Disclaimer: We don't own The Covenant

Authors: Bookworm since birth, sentrosi4, SkyyRyder and Cara Mascara

A/N: Thank you all for reviewing! Keep them coming!

Le Nouvel Espoir

Chapter 1: A Simple Touch

Three had passed since Lily had arrived in America. She was now seventeen and a little less than a year away from being free of the Abbots. Though slightly broken, with the help of Rhys and exposure to the language, she was able to learn English. Life had been hard living in Ipswich. Treated no better than a beggar, Lily had to get through each day remembering every dinner cooked, child looked after, horse groomed, area of the house cleaned, and job completed meant that she was that much closer to being free.

On this March day Lily was watching Rowen and Grace play outside. 'They seem so young and carefree,' thought Lily. They didn't have a care in the world. Their life was set for them, being children of the Governor of Ipswich. Lily knew that it wasn't right to be envious but she couldn't help the longing to be like these kids.

Lily always loved the times when she was watching the children outside. It was the one time where she could just sit and relax, even if only for a short while. The outdoors had a calming effect on her.

Today was no different. She had been sent outside to watch the children while Aaron talked with Annabelle, the banker's daughter, inside. Lily knew it was inappropriate for them to be left alone while Mr. and Mrs. Abbot were at a friends house, but Aaron had assured her it was okay. After all, it was Aaron, and he would never do anything inappropriate.

As Lily sat on a tree stump and thought, the neighbor's son walked up. Mr. Garwin was a prominent lawyer and his son, Reid Garwin, was the same age as Aaron and the two were friends.

Reid walked up the road to the Abbot house and when he saw Lily outside with the kids he knew what his friend was doing inside with the pretty Annabelle Smith. He knew Lily was outside with orders to not let anyone inside the house. Reid was always mischievous and he saw this as an opportunity to have a little fun.

When Reid walked up Lily's heart skipped a beat. With his platinum blond hair, devilish blue eyes, and teasing smirk Reid could certainly cause a girl's heart to throb. She got a little nervous and wondered what he was doing here. Lily hoped he didn't want to go inside. Aaron told her not to let anyone in but did one of his close friends count?

"Good morning Grace. Good morning Rowen... Lily." Reid greeted the trio when he arrived at the gate.

"Bonjour Monsieur Reid. Pardonnez-moi, but what are you doing here? Do you need to see Monsieur Aaron? You cannot, he is in the house. He said he didn't want to be disturbed. Do you think he meant you?" Lily always rambled when she was nervous. It was a habit considering she was usually very quiet but talking to Reid she just couldn't seem to stop. Not that making girls nervous was something he wasn't used to, which is why he smirked. He also found the flush on her cheeks and her accent quite charming.

"No need to panic. I don't think he meant me. You don't mind if I just go in, do you?" Reid replied.

"Ummm. Now that I think about I do think he meant everybody. Do you mind waiting for a short while s'il vous plaît?"

Reid put a hand up to his chin and tapped it, thinking about something. He walked over to where Lily was sitting on the tree stump.

"You are a really loyal servant aren't you? You really work hard to please him. I'm sure he didn't mean me." Reid told Lily.

"I …I…I don't know. I do not want to make him mad." Lily said quietly.

"Come on" Reid said, getting closer to Lily. "Are you sure I can't go in?"

Before Reid could get Lily in trouble the door of the house opened and Annabelle and Aaron walked out.

"Aaron. I was looking for you." Reid called out. "Pogue and Jonathan are racing their horses down by the Dells. Come on you don't want to miss the action."

"I'm coming. Annabelle would you like to come or would you like me to take you home?"

"Could you escort me home?" she asked. " Horse races are not my type of entertainment."

"Of course. Lily, take the children inside. When my parent's and Rhys get back you and Rhys clean out the stables. And don't forget about dinner."

With that the wealthy youths took off and Lily's relaxation time was over. As he left Reid called out the French girl.

"Au revoir. I'll see you around"

Reid pursed his lips a little as his eyes scanned the Dells. The sound of hooves plodding against the earth was heard in the distance, Jonathon and Pogue faint figures in the background.

