In the Lion's Den

Apologies

Simon was almost back to panicking.

It took Bess much longer to return than he had anticipated, and the last words of the old man had taken away all the confidence he had previously held about being released soon.

He was starting to question if she would return or if she had taken offence in how he was behaving earlier, when finally the door opened again and Bess entered, pushing it open with her hips while balancing a tray, pinching her flashlight under her right shoulder.

The smell of freshly cut bread, cheese and strong black tea was almost overwhelming, and the rumbling in his stomach he had forgotten about returned with a vengeance.

She did not hesitate a bit as she approached the iron bars, set down the tray on the bare dirt floor in front of him and positioned the torch so that it illuminated the room just enough without being overpowering.

In the flickering light he could see that her cheeks were slightly reddened and streaks of hair had fallen out of her previously neat updo.

"I'm sorry I wasn't back earlier, the kitchen is quite a mess, it took me ages to find everything."

"Bess, you didn't need to, I told you not to worry about me."

"Yes, I did need to. I needed to do at least something, I can't bear seeing you like this."

"You did so much more than that. Thank you for the food, you're right, I am starving."

She smiled at him and all the resolve he had to tell her the hard truth vanished. He couldn't make her sad. But he couldn't encourage her any further either.

"We do have time to talk now, don't we?" She asked, looking at him with a hint of insecurity.

He nodded, hoping it was reassuring to her.

"As far as I can tell, there won't be anyone coming until tomorrow in the evening."

He could see the concern flashing in her eyes.

"That's a long time. How are you managing?"

"To be honest, I am not. But it does help having you here."

That widened her smile.

"It will help as well having something in your stomach. Please" she gestured towards the tray: "help yourself."

He didn't need to be told twice.

While he kneeled down to reach for one of the sandwiches, Bess sat on the floor in a crosslegged position and proceeded to pour some of the hot tea from the thermos into a cup.

"You'll ruin your dress." He pointed out while taking the first bite and savouring the rich aroma of cheese and butter.

"Oh, no worries, this dress is thoroughly ruined already. First the fall on the dusty road in the morning, then the cobwebs behind the wine barrels - that space was awfully tight, did you know? The dirt floor will only add a nice texture to it... I'll have to put it in the deepest parts of my valise and then hope that Iris can work her magic on it when I return home."

"Wait, you fell on the road this morning?"

"Well, I was rather pushed. I... I didn't see whomever did it, but they also left a threatening message."

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I didn't want to worry you, and besides, when should I have told you? You made it rather clear that you wanted me out as fast as possible."

"I didn't want you out, I wanted you safe."

He saw a flicker of emotion flashing her face that he could not quite classify - was it anger, resentment?