Chapter 4: Old friends meet again

Everyone was back at the treehouse. Malone and Veronica had laid Roxton carefully on his bed. The wound didn't look good and Veronica feared that an infection might set in. In the meantime Marguerite was getting angry. Summerlee had treated her cut, but both men, Challenger and Summerlee, wouldn't let her out of her room to see Roxton. In fact, every two hours one of the other members came to her room to keep her company. It infuriated her, to be treated like a little girl.

It was Malone's turn to keep the heiress company now. The poor man didn't know what would overcome him when he entered Marguerite's room. Marguerite let all her anger go and Malone was the one that just to happen to be there. He didn't stand a chance. He always feared Marguerite's sharp tongue when she got angry and at this moment she was furious.

Marguerite had pushed Malone out of her way and marched towards Roxton's room. She knew he had immediately lost consciousness after being hit with the arrow, but that was probably because he had hit his head when he fell. Marguerite never expected it to be really bad, so when she came into the hunter's room she was shocked to see that things were worse than she had expected them to be.

Veronica turned around and saw Marguerite getting paler with every second. "Marguerite, what are you doing here?"

"He's hurt really bad, isn't he?" Marguerite managed to choke out. She was completely taken back by what she saw. Veronica felt sorry for the older woman. She knew that Marguerite loved Roxton, though she still hadn't said the three words to him. She doubted if Marguerite had admitted to herself she was in love with Roxton.

Veronica walked over to Marguerite and let her to the chair, which was standing besides Roxton's bed. Then she left the room to give her some privacy. Back in the main area of the treehouse, she found the other explorers.

"I'm sorry Veronica, I should have stopped her."

"It's okay Malone. It's okay …"

"Is she with him now?" Challenger asked. Veronica nodded.

°°°°°

Marguerite carefully took Roxton's hand in hers. She no longer could control her tears. She brought his motionless hand to her cheek, while the tears were streaming down her face.

Marguerite sat at Roxton's side for hours. When Veronica called her that dinner was ready, Marguerite said she wasn't hungry and that she wasn't leaving Roxton's side. Though she was grateful when Veronica brought a plate with some fruit and bread on it back with her, when she was going to change Roxton's bandages. Veronica tried to do this as careful as possible. Though Roxton didn't even flinched when she accidentally touched the wound. This indicated that his condition was very serious.

Veronica looked at Marguerite. "Marguerite, you need to sleep. Go to bed, I'll stay with Roxton." But Marguerite stubbornly shook her head. Veronica just let her. She knew that if this had happened to Malone, she would have acted the same. Precisely the same. «Perhaps we have even more in common than we thought Marguerite» A small smile escaped from Veronica's lips.

Automatically Marguerite took some fruit from the plate, Veronica had brought with her. Nevertheless, she placed it back on the board and moved closer to Roxton. "Roxton? Roxton? Can you hear me?"

Roxton groaned and slowly moved his head, but he didn't open his eyes, or reacted to Marguerite's voice. Defeated Marguerite sank back in the chair next to the bed. How she hoped that all this was a bad dream, that Roxton was not hurt so badly. She felt tears forming in her eyes again and couldn't repress them. Completely worn out by crying and all the other things that had happened these couple of months took their toll. Marguerite fell in a dreamless sleep.

°°°°°

"Well done. You did what I wanted, you ordered your men to kill Lord John Roxton." A strange man, dressed in a neat suit walked towards Altor, who was gleaming of pride. He didn't know who this - for him - strangely dressed man was, but he was paying very well, just for the death of that irritating man who had taken his most valuable woman from him.

"I have one more question for you."

"Shoot it" Altor replied.

"I heard your men talking about a fury you had captured some time ago to sell."

"Too bad she got away, otherwise I would have given her to you for this evening, Sir."

"I appreciate that. On to the question … Can you capture that woman again?"

"Of course, Sir! It asks for some preparations. I have told you what happened with her. However, I'm sure we will be able to capture her again. May I ask why, Sir?"

"She's my wife."

