He was petrified.

There could be no doubt that he had been tricked quite as cleverly as she.
But what could have been in the old man's design?
Was it a trap?
Did he expect her to rush into Braden's arms?
Was he lurking behind some near-by curtain to witness her surrender?
Was he putting her to the test, or was it his grandson who was on trial?
Here was the supreme crisis in the life of Anne Tresslyn: the turning point.

Her whole being cried out against this crafty trick.

One word now from Braden would have altered the whole course of her life.

In eager silence she stood on the thin edge of circumstance, ready to fall as the wind blew strongest.