Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Hellboy characters, settings, etc. The original characters and plot of this story are mine though. No copyright infringement is intended and no profit is being made from this work.
Chapter 24
An hour or so later, Elfraine was more than happy to admit to Nuada that he'd earned her forgiveness, several times over in fact. She lay on top of him, her limbs entwined with his, and he stroked her hair gently as the last faint pulses of pleasure rippled through him.
They stayed like that for some minutes, enjoying the warm feel of each other's touch, before Elfraine raised herself up and looked down at him. The battle scars on his shoulders caught her attention and she lightly traced a finger over one of them. "I'm sorry if I insulted you with my uncomplimentary inferences about these the other day," she said as she gave him a rueful smile.
"That is quite alright," he assured her as he rolled her over to the side and raised himself up on one elbow to look down at her. "I understand."
"Oh?" said Elfraine skeptically.
"Yes. You found the truth about your own fighting skills hard to bear and felt a need to lash out," he continued as his lips curled in smug superiority.
"Oh ho!" exclaimed Elfraine as she sat up abruptly and pushed him onto his back, uncertain whether to be amused or offended. "You were not so understanding at the time. You seemed to feel a need of your own to lash out, as I recall - you threatened to spank me!"
"Now there is an idea worth considering," Nuada suggested wickedly as he placed his hands behind his head and looked up at her, his eyes glinting with sudden interest.
Elfraine backed up against the headboard as fascination and indignation warred for supremacy.
Nuada smiled at her indecision and reached out to pull her back to him. "Set your mind at ease, Lady," he reassured her. "You've taken everything I have to give so you are safe."
His words made Elfraine pause but for an entirely different reason. They reminded her starkly that their time together was almost at an end; what they'd shared was indeed all they could give each other.
"'Had we but world enough, and time'... for this thing, whatever it is, to run its course," she murmured wistfully as she looked down at him.
"But we don't," he replied soberly, taking her meaning immediately.
"No, we don't," she agreed with just the slightest hint of sorrow.
Nuada found he didn't like to see even such a small touch of sadness about her and he searched for something to distract her. His eyes dropped to her stomach and without properly considering the matter, he remarked, "You have scars of your own, Lady." He reached out and touched them.
"What?" asked Elfraine, as his comment pulled her away from her thoughts. She looked down at his hand on her stomach and saw what he was talking about. "Oh, yes. I suppose I do," she replied. "They are in no way comparable to yours though. Mine are due to a very different cause," she added with a slight frown.
Nuada suddenly realised the criss-cross of faint silvery lines on her stomach were the stretch marks of pregnancy, and he silently cursed himself for seizing on a topic which was only likely to darken her mood further.
However Elfraine surprised him. Her face cleared and she had a fond look in her eyes as she continued to speak. "Fortune was a very large baby. I thought I might have been carrying twins, particularly in the last two months. She stretched me all ways."
"I hope it is not a subject which distresses you," he remarked cautiously.
"Not at all," Elfraine assured him, with a small smile. "It was one of the happiest times of my life and I still remember those feelings, even after all these years. I won't let him steal that from me."
Nuada knew she was referring to her third husband and his caution only increased. Luckily the talk about pregnancy reminded him of a point on which he'd meant to reassure her last night, and which he'd completely overlooked in his... distraction with her. Now though it would give him a chance to steer the conversation away from the potentially treacherous waters he suddenly found himself in.
"There is something I should mention as we're on the subject," he said as he looked up at her. "You should know I've taken precautions so there will be no... unintended consequences from last night and this morning."
"I'm not quite certain I take your meaning," she replied as she gave him a puzzled look.
"I mean, there is no chance of a babe in nine months' time," he explained bluntly.
Elfraine started in shock at his words. "Oh! I never even thought about that," she exclaimed with consternation. "It's as well you did," she added, as she shot him a look of relief. "It's been four hundred years since I've had to give any thought to falling pregnant... and back then, when I was a wife, the whole point was to get with child, not avoid it."
She paused slightly before asking hesitantly, "Um, what precautions did you take exactly, if you don't mind me asking. It's just... I... I can't recall you doing anything specifically, or not doing something as the case may be."