°°°°°

Veronica entered Roxton's room to check on him and found Marguerite sound asleep. «Seems like all the events of the past couple of months have taken their toll on her. That and some herb tea can do wonders.» Veronica still couldn't believe the things Marguerite had told them about her past. Now that she thought of it, it made perfect sense. All those times Marguerite complained about being stuck here on the Plateau were just a cover up. A cover up for not returning to London. «The poor woman. She has been through a lot since she was just a little girl»

Veronica now turned her attention to Roxton, who slowly regained consciousness. She tried to keep him down, but although he was injured bad, he still was strong and it took her great effort to keep him in bed.

"Marguerite…"

"… is just fine." Veronica completed his sentence. "And you have to go back to bed, Roxton. You have been injured really bad."

Veronica didn't had to say that twice. Every movement Roxton made hurt him. In the meantime, Marguerite had woken up by all the noise the two were making. She hurried towards Roxton's bed and let herself fall on her knees beside him.

"Roxton? Roxton? Darling? Please say something to me!" she sobbed. Then she felt his hand stroking her cheek. She looked up, right into her love's eyes. Tears once again in her own. "You should go back to sleep." She spoke softly. Roxton didn't even say a word and closed his eyes. In less than a minute, he was asleep.

Veronica walked to Marguerite and lead the brunette to her own room. Marguerite was too tired to argue with the blonde. When she was in her room, she laid herself down on the bed and fell asleep immediately.

Veronica returned to the living room of the treehouse, where the others looked at her. "I think he's going to be just fine. Both are going to be fine." She could see the relief on the faces of her fellow explorers. They all sat for a while at the table, then they too went to their sleeping quarters to retire for the night.

°°°°°

The next morning Marguerite was the first one to awake, something that rarely ever happened. She decided to make some coffee for all of them and when she had done that, she went to Roxton's room. She expected to find him asleep, but he was completely awake, trying to sit up.

"Roxton, what do you think you're doing? You should lie down!" she said concerned.

Roxton looked at her, something had changed, but he couldn't find out what it was. Than he heard her whisper something and a smile crossed his painful face. "I love you too, Marguerite!"

Marguerite lifted her head up and smiled at him, again she said those words Roxton had longed to hear for such a long time: "I love you." Marguerites softly stroked his face and both didn't notice Summerlee standing in the door opening.

Smiling Summerlee walked towards the living room. «Veronica was right, both would be just fine. What love can't do to a person.» Than his thoughts wondered of to Anna, his late wife. How he missed her. He really hoped that those two could work out all their problems. The big step had been made. Both had admitted their love for one another. So all that could happen now, would only be better.

°°°°°

The remaining four explorers had decided to spilt up the task that needed to be done, so that Marguerite could stay with Roxton. Malone and Veronica went out hunting; they had run out of meat. Summerlee and Challenger would clean the treehouse. The kitchen at least, that was the most important now.

They were all done and Veronica and Malone were back for about an hour, when Marguerite walked into the living room, supporting Roxton. Everyone looked perplexed. It seemed like his recovering was going much faster than Summerlee and Veronica expected. Veronica hurried to Marguerite and Roxton and helped Marguerite to get Roxton on the sofa. Then she went to make dinner.

"Is Malone outside?" Marguerite asked at no one in particular.

"No, why are you …" Veronica stopped in the middle of her sentence when she heard the sound of the elevator coming up. She walked towards the living room. "What the …"

A man stepped out of the elevator. When he saw Roxton his face turned red. When Marguerite saw the man, she turned pale. The rest looked confused from the man to Marguerite.

"You are a hard one to get rid of, aren't you Lord Roxton?" the man said.

Marguerite looked astonished at the man, then her eyes narrowed. "It was you!"

"Great to see you again, Miss Krux. Or actually Mrs. Devon. Because a wife always is supposed to take her husband last name, isn't it?"

The others looked at Marguerite, who was ready to do something to the man. Summerlee stepped right between the man and woman. "I really think it's a good idea to sit down and talk. What do you think Veronica?"

"Oh, I think it's best for the gentleman to leave my house." She responded with a fake calm voice.

"Don't be afraid, I will leave, but Marguerite is going with me!"