He sighed a little, rolling his head to loosen the tension around his neck. "This life is beginning to become a bore to me," he said dully.

"Perhaps a little free roaming is in order," Aaron responded. Free roaming, an obvious code for profiling the woman around town.

"Nothing that we haven't seen before. They still wouldn't pique my interest."

"Not like Kira?"

Reid turned back with a hint of a smirk and a gleam in his eyes "Of course. She is a beautiful lady," he admitted truthfully.

Aaron nodded in agreement, his eyes fixed over Reid's shoulder. "Tyler is coming."

"Thought he was meant to be working," Reid mumbled turning around and staring curiously at the figure walking towards them. "What brings you here?" he called out.

Tyler shook his head; mouth set in a scowl. "Father was hassling me all day, I just had to leave for a while." He sighed wearily. "I never wanted to be his apprentice, never wanted to be a doctor to begin with!"

"It's what a father does best," Reid remarked. "Luckily I have managed to perfect my skill of tuning it out."

"What, through verse?" Tyler teased.

Reid's eyebrow quirked as he spoke, a twinge of seniority in his voice. "Writing poetry is a charming quality in the eyes of a woman. It has great…" He bit his lip, pondering on the word. "...benefits," he summed with an impish smile. His eyes averted to another guest walking towards them, scanning over her freely as his voice dropped a little. "Speaking of women…"

They turned to see Kira Snider approaching them "Good afternoon Tyler, Reid." She spoke to all before smiling sweetly at the last of the males in particular, her voice dropping ever so slightly. "Aaron."

Reid's brow scrunched a little as he watched the exchange, Tyler's voice bringing him out of his thoughts "So what is it that you've come here for?"

"Just on my way to the markets," she spoke simply.

"On foot?"

"No, not at all. My carriage is some distance away. I heard the horses and came over to have a look. Pogue and Jonathan are quite skilled at riding."

"I assure you that my riding skills are much better," Aaron boasted with a charming smile.

"Is that so? Hmm, well then, perhaps you shall have to prove it to me."

"Of course," he replied with a nod of his head and a gleam in his eye. Reid frowned all the while.

Kira smiled back. "Well, I better be off now. It was nice speaking with you; gentlemen."

Reid watched her retreating figure, waiting until she was out of hearing distance before he spoke "What was that about?"

"What?" Aaron questioned.

"Kira seems fond of you," he responded bitterly.

"Relax my friend," Aaron said, placing a hand on Reid's shoulder. "I was just being a gentlemen in front of the lady and she in kind showed her courtesy towards me."

"An interesting form of courtesy," he said, shrugging off Aaron's hand.

Aaron sighed, garnering Reid's focus with a serious expression. "I would not set my sights upon Kira after you had admitted your feelings towards her."

Reid watched him questionably before responding "…Yes, of course." Although he accepted Aaron's answer, the suspicion was still lingering in his mind.

Aaron changed the topic before a long silence ensued. "It's getting late, I should get home to make sure dinner is ready. My servant needs to be ordered to do things most would think of as common sense!" he huffed.

"Lily, was that her name?" Tyler asked.

"Yes. I'm sure Reid could write some splendid poetry about her. Lily, like a blossoming flower in springs embrace..." he teased, waiting for a response. "No reply? Hmm, perhaps he lusts after my servant after all..." he quipped, nudging Tyler a little as the youngest chuckled.

Reid thought back on the conversation with the girl, a sly smile lighting his face. "She is attractive, yes, but I wouldn't claim her as my own. She's a servant, as you said before."

"But that hasn't stopped you," Tyler added, eyeing him curiously.

He just smiled a little, ignoring his friends comment "Shouldn't you get going now Aaron, you don't want to miss out on dinner because of a servant's forgetfulness, do you?"

Aaron grinned back at his friend, suddenly eager to get home.

