“Jasper,” he growled. “Warders don’t follow society’s rules; we obey a higher authority.”
On the walk back to the cottage, Dawn raised one last question. “I would like to speak to Lettie. Dr Day thought it would be permissible.”
“Tomorrow, I shall bring her out in the garden to meet you. You may keep the dress, Lettie doesn’t mind. Until tomorrow, Dawn.” He reached for her and claimed her lips in a soft, tender kiss that set an ache alight in her chest. His touch was so gentle it was as though he asked a hesitant question of her, seeking her permission to advance.
Dawn didn’t possess the skills in love play to know how to respond, so she leaned closer to him and lifted her head. She hoped he read the tilt of her chin as acceptance. He deepened the kiss for a mere moment before breaking away to stroke her face.
“Until tomorrow,” Dawn whispered, unable to say his Christian name aloud. Then she skipped into the cottage and shut the solid door against the world outside.
If Lettie screamed that night, Dawn never heard it. She was too lost in her own dream world. Mythical creatures emerged from the mist and battled one another. Some were fiery-winged demons, others were stone gargoyles of enormous size. Under a large tree, a raven watched from its perch on her mother’s shoulder. When Dawn turned to her mother to ask a question, she raised a finger to her lips.
Morning arose and Dawn found herself oddly both exhausted and exhilarated. Her mind struggled to comprehend all that Lord Seton – Jasper – told her, yet at the same time life erupted with shoots of new possibilities before her. As she ate a quiet breakfast, she found satisfaction in having one answer that she correctly guessed. The tray appeared when she roused because the raven spied on her and relayed her movements. Or as the earl explained it, the raven was the pull on the parlour bell for those below stairs to answer.
“What of you, Mouse? Are you a creature from mythology with an extraordinary lifespan?” she asked her companion.
Mouse lifted his shaggy brows then dropped them back down again. Dawn wasn’t sure what that meant. The dog might just be a dog. Marjory and Hector seemed to progress through the years like any other person. She needed to start a new page in her notebook to keep track of such questions that cropped up.
If she was indeed one of these Meidh, then she had a responsibility to restore balance on the Ravenswing estate. To do that, first she needed to understand how Ava had affected the garden.
Her attention dropped to the scratch over her wrist. The black line had turned into a smudge like a fingertip through ink. The inch-long mark was a bright red and hot to the touch. Dawn placed her fingers at either side and squeezed. Fire raced around her wrist, but a droplet of white muck pushed through the gash. Gritting her teeth, she pressed a bit harder, and another spurt erupted containing the black tip of a thorn.
“Eww,” Dawn muttered and picked up a cloth to bathe the wound. Perhaps now she had removed the invading speck of vine, the wound would heal.
Breakfasted, washed, and dressed, she headed out to find her workforce in the cobbled yard before the stables. Today she set the men to continue their slow work burning through the vine enclosing the maze and dragging away the sections. When the entrance was clear enough, they would begin trimming the tall hedges. Dawn’s mood lightened to think she would soon advance on her enemy.
As she turned back to the big house, Lord Seton and a companion appeared across the lawn. Lady Letitia seemed delicate and fragile compared to his broad frame. She leaned close to him, her arm tucked in his. She was dressed in a pale yellow gown that flowed around her legs. Today her dark hair was plaited and then wound around her head.
Nurse Hatton trailed behind, a leather satchel over her shoulder and a worried look on her face. Elijah walked next to the nurse and wore the grin of a youth who had escaped the classroom for the day.
Dawn approached the family slowly, so as not to startle the other woman.
“Good morning, Lord Seton. Hello, Lady Letitia,” she said in a soft tone.
The woman turned her face into her brother’s jacket and whispered something.
His grey gaze met Dawn’s over the top of the undine’s head. “I think you should say that to Dawn yourself, Lettie. I’m not going to act as go-between, I’m sure two women are quite capable of conversing between themselves.”
Lettie’s head shot up and she frowned – obviously a family trait. Then her head turned to Dawn, and she had eyes of blue tinged with green, like the deep waters of a lake. “Please call me Lettie. I hate being called Lady Letitia.”
Lord Seton made a noise in the back of his throat that sounded like a scoff. “And I have asked her to call me Jasper, but Dawn seems a stickler for the rules contained in etiquette books.”
Dawn met his serious stare. Her parents would have conniptions to hear her address nobles so informally. “I shall try, but I make no promises. Shall we stroll toward the wildflower meadow? I’d love to pick some flowers.”
A wide smile replaced Lady Letitia’s frown in an instant. “Oh, yes. I love it there. Jasper never lets me climb the trees like Elijah is allowed to do.” She stuck her tongue out at her brother, detached from his side, and reached for Dawn’s arm.
Dawn took her hand. “I have always wanted to learn to climb a tree. Do you think Elijah could teach me?”
Laughter shone in Lord Seton’s eyes, but he kept his lips under control. “I have mill business to attend to in the library. I will join you when I have finished.”
Lettie waved her hand at her brother. “Off you go to your boring paperwork. Dawn and I have a wildflower meadow to explore.”
The earl leaned close and grazed Dawn’s cheek with his lips as he whispered by her ear, “You’ll be fine. Hatton knows what to do if she becomes upset.”
“We shall have a bouquet to present to you when you return,” Dawn said. Then her attention slid to Hatton and she thought of another question to write down in her notebook. How much did Hatton and Hector know about the family? How did it feel to grow old and fade while your charges remained youthful and beautiful?
Lettie tugged on her arm. “Come on, we have much to talk about. The watchers can see us, but they have to be close to hear us.”
“I was worried you did not like me being here,” Dawn said as they walked along the lime chip path.
“You shouldn’t have come here. I tried to warn you to go away.” Lettie’s voice trailed away as she stared over her shoulder.
“Well I am here now, and I quite like Ravenswing Manor.” She particularly liked the heated kisses of its lord and wondered when she might steal another. Perhaps under a shady tree on their drive to the village.
Lady Letitia let go of her hand and ran ahead. Dawn reached for her, but Elijah took off after her. The young man was more adept at keeping up with his fleeing aunt. Dawn watched the two figures disappear around a curve in the path as Nurse Hatton caught up with her.
“She’s always much calmer with a turn in the meadow. Master Elijah will keep an eye on her until we get there. My knees don’t work like they used to. Rheumatism is catching up with me.” Marjory looped her arm through Dawn’s, and for a woman with bad knees, set a cracking pace.
“How have you borne it for decades that they don’t age? Do you not think it is unfair?” There was an unpleasant realisation. Would she wither and shrivel into an old crone while Lord Seton stayed in his prime?
Marjory’s hand tightened on her arm. “Ah. So you have discovered the family’s wee secret.”