by Rin Grey
She said nothing for a while, drying dishes automatically, and Digger was reluctant to interrupt her private thoughts.
His mind was occupied with his own thoughts. Elizabeth’s insistence that she’d done some bad things in her time made a little more sense. But it didn’t stir up anything other than sympathy for her. He could only imagine how hard it must have been to leave her family like that.
She must have had a reason. Surely.
He had seen the pain in his mother when Elsa had been taken to the Dome. She had been distraught for weeks, and even then had never completely gotten over the loss of her daughter. How much worse must it have been for Elizabeth, who had apparently left voluntarily?
“Do you have any idea why she left?” he asked Gemma.
Gemma hesitated, then said softly, “Because of her magic. She had no control over it, and she was afraid she was going to hurt Tasha or me. There was a fire…” there was still a trace of the frightened child in her voice, and she finished abruptly, “That afternoon, she just left.”
It was a sad story, and Digger found it hard to relate the events to the woman he knew. Yet it made a strange kind of sense, and he had to admit that it explained a lot of things.
“It must have been hard for all of you,” he said quietly. “And you haven’t seen her again until now?”
Gemma shook her head. “We all thought she was dead. It was quite a shock when she turned up out of the blue.”
“I can imagine,” Digger agreed.
This went a long way to explaining why Elizabeth was so upset. Jocelyn’s lack of trust must be playing on her guilt at leaving her family.
And yet, it still felt like he was missing something.
A knock at the door startled him out of his thoughts. Gemma jumped, then jumped up and went to answer it. Digger rose to follow her, getting the feeling something was up.
He was right.
Gemma opened the door to reveal Jocelyn on the doorstep.
“Good morning, Gemma. Is Elizabeth in?” she said politely.
Digger and Gemma exchanged a glance. “She left about an hour ago,” Digger told her, the sinking feeling in his stomach intensifying.
“To go see you,” Gemma added. “Didn’t she arrive?”
“Would I be here if she had?” Jocelyn pointed out, her tone far too acerbic for Digger’s liking. Gemma’s question might be unnecessary, but there was no need to be so rude about it.
“Where is she?” Jocelyn demanded.
Digger’s annoyance at Jocelyn dissipated when Gemma replied in the same tone, “Would I have asked you if she had arrived if I knew the answer to that?”
The two women stared at one another for a moment, before Jocelyn conceded, and nodded reluctantly. “Well, are you going to ask me in, or do I have to stand on the doorstep?”
Gemma’s backbone apparently fled at that and she invited Jocelyn in quite meekly.
Jocelyn shot Digger an annoyed glance when he followed them, but he didn’t care. This involved Elizabeth, and he was not going to be excluded from the conversation. He was determined to find out what was going on.
With that thought in mind, almost before Jocelyn had taken her seat, he asked, “Had you arranged for Elizabeth to meet you this morning?”
Jocelyn made a point of settling herself into her chair, drawing out the time before she replied.
Digger tried to smother his impatience.
“No,” Jocelyn eventually said. “I wanted to speak to her more, but she insisted that she would be resting and working with Mitch, so I agreed to leave it. Wherever she has gone, it had nothing to do with me.”
“Maybe she decided she would come to see you after all?” Gemma suggested doubtfully. “You could have missed her.”
“You said she had been gone an hour?” Jocelyn asked. When Gemma nodded, she continued, “I came straight here, there is no way I could have missed her.”
Digger had been thinking that himself. And quickly coming to the conclusion that Elizabeth had never intended to go to Jocelyn’s.
Meaning she’d deliberately lied to him. His heart sank. That explained her distress, and her tossing the fact that she’d cheated on him in his face.
“Where has she gone then?” Gemma’s voice was worried.
Digger winced. He had a pretty good idea, but not one he was going to admit in front of Jocelyn. Somehow he suspected he’d get no sympathy from her, and that she’d use the information to further distrust Elizabeth.
