by Hunt, Brenda
not look at Nate. She could not.
“No more flour in your eye, Dulcey?” asked Abby, as she helped Dulcey, but she looked at her Uncle Nate.
“No, Poppet. My eye is fine. What shall we have for supper? Rabbit stew or partridges?” asked Dulcey knowing that was all they had.
“A little of both,” answered Dulcey and Abby together. They both laughed.
Nate watched Dulcey closely. It was going to be torture to stay in this small cottage with her in such close proximity. “I think I will go outside and check on the snow.” He grabbed his greatcoat off the wall, put it on and walked out the door. A blast of cold air entered as he walked out. Dulcey stared at the closed door. She knew that it was best they go back to Brandanlyn as soon as possible but she would miss Abby. If she was honest with herself, she would miss Nate, too.
They were putting the last of supper on the table when Nate came back in from the outside. Another blast of cold air accompanied him. He looked frozen. Dulcey went to him and helped him with his greatcoat. She helped him remove his gloves and took his cold hands in her warm ones and blew on them hoping her warm breath would help.
Nate eyes flared with passion, coming in from the cold, he wanted to warm up with her. The walk in the snow had not quenched his thirst for her. Her warm breath on his hands was torture.
Dulcey pulled her hands away and turned to the table. Her heart beat was chaotic. Why had she tried to warm his hands? She knew touching him was dangerous, but she could not help herself. “How is it outside?”
“Good news. It has stopped snowing. But the snow drifts are rather high and large. Hopefully, by tomorrow we can walk out of here. It will be slow but I think Max
will be able to walk us to Brandanlyn.”
“It’s about an hour on a good day,” suggested Dulcey. “Do you remember the way?”
“Not exactly, but since you are coming with us, I’m sure you can show us the way.”
“But I am not coming with you,” argued Dulcey. “I cannot leave my animals.” She did not want to go back to Brandanlyn knowing it was his home now.
“We need you to show us the way. I will send one of the servants back for your animals, but you are coming to Brandanlyn.”
Dulcey opened her mouth to argue with him but when she saw the hard determination in his eyes, she thought better. There would be time enough tomorrow, when they left.
Dulcey set supper on the table. If they did not leave tomorrow, she would have to use what was left of the ham hock that hung in the lean to. Maybe she could go hunting in the morning. Supper was a quiet affair, except for Abby who kept a steady stream of conversation. Often throughout the meal Dulcey looked up to find Nate studying her intensely. It was unnerving. As much as she loved their company, especially Abby’s, she would be glad for the peace and quiet again. But then Dulcey wondered if she would ever be able to accept the aloneness again, after tasting what her heart truly dreamed of.
After supper and the table was cleared, Dulcey pulled the pallet out from under the bed. Nate took it from her and placed it on the floor by the hearth.
“Thank you,” said Dulcey.
“Are we sleeping on the pallet again Dulcey?” asked Abby as she laid down on it once it was in place.
“No, Poppet. You and Dulcey will have the bed and I will sleep on the floor tonight.”
Dulcey could not look at Nate. All she could think about was last night and how she felt when she lay under him and then his kiss again this afternoon.
“Let’s get you washed up and I have another chemise you can change into.” Dulcey poured some warm water in the bowl. She made quick work of the wash and donned her extra chemise on Abby. “Into bed, Poppet.”
“Are you putting on your night clothes, Dulcey?”
“No, Poppet, I think I will sleep in my dress tonight.” Dulcey threw a short glance in Nate’s direction. He was watching her again.
“Are you going to tell me another story about fairies?” asked Abby.
“All right, move over and give me some room and I will tell you your story.”
Dulcey watched as Nate went about and extinguished the candles. The only light came from the fireplace. She watched as he added more peat to the fire and banked it till it glowed brightly. He moved effortlessly like the big tom cat at Brandanlyn. She knew the feel of that body against hers.
“My story, Dulcey?” interrupted Abby.
