Chapter 10

Angelique felt tired. Touching the iron bars of her cage was painful to her. She had been pleading with Yolanda first, and then with Sebastian. It had been no use. They would not let her go.

Judah would not let her go.

Now she was alone. Alone except for the mask that stood propped up on the walls of the cave. Too far for her to try to reach it.

"You can't escape, Miranda." the mask said.

She shivered. It was Judah's voice. She could never forget it.

"You have not forgotten me. Any more than I have forgotten you." the mask, without changing its features now held a malevolent expression "You were once a promising disciple. But then you failed me. Yolanda will be a good disciple. Better even than you."

The man dressed again while George still lay on the bed.

It had been a stupid thing, he had done, He was jealous of Vicky moving under Barnabas' roof, so what did he do? Take to bed the first good looking stranger he saw...

As if that was ever to fix anything.

Face it, Vicky, alone and pregnant, would arouse all of Barnabas' protective instincts. Vicky might want to secure his protection further, and even unwittingly seduce him.

He knew when he started that Barnabas was attracted to women, more than men. And fate kept throwing these women in his path..

So what was he going to do about it? Should come up with a more intelligent plan than going to bed with complete strangers out of town...

Sandy closed her eyes, following Julia's voice.

"You understand what we are trying to do?"

Sandy nodded. Julia felt encouraged by her progress. She seemed to have gotten over her fixation with Barnabas. Compared to that, getting rid of her inner wolf would be a cinch.

Liz was dying. It was now a matter of hours... minutes. Around her were Adam, Carolyn, Roger, and Barnabas. They sat, knowing how little time remained. All they could do was try to make her comfortable and wait for the inevitable.

Roger shook his head. His sister, the only close friend he had for many years. He was going to lose her. All his childhood memories came to him. His youth, his disastrous firsts marriage (not that the second was much better), David, his growing old without growing wise. And Liz always there. The one person that he could count on.

And now it was over.

Barnabas had called in David. He said that he was coming, but he would very likely get there only in time to bury Liz. Barnabas shook his head. Should have told David sooner... He looked at Adam, then back at Liz, He remembered how it was the first time that he had seen her. She had taken Naomi's place and he had resented her for that.. He had resented all of them. But Liz had been special. All his feelings for his own mother were involved in it.

He had lost Naomi. He had been the cause of her death... And now Liz was dying.

Liz had had so little time. She had married early and disastrously. It had produced one daughter, Carolyn, and her self-imposed imprisonment, guarding from discovery what he thought was the grave of her husband. Jason McGuire, without meaning to, had set her free. And he had died from it...

Liz was free now. But she wasn't young anymore. She had lost too much time and she knew it. There were things that a woman her age didn't do. Carolyn was her comfort. And also a trial. Her upbringing had made Carolyn very dependent on her mother and resentful of any attempt of Liz's to lead a life of her own.

It was not losing Adam that had soured Carolyn, but losing Liz.

She had not wanted to forgive Liz. Now she had done it, almost too late. At last she had been stronger than herself, and had regained her mother.

Liz turned to face him "Barnabas" she asked weakly.

Barnabas held her hand. "I am here, Liz."

"Your hand feels cold." Liz said "but then, it always does... Barnabas, I resented you because you had come from England, because you had traveled while I had to remain here. I did not know that you were more of a prisoner than I ever was. Anyway, I have seen the world. I saw London, Paris, Rome... Adam... I knew that you truly did not love me. It does not matter, really. Don't feel bad about it." she spoke this to Adam "you gave me other things. You took me on a tour around the world, you showed me all that I always wanted to see. Dear Adam, don't be hard on yourself." Carolyn," she turned to her daughter "You were a good daughter. You were what made Collinwood bearable. Roger" she smiled wearily at him "You were always a big headache and I love you for it. You were never dull. It was always good to have you around."

Roger nodded "You always were a good sister to me."

"Thank you." Liz said weakly "And now... I don't think I have the strength to say more."

They held her hands. It was happening now. It was not the time to protest. Only acceptance remained.

Liz's breath became shallower, more labored. The end was coming.

They kept holding her hands, as the breathing became weaker and weaker.

Then it stopped.

"She is dead." Barnabas said in a whisper. "It is over."

Reluctantly he got up. They all did. For a while no one dared speak. Then Carolyn broke the silence.

"Is this it?" she asked "Is it this easy?"

"It is not." Barnabas held her in his arms. "But it does seem so."

"It isn't right. It shouldn't be like this!"

"I know, Carolyn, I know. I wish that I could make things different."

She wept, clinging to him. "I barely had time to talk to her. I almost never got around to telling her that I loved her. I said all those hateful things to her..."

"She knew that she did not meant them."

"But I did mean them!"

"Carolyn" He wiped her tears "I have said and done many hateful things. I meant them. When I abused Willie I meant it. I meant every blow to hurt. And still, that was not me. It was me, yet it wasn't... I don't know now to explain it. I know that Willie will not let me torment myself over it. Do you think that Liz, who loved you, would let you torment yourself?"

"Barnabas, you don't understand."

"I do. Sadly I do. Don't argue Carolyn. Just cry."

Carolyn wept on her cousin's shoulder.

"There, there. It hurts, doesn't it? It hurts terribly. It always does, and there is no way to stop it from hurting. But it won't hurt like this forever."

Roger moved towards them and Barnabas let him hold Carolyn. They needed each other now, more than ever.

Adam stood still by Liz's side, touching her face lightly with his fingers. Absentmindedly, Barnabas noticed the paint stains in his cuffs. Some of it was fresh He had painted early today, as Liz was dying.

"She loved to see me paint." he spoke in answer to Barnabas' unasked question. "I would bring my easel here and work. It gave her a feeling of peace to see me take all those paint, spread them on the canvas, and turn them into something that had form and beauty... No, I did not love her. Your guess as to why I married her was right. I wanted to hurt you and I did. I made Carolyn hate you." his voice was level. "but I would not hurt Liz I was fond of her and I think that I gave her what she wanted. Romance, excitement, travel. I still hate you. I will probably hate you for as long as I live. But I could not hate her..."

"I am glad then." Barnabas said " that she did not have to pay for what was my fault. And I am glad that in spite of your hatred you care enough to set my mind at rest on it."

Adam shrugged as the only answer.

"I know that I was never a good father to you."

"You, my father? " Adams aid angrily "No, you are not. You don't deserve the name. I know who my real father is, and it is neither you nor Lang."

"Who was he?"

"The one who removed my dependency on you. And his name is none of your business."

"It is not like Angelique to leave town like this." Megan said "Without telling me where she's gone and why.

"Sebastian says that that's' what she did." Joe said.

"Joe, I don't like it. She was missing once, and that was Tom Jennings's doing."

"But Sebastian..." Joe insisted, then realized what it meant. "You think that he might be in it.?"

"Considering his part in her earlier disappearance, he might. It will pay to trail him."