Page 33 of Witchbane

I wanted to continue the conversation, to discover whether it might be feasible to find this Lord Thistlebury fellow.

‘On your way now, Theo.’

I had been dismissed.

‘I’ll leave now and do as you ask,’ I said, eager to find her.

My father didn’t respond, or if he did I didn’t hear him. I left the office and broke into a run as soon as the door closed behind me. I trotted to the outskirts of the town and spotted her ahead of me. I was about to call out to her to wait for me to take her home, when a cart pulled up beside her. I realised my mistake and was furious with myself for stopping to question my father. Now I was too late to make the return journey with her and had lost my chance to persuade her that I had her best interests at heart.

Yet again Jem came to her rescue. He jumped down and I watched with envy as he hugged Rue before taking her hand. He helped her up onto the bench seat, climbed up and sat next to her and took up the reins.

Not wishing to disturb them, I waited, wishing I was lucky enough to be so close to her. Jem put his arm around Rue’s shoulders. How I wished I could be the one she allowed to do that. Be the man she trusted. My stomach clenched as she looked up at Jem, spoke to him and then rested her head against his shoulder.

Although I had no right to interrupt their time together, I still needed to pass on my father’s message to everyone at Thistlebury Manor. Despite her fear, everything about Rue was dignified and I couldn’t help admiring her. I wished I could leave her to be comforted after her ordeal and decided to follow them back to the manor later. It wouldn’t take me long to get there on Warrior, but for now I wanted to stay in the background and give Rue time to come to terms with what had happened. It was the least I could do. It wasn’t much, and Rue would never know, but it helped assuage some of my guilt at my part in this chaos I had inadvertently brought into her once peaceful life.

I decided to ride in the opposite direction, to the next village along from Stanthorpe, for a bite of lunch and give Jem and Rue time to reach the manor and reassure her family that she was unharmed.

Chapter Sixteen

RUE

Ididn’t think I had ever been as relieved to see anyone as I was when Jem arrived on the cart.

‘I don’t know what I’d have done if I’d had to travel all the way back home with that man,’ I admitted as soon as he was seated next to me and clicking for Tally, our old horse, to break into a trot. I thought of Theo and his obvious discomfort while we were in the Witchfinder’s office, but had no sympathy for him. He had chosen this course in life and must live with the consequences.

‘I’m only sorry I couldn’t follow on sooner,’ Jem said apologetically. ‘Tally was out in the field and decided that today would be a good day not to let me catch her.’

I pictured Jem’s frustration and smiled. ‘You did catch her, though, and came for me.’

‘Yes, but not before that young Le Cerf chap took you to his father.’

I shuddered at the memory, hating to think of Jem, always so caring towards me, being made to feel guilty. I nudged him with my shoulder. ‘Stop it. If you hadn’t come when you did, I would be travelling with him now.’

Jem tensed. ‘You don’t like him?’

Surprised by such a strange question, I moved away from him slightly so that I could look him in the eye. ‘What do you mean by that?’

Jem slowed Tally to a walk. ‘It’s just that I know we haven’t referred to the festival or you dancing with him⁠—’

‘Don’t,’ I snapped, not wanting to recall my feelings about Theo before I had discovered his identity, or my shame at my responding to him when he kissed me.

‘Rue, I know you’ve been through a lot today and this probably isn’t the time for me to bring this up, but I didn’t miss how happy you seemed dancing with him.’

Mortified to be reminded, I groaned. ‘Stop it, Jem,’ I said less angrily. He was right and we both knew it. ‘I feel guilty enough already and don’t need you to be cross with me about that day.’

‘I’m not. I suppose I’m just…’ His voice trailed off.

I knew what he hadn’t finished saying: that he was jealous of me having fun with Theo. I hated to admit it now, but Theo had sparked something in me that I hadn’t ever experienced before. I banished the thought from my mind. That was in the past. He was nothing to me now other than the man sent to investigate me and potentially bring more grief to my family’s door.

As the cart bumped over the stony road, I calmed slightly and began to feel a little more resilient. My mother might not have been able to save herself, and my father might not have had the strength to stay and raise me, but I did have people who loved me and supported me. I needed to be strong for those who needed me and dig deep into my soul to find the courage to fight this Witchfinder and his obedient son. Both of them would have a bigger battle on their hands if they thought I would allow myself to be condemned like my mother. I also had no intention of standing by while my family were punished for my perceived crimes.

I didn’t know how, just yet, but I was still determined to avenge my mother’s death, especially now my own life was in danger, and likewise my grandmother’s and my aunt’s. Elias and Theo Le Cerf were going to pay for coming after the women of Thistlebury Manor.

I smiled at the resurgence of my determination. I could do this and, by all my ancestors and the magick that ran through me, I would use whatever powers I possessed to make it happen. They were not going to beat my family this time.

We had barely turned into the drive when I saw Pierre pointing back at the house. He was with the young son of one of the temporary workers who came to help harvest the hay each year. The boy immediately ran back to the house, presumably to alert my grandmother and Aunt Sorrel of my release.

For the first time I was unable to hold back my tears. I wiped my eyes on my sleeve, attempting to pull myself together before they saw me.