Her back

She'd spent so many years learning properity in Doren, and still struggled so silently as Lady Wessex's servant, that she couldn't remember the last time she'd been able to. raise voice. Seizing the moment, she howled and squealed like brides-to-be around her in a crowd gathered on the lawn. From somewhere ahead, a shout of joy rang out in the crowd. The winner, a healthy red-haired girl, climbed atop her fiancée's broad shoulders, gleefully waving a bouquet of wildflowers. "I found it," she chirped. "I got him. He's mine."

In cheers, the villagers surrounded the newly betrothed couple, while scattered disappointed virgins ran into the forest. A swarm of men rushed after him, ready to begin a night of hunting.

Smiling, Torcia followed with a leisurely pace, with no desire to be the target of attention from over-aggressive amorous men. Within minutes, the party participants would pair up and she would sneak back to Highland. Pausing at the edge of the forest, she leaned against a sturd