No matter how certain he was that Elizabeth was cheating on him, he wasn’t convinced she’d betrayed Jocelyn.
“How do you expect me to know?” Jocelyn demanded. “I would have thought either of you were more likely to have an answer to that.” And it was Digger that she looked at expectantly.
Well, he certainly wasn’t going to say where he thought she was. Instead he said, “All I know is that she was very upset when she left.”
When Jocelyn’s eyes narrowed and her lips thinned, he immediately wished he hadn’t said it.
“You know her better than the rest of us,” Jocelyn said. “Do you think she could have gone back to the mages?”
Digger just stared at Jocelyn in disbelief. Of course that would be her first thought. He began to see why Elizabeth was so upset. He was about to deny the possibility, when it occurred to him that Jocelyn could very well have a point.
Whoever it was that Elizabeth was with, there was a good chance it was a mage, wasn’t there?
“If she has, you have only yourself to blame,” he said instead.
“Me?” Jocelyn exclaimed. “What does her disappearance have to do with me?”
Digger got the feeling he should have given up while he was ahead, but he was too worked now to care. “She’s come all this way, given up the life she had, to help out your family, and what do you do but accuse her of betraying you. I don’t blame her if she’s gone back to them.”
“Do you think they trust her?” Jocelyn demanded, apparently just as worked up as Digger was. “Why do you think she left in the first place?”
Digger opened his mouth to retort, then closed it. “I have no idea.”.
His heart sinking, he realised even Jocelyn knew more about Elizabeth’s life and motivations than he did. Some relationship they had.
Jocelyn seemed to take great pleasure in filling in the missing details. “She had an affair, and it must have been with someone important, because they kicked her out.”
Gemma shot Digger a sympathetic glance, that must have been what she was talking about earlier, but he hadn’t realised it was the reason she’d left the Dome. Either way, he refused to let either of them see that he cared. And why should he? That happened before he and Elizabeth had even met, and anyway, he knew what she was like. The answer didn’t surprise him at all.
“If they kicked her out, why are you so worried about her going back then?” he pointed out, trying to keep his voice casual.
Jocelyn shrugged. “They seemed to have no trouble dealing with her when she went to get Mitch back, so perhaps all is forgiven?”
That thought was the most unsettling of all, especially combined with Elizabeth’s recent absences, which he was pretty sure Jocelyn was unaware of. He glanced over at Gemma, but she didn’t mention it either, even though she looked at him sympathetically.
Jocelyn could well be right. Whatever had kept Elizabeth away from the mages, and he obviously could no longer pretend it was that she didn’t agree with their practices, seemed not to be an issue anymore.
Had he followed Elizabeth here, only to lose her to the mages now?
Digger was too caught up in his own dismal thoughts to continue the argument, but apparently Gemma wasn’t. “She wouldn’t leave now,” she said firmly. “She hasn’t finished Mitch’s training.”
“Why do you think that would stop her?” Jocelyn snapped. “She happily left her own family to go to the mages the first time.”
“She didn’t.” Gemma was practically
shouting now. “She left because she was afraid she was going to hurt us.”
“Whatever happened, we can’t trust her now,” Jocelyn said definitively. “Her loyalties are debatable. I suspect we won’t see her again.”
Jocelyn’s words caused Digger’s heart to skip a beat. She couldn’t be right. Elizabeth wouldn’t just leave like that, without even saying goodbye.
Would she?
For some reason, the doubt wouldn’t be silenced. With a heavy heart, Digger realised it never would be.
“She promised she would finish Mitch’s training,” Gemma said stubbornly.
“Do you really think she feels compelled to keep her promises to us?” Jocelyn demanded.
“Yes, I do.” Gemma thumped the table.
If Digger hadn’t felt so dismal, he might have smiled at her vehemence.
“Anyway, she promised the king that she’d complete Mitch’s training as well,” Gemma added.
Jocelyn thought that over, and Digger was sure she was just taking her time to think up a retort.
