~ ASH ~
Two hours later we sat our horses in the trees, watching through the gaps as the carriage was loaded and packed, and the horses harnessed.
"I still don't understand," she whispered. "Why are you making such a show of sending the carriage anyway?"
"Because we do want people to think you've gone—just not where and how you actually went."
"Because they'll try to hurt me?"
"No, but… I'll explain later when we're safe and out of any possible earshot of anyone else.
It took hours—first to make certain the carriage left with a servant inside who was built and colored like Zara, and who'd been paid to dress in a cloak and walk through the house to enter the carriage with the hood up, to look like she was leaving. Then we had to wait for the carriage to roll out and have time to be followed.
