The Scholar and Her Escort (A Novella)

The only child of the local village squire, Selina has always thrown herself into her studies, perhaps a little too much. She knows a lot about books but not so much about people. When she receives an invitation to the Gathering of Great Minds in Trevarde, she is desperate to attend. It's harvest time and no one can be spared from the village to escort her on her travels. Selina sees no reason why she shouldn't make the journey on her own.
Bill is a patient and good-natured gentleman, passing through Selina's village on his way to Trevarde. The local innkeeper suggests him to the squire as a suitable protector to get Selina safely through the dangerous border lands. On hearing from her father that she is threatening to make the journey alone, Bill volunteers to escort her. Willful, smart, but too sheltered to comprehend the dangers she would face traveling alone-Selina wants to shake off the man she believes her father has hired unnecessarily.
Her thoughts are on the gathering and the speaker she hopes to impress. She wants to concentrate on her studies, but when she writes Bill off as a brainless fighter, it might just lead to her most important lesson yet.