Chapter 5 #2
“Stop!” Mr. Collins ordered. “Her money will be sent to her father.”
“But how is she to buy a place on the stage?” asked Charlotte anxiously.
“She ought to have thought about that before accepting the devil into her heart. Not another word from you, wife!”
Charlotte turned up her hands to indicate helplessness, but she cast a significant look towards the window.
Enough was enough. Elizabeth said icily, “Lady Catherine has magic and she knows it. So does Miss de Bourgh.”
“You lie! Lady Catherine would never allow the taint of magic to touch her.”
“She will not admit it, but you can ask Mr. Darcy, Colonel Fitzwilliam, or even Lord Matlock, and they will tell you the same. Lady Catherine is a hypocrite, and so, Cousin William, are you.” She marched past him, snatched her bonnet from the vestibule before he could refuse her that as well, and left the parsonage, resisting the temptation to slam the door behind her.
Had he really cast her out with no means of getting home?
The door opened behind her and Mr. Collins flung Pepper onto the path. He did slam the door.
Elizabeth crouched down beside the cat. “Pepper, are you hurt?”
Pepper sat and began to primly wash her face. Was that blood by her mouth? She did not seem injured, so it must not be hers.
“Good Pepper! I hope you bit him hard,” said Elizabeth vindictively.
The cat gave her look of great satisfaction.
How could Mr. Collins throw her out without the means to care for herself? If Colonel Fitzwilliam and Mr. Darcy were not there to help her, she would have no choice but to start for London on foot, hardly a safe proposition for a young woman alone. Walking in slippers never meant to be used out of doors, her feet would be bleeding long before she arrived. And Faerie could no longer be a refuge for her, not while there were glamour traps.
“We might as well start out for Rosings,” she told Pepper. She had to do something. Walking through the grove would be easier on her slippers than the gravel on the road. If only she had her half-boots! But she would never see her half-boots again, the ones that had fit perfectly and kept her feet dry, nor her beloved blue dress, nor the shift of the finest linen Mrs. Gardiner had given her for Christmas. All those would be nothing more than ashes soon. Her breath caught on a sob. How utterly unfair this was! Lady Catherine was despicable, despicable. She had engineered this, no doubt in revenge for Elizabeth revealing her magic. Wicked, detestable woman!
What would Mr. Darcy say when he learned of this? She could picture him descending on Mr. Collins like an avenging angel. The thought almost made her laugh. Yes, far better to think about that than what she had lost. But Mr. Darcy had left for London that morning. What if Colonel Fitzwilliam had decided to go with him? Then she would have no recourse until they returned. Perhaps Charlotte would manage to help her somehow, to put money or food outside the window, but it would be a long, cold night without her pelisse. Oh, damn Mr. Collins!
She stopped short and, suddenly weak, leaned against a tree. Losing all her possessions was the least of her worries. Mr. Collins would insist on writing to Sir William Lucas with the news she had been exposed as a witch. Within days everyone in Meryton would know. She squeezed her eyes shut. Here she was again, facing the fate she had worried about if Mr. Darcy guessed her secret. And it had been so lovely, those few days at Rosings when she had felt no need to hide her magic! Now she would have to go away after all, to leave everything, and move to a refuge for wisewomen. No home, no family, no friends.
“Mrrow.”
“Yes, at least I will still have you, Pepper,” she said in a shaky voice. “That will be a comfort.”
Her eyes must be red, but she did not care. It did not stop her from knocking on the door of Rosings House .
When the gaunt butler opened the door, she said, “I am here to see Colonel Fitzwilliam.” If the butler thought it was inappropriate for a single lady to call on a gentleman, that was his problem. Elizabeth no longer cared.
He looked down his nose at her. “Lady Catherine has given instructions that you are not to be admitted under any circumstances.”
Elizabeth gritted her teeth. “Then I will ask you to take a message to Colonel Fitzwilliam telling him I wish to speak to him.”
“I cannot provide you any such services. Good day, Miss Bennet.” He closed the door in her face.
Astounded, she glared at the door, her distress overpowered by fierce rage. Lady Catherine meant to make her helpless and destitute.
Elizabeth refused to oblige her, no matter what it took. She would find the colonel somehow. She could probably go in through the kitchen door since the staff were accustomed to her presence at Rosings, but she might be seen if she had to wander from room to room hunting for him. If she knew where he might be, it would be feasible.
