by Meara Platt
She grabbed him by the shoulders and shook hard. “Where’s Charlie? What have you done with him?”
“Careful, Julia,” he said with a malevolent grin. “You’ll break his delicate bones. He’s still inside this frail, mortal body.”
“I want him back. Let him go!”
“You’re the one grabbing his shoulders. You let go.”
Julia released him and took a step back. Feeling unsteady, she leaned on Charlie’s push chair for support.
“Go ahead. Call him,” King Cadeyrn prompted.
Was this another of his faerie tricks?
Even so, she had to make an effort to reach Charlie. “Sweetling,” she said, hesitant at first. “Where are you? Please come back to me. I need you.”
Nothing happened.
The Fae king laughed. “You’ll have to do better than that.”
She fixed her gaze on Charlie and looked steadily into his eyes.
Cold, dead eyes stared back.
“Charlie, I must tell you a secret. But I need to see you, sweetling. You can’t hide while I speak to you. Come out, let me see you.”
“He isn’t interested,” King Cadeyrn said with a shrug.
She grabbed him again by the shoulders. “Charlie, please! Listen to me. You don’t need your make-believe world. Eastbourne is your home. Come out and I’ll tell you why. Charlie! Your parents were married when they conceived you. Do you understand what that means?”
Her fingers dug into his shoulders as she spoke. “You were wanted. You were born in love, for that’s what your parents felt for each other and for you!” Her voice sounded shrill to her ears, a result of her fear that she’d lost him forever. “Oh, Charlie! Answer me. Stop hiding! You belong here at Eastbourne. You have as much right to be here as your Uncle Douglas. This is your birthright! You’re the earl, not your uncle. That’s why he came to find you. Charlie, all this is yours. You have an earldom. You don’t need a dying faerie kingdom!”
“Ah, poor Julia. You still don’t understand, do you?”
Tears welled in her eyes. “Where is he? Why hasn’t he come back?”
King Cadeyrn laughed and shook his head. “You haven’t offered him what he wants.”
“But I have,” she insisted, desperate to see the dark emerald gleam in Charlie’s bright eyes. “I’ve told him the secret, fulfilled his dream. He’s the young prince in the bedtime story, whose parents – the king and queen – love very much. He’s the prince on a quest and now he knows where he belongs.” She turned away, confused. “This is a cruel trick. You never intended to bring him back. You have him now and won’t ever let him go.”
“You’re mistaken. As I said, you haven’t offered him what he wants.”
“What he wants? Or what you want?” She turned back to her portrait, her stomach roiling as she stared at it. “I’ll give you what you want,” she said, “but only if you promise to release the boy and never steal him back.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “Go on.”
“I’ll trade you for him.”
“And what can you offer me?”
Tears now rolled down her cheeks. “It’s no coincidence that Charlie painted me as a faerie. It’s me you’ve wanted all along, not the boy.” She swallowed hard and continued, the tears still streaming down her cheeks. “But I didn’t believe in you, couldn’t see you. So you used the boy, hurt him, and made him sick in the hope I would someday, somehow, fall under your spell.”
“I’ve watched you for years,” he said quietly, his hand absently reaching for the sword he always carried at his side, but it wasn’t there for he occupied Charlie’s body. “We’ve all been watching, hoping you were the one to fulfill the prophecy. I saw my chance when Eastbourne came along.”
“He threatened to take Charlie from me.” She stared at the boy, saw no thaw in the icy crystals of his eyes, and knew that the creature’s hold on the young innocent was complete. “I grew weak and full of doubt when Lord Eastbourne arrived at the vicarage. But Charlie was happy to see his uncle, wasn’t he? They had an instant bond, for they were family. Charlie wanted to come to Eastbourne.” She shook her head, suddenly confused. “He was happy and should have grown stronger. Yet, the opposite happened. You’ve grown stronger. You now control his mind and body. Does it have to do with the prophecy? Tell me about it.”
