he needed time to heal as much as she did . nine people filled the space and some cried out in alarm . she knew that later on , when the chaos settled around her heart , shed cry . sophia 's small hand slipped into his , and he gave it a squeeze of appreciation . but the truth was so easy to put off , so easy to deny . he rode back to the carriage . my own face still felt hot and when i glanced down , i saw that all the hairs on my arms were standing up . 