“Pepper? Would you be willing to look in the windows to see where Colonel Fitzwilliam is?”
Normally Pepper would have considered such a request and perhaps waited to be bribed with a treat, but this time she simply walked behind a bush and emerged as a raven. She must realize how desperate a situation this was. The bird flew to the house, pausing on each windowsill for a minute or two, seeming to pick random windows each time.
Pepper flew out of sight to the other side of the house. Elizabeth chewed the side of her thumb, a habit she had left behind in childhood. What would she do if she could not find the colonel? Darcy had intended to return tomorrow morning, but he could easily change those plans. There was no need for him to return before Beltane. Two days away. Two nights when she would have no shelter and no way to protect herself. Her stomach churned .
Her nerves were nearly shattered by the time the white raven returned and perched on the same bush. “Where is he, Pepper? Will you show me where he is?”
The bird only tipped her head to one side.
Foreboding choked her. “He is not there, is he? That is why Lady Catherine thought she could do this to me.” He must have gone to London with Mr. Darcy, leaving her helpless and alone. Was Lady Catherine watching her through the window and laughing?
At least she could discover whether Colonel Fitzwilliam had left or not. She set off for the stables. Apparently no one there had been instructed not to speak to her, as the stable master greeted her politely and asked how he could help her.
“I understand Mr. Darcy left for London this morning,” she said.
“Aye, so he did, miss.”
“Did Colonel Fitzwilliam accompany him?” She held her breath.
“No, miss. The colonel is out riding.”
Her mind could hardly comprehend the words. “Does that mean he will return today?” Her voice shook.
“Aye, miss, he will be back before dinner, if not sooner.”
By dinner the last stage to London would have left. But he would help her, would he not? She had hardly spoken to him since her return from Faerie, but he could not have changed that much.
“Is something the matter, miss?”
She burst into tears, his kindly words more than she could bear. Covering her face with her hands, she ordered herself to stop, but that only made her cry harder.
“Now then, miss, surely it cannot be that bad.” The poor man clearly had no idea what to do.
“I... I am sorry. I need to speak to the colonel quite desperately.”
He seemed relieved by this. “No need to worry, then, miss. He’ll be back soon. You can wait for him at the house. ”
“No! Not the house. I will wait for him here, if I may.”
His brow furrowed. “Here? In the stables?”
She swallowed hard, trying to keep the sobs back. “Is there a bench I can sit on where I will see him when he comes?”
His expression cleared. “Yes, right out here in the yard. You will be in the shade, and no one will bother you.”
“Thank you,” she said wearily. “That will be perfect.”
She let her emotions grow numb along with her body. Although it was not as cold as winter, the April weather would have been easier to tolerate with her pelisse. Elizabeth was thoroughly chilled after half an hour or so.
At last Colonel Fitzwilliam trotted into the stable yard on a black horse, dismounted fluidly, and came straight to her, his riding crop still in his hand. “What is the matter, Miss Bennet?”
She tried to remember the speech she had carefully composed. “Forgive me, Colonel. I must return to London tonight, and I find myself without sufficient funds to purchase a ticket. I am hoping to impose upon you to loan me the fare, which I will repay once I reach my uncle’s house.” There. She had said it without starting to cry, although her voice had quavered a bit.
His brows drew together. “Miss Bennet, if you need to go to London tonight, I will take you there myself, but I must ask what has occurred to cause this urgent need? Has someone mistreated you?”
She tried to summon a shaky smile. “It is a complex story, and I do not wish to drag you into the middle of it.”
He frowned. “In other words, yes, someone has mistreated you. Will you come to the house for a glass of wine? It may calm your nerves.”
She should have known he would ask more questions. “Not the house,” she said miserably. There was no point in hiding it. “Lady Catherine has decreed I am not to be admitted.”
“What?” he cried. “That is ridiculous. ”
“Perhaps, but nonetheless true. That is why I waited for you here. The butler refused even to give you a message.
“That is intolerable.” His expression was stormy. “I will resolve this, I promise you.”
“Since I cannot remain here anyway, it does not matter.” She raised her chin to disguise her trembling lips. “Mr. Collins has cast me out of his house with nothing but the clothes I am wearing. He plans to burn my other possessions. He would not even permit me to take what money I had, hence my request for a loan.”
