by Jenni James
Again, George appeared, but this time, Bella noted he was not wearing fencing gear. Then she saw Leo tossing down a matching sword. “I will not fight you, Beauley,” he said calmly.
“You will pay for what you have done!” George screamed and charged at Leo.
“No!” Bella cried in horror. Then immediately, a new fear emerged. “Rosie! Mirror, show me Lady Rosalyn!”
Lord Morgan, disturbed by Bella’s reactions, leaned over her shoulder. They saw Rosie in a carriage, crying and begging to return to the castle.
“Who has her? Oh, my goodness! What shall I do?” Bella stood to her feet and raced to the door. Her ring! It had allowed her to travel in the blink of an eye once before.
“Wait!” Morgan called after her.
Bella cast an impatient glance at him with her hand on the door.
“The carriage was mine. I believe my sister has chosen to take Lady Rosalyn from the castle. We had discussed it before I left. If your brother is there and acting like a madman, Margaret will do anything to ensure Rosalyn’s safety.”
Bella nodded her head. Of course, they had no idea of the curse, and even Rosie did not understand why she could not leave. But, oh! Leo! Even now he could be dead. She only hoped she could get there in enough time to say good-bye.
“Thank you, Lord Morgan,” Bella said. She knew she had seemed hateful and ungrateful before. “I truly appreciate your coming. I must go immediately. You do understand?”
“Of course,” Morgan said, and Bella raced up to her chamber. Sliding the ring on her finger, she twisted it and immediately stood before Sundridge Castle. Heart pounding, she ran toward the front entrance.
* * *
Approaching the main door, Bella heard shouting. “I did not dishonor your sister!” Leo cried.
“No more lies! You called my debt and forced her to come here. And then you couldn’t keep your filthy hands off her!” She heard George’s voice scream.
Opening the door, she saw Leo panting on the floor of the great hall, blood pouring from a wound. “No! She worked as a governess. You have heard lies.” He tried to crawl backwards, away from her brother wildly swinging a sword. For the first time in her life, fear gripped Bella so completely she could not even cry out.
“I do not believe you! You killed your first wife. I am happy Bella got away before you ended her life too.” George swiped Leo’s arm.
“No,” Bella tried to shout, but no sound came out. Her body felt frozen in place.
“Such an ugly, beastly thing. A monster. I would be doing the world a service to kill you,” George said as he hovered over Leo.
“Do it, but ask if you think your sister would want you as a murderer. I already forfeited the duel,” Leo said, his chest heaving.
George swore and paused. He seemed to be taking a moment to consider Leo’s words. Now was the time to act! Bella knew she must make her presence known. Again and again she called her brother’s name until, at last, her voice worked.
“George!” Bella screamed.
Her brother immediately spun around and Leo jerked his head up. His eyes locked with Bella’s.
“Bella?” George asked amidst the confusion.
“George, stop this!” Bella demanded and walked closer.
“I am defending your honor,” Beauley said like a child blaming poor conduct on another one for starting it first.
“My honor is entirely intact. I do not know what you have heard, but His Grace has always behaved well toward me.”
“But you came back so suddenly. Soleil wrote to me of it. Then I heard of the ball. Several of the guests thought you were his mistress,” George said with far more disapproval than a man of the world such as he should have.
“Do you think I would do such a thing?” Bella asked angrily. “Do you really believe I would do that—even for you and your debt?”
George shifted his weight between his feet. “I hadn’t thought about it that way.”
“Of course you didn’t.” Anger she had kept at bay for years came surging forward. She came close to her brother and stuck her finger in his chest. “If he managed to force himself on me, what are the chances of me then being able to escape? Or that he would have me act as hostess for his ball and mistress of his estate?”
“Oh,” George said, and dropped the sword with a loud clatter.
“George, what were you thinking?” she whispered harshly.
“I just …” He let out a deep exhale. “I knew Papa would never avenge you or protect you. I know I haven’t been the best of brothers…”
He trailed off, and Bella found a morsel of compassion for her wayward sibling. What might he have been if their mother lived?
Behind George, Leo groaned. Was there any saving him? With Rosie gone it might be a lost endeavor. Memories of her mother’s demise flooded Bella’s mind. Just once, she wished love were enough to save a person. She pushed past her brother.
“Leo,” Bella whispered as she knelt at his side.
He tried to respond, but no sound came out. She clasped one of his hands in hers and raised it to her lips. Leo’s breath became erratic and heavy. He wrenched forward as though in pain and convulsed.
“What is happening?” Bella asked, her voice shaking.
“I do not know,” George replied. “I swear I didn’t wound him that badly.”
How could she live without him? She should have searched the magical books more carefully. Tears freely flowed from her eyes.
“Look! He’s…glowing!” George said just as the front door banged open.
Uncaring who intruded on the scene, Bella stared at Leo in wonder. Her mouth dropped open. Light seemed to shine through his skin.
“Bella, get away,” George said, and attempted to pull her from Leo’s side.
“No!” she lunged forward and buried her face in Leo’s chest.
Something small but solid thudded beside her and wept even more bitterly than she did. Looking up, she saw a mop of curly dark hair. “Rosie?”
“Papa!” She clung to him, and Bella swore his eyes briefly fluttered open.
“How did she get here?” Bella asked, not taking her eyes from the scene before her.
“She opened the door and jumped from the carriage,” Margaret whispered from behind her.
“Love you, Papa. Love you!” Rosie cried over and over again, as tears dropped on Leo’s chest.
Leo’s eyes fluttered again. “I love you too, poppet. Be a good girl for Mrs. Hammond.” His speech was interrupted by gasps for air.