Dulcey sighed and forced her thoughts back to Abby. She made herself comfortable and allowed Abby to snuggle up against her. With another deep sigh, she began, “There once was a beautiful fairy princess who lived deep in the woods, all alone, except for all the forest animals but she wanted to go to the fairy village and live.”
“Why didn’t she just go to the village?” asked Abby, as she turned to look at Dulcey.
“Because the other fairies in the village thought she was different because she could do things the other fairies could not do.”
“Like what?”
“Shhh! Let me tell my story without all your questions.”
Abby nodded.
“Where was I?”
“She could do things the other fairies couldn’t do but you didn’t tell me what she could do.”
Dulcey heard Nate’s smothered laugh and smiled.
“Yes, well she could make people feel better but most of all she could see things happen before they happened, especially when she touched them.” She wondered why she made the fairy like her. Maybe, she was just trying to warn Nate about her life. If she gave him a hint of what her life included, when she told him in detail, he might understand. Maybe. She could hope.
“Wow!” Abby’s eyes widened in wonder.
“But the fairies in the village were afraid of her because they didn’t understand her. They believed she was making those things happen and not seeing them before it happened. So, she lived all by herself, because sometimes, she believed they were right about her. But she made friends with all the animals in the forest, the deer, the rabbit, and the fox. But it was the birds she loved most of all, especially when they came to visit her and sing to her their songs. La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la.”
Dulcey continued to sing softly, until she was certain Abby was asleep. She turned on her side and Abby snuggled closer. She gazed toward the pallet. Nate lay on his back, his hands under his head staring up at the ceiling. She wondered what he was thinking of. Was she haunting his thoughts the way he was hers? No, they were from two completely different worlds. He was the new baron and she was the granddaughter of the witch who lived in the woods. And now that Grammy was dead, she had become the witch in the woods. No, it could never be.
With a deep sigh, she closed her eyes, but lying in the bed, the same bed that last night he had pulled her down and just for a moment had lain with her, she wanted to lay with him again, to feel his arms around her, his lips on hers. Slowly and quietly, she let the tears fall as she mourned the loss of what could never be.
Nate had listened to her story and the song she sung softly to Abby. He remembered her saying earlier, she was the witch in the woods. No, she was not the witch, she was the fairy in the story she told Abby. And this small fairy like creature had come to mean so much to him. No other woman had ever gotten under his skin, the way Dulcey had. Good God, he had only known her a little more than a day and he could not think of being without her. He wanted her so badly his loins hurt and begged for relief, but the relief he so desired was relief in her. It wasn’t like he hadn’t had a woman in a long time.
He and Yvette had had an amicable separation just before he left for Brandanlyn. Yvette knew how to please a man and he had been very pleased with her. But Yvette had not touched him emotionally in all those months, as this fairy woman did in just this short time. They had separated on amicable terms and he felt no remorse.
Then why was he aching for Dulcey and could not even contemplate being separated from her. There was a connection
with her, a connection he had never felt with another woman. It was crazy to feel this strongly after so short a time. He could not explain it. He could only feel it and feel it he did. He turned his head to the bed and saw her lying on her side her arms wrapped around Abby. For a moment, he was jealous of Abby. He wanted those arms wrapped around him.
He closed his eyes willing himself to sleep. Tomorrow, if the weather remained good and no more snow fell, they would venture back to Brandanlyn. Dulcey
would come with them. She would not live here alone. He needed to find out more about her. How did Dulcey fit into the picture? What was her relationship to the old baron? Tomorrow, when he got back to Brandanlyn. Tomorrow, he would find the answers. Tomorrow.
Chapter 4
To convert someone to go
And take them by the hand and guide them.
Saint Thomas Aquinas
Nate stretched as he came awake. Sleeping on the pallet on the floor had not been the most comfortable but it had been a place to sleep. He had slept in worse. He rose quietly from his bed. Abby and Dulcey were still fast asleep. For a moment, he stood over the bed and gazed down at the two of them and smiled. Both of them needed his protection. He took his responsibilities seriously.
