Brand was taken aback and mightily so. Of all the possibilities he had entertained, this was farther removed. He eyed her openly. She was a widow? But she was so young.
His brow rode high. "How old are you?" he blunted, the question escaping before he could temper it.
"I am twenty-nine."
His surprise deepened, quickly giving way to disbelief. He blinked. How was she twenty-nine? She did not look a day over twenty-three, and even then, it had been a generous assumption. The years had left no visible mark on her; marriage had not diminished even a single youthfulness. He could not imagine what she must have looked like before—a younger version of this striking woman, perhaps even more radiant. She remained young, although looking particularly tired.
Then his surprise turned to irritation, annoyance even. Did her in-laws choose to mistreat her after the death of her husband? Perhaps that was why she ran away.
