"Let's eat anyway."
"Your wish is my command, Your Highness." There was resentment still in
his voice.
Ellis dismounted, helped Barbara dismount, and rein-tied the horses. He
made his way to a stand of pine a few feet off the Trail, broke an
armful of the brittle lower branches from them, and started a fire
beside the packed snow. Barbara moved into its circle of warmth and
unpacked the sandwiches. She thought they were roast buffalo, but when
she opened them she saw that they contained the last of the Christmas
ham. She knew a flush of gratitude toward her mother who, when sending
young people out for a royal time, would also provide them with a royal
feast.
"This is good!" she called to him, but Ellis was eating silently,
scarcely aware of the food at all.
Barbara laughed, took a generous bite, and ate hungrily. Ellis finished
his sandwich and took another. He was about to eat it when he
straightened and looked down the Trail. When he turned to her, his face
was serious.
"I don't like it."