Hello, all! Just a short one for today, I'm afraid. I"m getting over a pretty bad cold. :(

Enjoy!

:) Linny

Two Worlds

Chapter Twenty Five

Their conversation continued well up until it was time to head back. The storm had let up to a light drizzle, the cool water forming an eerie mist upon the hot ground. It was too dark for Sue to read Jack's lips, but they resolved that she could continue once they got settled in front of a cozy fire in the hut Jack had been staying in. More pieces of his life were falling onto the board in Jack's mind, but he had yet to find them a proper place in his memory.

After his father had graduated from the academy, he'd enlisted in the army and quickly rose in rank to become one of Edward's most trusted generals. He did it all before his twenty-fifth birthday on which he met the love of his life.

Elizabeth had been the daughter of a poor farmer. All her life, she and her family had struggled to make ends meet, barely making enough for the three of them to survive. Her father had died of a terrible illness when she was a child and her mother was constantly ill herself. Still, Elizabeth was always happy. She might not have had the best of everything, but she had a loving family and friends to care for her, especially her best friend, a young woman named Carla.

Then, she met James.

She'd been strolling through the market, looking to buy something with the little bit of money she and her had obtained from the season's pitiful crop. While admiring a beautiful dress she knew she couldn't afford, she'd felt eyes upon her. Looking up, she found the most soulful brown eyes she'd ever seen and had instantly fallen in love with the man she had not even met yet.

"It seems that all the Hudson men have that trait," Sue blushed when she paused in her telling for a drink. She'd been taken aback by her boldness, but felt even more confident when Jack's eyes continued to shower her with the emotions he'd aimed in her direction. Those eyes had emboldened her and her fingers as they'd slid across the table top to be held in his.

She'd heard that the Hudson men were dangerous, but she never realized how much until this moment. She loved Jack; she loved the way he stared at her with total abandon, never once giving into the usual manly ego that caused men to push their emotions to the side. This one wore his heart on his sleeve and it was obviously only for her.

Her heart fluttered in her chest so quickly that she felt like she would swoon right at his feet as they walked to the horse's side by side. Her emotions were running wild and her body was reacting in ways she'd never though possible. She could see how so many women could fall head over heels in love with the Hudson men and the best part was, when they loved, they loved until the day they died.

She wanted that more than anything.

"The day the fire happened was one of the worst days in the history of the kingdom... prior to the war. Your parents were loved by everyone and I just know that you will be too once you gain to life in society back."

Jack knew that was supposed to sound like a good thing, but he just couldn't see the appeal of being let out into society after being lost for so long and still being lost for the most part. Couldn't he just be with Sue and let that be it?

Sue smiled tenderly and traced the lines of worry that formed around his mouth as he pursed his lips in thought. "Things are different now and I know it will be hard to accept them."

He shook his head with a heavy sigh. "It's not that. It's just that... I don't think I can do what you want me to." He was just beginning to get used to his present life, now he had to start all over again as a completely different man in a completely different class. He wasn't certain he could do it.

"Jack," she cupped his cheek in her palm, smiling when he leaned into her gentle hand, "I have every faith that you will exceed my expectations on the nobleman you'll grow to be. And if you don't," she teased with a wink, "... my heart will always be yours."

He placed a chaste kiss upon her lips, gently nipping at the satiny flesh as he pulled away. His lips curled into a crooked smile when the sound of a gentle whimper rumbled from within her chest. For Sue, he would be the man he was destined to be. For her and no one else. She had faith in him, she believed that he could be a great noble. As long as he had her strength at his side, he could achieve anything. But, before he took that step toward his fate, there was one more thing he needed to take care of.

The fire had all but consumed his first real home. He wanted to see it, he wanted to know what remained of the life he knew so little about. That would be the thing to complete the broken puzzle that was his life and he wanted Sue to be at his side when he rediscovered himself. He need only ask and he knew she would follow him without question.