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Standard disclaimer.
Gwen stayed in Arthur's bed for most of the night.
She woke up now and then, to find herself enveloped in the heat of his body and the soft layers of linen, silk and wool.
But Arthur must have been exhausted from their lovemaking, for there was no sound and little movement from him.
As morning approached, however, he was the first to awaken.
Lost in a contented slumber, Gwen protested, as he roused her.
"It's almost daybreak," Arthur whispered in Gwen's ear. "Open your eyes. I have to take you to your room."
"No," she said groggily. "In a few minutes...later."
She tried to burrow back into his arms, seeing as the bed was so warm, and the air was cold, and she knew that the floor would feel like ice beneath her feet.
But Arthur kissed the top of her head and eased her to a sitting position.
"Now," he insisted gently, rubbing circles on her back. "The maid will be up to light the grate...and many of the remaining guests will go shooting this morning, which means, they will rise soon."
"Someday..." Gwen said grumpily, huddling against his powerful chest, "...you'll have to explain, why men, find such an unholy joy, to go outside before it's light, and wander through muddy fields, to kill small animals."
"Because we like to test ourselves against nature. And more importantly, it gives us an excuse to drink before noon."
She smiled and nuzzled into his shoulder, rubbing her lips against his sleek male skin.
"I'm cold," she whispered. "Lie with me under the covers."
Arthur groaned at the temptation she offered, but forced himself to leave the bed.
And Gwen immediately tunneled beneath the covers, clutching the soft folds of his shirt, more tightly around herself.
However, he returned soon, fully dressed, and dug her out from under the bedclothes.
"There's no use complaining," he said, wrapping her in one of his robes. "You're going back to your room. You can't be seen with me at this hour."
"Are you afraid of scandal?" she asked.
"No. However, it is in my nature, to behave with discretion whenever possible."
"Such a gentleman," she mocked, holding her arms up, as he tied the belt of the robe. "You should marry a girl of equal discretion."
"Ah, but they're not half as entertaining, as the wicked ones."
"Is that what I am?" she asked, draping her arms around his shoulders. "A wicked girl?"
"Oh yes," Arthur said softly, and covered her mouth with his.
Daisy awakened to a scratching sound at the door.
Squinting her eyes open, she saw by the color of the light, it was still early morning, and her sister was busy at the dressing table, brushing snarls from her hair.
Sitting up and pushing her own hair from her eyes, she asked,
"Who could that be?"
"I'll see," Gwen replied.
Already dressed in a dark-red, corded-silk day gown, Gwen went to the door and opened it a few inches.
From what Daisy could see, a housemaid had come to deliver a message.
A murmured conversation ensued, and though Daisy could not quite hear their words, she heard the mild surprise in her sister's voice, followed by an edge of annoyance.
"Very well," Gwen said crisply. "Tell her I will. Though I hardly see the need for all this skulking about."
The housemaid disappeared, and Gwen closed the door, frowning.
"What?" Daisy asked. "What did she tell you? Who sent her?"
"It was nothing," Gwen replied, and added with heavy irony, "I'm not supposed to say."
"I overheard something about skulking."
"Oh, it's just a bothersome piece of business, that I have to take care of. I'll explain it later this afternoon... no doubt I'll have some highly entertaining and colorful story to tell."
"Does it involve the Earl of Westcliff?"
"Indirectly."
Gwen's frown cleared, and suddenly, she looked radiantly happy. Perhaps more so, than Daisy had ever seen her.
"Oh, Daisy, it's revolting, the way I want to fawn all over him. I'm afraid, that I'm going to do something dreadfully silly today. Like burst into song or something. For God's sake, don't let me."
"I won't," Daisy promised, smiling back at her. "Are you in love, then?"
"That word is not to be mentioned," Gwen said swiftly. "Even if I were...and I am not admitting anything...I would never be the first to say it. It's a matter of pride. And there's every chance that he won't say it back, but just respond with a polite 'thank you,' in which case, I would have to murder him. Or myself."
"I hope the Earl is not equally as stubborn as you," Daisy commented.
"He isn't," Gwen assured her. "Although he thinks he is." Some private memory caused her to chortle, clasping a hand to her forehead. "Oh, Daisy," she said with devilish glee, "I'm going to be such an abominable countess."
"Let's not put it that way," Daisy said diplomatically. "Rather, we'll say...unconventional countess."
