All Hallow's Eve (62 page)

“Good evening, Aunt Catherine.”

She turned
toward him, and
he could see her face
was
already
screwed into a scowl.

“Nephew! How dare you keep me waiting
!
”

He raised his eyebrows.
“Excuse me, A
unt,
but you had not written
to say
that I should expect your arrival
this evening
.”

“
Fitzwilliam!
I am
almost
your nearest relation
. A
m I not welcome to visit you
no matter where you are staying
?
Has
living with
that
Jezebel
purged
you
r mind
of all
proper
manners?”

William flared his
nostrils.
“
T
o whom
do
you refer
, madam
?
”

“
Do not treat me as you would a simpleton, Nephew;
you can be at no loss to understand the reason of my journey.
Did you
believe that you
c
ould
conceal
forever such a
liaison
as the one
in which
you are involved
?
” She stood and walked toward him
. P
lac
ing
her hand on his arm
,
she declared with a noble air,
“
I have come to rescue you
, Fitzwilliam
.
Tonight, y
ou will remove
to
London
with me
, and t
omorrow, we shall set off to Rosings Park.
”

“
I will be going
nowhere
with you
,
Aunt
.
The
lady
to whom you refer is
my...”

“
I will hear no
excuses!
W
hile you have been hid
ing
in this tiny, backward village
with your
mistress
,
you
could have
heard none
of the gossip
circulating
in Town
.
T
h
ey speak of
you
attempting
to pass
off that – that
woman
as your wife
!
” Her expression softened. “
I have already taken steps toward preventing this malicious rumo
u
r from spreading any further
.
Once you are at Rosings, w
e shall say that you have been
there
all these weeks
. T
he
reading of the
banns
begins
this Sunday
at Hunsford
.
I have written to the vicar at Pemberley
to do the same
, as well as to the housekeeper to prepare Anne’s rooms
.
Seeing my daughter in her rightful place
on your arm
at Pemberley wil
l be the reward for my efforts o
n your behalf.
”

“
You what?” William’s colour had risen in anger throughout her speech. “
Aunt
!
I
am
married
—
and very
happily
,
I might add
.”
The vicar at Pemberley
will
certainly
be very confused by her letter!

“
That
is impossible!”

William smiled.
“I
am
quite
pleased to
inform
you that i
t
is
possible, Aunt Catherine. You may view our signatures at the church here at Longbourn
if you do not believe me
.
”

“I
t g
rieve
s me
to hear that you
have been
deceived
so
completely
, Nephew. I
t is clear that she
has
used her arts and allurements to
make
you
f
orget
what
you owe to
yourself and all
the
family.” Lady Catherine took
in
a deep breath and let it out slowly. “
But, w
orry not, Fitzwilliam.
I
will
do all I can to
help you
escape
from
her
influence
.
W
e will speak to the bishop
as we pass through London
, and t
his sham of a marriage will be annulled immediately
.
”

“
I will permit you to do
no such thing
.
” William’s
booming
voice
resonated
throughout the room.

Her eyes narrowed.
“
Who is
this
person
who has you so t
horoughly under her spell
?
”

“I am his
Soul Mate
.”

William turned toward h
is wife
.

Elizabeth was standing just inside the room
, her
mother and
sisters
fanned out
a
step
behind her.
A
ttired in a
T
ribal
gown
made of
gold silk
, the entire length embroidered with tiny roses
, it was
finer and more
elaborate
t
han
any
gown
William
had ever seen her
wear
in the past
.
Draped across her shoulders
and fastened at her collarbone
was
an
elegant
velvet
maroon
cloak
, bearing a
gold
pennanular broach adorned with the crest
of the High
Priestess
of
Sanun
.
R
oyalty radiated from her every pore as she
looked intently
at Lady Catherine.

William’s
chest expanded
with pride
and wonder
at the
magnificent vision
standing before him
.

Mr. Bennet, Bingley, Richard, and Lord Reginald entered the room
from behind the Bennet ladies
.
The elder gentleman dropped down on one knee before h
is daughter.
Momentarily
surprise
d
,
the younger men imitated his gesture.

Lady Catherine gasped
and fell to her knees
, surprising all her nephews
. E
yes
directed towards the floor, she whispered something in a language that William recognized only as being similar to the one he had heard in the Song.

Elizabe
th held out her hand to William
,
and he took
it within his own
.
She twitched one of her eyebrows ever so slightly, and he understood her meaning completely.
Standing, he b
ow
ed
over
her hand
,
plac
ed
it
on his arm
,
a
nd
took his place
by her side
.

“All may rise,” Elizabeth proclaimed.

Lady Catherine rose
but did not
raise her eyes from the carpet
.

Authority shone from Elizabeth’s eyes
and was projected in her voice
as she directed
a question to Lady Catherine.
“
D
o you know who I am?”

She nodded.
“Yes, High
Priestess
.”

Elizabeth’s hand tightened around
William’s
forearm
,
caus
ing
him
to look at his wife.
He could see Elizabeth
struggling to maintain her countenance
as she stared at
the f
eathers of Lady Catherine’s
bonnet
violently
bobbing
up and down,
coming close to
tickling her
nose
.
Elizabeth
stepped back an inch or two and schooled her features
.

“
Lady Catherine, a
report of an alarming nature reached me several days ago.
No
t only
was I
told that
you
have
refused
your duty
to train the
O
ne
d
estined to
become
the next
Priestess
of
Imol
, but
I have learned firsthand
that
you
have failed to perform the
rite of
Imol
correctly.
The
carelessness
you have displayed in the
perform
ance of
the
ritual
that provides protection for our people
placed th
ose within
the T
ribes
,
a
s well as
outsiders
,
in
considerable danger from an
E
vil
S
oul
. In recent days,
your blunder
ing has
made
it
possible
for
an
Olc
to find me
.
If
Cher-nog’s
plans had come to fruition,
t
he
H
armless
S
ouls
of the Otherworld
would have
been deprived of
the
ancient
privilege of
pass
ing
through the portal
on All Hallow’s Eve
to visit the land of the living
—
perhaps
forever
—and
Cher-nog
would have let loose upon the Earth
a countless number of
H
armful
S
ouls
from the Otherworld
.
I
am seriously displeased
with your performance
as
Priestess
.
W
hat have you to say
in
your own
defence
?”

Lady Catherine’s face had turned a chalky white, but she did not answer.
She knew
full
well that
the High
Priestess
spoke the truth
;
she
c
ould gain nothing by making excuses.
Within the Tribes, t
he
decision
s of the High
Priestess
of
Sanun
ha
d
always been the
final
word on any subject
.