“But I want to live with you and Miss Beauley!” Rosie cried.
“Miss Beauley went home, sweet.”
“I am home,” Bella said, her voice quivering. He did not know she was there even now. His final memory would be of her leaving him. Knowing the wound she must have served him knocked the breath out of her. Leo convulsed again, and this time Bella gathered Rosie to her. When his jerking ceased, he was perfectly still. Bella peered closely and saw no sign of breath.
“Bella . . .” George said, again trying to pull her from Leo’s side. Bella shook him off.
“It’s not fair,” Rosie sniffed from her position in Bella’s lap. “And he’s really dead? He won’t come back like Mother?”
“No, sweetheart.” Bella felt her heart shatter into brittle pieces. Rosie squirmed in Bella’s lap, and she let her go.
Rosie knelt next to Leo and tenderly touched his face. “He was getting better. See?” She kissed where the one scar that marred his face had been. Now it was only a faded mark.
Suddenly, a bright light exploded from Leo’s body. Bella shielded her eyes until it began to fade. When she was able to see clearly, Rosie clung to Leo’s neck, but the color that had drained from his face returned. “Leo?”
Bella held her breath as she watched Leo’s chest. First came an exhale and then a shallow intake of breath. He lived! Too relieved to speak, she was consumed by her tears again.
“Erroll?” George asked, obviousl
y dumbfounded.
“Papa!” Rosie exclaimed as one of Leo’s arms slowly wrapped around the child.
Bella collapsed on Leo’s chest and kissed his cheek, a slow smile creeping over her face. Love did save Leo. Love had saved them all.
With renewed energy, she pulled back. “Margaret, call for the doctor and tell Mrs. Potter to prepare His Grace’s favorite meals. George, find Potter and carry Leo upstairs. The poor man must have run off to hide when you showed up like a madman. Rosie, come along. We will find flowers for his room.”
“Anything else?” George said sounding mildly amused.
“I will think of more later.” She smiled and took Rosie by the hand, leading her to the garden for the first time. When she returned, she would peruse the magical books to find an explanation for what happened, but for once knowledge and curiosity could wait.
* * *
After what felt like an eternity of blackness, Leo awoke. His eyes opened with ease. He took in his surroundings. Bella and Rosie were curled up next to him on a bed. Bella’s eyes fluttered open.
“You’re awake,” she said with a smile.
“I’m alive?” he asked.
Bella slowly nodded, her smile growing.
“I’m alive,” Leo repeated in disbelief. “How?”
“Rosie,” Bella said. “She would not go with Mrs. Hammond. She would not leave you. While you rested, I poured over the books. You were freed by Rosie’s love.”
Leo looked over at the child sleeping by his side. He would have never guessed all those years ago that loving Rosie would have broken the curse.
“And you are staying?” he asked. He could not help but notice that she said Rosie saved him. She had returned to him, but apparently did not love him. However, her return was a start, and now he had time to court her properly.
“Yes,” Bella said immediately.
Leo watched as she smoothed a hand over her skirt. What was she nervous about?
“I admit I am a bit jealous of Rosie.”
“You are?” Perhaps he was not recovered enough, for he was not following the conversation very easily. “Why?”
“She has your love,” Bella said.
A low rumble sounded in Leo’s chest.
“Why is my affection humorous?” Bella sounded hurt.
“I’m not laughing at your confession—only how you confessed it. You’re jealous of a five-year-old!”
“I’ll remind you that you’ve not given me any reason not to be jealous,” she said, raising an eyebrow, and he laughed again.
Lifting one of her hands to his lips, Leo bestowed a tender kiss. “I love you, Arabella Beauley. I am not worthy of your esteem, but would be greatly honored by your hand in marriage.”
“I love you, Leonard Sundridge, and I promise never to leave your side again.” Bella picked up his hand and kissed it. “So, you see I must marry you,” she added with a playful grin.
“Your brother is not around to run me through, is he?”
Bella shook her head. “No, everyone has left for home. And I am home. Where I belong.”
“Good, because I will go mad if I cannot kiss you now.” Bella blushed under his gaze, and his eyes focused on her lips. “May I?” he whispered softly for her ears only.
Bella shyly nodded her agreement. When their lips met, a deep feeling of home settled in Leo’s heart. He would never be a man of many or charming words, but this expression he could easily give. He felt, too, Bella’s outpouring of unselfish love. His father would have called him weak and needy because all he craved for in life was more of Bella’s kisses, but Leo had learned the truth. Loving another made one strong, not weak. .After he pulled back, Bella settled her head on his chest again and sighed in evident contentment.
“I knew it would be a happy ending,” Rosie said sleepily from his other side.
Leo laughed to himself. A happy ending indeed!
The End
Rose Fairbanks hears book characters talk in her head. They whisper to her of a time when the sun never set on the British Empire. More than having a love story for the ages, these characters face struggles inspired by historical events such as market crashes, Napoleon, embargoes, Luddites, the Year without a Summer, and more. Merging historical research with the timelessness of Jane Austen, Rose currently has twelve Pride and Prejudice variations published with several releases planned for 2016 as well as an original Regency romance series in the works.
Rose proudly admits her Darcy obsession and addictions to reading, chocolate, and sweet tea. Always in the mood for a healthy debate, she also dearly loves to laugh. Having completed a BA in history in 2008, she plans to complete her master's studies ... someday. At the moment, having a career combining her life-long interest in history and research with her love for Jane Austen and the Regency era consumes all of her professional time. When not writing or reading, Rose runs after her two young children, ignores housework, and profusely thanks her husband for doing all the dishes and laundry.
You can connect with Rose on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and her blog: http://rosefairbanks.com
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