"I can be any kind of countess I want," Gwen said, half in delight and half in wonder. "Arthur said so. And what's more...I actually think he means it."
After a light breakfast of tea and toast, Gwen went out to the back terrace of the manor.
Resting her elbows on the balcony, she stared at their extensive gardens, with their carefully edged paths, and broad margins of low box hedges, lavished with roses, and ancient manicured yews, that provided so many delightful hidden places to explore.
Her smile faded, as she reflected, that at this moment, the countess of Westcliff, was waiting for her at Butterfly Court, after having sent one of the housemaids to deliver her summons.
The countess desired a private talk with her...and it was not a good sign, that she wished to meet at such a distance from the manor.
Since the countess often had difficulty walking, and either used a cane, or chose on occasion to be pushed about in a wheeled chair, going to the hidden garden, was an arduous undertaking.
It would have been far simpler and more sensible, if she had wanted to meet in the upstairs Pendragon parlor.
But perhaps, what the countess wished to say was so private...or so loud...that she did not want to risk the possibility of being overheard.
Gwen knew exactly why the countess had requested, that she tell no one about their meeting.
If Arthur found out, he would insist on delving thoroughly into the matter afterwards...something that neither woman wanted. Besides, she had no intention of hiding behind him...she could face the countess on her own.
She fully expected a tirade, of course. Her acquaintance with the woman, had taught her that the countess had a sharp tongue and did not seem to set any limit, as to how wounding her words might be.
But that didn't matter. Every syllable the countess uttered, would roll off her, like raindrops down a window, because, she was secure in the knowledge, that nothing could stop her marriage to Arthur.
And the countess would have to realize, that it was in her own best interest, to have a cordial relationship with her soon-to-be daughter-in-law. Otherwise, they were capable of making life equally unpleasant for each other.
Gwen smiled grimly, as she descended the long flight of steps, that led to the gardens, and walked out into the cool morning air.
"I'm coming, you old witch," she muttered softly. "Do your worst."
The door to Butterfly Court was ajar when she reached it.
Squaring her shoulders, she composed her features, into cool unconcern, and strode inside.
The countess was alone in the hidden garden, with no servant nearby to attend her.
She sat on the circular garden bench, as if it were a throne, with her jeweled walking stick, resting beside her.
As expected, her expression was stony, and for a brief moment, Gwen was almost tempted, to laugh at the reflection, that the woman resembled...a tiny warrior, prepared to accept nothing less, than uncontested victory.
"Good morning," Gwen said pleasantly, approaching her. "What a lovely place you've chosen for us to meet, my lady. I do hope the walk from the house was not too strenuous for you."
"That is my own concern," the countess replied, "And none of yours."
Although there was no discernible expression, in her fish-flat black eyes, Gwen was aware of a sudden slithery chill.
It wasn't quite fear, but an instinctive trepidation, that she had never felt in their previous encounters.
"I was merely expressing an interest in your comfort," Gwen said, holding up her hands in a mocking gesture of self-defense. "I won't provoke you with any further attempts at friendliness, my lady. Go right ahead and speak your piece. I am here to listen."
"For your own sake, and for my son's, I hope that you do."
An icy brittleness layered the countess' words, and yet, at the same time, she sounded vaguely perplexed, as if disbelieving, that there was a necessity of saying these things at all.
No doubt, of all the controversies she had experienced in her lifetime, this was one she had never expected.
"Had I imagined, that a girl of your commonness, would be capable of attracting the Earl, I would have put a stop to this far earlier. The Earl is not in full possession of his faculties, or it would never have come to this madness."
As the silver-haired woman paused to draw breath, Gwen heard herself asking quietly,
"Why do you call it madness? A few weeks ago, you allowed that I might be able to catch a British peer. Why not the Earl himself? Are you objecting, mostly because of your personal dislike, or..."
"Stupid girl!" the countess exclaimed. "My objections stem from the fact, that no one in the past fifteen generations of Pendragon heirs, has married outside the aristocracy. And my son will not be the first Earl to do so! You understand nothing about the importance of blood...you...who come from a country, that has no traditions, no culture, and no vestige of nobility. If the Earl marries you, it won't only be his failure, but mine, and the downfall of every man and woman, related to the Pendragon escutcheon."
The pomposity of the statement, nearly drew a jeering laugh from Gwen...except that, she began to understand, for the first time, that the countess of Westcliff's belief, in the inviolability of the Pendragons' noble lineage, was nearly religious in its fervor.