“The prophecy cannot be revealed to an outsider. All I can say is that the fate of my kingdom rests upon it, and I will do what I must to protect my realm and my loyal subjects. Charlie offered to help me. I didn’t force him. He let me in.”
Julia clasped her hand over her heart. “And what’s to become of him when you’re through using his body? Will it kill him?”
“It might,” he said, showing little remorse. “Sometimes it does.”
“But you never told him of the danger, did you? You tricked him into helping you and you ought to be ashamed of yourself,” she said, angry at him and frustrated with her inability to stop the creature. “He trusted you. He likes you!”
“Likes me?”
“Yes. To like someone is to feel good about that person. But you don’t know what it means to feel. It’s what we mortals do, what sets us apart from you. We love, we hurt, we cry for joy and sacrifice for those we love. We thrive because of our feelings. Charlie considered you a friend and you betrayed his trust.”
“And soon I shall have you to teach me these feelings.”
He seemed pleased, but Julia could only feel despair for what she knew had to be done. “I’ll keep my promise,” she said, closing her eyes and swallowing hard. “I’ll come with you, but you must let the boy go first.”
She opened her eyes, surprised when he left her side to cross the room.
“I’ll release the boy, but not just yet.” He lay down in Charlie’s bed, settling the boy’s thin body under the covers. “He’s too weak right now. He’ll die if I let go of him too soon, then he’ll be of no use to either of us.”
“Of no use? Don’t you dare speak of him that way! He isn’t a piece of furniture to be discarded when it breaks.”
“It’ll take about two of your mortal weeks, then I’ll leave him and come for you. Do you wish to see him now?”
Julia sensed the moment his dark presence disappeared within Charlie’s body. She knelt beside the boy and stroked his chestnut hair. “Charlie, my little love. Come out.”
His eyes fluttered open, warm and glistening with life. “I’m so tired,” he whispered, his voice hoarse and cracking for his throat was parched.
“I know. You’ve had quite an ordeal.”
“It wasn’t bad. It was fun. My legs felt strong. Is that how legs are supposed to feel? I walked down a long staircase and met my grandmother.”
Julia’s heart ached as she laughed. “She’s a bit of a dragon, isn’t she?”
“She’s awful,” he said with a giggle. “But her guests are nice, especially Lady Cynthia.”
“I thought so, too.”
He let out a gaping yawn. “Uncle Douglas thought so, too.”
Julia continued to stroke his hair and she sang to him until he drifted off to sleep. Then, as the boy began to lightly snore, she buried her head in her hands and cried as hard as she had the night she’d lost her father.
Her sorrow was now complete.
She would lose Charlie.
She never had Douglas Hawke to lose, for he was obviously devoted to Lady Cynthia.
The three of them would make a happy family.
She rejoiced that Charlie’s dream had finally come true.
And despaired for her own lost dreams.
Chapter 19
“Stop staring out the window at that girl and pay attention to me,” Lady Eastbourne said, settling into a chair beside the parlor window where Douglas stood. He ignored the wretched woman who had given birth to him. Instead, he watched Julia stroll along the autumn garden obviously lost in her thoughts.
“I’ve decided to hold a ball in two weeks’
time.” His mother pounded her cane on the floor. “Are you listening, Douglas? A masque ball at the next full moon.”
He and the dowager were alone for the moment, as their guests had retired to their rooms to prepare for supper. They had only arrived this morning, but Douglas already wished them gone. They were a distraction. Since coming down from Charlie’s room a few hours earlier, Julia had been using them as a shield, engaging one or another in conversation each time he tried to draw her away to discuss what had happened to Charlie.
“I’ll call it a farewell party for our guests.”
“Call it what you wish,” he said, his gaze remaining on Julia. He could tell by the slope of her shoulders that something was desperately wrong, beyond her concern for the boy.
Damn it! She’d given him full access to her body, the heat of their last encounter still burning like a fire in his blood, but she didn’t trust him enough to confide in him. He needed to find out what was going on.
