”

“I mean it,” he barked. “Steer clear of that man. This is not up for discussion.”

Though tempted to argue, she’d done enough of that for the day, and she was too pleased to see her brother to ruin the moment.

“Anyway, you still have not told me. What has father done?”

“I was to be married to John Slade. You remember him?”

Knight pinched the bridge of his nose. “Christ, I should have known Father would pass you off to one of his friends.”

She nodded. “He’s ancient and vile, and after this one night...” She suspected if she told her brother what her so-called fiancé had tried to get her to do, he would tear the room apart, so she opted to keep that memory quiet. “Well, I just knew I would rather have any other life than be married to him.”

“Father is determined. He shall try to find you.”

“Do you really think he will find me here, though? He had never found you after all.”

“I doubt he ever looked.”

“Well, it does not matter. I shall never return.”

Knight stepped back and eyed her. She lifted her chin determinedly. Their eight-year age gap meant he had always viewed her as a girl rather than a woman, she knew that much. After their mother died, Knight had taken it upon himself to do everything a father should, but that meant they were not close. While he protected and cared for her, he did not understand her, and she could not say she knew him well either. But he was a good man, no matter what their father thought of him.

“This is not the life I would wish for you,” he finally said quietly.

“It is not the life I wished for myself,” she admitted.

She had never envisaged working for a living or being so desperate that she had to flee to the end of the country. At the time, however, anything seemed better than being married to John. He would make her life miserable—she had understood that since the engagement had been announced.

“You wanted a prince, I recall?” Knight’s lips quirked.

Julianna grimaced. “I long ago gave up any idea of princes and castles and white steeds. Besides, you were the chivalrous protector I needed.”

Knight’s expression darkened. “Things have changed a lot, Julianna. I am not the same man I once was.”

“You mean the...” She lifted a finger to her face. It was obvious much had happened to Knight throughout their years apart. Horrible, horrible things perhaps.

He waved a hand dismissively. “You need not worry, I have survived quite well on my own. It will not be as easy for you, though.”

“Because I am a woman.”

He hesitated. “Cornwall is an unforgiving place. It is a far cry from the society you know.”

“The borderlands are not the kindest place either, if you recall. I might not have my luxuries, but I am no wilting flower. I can survive Cornwall as well as I can survive anywhere else.”

“And you do not miss it?”

Julianna pressed her lips together. Yes, she missed her warm, soft bed, and she missed the variety of food and someone to cook it for her. But she’d had few friends at home—her father made certain of that—and her life had been restrictive. There was something freeing about her current existence, and she already had a friend in Louisa and the serving girls.

“I am happy to be here, with you,” she told her brother.

He gave a long sigh and pushed a hand through his hair. “If you need any aid...”

She nodded. “I know I can come to you.”

“Just avoid that bloody man Drake.”

Julianna opened her mouth, closed it, then nodded. If there was one thing she remembered from growing up with him it was that he was almost as stubborn as her.

“I had better get back to work, Louisa will be wondering where I am.”

Something in her brother’s eyes flickered at the mention of the innkeeper. Clearly there was something going on there, but what? She would have to try to find out. On impulse, she wrapped her arms around his wide chest. He made a sound of surprise and stiffened before cautiously easing his arms about her.

When she had fled to Cornwall, she had not known what to expect, whether she would even find Knight or if he would help her. Now she did not need or want his help but knowing he was here, alive and well, was enough for her.

“Get to work,” he said gruffly. “I frequent this inn regularly, so I shall check on you soon.”

She nodded and hastened downstairs before Louisa could really miss her. She found the innkeeper in the kitchen, beating pastry against the table. The fair-haired woman glanced up when she entered the room and jerked her head toward a pile of potatoes waiting to be peeled.

“Can you start on those?”

“Of course.” Julianna unhooked an apron from the wall and tied it around her waist.

The rhythmic thud of Louisa rotating and pressing down the pastry combined with the slicing noise of the knife almost had her forgetting her argument with Drake. Both he and his brother had warned her away from the docks, but why? And how did the men know each other?

“Louisa, are Drake and my brother friends?”

Louisa stilled. “In a fashion. Though I am not sure Knight has friends.”

“Then why did he tell me to stay away from Drake?”

Louisa shrugged. “Drake is a rogue. Everyone thinks that. I am sure no brother wants his sister near such a man, and who can blame them?”

“Do you think Drake is a rogue?”

She gave a slow smile. “It does not matter what I think. It does not even matter what Knight thinks, Julianna. It only matters what you think.”

Julianna sighed. “That is no answer at all.”

“Well, that is all the answer you are getting from me.” Louisa picked up the canister of flour and sprinkled extra over the tabletop before turning the dough and starting at it once more. “I learned long ago not to interfere in my customers’ lives.”

“I’m not your customer,” Julianna pointed out.

“No, but you are my friend, and we women have enough people trying to make decisions in our lives for us. Far be it for me to tell you what to think.”

Despite Julianna’s frustration at the lack of an answer, she could not help but smile. Louisa considered her a friend too, and she could have little idea just how much that meant.