As the countess worked to restore her tattered composure, Gwen wondered how, if at all, she might bring the issue down to a personal level, and appeal to the countess' deeply buried feelings for her son.
Emotional candor was seldom easy for Gwen. She preferred to make clever comments, or cynical ones, as it had always seemed far too risky, to speak from the heart.
This was important, however...and perhaps, she owed an attempt at sincerity to the woman, whose son she would soon wed.
With awkward slowness, Gwen said,
"My lady, I know that deep down, you must desire your son's happiness. I wish you could understand, how much I want the same thing for him. It is true that I am not noble, nor am I accomplished in the ways that you would prefer..."
She paused with a self-derisive smile, as she added,
"...Nor am I precisely certain of what an escutcheon is. But I think, I could make Arthur happy. At least I could ease his cares a little...and I will not be a complete madcap, I swear it. If you believe nothing else, please know that I would never want to embarrass him, or to offend you..."
"I will listen no more, of this puling rubbish!" the countess exploded. "Everything about you offends me. I would not have you as a servant on my estate, much less the mistress of it! My son cares nothing for you. You are merely a symptom of his past grievances against his father. You are a rebellion, a useless retaliation against a ghost. And when the novelty of his vulgar bride wears thin, the Earl will come to despise you as I do. But by then, it will be too late. The lineage will be ruined."
Gwen remained expressionless, though she felt the color drain from her face.
No one, she realized, had ever looked at her with real hatred...until now.
It was clear that the countess wished every ill upon her, short of death...perhaps, not even barring that.
But rather than shrink, cry, or protest, she found herself launching a counterattack.
"Maybe he wants to marry me as a retaliation against you, my lady. In which case, I am delighted to serve as the means of reprisal."
The countess' eyes bulged.
"You dare!" she croaked.
Although Gwen was tempted to say more, she half feared, it would send the countess into apoplexy. And, she thought wryly, killing a man's mother, was not a good way to begin a marriage.
Biting back more barbed words, she gave the countess a slitted glance.
"We've made our positions clear, I suppose. Though I had hoped for a different outcome to our conversation, I will allow, that the news is still something of a shock. Perhaps in time, we shall come to some kind of understanding."
"Yes...we will."
There was a soft hiss in the woman's voice, and Gwen had to resist an instinctive urge to step back, as she saw the malevolence in her gaze.
Suddenly feeling chilled and befouled by the ugliness of their exchange, she wanted nothing more, than to be as far away from her as possible.
And the countess could do nothing to her, she reminded herself, as long as Arthur wanted her.
"I will marry him," Gwen insisted calmly, feeling the need to make that point clear.
"Not as long as I am living," the countess whispered.
Levering herself upward, she grasped her cane and used it to steady her balance.
Mindful of the woman's physical frailty, Gwen nearly went to help her. However, the woman gave her such a venomous glare, that she held back, half suspecting, the countess might lash out with the cane.
The gentle morning sun broke through the delicate veil of mist, that hung over the butterfly garden, and a few painted ladies unfolded their wings, to flutter over the half-open flower cups.
It was such a beautiful garden, and such an incongruous setting, for the poisonous words that had been exchanged.
Nonetheless, Gwen followed the older woman's tedious progress out of Butterfly Court.
"Let me open the door for you," Gwen offered.
The countess waited regally, then crossed the threshold of Butterfly Court.
"We might have met at a more convenient place," Gwen couldn't resist commenting. "After all, we can fight just as easily inside the manor, where you wouldn't have to walk nearly so far."
Ignoring her, the countess continued to walk away. And then she said something curious, not bothering to direct the comment over her shoulder, but to the side, as if she were speaking to someone else.
"You may proceed."
"My lady?" Gwen questioned, puzzled, and she made to follow her outside the hidden garden.
With brutal quickness, she was smothered in a blur of movement. She was seized from behind in a crushing grip.
Before she could move or speak, something was clamped over her mouth and nose.
Her eyes flew wide in bewildered fear, and she tried to flail, as her lungs moved in a painful attempt to draw in air.
The thing over her face, clenched tightly by a large hand, was saturated with a sickly-sweet fluid, its fumes shooting into her nostrils, her throat, chest and head...a swift, noxious billow, that caused her to collapse piece by piece, like a tower of painted wooden blocks.
