My Shadow

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

It was a few days since they had walked away. They had hardly spoken but both were thinking the same thing. When were they going to see Louis again? Was Ivy telling the truth? Had she drugged them? Were they believing in something that wasn’t real? Were they being tricked? The questions flittered around their heads over and over again, never finding answers but always more questions were added but then lost again.

“Where are we?” Lizzy asked quietly.

“In the woods?” Eddy replied.

“That was so funny!” Lizzy said sarcastically and then softened. “We have been travelling for days and we still have not gotten out of here. How do we know we are going in the right direction?”

“I recognise this part of the woods. This is at the edge of my hunting grounds. I found you fallen somewhere near here. The river is there.” Eddy said, pointing through the leaves.

So it was. The small stream that Lizzy had fallen to was along side of them, below the hill they were walking on. In fact, they were reaching the exact place where Lizzy had fallen.

When they reached it they stopped and stared at the floor. “If I had not have fallen, I probably would not have met you.”

“And none of this would have happened.”

“Would that have been a good thing or a bad thing?” Eddy didn’t know how to reply to that. Instead he turned to face Lizzy and took her face in his hands before kissing her.

“I love you, Lizzy.” He murmured.

I love you, too Lizzy thought.

~*~

By midday the next day they caught sight of the castle. To Eddy it was a familiar welcoming sight but to Lizzy the castle looked as forbidden as ever. It had taken them longer than they had originally as they had first thought due to the fact that they were tired from walking mile after mile every day for the past few months.

“Let us go give my parents some money.” Eddy said.

“Is it me or does it look as though nothing has changed? All the guards are here if not double the amount as before, who is paying them if your parents have no money?”

“Maybe they have recovered enough money to be able to pay them a small amount of money.” Eddy suggested but doubt was beginning to fill him.

“If they had money they won’t need the money we have for them.”

“They may need it.” Eddy said, trying to convince himself as well as Lizzy that the letter his parents had sent was genuine.

Hand in hand they walked towards the gate that stood before the looming castle. A guard stepped forward. “Who is there?” he called.

“Edward Hutchinson.” Eddy called out.

“I have never heard of him.” The guard called back.

“I am Charles and Catherine Hutchinson’s son. One of two sons.”

“Mr and Mrs Hutchinson have only two children. One is Louis Hutchinson and the other is Matilda Hutchinson.”

“But Matilda got married.”

“Indeed Miss Matilda did. She still keeps her father’s name.”

“She will know who I am, is she there?”

“She is not. She is living with her husband as always. Master Louis has not returned from his trip.”

“Can we see Mr and Mrs Hutchinson, please?” Eddy asked.