He splashed some water on his face, dried it then went into the lean to check on the animals. The goats were doing fine, so were the chickens, Max nuzzled him as Nate petted the side of his neck.
“Hopefully, boy, we can go home this morning, well to Brandanlyn, anyway. Let’s hope the snow holds off, so we can leave.” Max nickered. Nate pulled some hay from the corner for Max.
He went quietly back into the cottage. They were still sleeping. Good. He pulled his great coat on and quietly opened the door and stepped outside into a world of crystal white. The sun was topping the hill like a big orange ball in the sky. It was a clear crisp morning. The sky was a bright blue, not a snow cloud to be had. There were mounds of snow pushed around yesterday by the wind. But today, they stood there like silent white sentinels. It would be slow going. The snow drifts were deep. Dulcey and Abby would ride Max and he would walk. That would mean two maybe three hours. The sooner they got moving, the better. That way, they would be traveling through the warmest part of the day.
Nate walked back in the cottage. Dulcey immediately looked up from the fireplace. “What does it look like outside?”
“It has stopped snowing. The sky is clear but the snow drifts are high. We will need to go slow.”
“Yes, you and Abby will need to be very careful. I will help you get started,” explained Dulcey.
Nate looked at her for a moment. “No, I think it would be best if you come with us all the way to the house. I don’t want Abby and I to get lost again. You know the way.”
“Once I get you to the road,” began Dulcey.
“No, you will be coming with us all the way.” He was determined she was coming with him to Brandanlyn. She would be safe there. He was not about to leave her here alone.
“But my animals. I can’t leave them. Besides---.”
Nate interrupted. “I’ll send one of the servants for them. You are coming with us. I will not take no for an answer.”
Dulcey looked at Nate with the intent of arguing with him, but the stubborn look in his eyes and the tilt of his head, she thought the better of it. He was one used to giving orders and having those orders obeyed. She would go with them, get them safely to Brandanlyn and then she would come back home. It was not worth arguing with him now. Besides Nate was right, they could get lost again and she could get to Brandanlyn with her eyes closed.
“Is there anything you wish to bring with you? When I send someone for the animals, they can pick up the larger items.”
Dulcey turned away from him so he would not see her smile. Little did he know, she would be coming back in a couple of days.
“Uncle Nate, Dulcey’s coming home with us?” asked Abby sitting up in the bed.
“Yes, she is,” Nate answered, waiting for Dulcey to argue again.
“Hooray!” said Abby, jumping up and down on the bed.
Nate smiled. She had gotten very attached to Dulcey. Abby needed someone like Dulcey. His mother had never been motherly material. Sometimes, he wondered how he and his brother had survived. Yes, he knew. His father had always been there for them.
“Well get dressed, Poppet, and as soon as we eat we shall be on our way.”
He watched as she scrambled out of the bed. “Can you help me Dulcey?”
Dulcey smiled. “Yes, Poppet. Come we will wash first.”
Nate watched as Abby and Dulcey got ready to leave. He was anxious to leave, now that he had made up his mind.
Dulcey watched as Nate put snow on the fire in the fireplace. It sizzled and the smoke swirled up the chimney. She felt strange, dizzy, the changes in the forces around her overwhelming. She felt like her life was swirling away just as the smoke from the fire. There was something new on the horizon and she could not make it out. It was cloudy and swirling encompassing her. She felt like everything around her was changing and for the first time she had no control over it, nor could she see the future. Never in all her years had her visions been so murky. She felt entangled in the murkiness.
Nate turned to Dulcey to ask if she was ready, but the question died on his lips. She stood holding on to the back of the chair, pale with a strange far-away look in her eyes, almost like she was somewhere else and not here in the cottage. He stepped toward her and grabbed her arm, “Dulcey?”