Losing control of her arms and legs, she sank into a fathomless darkness, her eyes closing, as the sun turned black. Then, sh knew no more.
Returning from a late breakfast, that had been held at the lakeside pavilion, after the morning's shooting, Arthur paused at the nadir of the great staircase, at the back of the manor.
One of the shooting party, an elderly man who had been a friend of the family, for the past twenty-five years, had sought his attention, wishing to complain about another guest.
"He shot out of turn," the old man said heatedly, "Not once, not twice, but thrice. And to make matters worse, he claimed to have downed one of the birds that I shot. Never in all my years of hunting at Stony Cross Park, have I encountered such unspeakable boorishness..."
Arthur interrupted with grave politeness, promising, that not only would he speak to the offensive guest, but that the elderly man would certainly be invited to return next week, to hunt or shoot at his leisure.
Somewhat mollified, the affronted old man left him with a few last grumbles, about ill-behaved guests, with no conception of gentlemanly manners in the field.
Smiling ruefully, Arthur ascended the steps to the back terrace. He saw Percy, who had also just returned, standing with his head bent toward his wife.
Isabelle looked distinctly worried about something, whispering to her husband and curling her fingers into the sleeve of his coat.
As Arthur reached the top step, he was approached by Daisy Sweetly and her friend Elena Jenner, who, as usual, could not quite bring herself to meet his gaze.
Making a shallow bow, he smiled at Daisy, for whom he thought, he could easily develop a brotherly affection.
The slightness of her form and her sweetly exuberant spirit, reminded him of Morganna in her younger years.
At the moment, however, the usual brightness of her expression, had been dulled, and her cheeks were bereft of color.
"My lord," Daisy murmured, "I am relieved that you have returned. There is a...a private matter that is causing us some concern..."
"How may I be of service?" Arthur asked immediately. A light breeze ruffled through his hair, as he bent his head over hers.
Daisy hardly seemed to know how to explain, but she tried.
"It's my sister," she told him tensely. "She can't be found anywhere. The last I saw of her, was about five hours ago. She left on some errand and wouldn't explain what it was. When she did not return, I took it upon myself to look for her. And the other wallflowers...that is, Elena and Isabelle...they have been searching, too. Gwen is nowhere to be found in the manor, nor in the gardens. I even walked as far as the wishing well, to see if she'd gone there on some whim. It's not like her to disappear like this...not without me, at any rate. Perhaps, it is too soon to worry, but..."
She paused and frowned, as if she were trying to reason herself out of her concern, but found herself unable to.
"Something is very wrong, my lord. I can feel it."
Arthur kept his face expressionless, though inside, he felt a violent stab of worry.
His mind busily riffled through the possible explanations for Gwen's absence, from the frivolous to the extreme, and yet, nothing seemed to make sense.
Gwen was not a silly fool, who might have wandered away from the house and become lost, nor, despite her love of pranks, would she play this kind of game.
Neither did it seem likely, that she had gone visiting somewhere, as she knew no one in the village, and she would not have left the estate on her own.
Was she injured in some way?
Had some illness overtaken her?
With his heart thundering anxiously, he kept his voice calm, as he glanced from Daisy's small face, to Elena Jenner's.
"Is it possible that she went to the stables and..."
"N-no, my lord," Elena Jenner said. "I've already gone there to ask, and all of the horses are there, and none of the stable hands have s-seen Gwen today."
Arthur nodded briefly.
"I'll organize a thorough search of the house and grounds," he said. "She'll be found within the hour."
Seeming comforted by his brusque manner, Daisy let out an unsteady sigh.
"What can I do?"
"Tell me more about the errand she went on," Arthur said as he stared intently into her round, gingerbread-colored eyes. "What was your conversation, prior to her leaving?"
"One of the housemaids came to deliver a message to her this morning, and..."
"At what time?" he interrupted tersely.
"Approximately eight o'clock."
"Which housemaid?"
"I don't know, my lord. I could hardly see a thing, as the door was scarcely opened as they spoke. And the maid wore a mob-cap, so I can't even tell you the color of her hair."
During the conversation, they were joined by Percy and Isabelle.
"I'll question the housekeeper and the housemaids," Percy offered.
"Good." Filled with an explosive need for action, Arthur muttered, "I'll start the grounds search."
He would gather a group of servants and a few male guests, including Gwen's father, to help, he thought.
Rapidly, he calculated the length of time that she had been absent, and the distance she could have traveled on foot, across relatively rugged terrain.
