In the dark she could barely make out his features, which were further hidden by the hat that tilted ever so slightly across his face. But he was tall and ruggedly handsome, with a strong nose and jaw, and suave dark hair that curled near his ears and the nape of his neck. Clara couldn't make out the color of his eyes, but she could feel them staring intently at her probably horrid und appearance. His muscular arms and chest were outlined through the thin cotton tunic that he wore- Clara suddenly felt ashamed for noticing, and promptly hid her face beneath a curtain of hair and straightened out her skirt. She slowly got to her feet, still a little dizzy and sore from the impact.

She looked behind her and saw her pursuers not far behind, and was puzzled by their slow pace. Had they given up pursuing her? Maybe, she thought, they had admitted defeat now that they have seen I have arrived to safety. Plus a man of this size and musculature could easily take the four brutes even if they tried to lay a hand on me in his presence. She suddenly felt grateful to the mysterious man for arriving at the exact moment that he had.

She opened her mouth to speak and the emotions soon came pouring out. "Sir, thank heavens you appeared when you did, but please you must help me, those men just behind me are a band of rogue men that attacked the carriage I was traveling on and have been relentlessly following me through the woods, and my cape was torn from me, my feet are cold and numb and I really haven't eaten anything of sustenance in days and I am just so terribly tired and I really must find a place to lie down and you must be some sort of groundskeeper for the Abbey so if you could kindly take me to the lord or lady of the house I'd be much obliged—"

Her breathless speech was cut short by the raspy voice she knew too well, whose owner now stood near feet away.

"Ah Master, there you are. I see you've caught the fair maiden at last. She'll make a fine prisoner of fancy, will she not?"

Clara was suddenly horrified. Had he just called her supposed savior master? Had she run all this way only to be caught by the very man whose men she had been trying to escape from?

"You-you can't be!" She exclaimed breathlessly, looking back and forth between the men. Clara suddenly felt very lightheaded, the lack of food and endless running now catching up with her. The dark night and the men before her disappeared from view as she lost consciousness.

And the master of Avonwell Abbey closed the distance between them in an instant as she collapsed into him, his strong arm circling her waist. He stayed that way for a moment before lifting her limp body up into his arms, and he began walking back towards the grounds, her long golden waves swaying in the night air as her head bobbed against his shoulder with each step.