Nor could he ask Charlie. The boy was still napping, no doubt exhausted from the mischief that had taken place earlier. He hadn’t walked down those stairs on his own or climbed up them after having had his fill of King Cadeyrn’s favorite treat, sweet buns with the sugar melted over the tops.
“Douglas, are you listening to me?”
“No.” He turned to face her. “Why are you here? Haven’t you ruined enough innocent lives?”
“It isn’t them I’m concerned about. It’s you. I won’t have you ruining your life over that inferior child and his thieving cousin.”
Douglas shook his head and let loose a bitter laugh. “You and I are Charlie’s inferiors. And as for Julia, you were the one caught stealing, first from your own husband and then from me. Or have you forgotten that inconvenient fact? Julia’s more of a lady than you’ll ever be.”
“But she isn’t a lady.” She stiffened her spine and motioned for him to take the seat beside her. “She’s a nobody and you would do well to forget her.”
He ignored the request. “Is that why you’ve brought Cynthia here? To remind me of the sort of woman I ought to marry?”
“She’s pretty enough. Why not offer for her? Cynthia’s from a good family and has a pleasant disposition,” she said with obvious distaste. “You like that sort of girl.”
“You mean the sort who is kind and decent?”
“You had better move fast or that hapless clod, Wythorne, will have her. He’s mad for Cynthia and has been chasing her all over London these past few months. But she’s set her cap for you. Why else do you think she accepted my invitation?”
“You’ve led her on a fool’s errand. Cynthia’s after a noble title and I’m not about to give her one. I never had a right to the earldom.”
“You can’t be serious about this mad scheme of yours,” his mother said, her lips thinning and eyes shooting daggers at him.
“I am. You’ve done her no favor in bringing her here.” In truth, Cynthia wasn’t a bad sort. He might have proposed to her had Julia and Charlie never entered his life, but this past month had changed everything.
She was better off with the Marquis of Wythorne, for the man was wildly in love with her and Cynthia deserved no less.
“You’re a disgrace,” his mother said with a hiss, “just like your brother.”
He turned from the window, struggling to control his anger. “Don’t mistake my kindness in allowing you and your guests to remain here as weakness on my part. I’ll banish you to the farthest Eastbourne outpost and leave you there to rot if you ever insult Charles or his family again.”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
“Try me.” He strode out, furious at every Eastbourne who ever existed, including his damned, stupid brother who had died too young and left him with this family mess.
“Jameson will help me put together the lists for the masque ball!” his mother called out after him.
Douglas hurried out the front door and down the entrance steps toward the autumn garden. There was a chill in the air. His first thought was that Julia should not have gone out in the fading afternoon light without a shawl to keep her warm.
“Lord Eastbourne, you startled me,” she said when he came upon her and put his jacket about her shoulders. “Really, I don’t need–”
“You’ve purposely avoided me all afternoon. Why?” He hadn’t been all that silent, but she had been too deeply lost in her thoughts to notice his approach.
She averted her gaze.
“What happened to Charlie today?” He took her by the shoulders and gave her a gentle shake. “You spoke to him afterward. What did he say about King Cadeyrn?”
“Nothing, he went to sleep. Walking tired him out.”
“Walking? He did more than take a casual stroll downstairs. The boy was possessed and you say nothing happened? What’s wrong with you?” He took hold of her wrist and pushed up her sleeve.
She tried to pull away. “What are you doing?”
“Looking for those damned blue faerie webs. Hold still, damn it.”
“You’ve cursed twice,” she said, casting him a weak smile. “I don’t think my delicate sensibilities will take much more.”
He placed a finger under her chin and turned her face to him. “Let me see your eyes.”
“There’s nothing wrong with me.” She gazed back at him, her beautiful violet eyes touchingly expressive. Hope, fear, warmth, softness, love, despair, all were swirling within those violet depths.
“Mercy,” he whispered, “I know something’s wrong, but I can’t make it out. What is it, Julia? Tell me and we’ll fight it together.”
