I woke up from the sun’s rays shining through the window and into my eyes; it was dawn. There wasn’t any movement downstairs, so I guessed that Connor wasn’t quite awake yet. I climbed down the ladder, and saw him sit up, looking at me.

I turned away, not saying anything, and walked to the door. “I’m going to check my snares,” I said, throwing my coat over my shoulders and walking out of the house.

Today’s catch was even better than yesterday; 5 big trout were caught on my hooks. I took them out, as well as the 2 trout I had left from yesterday. What with Connor’s arrival, I hadn’t been able to go to town the day before to trade my trout, so I had put them into the cold water of the lake to keep them more or less fresh. I went back to the cottage and put the fish in a basket that was standing beside the door for this purpose.

“Where’re you headed?” asked Connor, standing up.

“To the town, so I can sell this fish and get supplies for… the mission,” I paused. “I’ll be back after about an hour or so.”

He frowned. “You’re not going to take me with you?”

I turned to face Connor, looking at him. “I’ve been going into that town every single day for the better part of two years,” I pointed out. “People are used to me, or rather, Mary Sheppard, who they know me as. If I show up with someone else, that will lead to a ton of questions that I won’t be able to answer without giving away my cover.”

I could see that Connor wasn’t happy with this, but he sat down, sighing. “Fine,” he said, and I turned towards the door, ready to leave. “But Al!” he called after me, using his nickname for me. “Al, be careful, okay?”

I rolled my eyes, and nodded. “I’m always careful, Connor. You should know that by now.”

Author's Note: Sorry this chapter is so short, I'll add more later today if I can :)