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Miss Korelli looks at you.”
    Rob squinted at him, incredulous. “The devil are you talkingabout?” He set his mug onto the counter, perhaps too forcefully. “The girl cannot stand me, Thad.”
    His father only shrugged. “If you say so.”
    Rob shook his head. The old man was turning batty.
    “Well.” Thad raised his arms overhead, suspenders stretching over his portly belly. “I’m turning in for the night. But by all means, you two stay up. I’m sure our guest is craving your attention.” With a tiny wink, he strode off, leaving Rob in the kitchen with Maverick.
    The dog bobbed its tail, sniffing the counter for crumbs, and Rob tossed him a biscuit. Making up his mind, he pressed through the front door, joining the girl on the porch. She was finishing her evening prayers, bringing her first two fingers to her brow. Serenely, she reopened her eyes.
    Neither spoke at first, listening to the chirps of crickets and the throaty belches of toads in the pond across the way. At last, Rob broke the silence. “So. You ready to hit the road again tomorrow?”
    Her eyes dimmed. “I suppose.”
    “What’s the matter?”
    Antonia shrugged, watching the pulse of a firefly hovering before them. “I rather like it out here. Your father is very kind.”
    If by kind she meant crazy, then Rob would agree. He examined her, noting the distance in her expression. “How long has it been,” he asked, “since you last saw your own father?”
    She looked away, holding her breath.
    “Annie?”
    “Six years.”
    Rob frowned. “That’s an awfully long time.”
    She met his gaze, and he was surprised by the tears glistening on her lashes. “I know. Temple apprentices are forbidden to see their families until they’ve been initiated into the priestess-hood. It is the custom.”
    Rob fingered his collar. “Well, we could go and visit your parents sometime, if you’d like. I could…take you to them—”
    But she fretfully shook her head, startling him. “Nay,” she breathed, blue eyes wide. “My parents mustn’t everknow I’ve fled the temple!”
    “But won’t they eventually find out?” asked Rob, bemused. “When all the other apprentices are anointed, your family shall surely notice your absence among them.”
    “Then let them notice at that time,” Antonia insisted. “By then, I’ll be long since wed, off on a brave adventure with my noble knight.” Her expression sparkled at the thought. “Anyway. You are lucky to have a home and family to return to.”
    Rob snorted. “That’s generous of you, seeing as the place is a wreck these days. Trust me, things could’ve been a whole lot different for us.”
    The girl propped her elbows on the railing behind her. Rob couldn’t help but take in the outline of her figure against the glow of the low-hanging moon. “What do you mean?” she asked him.
    “It’s sort of a long story.” He sighed. “But we used to live in Innía City. That’s where I was raised. Thad owned a medical practice there, though he was always tinkering on the side. We were well-off, back then. And for all ten years of grammar school, I attended the Innía Institute for Boys.”
    Antonia looked impressed. “Really?”
    Rob smiled at the memory of his youth. “It was a great place for learning. Alas, I wasn’t the best pupil. Bit of a daydreamer.” He folded his arms, peering out to the woods. “It was there I met my best mate, Jules Adams. He’s the man you encountered the morning…well, the morning we met.”
    Antonia scrunched her brow.
    “Oh, Adams and I did everything together, every day devising games and scavenger hunts around town. Often, I’d get so caught up in our play, I’d neglect my schoolwork. Adams, on the other hand, was a far better student. I always had to copy his notes.” Rob chuckled humorlessly, recalling the shy, studious raven-haired boy alongside whom he’d grown up. Where had things ever gone wrong between them?
    He stepped closer until he stood