She said nothing for a long moment, then he felt a shudder ripple through her body. He inhaled sharply. “Julia, what have you done?”
“I’ve told Charlie the truth about his birthright. I’m sorry, I know you wanted us to tell him together, but you were busy with Lady Cynthia. She’s lovely. Charlie will adore her as you do.”
“Forget about Cynthia. Tell me about the boy.”
The blush faded from her cheeks. “King Cadeyrn had him so tightly in his grasp, I didn’t know how else to bring Charlie back. I told him the truth, told him everything while the Fae king was still inside his body. I know Charlie heard me. Then King Cadeyrn released him and I made him promise to leave the boy alone forever.”
“And that’s it? He agreed?”
She nodded.
His fingers tightened on her wrist, as though his touch alone could hold her in the mortal world. But he knew that the powerful faerie king had exacted a harsh bargain in return. “He tricked you. What promise did he get from you?”
“Lord Eastbourne–”
“Douglas! My name is Douglas! Why do you insist on keeping a distance between us?”
“Because I must!”
“Why, Julia? Am I so odious to you?”
She shook her head and let out an anguished laugh. “Quite the opposite. I love your strength, the hard muscles of your arms around me, the heat of your skin against my palms, the scent of lather and sandalwood against your throat. The silly way your hair curls about your ears on a misty day. I love everything about you. I can’t seem to get you out of my heart.”
The ache in her voice filled him with dread. “What did you do?”
“All these years, I’ve worried about Charlie, helpless and alone, sitting in his little garden of dreams, making up stories about the king and queen who loved him. But now he’s found his place and I’m the one left sitting alone in my own garden, wondering what’s to become of me. I have no place in the world. I’m trapped in a garden of shadows.”
“Never. Your life is here. At Eastbourne. For always.”
“To share with you and Lady Cynthia and Charlie? To share until Charlie falls in love and takes a wife, leaving me to be nursemaid to his children? In truth, I wouldn’t mind. It isn’t him from whom I must run.” She let out a shattered breath. “I can’t live under the same roof as you. I can’t spend the rest of my days yearning to be held in your
arms, longing for your kisses, aching to share your bed.”
She tried once more to pull out of his grasp, but he wouldn’t let her go.
“Please! Oh, I do wish you and Lady Cynthia every happiness, truly I do. Why can’t you see that your happiness will only make my misery complete?” She paused and swallowed hard. “There, you have the truth. I love you. Seems I’ve traveled down the same foolish path as Laura did with your brother. Falling in love with a Hawke, as she did all those years ago. But you won’t have to endure the embarrassment much longer. I’ll be leaving soon.”
“When?”
“I… I don’t know for certain. As soon as Charlie’s settled.”
“Where will you go?” he asked, the blood flowing in his veins suddenly turning to ice as he realized the promise King Cadeyrn had extracted from her. Rather than endure at Eastbourne, she had agreed to enter the dying faerie realm, to live among those empty souls devoid of love or hope, to watch their golden faerie glows fade to black embers as their magic died.
“Julia, what have you done?” He wrapped her tightly in his arms, desperate to hold on to her, keep her close to his heart. She loved him! “I won’t let you go, sweetheart. I’ll fight for you.”
She collapsed against him, no longer struggling. “It’s too late.”
“No, it isn’t. I’ll fight–”
“Stop!” She gazed at him, her eyes violet pools reflecting torment and sorrow. “It’s done,” she said gently. “It’s done.”
*
Douglas refused to give up.
“Come with me,” he said, taking her hand and leading her from the garden beds back to the stark, stone manor. “This isn’t nearly over and you know it.”
“I know of no such thing.”
“Julia, you just admitted that you love me. What am I supposed to do? Allow you to walk out of my life? Out of Charlie’s life?” He stopped in his tracks and turned to her, glowering. He was angry and frustrated, feeling bested and manipulated by some unseen force that now held both Charlie and Julia in its grip.