Anything she might have said was stalled by the sound of footsteps outside the living room door, which Gemma had closed behind them.
Chapter 20 - Sprung!
Digger recognised Elizabeth’s step easily, and a glance at the others showed that even if they didn’t, they suspected. Everyone’s eyes stared expectantly on the door as it opened slowly.
Elizabeth took one look around the room, her hand still on the doorknob. “Freck.” The curse sounded involuntary, fitting well with the look of horror on her face.
Indecision flashed in her eyes, and Digger guessed she was teetering on the edge of fleeing the room.
That moment of hesitation allowed Jocelyn to get in the first dig. “Elizabeth, we have just been discussing whether we were likely to ever see you again.”
Gemma was quick to defend their position. “No, Jocelyn, you’re the one who’s been saying that. I’m sure Mamma has a perfectly good explanation, don’t you, Mamma?”
The look on Gemma’s face said she really hoped Elizabeth did have a good explanation.
Digger held himself back in an attempt to protect his tattered heart, just a little. He wanted to hear what Elizabeth had to say, mentally kicking something for continuing to hope that she had some reasonable excuse.
Elizabeth slowly and deliberately closed the door. When she turned to face them again, her face was calm and composed. “Jocelyn, how convenient that you’re here. I was just over at the Salinga offices looking for you.”
Her tone was so pleasant and matter of fact, that Digger could almost forget the look of horror on her face when she’d first walked in.
Almost.
Jocelyn, apparently, could not. “You didn’t look pleased to see me a few moments ago.”
Elizabeth smiled politely, and took a seat opposite Jocelyn. “I didn’t say I was pleased. I simply said it was convenient.”
Digger hid a smile, angry at himself even as he did so. How could he still admire her when he was pretty sure she’d been with another man? Did he have no self respect at all?
But her snappy reply was so characteristic of everything he loved about her that he couldn’t help it. How could he not… he sighed, and admitted it, just quietly to himself.
How could he not love her?
How could he not want to stick around to see what she did next, even if it hurt. Life without her would be dull and bland. Ordinary. A little pain was worth it, to keep the light in his life. Wasn’t it?
Jocelyn was not similarly impressed. “What is it you wanted to see me about, Elizabeth? An explanation for your disappearance this morning maybe?”
“I don’t owe you an explanation for how I spend my time, Jocelyn, and I never will.” Elizabeth’s tone was flat and brooked no argument.
That didn’t stop Jocelyn of course. In fact, Digger was pretty sure she saw it as a challenge. “While you are my heir, it certainly is my business.”
Elizabeth frowned. “You can lecture me about it another time. Unless you don’t want to hear what I’ve found out?”
That got Jocelyn’s attention. “What do you mean, what you’ve found out?”
Elizabeth settled back in her chair. “It appears more than likely that yes, the mages from the Dome set us up and stole your items.” Her expression was serious, and her tone flat. No indication at all as to how she felt about that.
But Digger could guess.
Had she really been upset about Jocelyn not trusting her, or was it that someone in the Dome had betrayed her? Maybe even this mage she was involved with. Digger could imagine that could sting.
Jocelyn frowned. “Where did you come by this information? How reliable is it?”
“It’s not,” Elizabeth said bluntly. “Do you think anyone is going to come straight out and admit it? But I personally feel that it’s likely.”
“So you mean you don’t have any new information?” Jocelyn asked, frowning.
“No, I mean I don’t have any new definite information,” Elizabeth corrected.
“What do you have then?”
Elizabeth sighed. “What I just told you. Based on the unconfirmed information I have, it seems likely that the mages set us up.”
Jocelyn sighed in exasperation. “And as I just asked, where did you get this information?”
Elizabeth shrugged. “I have my sources.”
Digger’s heart constricted. She had to mean the mages. Who else would have anything close to an answer. But that could just mean she’d gone there to talk to them, it didn’t mean she’d been with her lover.
