When I reopened my eyes I was able to look but could no, no matter how much effort I put in, bring myself to operate y limbs, all I managed was a few unhelpful hand spasms.

I became aware that I was lying on my side, pressed onto wet, dewy grass-it was either late at night or early in the morning. The moisture was soaking into my face in a most irritating fashion, making my helpless and uncontrollable body shiver and tremble with the cold. There was a chill in the air. The wind that blew over my damp body and clothes was biting, and I wished I could move away. My vision was blurry as I first awoke, but became clear as I lay there. Even blinking as an effort of epic proportions, struggling to lower my eyelids. They felt heavy, as if each had a world weighing down on it.

As my eyesight cleared I recognised exactly where I was; lying on the cool grassy stretch across the road from Lily's four storey house. The door was open, and I could see the carriage in which I last remembered being parked on the road. In the light coming from the doorway I could see two figures; but not who they were. I could hear voices and that was enough to tell me what was happening.

"…..A terrible accident! Please Miss, help me! He is unconscious!"

"My uncle is out, I'm sorry but I am not supposed to answer the door, I thought you were a friend I knew…"

"Please! Will is dying!"

"…..Will?"

"Yes, Will Henry! My nephew!"

"I know Will Henry, he has no relatives. Only his master."

"And I am Pellinore's brother; please Miss I cannot let him die!"

The desperation in his voice made me want to purge myself. I did not know for what reason he was trying to urge Lily out of her house, but I knew that the minute she allowed herself to be taken from her home she would be unsafe. I willed my mouth to open, to call to her, to stop her leaving, to warn her, but instead I saw her figure acknowledge the man, nay, monster's plea for help and she started down the stairs. Horror rose in my chest as he then proceeded to lay on the thanks, the gratefulness he felt for her "kindness, so kind, thank you my dear girl, I can't bear to lose him…"

"Yes, yes I understand." She snapped, the suspicion had not left her voice yet. Oh Lily, why did you believe the man?

"Just show me where he is."

I continued to watch, still unable to move, as the figures approached me from across the road. I finally was able to see their faces, lily's frowning and slightly nervous, and Kearns' gleeful. He caught my lazy eye from over Lily's shoulder and gave me a slow, taunting smile. I tried desperately to move then, pulling at all my muscles, mentally screaming at myself to just get up and move, but couldn't.

Suddenly I felt one of my feet move. It shifted, ever so slightly, towards me. Lily's eyes had been searched worriedly along the ground, but she caught the movement and her face dropped into pure fright.

"Will!" she cried, fear resounding in her tone, and she dropped the suspicion and ran across the grass towards me. She skidded to a stop on her knees beside my body, bending over me, her long skirts instantly muddied, but she didn't seem to care. He long raven hair was shining in the moonlight, loose and down in long waves reaching down, sprawled over her shoulders and swinging down to her elbows. I realized she must have been preparing to go to bed, and the white gown was in fact her nightie.

She stared over me with scared eyes, pulling on my face with her hands and carefully, more gently than I would have thought such a brash person capable of, she tugged back my eyelids and stared into my eyes. I rolled my eyeballs, trying to give any sort of sign about the deception, about what danger she was in, about the madman leaning over her as I watched, but couldn't get the message across.

Suddenly she stiffened, still cradling my head, and bent closer, so her nose was inches from mine, and sniffed cautiously. Then she pulled a little closer, pulling my head up so she could cradle in out of the wet grass, and turned accusing eyes on Kearns'.

"I can smell chloroform on him. Why on earth has he been drugged? You said there was an accident with the horses."

Finally, she was catching on! I attempted once again to make contact with her, show her in some way that she was right, he was lying and she needed to run back to her home, but all I was able to procure this time was a small groan. Immediately Lily's attention was distracted from Kearns' as she spun back to look at me, long hair flying, and she bent low.

"Say something Will!" I heard the quiet plead in her voice. Then I spotted what Kearns' was doing behind her back. He lifted an object I could not identify high in the air. I widened my eyes, and Lily must have somehow caught the gesture this time, and she turned back and saw the thing coming straight towards her head. She ducked and threw herself to the side, flinging me away from her; I rolled a little and then stopped, marvelling at her strength. The object, which I now saw to be a large glass ball, like a crystal one used at séances, hit the ground and smashed into large, dangerous chunks of glass.

He was insane.

Lily scrambled back to her feet, slipping in the mud, and tried to make a run for the house, but her muddy gown stuck to her legs and twisted, slowing her, and Kearns' grabbed her around the waist and tackled her to the ground. She continued to fight, throwing punches from where she lay, and caught him hard on the cheekbone. He paid no attention to the blow and reached for a chunk of glass. She began to scream, and I managed to create a small sound of protest, but even as her cry for help began it was cut off with a dull thud which struck dread and fear deep into my heart, leaving just my protesting moans in the air.