For a moment, she simply stared at him and then the light came back in her eyes and she smiled tentatively at him. The connection to the other world had been broken by his touch. Her life was about to change and she had been warned.
“I am ready,” she said softly, though she wasn’t quite sure whether she was or not.
Nate nodded, still gazing at her intently. “After I saddle my horse, I will bring him around to the front.”
Dulcey nodded and watched him go to the door.
“Poppet, I think we should bring these quilts to wrap around us. It’s still very cold out there.” Abby helped her get two of the quilts and bring them to the front door.
Moments later, Nate was at the front door. Taking Abby easily in his arms, he went out of the door. From the porch, he placed Abby on the saddle. He turned to Dulcey. “Your turn.”
“Where will you ride?” asked Dulcey.
“I plan on walking,” replied Nate. He thought it was best that he lead the horse through the snow drifts. Besides, the thought of Dulcey sitting in front of him was more torture than he was willing to subject himself to.
With his hands on her waist, he easily helped Dulcey on his horse behind Abby. He handed her one of the quilts. She wrapped it around her and Abby. He turned and pulled her front door close. The other quilt he wrapped around himself, grabbed Max’s reins and began slowly walking away from the cottage.
Slowly, carefully, they treaded through the snow drifts, many waist high. Occasionally, Dulcey gave him directions. Even Abby was quiet. The country side was white and pristine with the newly fallen snow. It was a world none of them had ever seen. The beauty of it was breathtaking. The trees glistened in the sunlight with thousands of icicles. It was almost too bright. Before too long, Abby leaned back against Dulcey, sound asleep. She tightened her grip on the child and hugged her closer wrapping the quilt closer about her.
Never had it taken so long to get Brandanlyn in Dulcey’s memory. Several times, they had to go around a large snow drift which added more distance and more time. As they turned the corner, Brandanlyn came into sight in the distance. It was a beautiful sight, snow covered, like some painting she had seen in one of the books Lord James had often showed her. She truly had come to love the place. But what the future had in store for her and Brandanlyn was unknown to her and that troubled her
Nate looked up to her and smiled. “We are almost there.”
Dulcey nodded, not trusting her voice. Would this be the
last time she visited here, she wondered? She closed her eyes for a moment hoping something would be shown to her but nothing came. She sighed, concerned that the forces about her were quiet.
It seemed the closer they got, the further away Brandanlyn was. Slowly, carefully, the trio made their way through the gate and up to the main entrance. Just before they got there, Dulcey shook Abby gently.
“Abby, we are at Brandanlyn.”
Abby looked up at her sleepily and then she looked out. She saw Brandanlyn just in front of them, sat up straighter and began fidgeting.
“Be still little one or you are going to slide right off this horse,” whispered Dulcey.
Abby immediately stopped squirming. “We’re back, Dulcey.”
“Yes, Poppet.”
Nate stopped at the bottom of the front steps and turned to help Abby down from the horse, then turned to assist Dulcey. His hands stayed longer at her waist than was necessary. Dulcey looked up. Nate was smiling down at her with a smug look. He had gotten her here to Brandanlyn. Now, she was in his home.
Abby ran up the steps to the open door. “We’re back!”
Dulcey with shaking fingers took Nate’s offered arm and walked up the steps following in Abby’s wake.
Dulcey smiled at the gray haired butler that held the door open for them. “Hello, Evers.”
Evers the staunch head butler smiled, “It is good to see you again, Miss Dulcey. It’s been too long since you were last here. You have been missed.”
Nate watched the exchange. So, Dulcey was a common visitor here. Why was he not surprised? She told him she knew Lord James. How well did she know him?
“Your lordship, I am glad you and the little girl survived the storm. We were all so worried.” Nate had been impressed with Evers before, but the genuine concern he expressed at this moment added to his respect for the butler.
“Yes, Evers, thanks to Miss Dulcey here. She found Abby and then I found her.”
Evers nodded.