Surely he wasn’t the one who had betrayed her? But maybe he knew something.
Her hair was smooth and clean, and the smudge on her cheek that she’d obviously missed when she’d washed that morning was gone. One didn’t have a bath when one visited a source.
No, something more was going on. And he wasn’t going to like it.
Neither was Jocelyn, if she figured it out.
“Have you been to the Dome?” Jocelyn demanded.
“No.”
Just no. No explanations, no excuses, no indications at all as to where she had been.
Digger searched her face. Was she telling the truth? Why would she lie? He glanced over. If she did, it was for Jocelyn’s benefit. The old lady would probably have a fit if she thought Elizabeth was involved with the mages. She already distrusted her.
“Then how could you have gotten any new information?” Jocelyn demanded.
Elizabeth shrugged. “You’re going to have to take my word for it. I’m not prepared to discuss how I obtained the information, and it really makes no difference.”
“If it makes no difference, why did you bother to find out? That’s where you have been all morning, isn’t it?”
Elizabeth leaned forwards in her chair, her eyes flickering with anger. “You may think you are the only one who’s upset, but trust me, the betrayal is twice as bitter if you thought that those involved were your friends.”
“The mages already kicked you out of the Dome, didn’t they? You made it clear you weren’t on the best of terms with them. I would have thought you would have expected this,” Jocelyn pointed out.
“Well, apparently not,” Elizabeth said flatly. “No matter what personal differences I might have had with… them, I guess I still expected the respect due to our shared experiences. I certainly didn’t expect them to take advantage of my trust like this.”
The hesitation was minute, but combined with Elizabeth’s total avoidance of looking in his direction, Digger knew he was right. This was what had upset her. The mage she was, had been, whatever it was, involved with must have been part of this, or at least known about it.
Digger berated himself for feeling sorry for her.
Jocelyn appeared to take Elizabeth’s words at face value. “I suppose you’ve been taken advantage of as much as we have. I do appreciate you telling me this, Elizabeth.” She hesitated for a moment, then asked, �
�I don’t suppose there is any chance of us getting our items back?”
Elizabeth shook her head definitively. “I’m sorry, Jocelyn. I highly doubt that anyone would publicly admit to taking them, and the Dome is far too powerful for us to have any chance of taking them back by force.”
Jocelyn sighed, and nodded reluctantly. “Well, I suppose that is the end of it then.”
Elizabeth nodded. “I’m sorry, Jocelyn.”
Jocelyn nodded acknowledgement of the sentiment, and stood up. She thanked Gemma for the tea, and took her leave.
Once she was gone, an uncomfortable silence fell over the room. Eventually, Elizabeth broke it. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you where I was going, Gemma, I didn’t want to say anything until I knew.”
“You could have told us,” Gemma said softly. “We might have been prepared for Jocelyn turning up and asking where you were.”
It was hard to tell if she was upset or not. If she was, she was hiding it quite well, but Digger guessed that she wasn’t taking it as personally as he was.
And she probably didn’t have as much reason. Elizabeth was smiling at her daughter, but she still hadn’t looked in his direction once.
Gemma glanced over at him though, then stood up and said, “I’d better go see how Mitch is going.” She disappeared out of the room, and Digger suspected it was an excuse to leave him and Elizabeth alone.
Trouble was, he had no idea what to say, or where to begin. Elizabeth’s silence was more damning than anything she could have said would have been. He suspected there was no point in even asking, nothing more to even say.
But he couldn’t stay silent long. “There’s more to this, isn’t there?” he asked eventually.
“What gives you that idea?”
She was going to try to brush it off, and for a moment he was half tempted to let her get away with it. But he’d done that too many times.
He held up his hand and counted the reasons on his fingers. “You’ve bathed since I saw you this morning. And whatever soap you used certainly isn’t the one you use here, the smell is quite distinctive. You’re avoiding looking at me. And finally, you’re taking this way more personally than the circumstances warrant.”