"I covered you with... well, you would call it magic. It prevents conception," Nuada replied. "And the, ah, spread of... disease," he added with some delicacy.
There was a moment's stunned silence and then Elfraine spoke. "Are you telling me you have the pox!" she exclaimed – indelicately - as she gave him a look of surprised indignation.
Nuada sat up abruptly at that. "No!" he snapped. "I do not have the pox!"
"Oh!" said Elfraine, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "Are you saying then you think I have the pox?"
"No! I do not think anyone has the pox!" he said tersely. "I merely took precautions and thought you'd be interested to know!" He was starting to wish now he hadn't mentioned any of it to her.
Elfraine considered him for a moment and then confounded him with a smile. "Well, thank you for that," she said. "It's most thoughtful of you... though I daresay you've had a great deal of experience with such matters, hmmm?" she noted archly as she raised a questioning brow.
"Oh no you don't, Madam," he told her firmly, recognising her look of feminine curiosity. "I am not discussing my past experience with you!"
"No doubt because you have trouble remembering the details of all your conquests," Elfraine remarked waspishly. "How long it will take before I am lost amongst the hordes, not even a blurred face in the crowd?" she wondered aloud with contrived despondency.
"Fishing for a compliment are you?" he asked, a touch of amused condescension evident in his voice.
Elfraine's eyes were lively as she nodded and waited.
There was only silence.
"Well?" she prompted, undeterred. "Am I going to get one?"
Nuada sighed with feigned exasperation. "I can assure you I will never forget you. You are truly unique."
"I like the sound of that," she murmured.
He hadn't finished yet. "No one else has ever before asked me if I have the pox, and you will stand out in my memory if only for that!" he added with deliberate ambiguity.
Elfraine laughed delightedly and leaned forward to drop a quick kiss on his dark lips. "Ah well, if you remember me for nothing else then that will have to do, I suppose," she declared as she sat back again, much amused by his words.
Nuada caught his breath as he looked at her and thought to himself he'd remember her for a lot more than that. He reached out and pulled her back to him then lay down with her and held her close. They still had some time left, though not as much as he would have liked.
"I will have to go soon," he murmured as he smoothed down her hair and kissed the top of her head.
"Yes," Elfraine sighed as she looked up at him. "As will I. However I have some final matters to attend to here first. I take it you won't need a key for this place... to check on the dragons," she added at his questioning look.
"No, I won't," Nuada confirmed. "Your locks won't stop me gaining entry."
"Good. I'll only be taking what I need when I leave, which is basically what I can carry. You may have anything else that takes your fancy," Elfraine told him. "My landlord is one Mr Malachy Seachnall. He owns the antique business downstairs and I've already told him a friend will be using this place until the lease expires. Malachy is also the brave soul who's agreed to take on Goblin after I've gone so you have no need to worry on that score."
"I was not aware that creature was ever going to be a concern of mine," Nuada remarked coolly.
"You'd have discovered it soon enough," Elfraine murmured as she attempted to hide a guilty look. She'd intended leaving Nuada a note and several tins of cat food until she remembered Malachy's fondness for the cat, which was largely on account of Goblin's prowess as a mouser. "Please, try not to kill him – Malachy, that is... and Goblin too, I suppose," she tacked on with a hesitation that would have earned her a scratch from the cat had he been about.
A hard look came into Nuada's eyes and his voice took on a sudden chill as he replied. "As long as neither of them get in my way, they should be safe enough."
Elfraine felt a twinge of concern on behalf of Mr Seachnall. She'd almost forgotten just how much Nuada hated humans. While she knew he no longer felt an aversion towards her, it still gave her pause for thought. But she wouldn't see him again after today and so there was no point in being troubled by it. Elfraine decided though to have a quick word with Malachy before she left this evening, and she could only hope it would be enough to keep him safe.
"Um, there is a further thing," she ventured hesitantly.
"Yes?" said Nuada, his expression and tone softening slightly as he glanced down at her.
"Would you please give my regards to your sister, and the others too... and make my apologies for not saying farewell in person?" she asked as she sat back up.
