The Young and the Dark

Two

Vita waited until sunset to creep out of the house and check on the stranger.

Her mother had already retired to her room for the night while Mr. Lawrence was having supper downstairs with the servants. He wouldn't be happy if he found out she'd gone into the woods by herself, but she wasn't planning on her trip outside taking more than a quarter of an hour – he'd never need to know.

She buttoned up her woollen coat to fight off the evening chill and made her way across the lawn at a brisk pace, her flashlight sweeping the ground and the undergrowth.

In the woods, her flat shoes crunched on the first fallen leaves of the season as she wove her way between the trees. The clearing where she'd left the bundle for the intruder in the morning lay quiet under the night sky. She flashed her light at the darkening expanse of grass and the beam of light caught on the clothes scattered around the broken bottle. The loaf of bread was crushed a couple of steps away.

With a sigh, Vita bent down to pick up the trousers and shirt, now muddy and ripped.

A branch cracked on her right and her head snapped up. She pointed her light at the underbrush.

A man stood at the edge of the trees, wrapped in a blanket and perfectly still. He held Vita's gaze, his expression blank. Her mouth dry, Vita made an effort to swallow before she spoke.

"Hello," she said, trying to exude as much calm as she could.

The man tilted his head to the side, a slight frown crossing his features, like a question. He had dirty blond hair and dark eyes, and mud covered his bare feet. There was something ageless in his stare, but his face was youthful, like Archie's.

"Can you speak?" she asked.

His silence and his staring made her heart quicken with anxiety. He took a step forward, and she stiffened. He was tall, taller than Mr. Lawrence, and lean. But his stance was wary more than threatening, and the fact that Nyx was nowhere to be seen reassured Vita. The chimera would have been here if she'd been in danger.

"Are you hungry?" she insisted.

She let her light travel to his face to read his expression, and her heart stuttered. Stubble spread across his jaw and blood stained his mouth.

"What happened to you?"

Her question came out no louder than a whisper, so she didn't expect a reply, and the sound of his voice took her by surprise.

"Master," he said.

The oddness of his answer and the roughness of his tone made her forget her fear for a second.

"What?"

Her voice quavered. He didn't repeat the word, nor move from his position by the trees. It gave Vita the moment she needed to gather her wits.

"There's no master here," she said, her voice louder. "My name is Lady Victoria Hartpole. I'm responsible for this estate and the people who live here. And I'm afraid you can't linger in these woods. I would very much appreciate it if you followed me to the house, so we could take care of you there."

She pointed the way towards the manor, and tipped her head in encouragement. She didn't know what she'd do if he refused to come. Leaving him here to get help might give him a chance to run away again, and she couldn't very well stay in the woods with him all night.

He shifted his weight from one leg to the other, and kept his dark gaze on Vita, unblinking. He opened his mouth, as if to speak again, but instead he licked his lower lip, uncertainty crossing his features.