Dare, Lydia - Tall, Dark and Wolfish

A lump formed in her throat and tears streamed down her cheeks. Now Ben would know where to find her. "I-I wish ye hadna done that."

The major turned back to her and noticed her distress. "What is it, Lady Elspeth?"

She choked on a strangled laugh. The major was her father and yet he called her Lady Elspeth. Ben was her husband and yet he didn't love her. How had her life become such a tangled mess?

He rushed forward and pounded on her back, a bit more forcefully than was needed. "Are you all right?"

Elspeth nodded, though tears poured from her eyes.

The major seemed at a complete loss, as though women crying in his presence were a new experience for him. "What can I do?" he asked, offering her his handkerchief.

"I-I doona want ta see Ben," she managed to get out.

"All right," he agreed quickly. "Just please stop crying."

Elspeth blew her nose in the handkerchief and tried to bring her sobs under control. Thinking about Ben would only make her cry harder. "Tell me about yerself."

Even in the dark room she could tell that his dark eyes warmed a bit. "What do you want to know, dear?"

She dabbed the tears on her cheeks. "I doona ken. Anythin', everythin'. I doona ken the first thing about ye."

Again the major sat at the edge of her bed. "I don't even know where to begin."

"Ye said ye were from Glasgow?"

He nodded. "Aye, but most of my life has been spent in England or on one battlefield or another."

She listened quietly as he talked, not wanting to miss one detail.

"I went off to Harrow as a young lad. My mother's family had a tidy sum and wanted me educated in England's finest schools. They wanted me to go on to Cambridge, but I bought my commission instead. I was stationed in Canada, then on the Continent. After Waterloo I sold my commission. I've been heading up the Lycanian Society ever since."

"In Glasgow ye'd heard tales of the

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?"

His answer was interrupted when a scratch sounded at the door. "Come," he called.

A young girl in a mop cap pushed open the door, carrying a tea service, and placed it on a bedside table. When she left, the major rose from his seat and started to pour. "How do you take it?"

"Two sugars, please."

He returned to the bed and handed her a cup. "Just like Rose. I should have known."

The mention of her mother made Elspeth frown. "Did ye say Mama never summoned ye? Her journal said otherwise."

The major sighed and settled his large frame in a seat near the bed. "How would she have even known how to get in touch with me, lass? I didn't have a permanent address. If she sent me letters, I never received them."

"But she used a summoning spell. I-it drained what was left of her strength." As soon as the words left her mouth, she wished she hadn't said them. He looked as if she'd struck him.

"Trying to find me?" he whispered in horror. "Oh, my poor Rose."

His anguish brought fresh tears to her eyes, and she didn't try to stop them as they trailed down her cheeks. Even here and now in a dimly lit room, she could see the love and pain reflected in his eyes. "I'm sorry," she offered numbly.

"It's my fault. I shouldn't have left her."

"She resisted the vision ta stay with the coven." It was a strong pull. One that Elspeth could understand, one that she should have followed herself.

"Resisted the vision?" he echoed. "No, lass. She wasn't supposed to go with me. That vision was why she wouldn't budge."

That didn't make any sense. Elspeth sat up straight. "But that's no' what Cait said."

"Cait?"

"Our seer. Caitrin Macleod. She said her mother saw ye come for Mama and that ye'd take her away. It was the same vision Cait saw about… Ben."

It was painful even to say his name, and Elspeth swallowed the ache that formed in her throat. Did the major—her father—remember the past differently?

He shook his head, and his eyes darkened. "No. Fiona Macleod said that I would come for Rose but that she would stay with the

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and resist the temptation. I've heard it echoed in my heart every night since, Elspeth."

An awful thought entered her mind. Mrs. Macleod wouldn't…? But it was the only thing that made sense. "Why would she lie?" she muttered under her breath.

But with his Lycan hearing, her father heard her. "To keep Rose. To keep their coven intact."

Even Cait wouldn't do such a terribly selfish thing.

Elspeth's heart plummeted. All those years she and her mother had been alone. All those years that her mother spent mourning him, he'd apparently spent mourning her, too. She'd grown up with a stigma that she could never live down, no matter how many people came to her for help. All those years they could have been together. It was a waste.

"Did ye really marry her?" she asked softly.

His eyes met hers and he nodded. "I still have the license."

Another scratch came at the door. The major's eyes never left hers, and another wave of sadness washed over Elspeth. All the years they'd lost weren't his fault. All the years she'd spent blaming him were in vain.

"Come," her father called.

The same little maid pushed the door open. "Major, Lord Benjamin would like to see Lady Elspeth."

She drew in a breath and shook her head. "I canna see him."

"What did he do to you?" her father asked, his brow furrowed.

Elspeth simply shook her head. "Please."

He glanced at the maid. "Tell Lord Benjamin I'll be there shortly."

When she shut the door, he turned his attention back to Elspeth. "Did he hurt you?"

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Not in the way you mean. He… he doesna care for me. Please, I doona want ta see him."

"Then he won't bother you." The major rose from his spot and left her alone.

Ben paced around the private drawing room, thanking God once again that he'd received the note from Forster. Ellie was safe. He could still make things right. How could he explain things to her so that she'd

understand? That question had plagued him the entire ride to Canis House, which wasn't terribly easy with a broken arm. Though now that he was here, he no longer noticed the throb in his arm. All he wanted was the opportunity to see his wife.

"Benjamin," Major Forster said from behind him.

He spun around. "Oh, Major. Thank you so much for the note. I was half out of my mind with worry."

The major frowned at him. "She's not up to seeing you right now, Ben."

"What do you mean? Is she all right?" Ben growled.

"No need to show your teeth, pup. She's fine." The major didn't growl, but his voice held a subtle warning nonetheless. A gust of wind blew as the door flew open behind them and Will burst through. "Nice to see you, too, William." The major shook his head.

"Why did you come here?" Ben snarled.

"Because you left a trail of blood in your wake that a blind wolf could follow. I don't care how much you hate me right now. I'll not leave you when you're injured."

"Injured?" the major scoffed. "His heart is not involved with my daughter, from what she tells me. So I doubt Elspeth's leaving has caused him any injury."

"Your daughter?" Will and Ben asked in chorus.

The major ignored their question and turned to pour a drink.

Ben weaved a bit unsteadily on his feet as he moved toward the major, a growl stuck in his throat.

"Look at you, Ben," Will said. "You can't even walk." Then he turned to the major. "Why isn't his injury healing?"

"Injury?" the major echoed. The sound of Will's teeth as they ground together was the only noise in the room. The major looked down at the floor, where a steady drip of blood ran from beneath the sleeve of Ben's jacket to hit the rug at his feet. "You're truly injured? And have not healed?"