He looked at her in surprise. "You do not intend going back to the Bureau to do that yourself?"
"No," replied Elfraine diffidently. "I admit it; I am taking the coward's way out. I dislike goodbyes, and our imminent farewell will be more than enough for me today."
"I had not intended going back myself," Nuada said.
"Oh!" exclaimed Elfraine as she shot him an amused look. "So you join me in taking the coward's way out," she teased, earning herself a sharp frown for her trouble. "Well, I suppose they'll discover our absence soon enough and make whatever inferences they wish," she concluded as she tried not to smile at his obvious dislike of being found wanting in any way.
Her words however had set Nuada to thinking. After the revelation last night about his father, he started to wonder now if he'd been too hard on his sister. They'd been so close once, and he suddenly found he wanted to at least say goodbye and see if he couldn't make a peace of sorts with her. He decided he'd return to the Bureau one last time after all. And then he would make his own enquiries on the shadow beasts, and finally set about securing the Throne of Bethmoora and uniting all his people behind him.
"I will return to the Bureau," he announced, in a change of mind that surprised Elfraine. "Will you join me in taking the honourable course, and come with me to make your farewells in person?"
"Oh!" said Elfraine, taken aback. "I... I don't know," she murmured, clearly unsure how to answer him.
Nuada waited with unnatural stillness whilst she considered his request. He found he wasn't quite ready to say goodbye to her yet, and if she agreed it would gain him a few more hours of her company.
"It means I'll have to tell Manning to his face that I'm breaking the Archives contract," Elfraine mused aloud. "He won't be pleased; I'm less than two weeks into what was supposed to be a three-month agreement."
She glanced down at Nuada, surprising a look of tense anticipation on his face, and made up her mind immediately as she realised she couldn't disappoint him. "Still, I intended doing that anyway before I changed my plans this morning so yes, I will join you in taking the honourable course," she told him with a smile. But her heart grew strangely heavy as a brief look of relief flickered in his eyes, and she suddenly knew it was time to utter the words neither of them seemed to want to say just yet.
"And now for the final matter, I think," she said, her expression becoming serious. "We shouldn't put it off any longer."
"Yes?" Nuada asked, with a slight frown.
"I would like to make our private goodbyes now. I don't want to do so in front of anyone else," Elfraine said quietly. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up then turned and held her hands out to Nuada.
He hesitated for a moment and then joined her, staring down on her face with an unfathomable look in his eyes as he took her outstretched hands.
"I count meeting you as... as something I will always treasure, despite our rather inauspicious beginnings,"she told him with a shaky smile. "You are a rare bright spot in four centuries that have... not always been easy." Her voice was no longer quite so steady. "And I won't ever forget you, Nuada. I wish you heart's ease and peace of mind, and all the happiness you surely deserve," she continued, with a look on her face that left no doubt she meant every word she said. Then she stretched up on tip toe and kissed him gently on each cheek.
For a moment, Nuada found he could not speak. He pressed both her hands to his lips and briefly closed his eyes against the unexpected feelings her words aroused in him. Then he fixed Elfraine with an intense look as he made his farewell to her. "You are... delightful and I wish you the same, Lady, and success in your journey too. My only regret is that we didn't have more time together. And please don't doubt this - you will never become lost amongst the hordes nor ever be a blurred face in the crowd. You will always stand bright and clear in my mind."
Elfraine gave him a solemn smile as she reached up and touched his face. "Thank you for that," she said softly even as she thought to herself that if his wish for her came true and she succeeded in her journey, he wouldn't know she'd ever existed.
Nuada took her in his arms and bent his head to give her one last, long kiss, imprinting the essence of her on his senses and in his memory... and then he finally released her and they stepped away from each other.
She picked up her clothes and started to get dressed whilst he quickly threw on his shirt and pants, and gathered up his boots before going into the living area to don his armour and weapons.
... ...
Some ten minutes later Elfraine walked out of the bedroom to join him... and stopped dead in her tracks. There in her living room was a tall, familiar-looking, blond-haired man dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. She stood staring at him, her mouth gaping, as his light, golden brown eyes flashed her a look of amusement.
