They reached the inn which Wildwood had planned for their stay just as the sun was beginning to sink behind the horizon. They ate a tolerable, hearty supper and headed to bed.
There were only two rooms available for their party, so Theresa, Daphne and the maid shared one room and Thomas, Wildwood and Jim stayed in the other. Theresa was not sure what became of the rest of their party. The maid helped both Daphne and Theresa get ready and excused herself from the room.
Daphne lay down on a bed. "I'm exhausted. This spell is tiring me out terribly."
Theresa felt a twinge of annoyance. Daphne was whining about a little disguise spell?
"I think that it's giving me a headache," she moaned.
Theresa could not stop herself from answering sharply "Spells don't work that way, unless they are supposed to give you one. Especially not little disguise spells. It doesn't even do anything to you, it just bends the light around you."
The only thing around here that could give headaches were irritating sisters.
"Since when have you been the expert?"
Theresa gritted her teeth. "Let's see, I've been carrying around spells cast upon me since we left Waldwick. And I've been reading magic texts, Daphne."
"Oh?" Daphne said, her tone clearly indicating how little impressed she was.
"You wouldn't know, of course. You've been running around with Thomas the whole time."
"Sir Thomas! And I was learning archery!" Daphne cried defensively.
Theresa smiled, but it was a nasty one. "And is that the only thing that you were doing with him?"
Daphne blushed a deep crimson. "You're a beast!" she said angrily and rolled over and showed Theresa her back.
Theresa felt slightly bad that she had upset Daphne, but she could not seem to help herself. They had never fought before they escaped.
Theresa did not know if it was because of the stress they were under or because Francine had forced them to be pleasant to each other.
Theresa went and lay down on the other bed. She heard the maid return and lie down on her cot and finally Theresa fell asleep.
* * * * *
Theresa was at home again and something was terribly wrong. She knew that someone was dead but she was not sure who it was. Perhaps it was her mother, or Daphne. It could be her father, or Wildwood. Maybe it was the chef or Jim or even the annoying Thomas. She just had a nagging feeling that she had lost someone.
She was standing before the door to her aunt's chamber, but she did not know who it was that Francine had killed. The door opened as if on its own.
"Theresa, come join us," said her mother. "We'll have a picnic on the lawn." The other people she feared for intoned the same words, until they were all talking at the same time.
But they were dead. All of them.
* * * * *
"Wake up! Theresa! Wake up!" Daphne said loudly.
Theresa's eyes flew open. Daphne's face was leaning over her. Her dead sister.
Theresa screamed.
"Theresa, calm down!" Daphne ordered.
It was so odd to hear an order from Daphne's mouth that Theresa really did calm down a bit.
"What were you dreaming? You're crying."
Theresa put her hand up to her face. So she was. More proof that she was not still a cat.
Daphne was watching her closely, apparently awaiting a response.
"A nightmare," Theresa explained so that Daphne would stop worrying. "Just a nightmare."
"Just a nightmare? That could not have been just a nightmare. You're really upset," Daphne said stubbornly. "You never used to have nightmares like this."
It was probably because her mind had been suppressed so long, Theresa thought. "Probably all the fear. I don't know."
"I guess so. What was it about?"
"I don't remember," Theresa said only half truthfully. Although she could no longer remember the images and the ideas were becoming increasingly fuzzy; the horrified fear still throbbed in her veins.
"Lady Daphne!? Are you quite alright?" Thomas asked through the door.
"Thank you, we're fine. Theresa had a nightmare," Daphne called back to him. She turned back to Theresa. "We might as well stay up. It's morning."
Theresa did not bother to inform Daphne that there was no way that she could go back to sleep the way that she was feeling, even if it had been the middle of the night.
She was relieved when it was time to ride again.
* * * * *
The morning passed by slowly with Theresa seeped in a black gloom.
She tried to think positive, but her mind continued to flick between the vague residual feelings of her nightmare and all her all too real worries. They escalated each other and there was little enough to do on the back of a horse but think. She wished for a distraction.
When they stopped for lunch, Theresa had no appetite. She saw Wildwood glance at her, so she forced herself to eat more than she wished to. She was glad when the meal was over and they could continue.
They reached their next destination earlier in the evening than they had the previous night. Wildwood explained they could press on and make it closer to the capital but it was wiser to remain and prepare. Theresa hoped that a more relaxing night would calm her nerves.
Daphne was, of course, off with Thomas somewhere. Jim went to lie down and Theresa had no idea where anyone else was. She tried to go to sleep early but she could not relax. Thus she was still awake when Daphne returned.
She turned over and sat up when she heard the door click. Daphne seemed to be attempting to be quiet, but her steps were incredibly bouncy. It did not appear that she was trying at all to walk like an old woman, Theresa noted disapprovingly.
"Aren't you supposed to be walking like an old woman?" Theresa asked crossly.
Daphne paused midstride. "No one saw me. I didn't think that you would still be awake."
Theresa wondered what the two had to do with each other.