“The devil!” He jumped to his feet, his eyes burning with anger. “Why would he do such a thing?”
Elizabeth looked away, blinking hard. “He said it was on Lady Catherine’s instructions, because I am a witch.”
“Damn them!” He slammed his riding crop into the wall hard enough to crack the handle. Scowling, he snapped it in half, flung it on the ground, and strode across the stable yard. With his back to her, he laid one hand on the wall and appeared to study the ground.
Elizabeth bit her lip. She had known he would be angry, but she had not imagined the amiable colonel would react this strongly.
After a few minutes he returned. “Pray forgive my show of temper. I am trying to remind myself that I can postpone the pleasure of thrashing Mr. Collins until after I have arranged for your safety, but it is a struggle. And do not tell me I should not thrash him. When I think what might have happened to you, a woman, penniless and alone, had I not been here!” He sounded on the edge of fury.
Her eyes grew wet again. “That thought has already crossed my mind a number of times. I am beyond grateful for any assistance you can give me.”
“I do not need your thanks for doing what any gentleman with an iota of decency would do!” he burst out.
She was too grateful for his assistance to worry about the impropriety of it. “If I can only get to London, my uncle there will take me in.”
“That is an option, but you would have to return the day after tomorrow. Perhaps we can take a room for you at the inn, with a maid to bear you company.”
Elizabeth bit her lip. “If word reached them that I was a witch, a maid could not keep me safe, nor even a manservant,” she said in a low voice.
“There must be a way. Let me think.” He rubbed his hand over his forehead. “I have it. I know just the thing.”
RICHARD GREETED DARCY and Frederica in the imposing entrance hall of Rosings Park. “Welcome back, Darcy. Freddie, I had not expected to see you here.”
His younger sister untied her bonnet. “I am in disgrace at home, and events here sounded more interesting than anything in London. I want to meet the famous Miss Bennet.”
Richard raised a finger to his lips. “I strongly advise you against mentioning –”
“Is that you, Darcy?” Lady Catherine’s shrill voice came from the drawing room.
Darcy made a wry face at Frederica. “I had hoped to avoid this,” he said sotto voce before striding into the drawing room. “Yes, Aunt, I have only just returned from London. Lady Frederica has accompanied me.” He bowed to Lady Catherine and her daughter.
“Frederica? Why is she here?” asked Lady Catherine querulously.
Darcy had preferred it when his aunt had been restricted to her rooms. “She wished to come, and I saw no reason to object. I am glad to see your health continues to improve. ”
“I have been in perfect health for days,” snapped Lady Catherine.
Frederica said soothingly, “That is excellent news. I must write to my father tonight. He has been most concerned about you.”
Lady Catherine ignored her. “Darcy, I do not see why you had to go running off to London on a fool’s errand. I did not give you permission to leave.”
As if he needed her permission! “I had vital information which had to be delivered to Lord Matlock in person. Now I must ask you to excuse me, as I need to find Miss Bennet.”
Lady Catherine’s face distorted with rage. Pointing a bony finger at him, she hissed, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live!” Her wits must still be wandering.
Richard strode in, his lips tight and his face white. What had been happening at Rosings while Darcy had been in London? “That will be quite enough, Aunt,” Richard said firmly.
This time Lady Catherine shrieked the words. “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live!”
Richard’s hand snaked out and caught her wrist. “Sit down!” he commanded. “You must stop this. Miss Bennet is in London.”
Confused, Darcy said, “Why did she go to London?” He winced as Frederica’s foot connected with his ankle.
“It is a long story,” Richard said through gritted teeth.
Lady Catherine declared, “You should have let me die before you allowed that witch to touch me!”
Richard snarled, “I wish I had taken her advice and let the surgeon cut off your arm!”
Darcy held up his hands. “Miss Bennet used no witchcraft on you, only magic, just as Richard or I would do.” Out of the corner of his eye he saw Anne swooning, attended by Mrs. Jenkinson.
“A woman with magic is an abomination!”
Frederica stepped in front of Darcy. “You are a woman with magic. So was your sister, Darcy’s mother. So is your daughter Anne. So am I. None of us are abominations.”
“How dare you? I have never been soiled by magic, nor has Anne!”
“That is not true.” Richard swung to face Darcy. “She has been like this since you left. The servants let her out of her rooms yesterday and refused to put her back. Last night I had to throw her over my shoulder and carry her there myself, but somehow she got out again.”
