Madame Giry, Sara, and Meg had finished their lunch. A bit bewildered by their aunt and uncle's absence. Madame Giry was certain that Erik was deliberate in his dealings and if something detained him, she would not question it.
Sara seemed a bit disappointed not to have been able to visit with her new company, she wished to hear of their travels, and to learn more about the part of the Country they were from. That was her favorite part of being an innkeeper….learning all about the world she would never see.
"I'll wrap a plate for them, perhaps they'd like a late lunch. I regret I must be out again this afternoon, I've an old friend that I tend to since her husband passed on. She doesn't get out much, and relies on several ladies from the church for her necessities." Sara politely excusing herself from the table. "Sit as long as you like, there's a bit more coffee on the stove if you're interested." She touched the pot as she went past to make sure it was still hot. She disappeared into the back of the kitchen to prepare three plates, one for her friend, and the other two for Stephan and Elizabeth.
XXXXX
Raoul's contingent had stopped in a large grove of pines, an odd opening nearly like a natural cathedral, tree limbs bent and intertwined, providing a large umbrella and shelter from the chilling winds. The men dismounted, opening their lunches, munching on breads and bits of dried meats. A few had brought their whiskey although none touched it, preferring the slightly warm liquids of the soups that had been buried in the depth of saddle pouches under blankets. The horses were munching on small bags of oats that had been brought for them. Raoul, preferring his own company to making small talk, walked just beyond the trees to a clearing. From there he could see the graveyard at the outskirts of the City.
A silent shudder coursed through his spine. "If only she had let me end him that day…it would never have come to this." He shook his head. "Why must those thoughts torment him now? Would he ever find peace if he never found her?" He lifted the loaf of bread to his lips, biting off a large chunk. He wasn't hungry, but knew he must eat.
Standing alone for a few minutes, exposed flesh feeling the bite of the wind, he turned to go back into the shelter of the trees. He stumbled and fell to the ground, his foot having caught on a protruding rock. Raoul rose, grumbling at his own clumsiness. "Odd clump of rocks in the middle of the woods" he thought to himself. Dismissing it, he joined the huddle that was warming their hands around a small fire that had been started in a pail.
……..Erik had been careful to secure the stone from the inside when last he moved it, "for one never knows who might happen upon it" he thought to himself as he turned to face his new bride that night.