"Well, no matter. Since you're awake, Theresa, I have something to tell you," Daphne said. Her voice sounded suddenly odd, as if she was nervous.
"What?" Theresa asked slowly, watching her sister's face and trying to figure out what was wrong. Had there been news of Francine or was it some other complication?
Daphne spoke timidly. "I'm going to marry Sir Thomas."
"What!?" Theresa asked; her ability to comprehend simple language apparently swept away by what Daphne had said. It was unbelievable that she would be thinking about something like this at this time. Theresa thought it was something serious, not something ridiculous.
Daphne's back was stiff and straight. "Sir Thomas asked me to marry him and I said yes."
"You're too young," Theresa said because it was the first objection that she could formulate into words.
"There are girls far younger than me who get married. I'm almost nineteen," Daphne said.
She seemed angry and disappointed by Theresa's reaction. Theresa saw her pout and realized that she needed to be more tactful if she wanted Daphne to cooperate. Daphne was clearly going to be stubborn. Theresa had to strive for diplomacy.
"You'll need your guardian's permission. I doubt Francine will give it," Theresa pointed out in as nice a tone as she could muster.
Daphne shrugged. "I'll marry him after we petition the king."
Daphne was being too optimistic. Their journey to the capital might end in any number of ways. A very likely one was that they might end up straight back where they started, in Francine's control, since the king would have already been seeped in Francine's lies for weeks now.
Theresa did not want to think about that outcome, but at least she recognized everything could end that way. Did Daphne not understand the precarious position that they were in?
She supposed at least now they had powerful allies in the outside world. Surely Wildwood would not simply forget about them. Thomas would not forget either she imagined, not if he really wanted to marry Daphne.
Thomas. She wondered what he was thinking. "Why did he ask you, anyway?" Theresa asked.
Daphne looked offended. "Because he loves me."
"Isn't he too old for you?" Theresa asked dryly.
"He's only twenty-three. Sometimes girls my age get stuck with forty year old husbands. Imagine how awful that would be. Thomas is perfectly fine. Four years is nothing."
"What happens to other girls is hardly an issue. We're talking about you. Why do you want to marry him?"
Daphne's expression was sour. "Because I love him." She flopped down on the other bed.
"I don't think you're even old enough to know what love is," Theresa said, feeling exasperated.
"Like you do. You're only a couple of years older than me. Anyway, how many suitors did you reject? Now you're practically an old maid," Daphne accused.
Daphne's words hurt. Theresa began to feel angry. All thoughts of diplomacy and cooperation flew straight out of Theresa's mind.
"Francine was controlling me at that time! I barely remember any suitors! Besides, that is not the point. The point is that you don't even know what you want!"
Daphne's voice was rising higher as well. "I know exactly what I want!"
"The timing is a bit odd, don't you think? Thomas finds out about your fortune and two days later asks you to marry him? Is it you that he loves or your title and money?"
Daphne leapt back to her feet. "He loves me! Me! He'll be the Viscount of Harding when his father dies, so his title is greater than mine! Stop talking about him like he's not good enough for me or like he's only after my fortune—which is not really that large! You're the one who inherited the earldom! I just got a younger son's portion and I was lucky to get that, wasn't I, being a daughter? Oldest siblings always get everything! You're the one he would be after if he was really fortune hunting!"
"He couldn't have been certain that I would be restored to human. And in case you have not realized, I've still got that spell on me! He couldn't even know that I would stay human! I might not still! And anyway, I don't trust him!" Theresa said, furiously.
Theresa gritted her teeth. Daphne never paid attention to anyone but herself. Here Theresa was trying to figure out how to manage their futures and Daphne was running around spewing nonsense like an enamored fool.
Daphne was clearly angry too. "You've never liked him for no good reason and you've never even given him a chance! He's done all sorts of things for you, like healing you when you hurt your ear and getting rid of those disgusting pests, and you are still completely ungrateful!"
"You're the ungrateful one! I pushed you out of the way of Francine's spell and not once did I ever get a word of thanks! All you have done is cry and whine and expect me to figure things out even though I was stuck as a cat! And that's when you weren't running around with him ignoring me!"
"I did everything that I could!" Daphne threw in defensively.
Theresa ignored her protest. "Well, I might still end up spending my life as a cat and you're busy planning your happily ever after! Should I wear a pet collar to your wedding?" Theresa asked in a voice dangerously nearing a shout.
"I love him! Why should I have to give him up just because you are so miserable? I can't do anything about those spells, and you keep running away from the wizard that you wanted to find that is trying to help you!" Daphne accused in a dramatic voice. She was speaking as loud as Theresa and had tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
Theresa lost her temper. "He doesn't love you! You are such a fool! And, you are not marrying him!" Theresa put emphasis on every word.
"And you're a bossy dictator! I didn't know that we escaped Aunt Francine just so you could control me instead of her!" Daphne screamed back. She started crying and ran from the room. Probably to her wretched Thomas.
Her bloody sister did not understand anything. Theresa punched her pillow and tried not to start crying too. One silly oversensitive fool was enough for any family.