She recovered her wits and walked up to him to jab him sharply in the chest with her finger, as if she wasn't quite sure whether he was real or not.
He started slightly at her unexpected attack.
"What have you done to yourself?" she asked, a note of real concern colouring her voice.
"I... I thought we could walk to the BPRD," Nuada explained with an air of uncharacteristic reticence.
"I would like that," Elfraine assured him as a dreamy look briefly crossed her face. "However the question still remains; what have you done to yourself?"
"We would not enjoy our walk so much if I attracted any... undue attention so I've cloaked myself in a glamour to avoid it," he replied. "Do you not approve?" He sounded slightly surprised.
"No," she told him promptly. "I do not approve at all. Still... I suppose you have a reasonable enough excuse for it," she admitted as she eyed him dubiously.
Nuada wasn't sure he liked the word 'excuse'. Before he could say anything though, Elfraine was speaking again.
"Is that the only form you can take when you disguise yourself as a human or can you look like anyone you wish?" she asked curiously.
"I can take the appearance of any form I please, human or otherwise," he replied.
"Oh! That must come in handy!" she remarked, beginning to see the potential in such an ability.
"It has its uses," he agreed in a tone of faint amusement.
"Hmmm," murmured Elfraine as she started to turn away. She missed the sudden flash of devilment in his eyes.
She'd teased him mercilessly earlier and it struck Nuada that this was his opportunity to even the score. He swiftly cloaked himself in an entirely different glamour and waited.
Elfraine, meanwhile, walked to the kitchen counter and picked up her keys. She turned around... and promptly dropped the keys in shock. It was like looking at her reflection in a mirror! And as she stared at the exact image of herself, she was suddenly and thoroughly disconcerted by the lusty gleam in the eyes of her other self as she – or rather he - started to bear down on her with purposeful intent.
Elfraine took a nervous step back only to run up against the kitchen counter. "Don't you dare!" she cried out in disbelieving fascination as she held out a hand to fend off the amorous advances of her doppelganger.
"Come... give me a kiss, lover," purred the wanton creature lasciviously, ignoring Elfraine's plea and reaching out to take her in her arms.
"No!" shrieked Elfraine, half-laughing by now and frantically turning her head from side to side in an effort to avoid his – her own! – lips. She tried to push him away but he'd obviously lost none of his strength; he was as immovable as ever. "If... if you don't stop it this minute, I'll... I'll permanently part you from your Silverlance... and I am not referring to the one that was leaning against this counter a little while ago!" she spluttered whilst trying to retain some semblance of dignity.
Her doppelganger only smirked at that and renewed his efforts to capture her mouth.
"Stop it! Now! It is not funny!" she screeched as she tried to smother a laugh.
At which point Nuada left off his glamour and burst out laughing himself.
Elfraine caught her breath at the relaxed look of amusement on his face. He was obviously very pleased with himself, and she grudgingly admitted to herself it was a good jest though it wouldn't do to forgive him too quickly. However when she tried to frown at him, she only succeeded in making him want to kiss her and she forgot all about pretending to be annoyed with him as his dark lips moved warmly on hers.
"I did say it had its uses," he murmured when he finally lifted his head.
"You have a devilish mind," she replied breathlessly. "I would not have thought of such a thing."
Nuada simply raised a brow at that before saying with casual gallantry, "Ah well, at least when I'm lonely and missing you I can still hold a mirror to my face and look on you, Lady."
His lightly-spoken words brought Elfraine up short, and she struggled to match his tone as she replied. "You may miss me from time to time; that's only fair. After all, I'll most certainly miss you. But don't ever be lonely, Nuada; that is not a thought I like," she said softly as she reached up and touched his cheek.
He stopped dead at that but before he could say anything, she'd pulled away and was heading towards the door.
"Come along, Sir," Elfraine called back to him over her shoulder. "We'll lose another day if we tarry any longer."
So, it was back to 'Sir' now. But she was right, Nuada thought as he cloaked himself in a glamour once more and followed her out the door; he'd already lost enough time these last four months, and the four years before that. It was past time he set about restoring his people to their rightful place in this world.