Lady Catherine cried, “He has abused me abominably. Laying his hands on me!”
“Richard,” cried Frederica in shock. “How could you do such a thing!”
Richard glared at her. “Once you hear why I did it, you will berate me for not doing more.”
Frederica crouched down by Lady Catherine’s chair and placed her hand on her aunt’s wrist. In a soothing, almost singsong voice, she said, “Pay no attention to Richard and Darcy. You know how foolish men can be, always angry about one thing or another. They do not understand what it means to be a lady or how hard we must strive every day. Perhaps I can explain it to them later when they are calmer.”
Lady Catherine’s head fell forward and she emitted a snore.
Frederica stood and brushed off her hands. “There. Now you can take her to her rooms. She will not awaken for half an hour or so. But you did not see me do that.”
“See what?” asked Richard blandly. “Freddie, you may have saved her life. I was within an inch of strangling her.”
“Within an inch?” asked Frederica. “It looked more like a hair’s breadth to me.”
Richard scooped up Lady Catherine in his arms. “I will take her upstairs and lock her in again. Maybe it will last a little longer this time.”
Darcy waited impatiently until his cousin returned a few minutes later. “Why did Miss Bennet go back to London?” he demanded.
Richard put his finger to his lips for secrecy. “Come into the library and I will tell you there.”
What was all this secrecy? After the wasted trip to London, Darcy was in no mood for games.
“May I join you?” asked Federica.
“If you do not mind the sight of Darcy losing his temper,” Richard replied genially.
“My temper is already on edge,” Darcy warned as Richard closed the library doors behind him.
“As is mine, I assure you. First, allow me to reassure you Miss Bennet is quite well and is ensconced safely at the Dower House.” Richard opened a decanter and poured a generous glass of port. He offered it to Darcy. “Drink this.”
“I do not want a drink. It is barely noon.”
“You will need this if you want to hear the story.” Richard was using his commanding officer voice, so he was not going to give in.
Annoyed, Darcy took small sip and set the glass aside. “Now what happened?”
“Lady Catherine happened. As soon as you left, she convinced the servants to let her out of her rooms. She would not listen to me, so I left her with her pet parson who had come to call. I decided it was a good day for a very long ride. I had been out for a few hours when one of the grooms came looking for me. The stable master had sent him to tell me there was a distressed young lady at the stables looking for me, crying her eyes out.”
“Not Miss Elizabeth.” Darcy was certain of that. She would never be found sobbing in a stable.
“It was indeed Miss Bennet, begging me to loan her money for the stagecoach to London. She did not want to tell me why, but I insisted. Mr. Collins, following our aunt’s instructions, had named her a witch and cast her out of the house with nothing but the clothes on her back and without a penny to her name.”
Icy rage poured through Darcy. He did not know how he had ended up on his feet, his fists clenched. “I will kill him.”
“You will have to wait until he is well enough to walk and has recovered from losing a few teeth and assorted other injuries,” Richard said with satisfaction. “But he is not the only culprit. When Miss Bennet came here looking for me, she was told Lady Catherine had given orders she was not to be admitted nor to leave messages. That is how she ended up at the stables.”
Frederica’s eyes were wide. “Are you certain Lady Catherine actually asked him to do that?”
Richard nodded emphatically. “She admitted it to me, although it appears that the detail of burning all her possessions was added by Mr. Collins in the hope of earning Lady Catherine’s forgiveness for harboring Miss Bennet. Fortunately, Mrs. Collins managed to save a very few of her things by hiding them away, but if you have any spare clothing, Freddie, Miss Bennet might appreciate it. I took a few things of Anne’s for her, but they are too short.”
“She is at the Dower House, you say?” Darcy demanded
Richard nodded. “She wanted to go to London, but I convinced her this would be better, at least until Beltane. By the way, Darcy, I appropriated a few of the junior staff here and reassigned them to the Dower House. I told them you would dismiss them without a character if they breathed a word to Lady Catherine.”
Darcy wished he could dismiss Lady Catherine without a character. He could not speak to her now, not when his fingers itched to go around her neck. He would never forgive her for this.
“But why?” asked Frederica. “Why would she do such a terrible thing? She has always been difficult, but this is so much worse.”