Rhys heard a quiet humming coming from one of the horse's stables. Setting down the short path to the stables he stopped at Governor Abbot's prized possession. A small grin lifted on his lips as he noticed Lily brushing the mane of the thoroughbred. He relaxed his forearms on the wood gate and tried not to disturb her.

He couldn't help but stare at her beauty, it was later in the evening and the sun was coming down, casting through the window and illuminating around her. Her brown sun-bleached hair was down, flowing over her shoulders, and those green eyes were focused on the task at hand.

The thoroughbred started to kick dirt up from the stable, causing a bit of a ruckus as Lily bit her bottom lip and tried to calm her down. Rhys felt a small tug in his stomach noticing the gesture that was meant to be anything but sexy.

"Whoa, girl… se calmer." Her words were gentle and Rhys couldn't help but smile.

Even after the last few years, her accent had stayed true to her homeland, and he founded it absolutely adorable the way her native tongue mixed with he learned language. He pushed open the gate and took a hold of the horse, giving her nose a few pats.

"Rhys." She smiled up at him, those bright green eyes sparkling. She couldn't help but smile when he was around. He seemed to make everything worth it. In the back of her mind, Lily had assumed she and Rhys would stay together after their servitude had ended. It was something the two mused about, not able to imagine the past three years without each other, and certainly not the future.

"Lily," he acknowledged; his hazel eyes drifted down her body. Taking in her figure, he had noticed it on many occasions, but it was blossoming and becoming more apparent to him and even harder to ignore. "How has your day been?" he asked as they exited the stable together, cleaning up the brushes and feed.

"Usual," she decided giving him a playful smile, hoping that perhaps Rhys would see her in a different light. He had always told her that she was like a younger sister to him, but she was hoping to be more in his eyes. Though their relationship was purely platonic at this point, she had always hoped that the plans they discussed for the future would evolve into marriage, and children.

She was almost a woman, another year and she would be eighteen, and she would be free of the Abbots, and so would Rhys.

"Yours?" She asked him carefully. She started to pull some rope together, cleaning up the used items in the stable.

"About the same really." Rhys gave her a genuine smile, as he helped her with the ropes.

He reached for the ropes, his hand falling on top of Lily's and sliding up to her elbow. Aaron stood at the opening of the stable watching the interaction between them. He saw the way that Lily looked at Rhys. Admiration was written all over her beautiful features.

He licked his lips and watched as their eyes met for a moment and decided he would interrupt. "What's going on here?" His arrogant tone carried throughout the stable.

Lily literally jumped away from Rhys at the sound of Aaron's voice. It was loud and arrogantly authoritative. She didn't want to look as though she and Rhys were getting too close for the sake of both of their safety.

"N-nothing, sir…" Lily stuttered back feeling her stomach tie in knots at the sight of Aaron walking over to them, his hands behind his back.

Aaron eyed Rhys up, as if he was competition, but he knew… he was better than Rhys. He had money, he had looks, and he was the better catch. Rhys was no competition at all, especially in the eyes of a girl like Lily.

Aaron snatched his pocket watch in to his left hand and looked up at Lily with a disapproving glance, "It's nearly fifteen past five, Lily… shouldn't dinner be on?" he asked staring at her sternly.

Her mouth fell open remembering his earlier reminder, but no words came out. She could feel the butterflies fluttering around in her stomach nervously. The blood began to rush to her face for the umpteenth time that afternoon, embarrassed that no words were forming for her. Nothing would come out.

Rhys took a step forward, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. "It's alright Lily. I will finish up here in the stables. You go ahead and start dinner…" He gave her a light comforting squeeze.

They heard Aaron scoff as he took a step between them, "Excuse me." He was in Rhys' face now, trying to show him who the bigger man was. "You work for me," he pointed out. "Lily works for me…" He sent her a glance, telling her not to move. "You don't tell her what to do… I do…" he stated angrily. "Understood?"

Rhys didn't say anything; he stood stoically, his jaw set tightly as he stared Aaron down. The two men stood nose to nose in the middle of the barn before Aaron's head turned around sharply and stared at Lily, a smug grin on his face.