They walked down the stairs and out to the street, and as they stepped into the crisp, clear day Nuada slipped his arm around Elfraine's waist and held her close as they made their way to the BPRD under the bright autumn sun.
... ... ...
They arrived at the Bureau to find it a hive of scurrying activity, and the first person they saw was John Myers, who was on his way to Director Manning's office.
He stopped though when he noticed them. "Oh! You're here at last, Elfraine," he remarked with a frown. "I don't think Manning knows you're late; he's been way too busy this morning. If you hurry, you might be able to get away with it," he added helpfully.
Myers looked at Nuada nervously for a split second and then looked away; he certainly wasn't going to tell him to hurry up much less wonder aloud why the Elven prince had just walked into the building with Elfraine and was looking at her almost... fondly.
"It seems a very industrious place today, John," remarked Elfraine. "What occasions all this activity?"
"The European agents have arrived. Manning didn't expect them until tomorrow and now he's panicking," explained Myers.
"What on earth for?" wondered Elfraine aloud. "I would have thought he'd be delighted they were early; after all, so few of us are," she added dryly.
"He wanted to impress them and had some sort of official welcome planned for tomorrow. He's been running around all morning trying to get it organised for this morning now, at 11am – which is in five minutes time," Myers observed, frowning at his watch. "Anyway, he's got everyone else running around with him."
"Well, we won't keep you from your own running around then," said Elfraine with a smile.
"Thanks!" he muttered darkly as he headed for the lifts. "Oh," he called out as he stopped and turned back to them. "Manning wants everyone in the Boardroom... now. I've already rounded up the others and I'm off to let the Director know everything's ready. You'd better get there before we arrive. He won't be happy if you interrupt his speech by walking in late." Without waiting for a reply, John started for the lifts again.
"Thank you for the warning," Elfraine called out after his retreating figure as Nuada muttered something uncomplimentary about the Director and his speech under his breath.
"At least we know where your sister is," Elfraine said to Nuada as she turned to him. "Shall we go and seek her out?"
"That is why we are here," he replied, looking down at her as he offered her his arm to escort her to the Boardroom.
Elfraine smiled up at him as she laid her hand on his arm, and they headed off to find Nuala.
... ...
There was a large crowd in the Boardroom when they arrived. Manning had ordered the attendance of not just the field agents but of almost every other person in the building from the lab technicians through to the general staff.
Nuada immediately spied his sister standing over near the far side of the room with Abraham, Miss Sherman, and the demon. He struck out in her direction, pulling Elfraine along with him.
Nuala started in alarm as she saw her brother heading purposefully towards her. He looked as if he had something to say to her and it wasn't bound to be anything good, she thought with a twinge of worry. As he got nearer though she noticed he seemed different somehow – less... angry perhaps. She looked closer and saw with surprise he was dragging Miss Somerled along by the hand. A small frown creased her brow as he reached her side.
"Good day, sister," he said in greeting.
"Good... good day, brother," she replied hesitantly.
"I would speak with you afterwards, if I may," he politely requested.
Nuala wondered at his unexpected civility and murmured her assent as she shot him a puzzled look. She noticed he still hadn't let go of Miss Somerled's hand.
Elfraine was about to make a similar request of Nuala and the others when John Myers approached their group.
"This shouldn't take too long at all," Myers told them with a grin. "The European agents have convinced Manning to keep it low key and not make a fuss. He's even dropped the speech now," he added to the relief of those listening. "They just want to mingle with the crowd and meet everyone informally."
"Well good for them!" said Hellboy emphatically, deciding he liked them already.
"Oh, Elfraine," said Myers as an afterthought. "You might be interested in this. One of the agents is British. He's a duke... or an earl, or something."
Elfraine merely gave him a polite smile.
"He doesn't expect us to bow to him, does he?" asked Hellboy suspiciously. " 'Cause I'm not doing that!" he added with a frown.
"No, no. He's not like that," Myers rushed to assure him. "He's just a regular guy. He insists we call him Agent, same as everyone else, or just use his first name. We don't need to use his title."