"We'll begin with the gardens, and broaden it to a ten-mile radius around the manor." Catching Percy's gaze, he jerked his head towards the doors, and they both made to depart.
"My lord," came Daisy's anxious voice, delaying him briefly. "You will find her, won't you?"
"Yes," he said without hesitation. "And then I'm going to strangle her."
That drew a tense smile from Daisy, and she watched him as he strode away.
Arthur's mood progressed from biting frustration, to unendurable worry, during the lengthening afternoon.
Thomas Sweetly, grimly convinced, that his daughter was up to some bit of mischief making, joined a party of riders, who searched the nearby woodland and surrounding meadows, while another group of volunteers went down the bluff to the river.
The bachelors' house, the gatehouse, the caretaker's house, the ice-house, the chapel, conservatory, wine cellar, stable and stable yard, were all meticulously inspected.
It seemed that every inch of Stony Cross Park had been covered, with nothing, not so much as a footprint or discarded glove, to indicate what might have happened to Gwen.
While Arthur rode through the wood and fields, until Sir Brutus' sides were wet and his mouth flecked with foam, Percy Hunt remained inside the manor, to methodically question the servants.
He was the only man Arthur trusted to perform the task, with the same ruthless efficiency, that he himself would have used.
Arthur, for his part, didn't want to speak patiently with anyone. He wanted to knock heads together and choke the information he wanted, from someone's helpless throat.
Knowing that Gwen was somewhere out there, lost, or perhaps hurt, filled him with an unfamiliar emotion, hot as lightning, cold as ice...a feeling he gradually identified a...fear.
Her safety was too important to him. He could not tolerate the thought, that she was in a situation, in which he was unable to help her. Unable, even, to find her.
"Will you order the ponds and lake to be dragged, milord?" asked the head footman, William, after a rapid account of the search so far.
Arthur looked at him blankly, while a buzzing in his ears grew sharper, more piercing, and the hammer of his own pulse, caused his veins to hurt.
"Not yet," he heard himself say, in a surprisingly even voice. "I'm going to my study to confer with Mr. Hunt. You will find me there, if anything occurs in the next few minutes."
"Yes, milord."
Striding to his study, where Hunt had been questioning the servants one at a time, Arthur entered the room without knocking.
He saw Hunt seated at the broad mahogany desk, his chair angled to face a housemaid, who was perched on the other chair.
She struggled to her feet at the sight of the Earl, and managed to bob a nervous curtsy.
"Sit," he said tersely, and whether it was his tone, his harsh expression, or merely his presence, she burst into tears.
Arthur's alert gaze shot to Percy Hunt, who was staring at the housemaid with a calm, terrible tenacity.
"My lord," Hunt said quietly, his gaze unswerving from the maid's streaming countenance, as she wept into her sleeve, "After interviewing this young woman...Bertha... for some minutes, it has become apparent, that she may have some useful information to share, regarding Miss Sweetly's undisclosed errand this morning...and her subsequent disappearance. However, I believe that a fear of being dismissed, may be inducing Bertha to hold her silence. If you, as her employer, might provide some guarantee..."
"You won't be dismissed," Arthur said to the maid in a hard voice, "If you tell me your information at this very moment. Otherwise, not only will you find yourself dismissed, I will see to it, that you are prosecuted as an accessory, to Miss Sweetly's disappearance."
Bertha stared at him with bulging eyes, her weeping fading rapidly, as she answered with a terrified stutter.
"M-mi lord...I...I was sent to give Miss Sweetly a message this morning, but I wasn't supposed to tell no one...she was to meet in secret, in Butterfly Court...and she said, if I was to say a word of it, I would be sacked..."
"Sent by whom?" Arthur demanded, his blood teeming with fury. "To meet with whom? Tell me, damn it!"
"I was sent by the countess," Bertha whispered, appearing awestruck, by whatever it was she saw in his face. "By Lady Pendragon, milord."
Before the last word had left her lips, Arthur had left the room, charging towards the grand staircase in murderous fury.
"Arthur!" Percy Hunt bellowed, following him at a dead run. "Arthur...damn you! Wait!..."
Arthur only quickened his pace, taking the stairs three at a time.
More than anyone on earth, he knew what the countess was capable of...and his soul was smothered in a black cloud of horror, at the knowledge that...one way or another...he might already have lost Gwen.
Stay safe!