All Hallow's Eve (37 page)

She hesitated for a few moments,
meeting each of their eyes before
settling on William
’s
.
“
N
ot once in my life have I
used
the authority of
my
position, but
n
ow
I
must
.
M
y
main concern
as
ruler
of the Tribes
must not be
for
any one person’s
safety, but
for the
whole
.
Even though they might not be aware of the
circumstances, t
he
future of
the
entire population
of both
world
s, living and
beyond
,
depend
s
on what
the people
gathered
here
in this room
do over the next few days
.
Ultimately, the future hinges on the decisions that I make.

“
I
f we do not succeed in
returning
this
Evil S
pirit
to the Otherworld
, it will
continue to
cause havoc on Earth.
From what I saw when I touched
i
ts mind, I know that
Cher-nog
already
has
literally
changed the course of history
, and I am certain that it would not hesitate to do so again to satisfy its whims and desires
!
Therefore,
I will do whatever is necessary to prevent
it
from
continuing
in this manner
.
It
must
be sent
back
, no matter the risks
, and
we must make certain that the
Olc
’s
plan will never come to pass.

“
W
ith this in mind,
I must issue my first order
.
The group is
safest when in numbers.
T
he
T
ribal library and necessary gardens
are
at Longbourn.
Being smaller,
Longbourn is
more easily defended than Netherfield.
I realize that you originally chose Netherfield
because
it ha
s
enough space to sleep us all
easily
, but we must forego
ease and
comfort for the time being.
If
we
sleep in shifts
and lay mattresses upon the floor
, we have beds enough for
us
all.

“
W
e will
go to
Longbourn
,
where we will
stay
for the duration of this
situation
.
It
is the better choice.

“
There is something about Mary’s communication that has not been said aloud as of yet.
Once I am confident in the changes to the Song
of the Return
,
it ma
y
be required that I
allow myself to be taken
captive
by the
Olc
.
It has the ability to leave
a
body in an instant
, either taking possession of another or travelling away as a spirit
.
” Nodding to the list of herbs, she continued, “The Otherworlders have offered
a way to keep
i
t captive
inside Wickham’s body
until i
t can be returned to the Otherworld
, but I can see no other alternative to taking the S
pirit
by surprise
.
”

Elizabeth turned
and looked into
William’s
astonished
countenance.
“
There will be no discussion and no argument.
I
f i
t is
the only way to carry out
the plan
of
our predecessors
,
i
t
must be
done
.
” She turned her attention back to the group. “
Once we have
restrained
Cher-nog
, William will accompany me to the meadow
where
he will assist as I
perform th
e
altered
Song
.

“
Of course, safety will not be ignored.
Our primary objective will be
to assure
I stay alive long enough to return the
Olc
to the Otherworld
.
But i
f that cannot be achieved, it will be up to whoever is left alive to keep
Cher-nog
secure
in Wickham’s body
until the next Destined One is
born and
old enough to perform the
ritual
.
This
B
east
must n
ever
be permitted to go free again.

“
Is this clearly understood?
”

Elizabeth again looked at each in turn and
a
waited their acknowledgement.
William was last.
She could see h
is anger
as he nodded
and left the room.

Closing her eyes, Elizabeth sighed deeply
.
“
Thank you all.
We shall leave as soon as we possibly can
in the morning
, so please pack lightly.
”
As she began to walk away, the entire group bowed or curtsied to the High
Priestess
.
Elizabeth saw the pride in
the eyes of
both of her parents, and she had to blink away the tears that threatened.

Being
nearest to her
,
Richard followed
.

“
Richard
?
”

“
William’s
orders are that you are not
to be left alone.
I will leave you
only
after
you are
once again under
my cousin’s
protection
.
”

Elizabeth stared into his
eyes momentarily and then, nodding,
s
he
continued
into the hallway
.

They
found
William
in the billiards room
. S
traighten
ing
as
they
walked into the room
,
William
met Richard’s gaze
. T
he latter
bowed and left them alone, closing the door behind him.

B
en
ding
over the table
,
William
c
ontinue
d his game as Elizabeth
stood watching.
After
taking several shots at various
ball
s
, he asked,
“
T
he
parson
is
a friend to your family
, is he not
?
”

Elizabeth blinked in confusion a few times before answering,
“
Yes
,
he is.
”

“
Since the banns have been read
,
would he marry us today if we told him
simply that
we were rushed due to an urgent matter
?
”

A
smile
slowly spread across her features
.
“
I believe he might be
sympathetic
and
willing if we went there immediately
,
whil
st
it is still
during the
hours
when marriages are able to be performed
.
” She arched one brow. “
But
I thought you were angry
with me
.
”

“
I
am
angry
!
”
William
took several deep breaths,
putting
an effort
towards
speaking in a
gentler
tone
.
“
I
am angry with the
situation
we find ourselves in
.
I am angry
with
myself
for
making it necessary
that
you
brandish your
authority
in order
to
persuade
me to
listen to reason.

“
But
I
am
a
rational
man.
Of course I understand
all that you have said
,
al
though
it does not follow
that I
should
like
the idea
that
the woman I cannot possibly live without is
about
to
place
herself into
a
very
dangerous situation and there is absolutely
nothing
I can do to prevent
it
.
I cannot help but feel there should be something more that I can do
to protect you
!
”

He paused for several moments, visibly brin
g
ing his temper under control.
“
A
t the same time, I have never felt prouder than I am of you
at this moment
. Proud of y
o
ur selflessness,
of
your willingness to sacrifice yourself
if need be
for the greater good
, and of your ability to see the truth beyond your own situation.
Elizabeth Bennet,
you are
a
truly noble woman
and
the best of ladies.
I am the
happiest
of men to have
gained
your
affection
.
”

William hesitated a few moments, moved toward her, and took her hand in his before saying,
“
In the event that the worst should happen to either of us
,
there is noth
ing that I would want more than
to...
Please,
Elizabeth
, I would be very much
honour
ed if
you
would become my wife
—
today
.
”

Her eyes filled with tears
as she nodded and took his face in her hands.
“
I agree; there is no reason to wait any longer.
Shall I go change clothes before we tell the others?
”

“
I will
escort you to your chamber and make certain that Hanna is within,
and
then
go to
inform them
.
”
They walked on in silence.
As they approached her
chamber door
, he looked down at his own attire.
“
I
shall
take the time to
change
before I notify the others
.
”