"Lily, go inside and start dinner. Rhys will finish cleaning out the stables…" He stated with a grin.

Lily didn't retort, she turned on her heel and walked towards the house to clean up and start dinner. Aaron watched her go, the back of her shirt scooped low, showing off her shoulder blades and lightly tanned skin.

He licked his lips as Rhys stood behind him, not moving, but watching. He didn't like the way that Aaron looked at Lily, not at all. Rhys had heard enough about Aaron and his ways around town. He was charming on the outside, but he was an arrogant bastard deep down, and he wouldn't let Aaron corrupt his Lily. He couldn't.

The French girl swiftly entered the house, which would be considered rather extravagant for the time and place. She found the two younger children running around the house, their mother reportedly asleep in he bedroom.

"I'm, hungry!" Grace demanded upon noticing Lily.

"I'll have some dinner shortly miss," she told her as the young girl tugged impatiently at Lily's skirt. She sighed and pried Grace off of her then made he way to the washbasin and quickly cleaned her dirt-covered hands. Grace ran off, undoubtedly to find Rowen, and Aaron entered the house, his brimmed hat in his hands. Lily began preparing some of the food she had planned on and Aaron took a seat at the table, watching Lily carefully.

As Lily cooked, Aaron cleared his throat. "Lilliana, where exactly in France are you from?" Lily froze in place before breathing deeply and continuing with her work.

"Orléans, monsieur." Her voice was soft and timid. Aaron enjoyed the power he had over her. He never realized how enjoyable it was to make her squirm. He had never really spoken to her outside of demanding things.

"Hmm, yes. I remember my father speaking of it. Disgusting city he says." Lily ignored his comment and prayed he had finished bothering her. "How about your parents Lily? Why were you an orphan? They didn't want you?" There was a smugness in his tone that Lily was very uncomfortable with.

"They died, monsieur." It wasn't a painful subject for Lily to talk about, for she hadn't known either parents, but she didn't understand. It was as if he were intentionally trying to make her upset. There was a time upon her arrival into the household she had found Aaron to be strikingly handsome. Despite the strange looks he would often give her, she had remembered him being very indifferent towards her upon learning she didn't even speak English. But the past few months had seemed to trigger a sudden interest within him.

Aaron rose from his seat and approached Lily. "You mother was probably a whore, and you father a beggar, right?" She gasped, a little shocked by his accusation. Biting her bottom lip, she took a breath and answered.

"I would not know monsieur. I was only a baby when they passed." Aaron snorted and slid past her over to the washbasin. An unpleasant shiver ran through her body when his hand slid over the small of her back. For the three years she had been here, Aaron had never once physically touched her in any way, shape or form.

She was aware of Aaron hovering over her shoulder, his warm breath tickling her neck, but not in a pleasant way. "Lily, tell me, are you a virgin?" Lily was shocked by his question. She moved away from him as best as she could, but that wasn't much with the given room between the eldest Abbot sibling and the cutting table. "Don't think I don't notice the way you watch Rhys. Have the two of you engaged in any unholy acts in my father's home that he's so graciously offered you?"

Lily's nerves made her visibly shudder. She was uneasy with how close Aaron was to her, how he was hovering. It was as if he were daring her to breathe incorrectly.

"I-I don't know what you are talking about monsieur." Of course, she had never engaged in any such acts with anyone. But if she were to, she would want it to be with Rhys. Lily had an admiration and love for him that was unlike any she had ever had for another human being before.

"Don't lie to me, bitch!" Lily gasped when Aaron's hands curled around the low collar of her blouse and he pulled her face close to his. Her breath quivered and the knife had dropped to the wooden floor, causing the two younger children to investigate.

"What was that? I'm hung-" Grace stopped, becoming quiet at the sight of her elder brother holding the young servant in such an aggressive manner. Rowen stood beside hee, a finger in his mouth and eyes big.

The sound of approaching footsteps however caused the aggressive young man to release Lily and back away. The door swung open and in entered Governor Abbot, his elegant wife emerging from her bedroom to greet him. "Good evening family. Girl, what's for dinner?"