Richard grimaced. “Our aunt is not fully in her right mind yet, and perhaps that accounts for some of it, but I believe the primary reason was to protect her secret. She knew Miss Bennet must have guessed she had her own magic, but since none of us had mentioned it, she thought we had not been told. If Miss Bennet was the only one who knew, she wanted to dispose of her and discredit her. It seems not to have occurred to her that I would take Miss Bennet’s side against her.”
Darcy’s feet started moving towards the door. He had to reach Elizabeth.
“Where are you going?” asked Richard sharply. “Do not do anything rash.”
Frederica chuckled. “One of the Fighting Fitzwilliams telling Darcy not to be rash. Impossible.”
“I will have you know I was remarkably restrained, Freddie,” said Richard. “I broke my riding crop in half when she told me, but I did not thrash Mr. Collins until after I had arranged a safe place for her.”
“I am going to the Dower House,” said Darcy icily.
“I will come with you,” said Richard. “Freddie, you might want to stay there with Miss Bennet.”
“I have never met her, but I am quite certain I will prefer her company to Lady Catherine’s,” declared Frederica.
Richard said, “Darcy, one more thing. Miss Bennet has been very concerned about your reaction to the news. If you can at least appear calm, that will help her.”
“WELCOME,” ELIZABETH said stiffly. “Lady Frederica, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
Richard laughed. “You need not worry about Freddie, Miss Bennet. She is in disgrace with our father, and I promise you there is no one more in agreement with you on binding spells than she is. ”
“That is why I am in disgrace,” Frederica said candidly. “I had not known about the binding spell on Cousin Anne until Darcy mentioned it, and my reaction was a bit unseemly.”
“Explosive is the word I might have used,” said Darcy. He had to appear calm for Elizabeth's sake.
“Well, yes. Mama thought it would be wise to send me away to calm down, but I do not know how she thinks that will happen when I have to see poor Cousin Anne’s sufferings every day.”
“Mother must have had an ulterior motive,” said Richard resignedly. “She always does.”
Elizabeth canted her head and looked at Darcy questioningly. “Permit me to guess. Colonel Fitzwilliam told you to appear calm.”
Darcy sucked in a sharp breath. “I beg of you not to tease me on this matter. I am sorry I was not here when you were in need.”
“I am just as glad you were not here to see what I looked like yesterday.” But she said it in the kindly manner.
Frederica stepped close to Elizabeth and held a hand at the level of the tops of their heads. “Good. We are much of a height, and I imagine my clothes will fit you well enough.”
Elizabeth's cheeks colored. “I am not accustomed to asking for the assistance of strangers, and I wish I could say that it is unnecessary, but sadly, it would be a help. I do not need much, just a few things until I can obtain new ones.”
“I have too many dresses, anyway. You may ask anyone.” Frederica's gaze traveled down to Elizabeth's feet. “Shoes. Are you in need of shoes?”
Elizabeth looked away suddenly, blinking rapidly.
Richard said softly, “There were none among the things Mrs. Collins sent.”
“What? You had to walk to Rosings in those?” Frederica sounded outraged. “Richard, I hope you hit that man very, very hard. ”
Elizabeth said quickly, “Mr. Darcy, did you meet with any success in your conversations with Lord Matlock?”
He hated to give her more bad news. “Lord Matlock was very interested in trying to preserve the faerie groves. He took me to Whitehall to meet with Mr. Pitt to discuss what the government could do, but that was less successful. At first Pitt said he could not help since it is impossible to legislate how landowners could use their land. Then he discouraged us from even raising the issue because it would only lead to greater destruction of faerie groves.”
“But why?” cried Elizabeth.
“Because most landowners consider the fay a nuisance. Now they have become an active danger as well. Why protect the rings and hope for the best when you could destroy the rings and remove both the danger and the nuisance?” Darcy rubbed his forehead. “I am sorry. I did my best.”
Richard frowned. “There must be a reason why the fay come to our world. We need to find out what it is.”
If only he had an answer! But Darcy had been wracking his brain for reasons why contact with fay should be protected. His uncle wanted it so he could indulge his researcher’s curiosity. Darcy did not even have that much of a reason, only a sense that the fay were a natural part of England. But foremost in his mind was Elizabeth. Faerie was part of her.
Elizabeth said, “Thousands of people across England leave bread and milk out for the fay every day, and each one tells stories of gardens and crops that would not grow when someone failed to do so. It might be superstition, or we might be risking crop failures across England if the groves are destroyed.”
