Heart of Thorns - Nicolette Andrews

Chapter Nine

Lady Thornton took her usual path for her morning exercise. She made a left out the front door of the manor and then passed by the small chapel that was on the west side of the property. From there she would head north towards the orchard, where she would walk for thirty minutes before returning to the manor. Ray knew this without seeing her because he had been watching her for days, memorizing her routine and marveling at her tenacity and her ability to avoid him. On a few occasions, he had put himself in her way, and she had made an abrupt turn and walked away. She even went so far as to cross over the lawns to make a beeline for the house. She never once looked at him or made any indication she had seen him. Stubborn woman, she is so different from the rest. She has to be the one.

He leaned back against the trunk of the tree he was resting in. He sat perched on a large limb. His leg hung down and he swung it back and forth as he brought his flute to his lips. He played a note. It rang out crisp and clear, reverberating across the still of the morning fog. His fingers glided across the flute as his lungs filled the instrument, and a song escaped from it and carried across the lawn, past orderly garden beds and around the chapel to the orchard where Lady Thornton was enjoying her exercise. Though he could not see her, he could imagine the look upon her face as his music reached her. She would hesitate and look about, expecting attack from some unknown quarter. She would pull her shawl tighter against her small shoulders and try to walk away, but she would find that quite impossible.

The music was like a beacon, none could resist, not even Lady Thornton. Ray swayed with the music and closed his eyes, preparing for the meeting. The forest around him stirred; the music had awoken more than he had intended. It did not matter, only the small folk would be roused from their hidey holes, and even then they would be silent watchers. Ray opened his eyes. A pair of foxes came out of their den and sat down at the base of the tree. They sat back on their hind legs, their bushy tails wrapped around them, clever eyes focused just beyond the forest. A deer ambled out from the forest and kept hidden in the brush. He spotted her ears flickering from side to side, large liquid eyes watching the rise as did the other birds, badgers, and other forest creatures that joined her.

The song reached its height and with it brought Lady Thornton over the rise. Her hair was braided down her back. A few wisps had come loose to frame her face. Her large dark eyes searched the horizon, looking for the source of the music. Knowing her fear of him, Ray remained hidden as he called her to him with the music. I'll wait, just for a moment longer. Once she enters the forest, she will not be able to run. Lady Thornton could not fight the pull, and she took small deliberate steps towards the forest, her gaze intent on the woods. She looked prepared to run like a startled rabbit.

She stopped at the pathway that marked the end of the walkway and the human domain. Her pink gown was a bright spot against the gray mist that swirled about her. She looked ethereal and haunting standing there watching the woods. She's stronger than I could have imagined. For her to resist at all is a wonder. He increased the tempo to end her hesitation. He could see her conflicted look as she fought the impulse and her better judgment. She has heard the stories the villagers tell. It is fueling her caution. She clutched her black shawl tighter just as he had seen in his imagination. She seemed to make up her mind as she came closer.

Catherine glanced over her shoulder. Is she being followed? He lowered the flute from his lips and focused on the gray mist behind her. The momentary lapse of the song weakened the spell, and she took a step back. The small folk he had summoned with his song whispered, excited and curious. The song lost effect on them and they were losing patience. I may lose control if I do not do something soon. He could not shake the feeling that she was being followed, and he dared not let anyone else cross over.