"You'd have to wonder why he even bothered to mention it at all in that case," observed Elfraine offhandedly.
"So he's not up his own ass then," said Hellboy as he threw the Elven prince a meaningful look.
"And a very nice arse it is too," Elfraine murmured under her breath as she threw Nuada a naughty look.
Nuala was the only one apart from her brother who heard Elfraine's remark and she glanced at the other woman in stark surprise before turning to stare unabashedly at Nuada. While he didn't exactly look pleased at the overly familiar remark, he certainly wasn't giving Miss Somerled a verbal lashing on account of it either. What on earth was going on here, she wondered.
Nuada didn't know who to scowl at first, and decided to ignore all three of them.
At that moment there was a commotion on the other side of the room as Manning entered with Kraus and the European agents. "Can I have your attention people," the Director called out. The hum of conversation died down and he continued. "It's my pleasure to introduce you to our guests. They're from our European branch and they'll be with us until we get our numbers back up. This is Agent Gretheved; he'll be leading one of the field teams. And this is Agent Nanael; she's his 2IC."
Elfraine's head went up at the name 'Gretheved' and she froze for a moment. It was an unusual name and one she knew though she hadn't heard it in a long time. She strained to get a look at the agent in question however she wasn't particularly tall compared to most of the others gathered there and she couldn't see past the people standing in front of her. Manning and Kraus had started to walk around the room with the European agents by now though and she supposed she'd get to see them soon enough.
"Oh my goodness," whispered Liz. "He's extremely easy on the eye!"
"He most certainly is," agreed Nuala as she stared at the tall, dark-haired man in the approaching entourage.
Hellboy and Abe turned to frown at them but the women were too caught up in their admiration of Agent Gretheved to notice so they gave up and scowled instead at the man who was by now the fond object of almost every female gaze in the room.
Elfraine also frowned at Liz and Nuala's words, and tried once more to get a look at the European agents. Suddenly someone in front of her shifted and she caught a glimpse jet black hair. Then the person moved again and she could no longer see anything. A vague feeling of unease started to spread through her body.
Determined now to see what the visitors looked like she stood on tiptoe as she tried to peer past the shoulders of the people in front of her, and as she was craning her neck one of them leaned across to make a comment to someone on his right. For the briefest of moments Elfraine had a clear view all the way down the room... and it was all she needed.
As she beheld the tall, dark-haired man with the hard, sensual face of a fallen angel and earthy green eyes that promised sinful pleasures without end, Elfraine's heart almost stopped and she suddenly struggled for breath. Her limbs felt numb and her stomach started to flutter alarmingly, and she could do nothing but stand there, transfixed to the spot.
Nuada, meanwhile, had noticed his sister and Miss Sherman's reaction to the male agent and his lips curled in contempt at the adoring looks on the women's faces. He turned his attention back to the party making its way along the room, silently cursing Manning for not being quicker with his introductions. Once his sister met the new agents he could talk privately with her, and then he'd finally leave this infernal place and set about continuing the fight for his people. He tried to push aside the feeling of disquiet at the thought that this would also be the last time he saw Elfraine Somerled.
Unable to ignore the sudden need to just look at her, Nuada glanced down and saw she'd gone completely still. He followed the line of her head, and a swift stab of savage anger caught him unawares as he noticed she seemed as taken with the European agent as his sister and Miss Sherman. Leaning forward to get a better view of her face, he viciously decided he'd do more than give her the spanking he'd been promising her if she wore the same besotted look they did.
But he stopped short when he saw her expression. She'd turned a ghastly ashen colour and had a sick look of horror in her eyes. Suddenly she clapped one hand to her mouth and one to her stomach, and tried not to dry-retch as her insides heaved. A fierce trembling seized her frame, and Nuada caught her just before she collapsed.
"Lady, compose yourself," he whispered urgently as he quickly pulled her back to the edge of the room, away from the rest of the assembled crowd.
Elfraine struggled to regain her self-possession, and gave him a desperate look.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, as he murmured soothingly in her ear. "Hush, mhuirnín."