Darcy said slowly, “The last two harvests have not been good. The fay attacks also started two years ago.”
Frederica rubbed her fingers together thoughtfully. “I wonder if harvests are worse where groves have been destroyed.”
“Was anything decided?” Elizabeth asked .
“Nothing will be done at least until we know more,” said Darcy. “They suggested I should explain to the Sidhe that this is their own fault, and their war risks destroying all the groves. I told them I would rather walk into King George’s presence and speak treason than threaten the Sidhe lord.”
“I agree,” said Elizabeth. “If we have nothing positive to offer, I think we are better off trying to learn more about the situation.”
“I also spoke to Lord Matlock about the spell on Cousin Anne,” said Darcy. “He will not remove it. He also said there would be no point in trying to get someone else to do so, since he had designed it so no one else could break it.”
“That was when I became explosive,” said Frederica.
“She truly did.” Darcy was glad of the opportunity to change the subject. “Richard, I had not realized your sister is also a Fighting Fitzwilliam, although she uses words instead of fists or swords. I would not want to cross her!”
“Fighting Fitzwilliams?” asked Elizabeth.
Richard grinned. “The ton nickname for the three Fitzwilliam brothers. We are known for, ah, having a bit of a temper when it comes to questions of our honor.”
“A bit of a temper!” Frederica mocked. “The three of you have fought more duels than the rest of the ton put together.”
Richard wagged his finger at her. “You should not complain, Freddie. That is why you never have to fight off impudent young men. They know better than to try anything with our sister.”
Frederica put her hands on her hips. “I do not have to fight them off because I stop them myself,” she said in a dulcet voice. “There is a reason why I spent months perfecting a spell to make someone fall asleep immediately.”
Her brother’s eyes narrowed. “Names, Freddie. I want names,” he said fiercely .
Frederica turned to Elizabeth. “You see?”
“I do. I saw a little of it yesterday as well.” Elizabeth’s eyes were dancing. “I cannot say I objected at the time.”
“Names, Freddie. Now.” Richard’s hands were clenched into fists.
“So you can challenge them to a duel and make sure everyone in London knows they tried to kiss me? How, precisely, will that be helpful in protecting my reputation?”
“Names,” Richard rumbled. “This is your last chance.”
“Names?” said Freddie airily. “Let me see. Humpty Dumpty, Peter Piper, Jack the Giant Killer –”
Darcy spoke over her. “Miss Elizabeth, would you care to join me in the dining room until these two manage to settle their differences?”
Richard glared daggers at him, grabbed Frederica’s elbow and pulled her out of the drawing room and slammed the doors shut behind them.
“Oh, my,” said Elizabeth faintly. “I had no idea the good colonel could be so....”
“Belligerent?” Darcy offered. “As you can see, it runs in the family.”
“I think I like Lady Frederica, especially if she fought with Lord Matlock.”
“She did. She called him a hypocrite, liar, and a great many names I had no idea any lady knew, and when he told her to behave herself, she threw a glass of wine in his face and told him he was a sorcerer’s spawn and she hoped someone would put him under a binding spell someday. That was when Lady Matlock announced Frederica would be coming here with me today.”
Elizabeth pressed her hand to her chest. “Good heavens! What did he do to her?”
“He roared and grumbled for a time and threatened to cut off his sons’ allowances for teaching her inappropriate words. His bark is worse than his bite.”
“I remain unconvinced of that, but you should be proud of me for overcoming my prejudices. Who was the first person I asked for help when Mr. Collins named me a witch? A mage,” she teased.
“I am glad you were able to trust Richard that far.” It was not fair to feel bitter that it was Richard she trusted. He had not been there, but it was hard not to believe she preferred his cousin. “Are you finding it comfortable here?”
“It is quite comfortable, I thank you.”
“We can send over more servants from the main house if you wish.” It was all he had to offer.
Elizabeth shook her head. “There is no need. You would hardly know the house has been empty.”
Somehow Darcy managed to keep a facade of calm as the discussion continued, but he knew he would not be able to maintain it forever. The day after tomorrow was Beltane, and neither of them needed any extra stress before that. But afterwards, he was going to tell Elizabeth he wanted the right to protect her.
His sleep was haunted by the image of Elizabeth, alone and helpless.