She clung to him, and drew several deep draughts of air into her lungs as she got her breathing under control again. "Please, don't... don't let go of me," she whispered hoarsely when she could speak again.
"I won't," he promised swiftly as he tightened his hold on her.
Elfraine leaned into him and took several more deep breaths as she slowly recovered. The feeling in her limbs gradually returned, and her heaving stomach started to settle. Manning and his guests were almost upon them and she suddenly found the steel in her spine again. Straightening up, Elfraine placed her hands on Nuada's arms and looked up at him. "Thank you," she whispered, her eyes filled with gratitude. She then turned back to the room, and he slipped his arm around her waist. He could feel the slight tremors that still coursed through her though they too were lessening now.
Nuada was about to ask her what was wrong when he glanced up. Manning had reached Anung Un Rama and was in the process of introducing him to the European agents. The male, Gretheved, happened to look past the demon's shoulder just as he was about to take Hellboy's outstretched hand, and he froze as his eyes fell on Elfraine. He looked utterly stunned for a moment and then a sick expression, very much like the one she'd just worn, settled on his face for several long seconds. He recovered quickly though and started towards them, leaving Manning spluttering over the sudden detour and the demon still waiting to shake his hand. Nuada's eyes narrowed as he wondered just what was going on.
Manning hurried after Gretheved, and Hellboy turned to scowl at the British agent's back. "So much for not being up his own ass!" he muttered under his breath.
"Agent Gretheved," exclaimed the Director as he attempted to regain the man's attention. "This is Prince Nuada and Miss...," he started to say.
"No introductions are necessary," interrupted Gretheved brusquely, cutting off the rest of Manning's words. "The lady and I already... know each other," he said as he caught and held Elfraine's gaze; he didn't even look at Nuada. A slight sneer twisted his lips and then he inclined his head as he addressed her. "Your Grace."
Elfraine took a deep breath and stood ramrod straight. "It is Lady Wylde," she replied icily as she fixed him with a look of utter loathing.
Gretheved raised his brow mockingly. "I think you'll find a wife takes her husband's title, Duchess," he returned with a cool, smooth arrogance. "As you did when we wed all those years ago... madam wife," he added, his gaze spitefully malevolent as it flicked briefly to Nuada's arm about her waist.
Nuada stiffened at his words and instinctively tightened his hold on Elfraine as he started forward. "What, by the Gods, is going on here?" he demanded harshly though he had a feeling he already knew.
Elfraine pressed his arm but made no reply. Instead she regarded Gretheved with cold hauteur, rather as if he was something nasty she'd just stood in. "You mistake the matter, Rochforte," she drawled in a slightly bored tone. "I think you will find that the bonds of matrimony were severed in the eyes of both God and man the night I strung your entrails from one end of London Bridge to the other, stuck your head on a pike over the southern gatehouse, and fed your privates to the castle pigs. Death had most assuredly parted us by the time I'd finished with you. Oh, and I was stripped of your title before they hung me - though I'd have given it back gladly. It is most definitely Lady Wylde... not Duchess!"
And in that instant, Nuada knew without a doubt that he was looking at Elfraine Somerled's third husband... the black-hearted villain who'd murdered her daughter almost four hundred years ago.
.
.
References:
'Had we but world enough, and time' – Andrew Marvell, To His Coy Mistress, c. 1650.
Mhuirnín: (Irish Gaelic) sweetheart, darling.
In past ages in England, including the Elizabethan era, the heads of executed traitors were stuck on pikes on the southern gatehouse of London Bridge.
Forms of address (titles and styles) (just in case anyone's confused by the names/titles.)
(Agent) Gretheved, 4th Duke of Rochforte – addressed as Your Grace, or simply Duke or Rochforte by his peers/family in the first instance, then Sir thereafter.
Elfraine Gretheved, Duchess of Rochforte – addressed as Your Grace, or Duchess by her peers/family in the first instance, then Madam or Ma'am thereafter (married, obviously)
Elfraine Somerled, Countess of Wylde – addressed as Lady Wylde (her substantive title after her father died and before she married Rochforte. In this story the Letters Patent for the Earldom of Wylde allowed for inheritance in the female line.)