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  ‘It’s—it’s dark. We only have one candle,’ Eleanor said, her voice thick with tears. ‘And William hurt himself when we fell.’

  Hurt himself? Rose sucked in a breath. She forced herself to stay calm as she said, ‘Just move towards my voice, darling. All will be well now. I’m here.’

  She heard the sound of tiny footsteps, the scrape of stones moving. ‘Why on earth did you come out here on such a terrible night? You gave us such a fright.’

  ‘We—we just wanted to help you.’

  ‘Help me?’

  ‘Yes. To find some money so you can marry Captain St George and fix his roof at Hilltop.’

  ‘Oh, my darlings,’ Rose said, trying not break into tears. ‘You are truly the best of friends to worry about me like that. But you should never have put yourselves in danger.’

  ‘But you love him! You have to be together. Like in the stories.’

  ‘We can’t worry about that right now.’ She held the lantern higher and at last glimpsed a pale little face below. Eleanor blinked at the sudden rush of light. She had a scrape on her dirty cheek and the sleeve of her pelisse was torn, but other than that she seemed well.

  ‘Oh, Miss Parker,’ she sobbed. ‘I’m so sorry.’

  ‘It’s all right, my dear. I’m here to help you now. See that large stone over there? Can you climb up on it and reach for my hand?’

  Eleanor nodded and clambered up on the fallen stone to reach up her small hand. Rose was able to grasp it and used all her strength to pull the little girl upwards. Her shoulder burned, but Eleanor was soon on solid ground next to her. Eleanor hugged Rose around the waist, her face buried in Rose’s cloak, sobs shaking her tiny body. Rose held her tightly in return.

  ‘What happened to William?’ she asked urgently. ‘Is he awake?’

  ‘I think he hurt his arm,’ Eleanor said. ‘But he’s awake.’

  ‘Very good. Now, my dear, I need you to be very brave. A heroine princess, in fact,’ Rose said, holding the girl’s face between her hands. She hated to send her off, but she could think of no other way to quickly summon the needed help. ‘You must run straight home and get help for your brother. Take the lantern and stay only on the path. I will climb down and stay with him until you return.’

  Eleanor gulped hard and nodded. ‘What if he...?’

  Rose firmly shook her head. ‘He will be fine. This is what you must do for him now. I know you can, I know how smart and brave you are. You are the smartest girl I know.’ She handed Eleanor the lantern and gave her one more hug. ‘Now run, as fast as you can.’

  Eleanor dashed away. Once the bobbing lantern light disappeared into the mist, Rose took a deep breath and steeled herself to do what she must. She thought of Harry and his braveness in battle, and it gave her courage, too. She grasped the edge of the pit, its jagged wooden edges biting into her palms through her gloves, and eased herself down carefully until her feet touched the dirt floor of the old cellar. For an instant, everything looked blurry, then she realised her spectacles had been knocked askew. She pushed them up her nose.

  The tiny, flickering light of the children’s one candle showed her where William sat, propped up against a wall of rotting old shelves that still held dusty bottles of wine. He sat on a faded blanket and beside him was a small pile of yellowed parchment maps and a pair of shovels. They had not come unprepared.

  Thankfully, he was also awake, his eyes wide open. But he held his right arm tightly with his left hand and his cheeks were damp with tears.

  And the candle was burning quite low. They didn’t have much time left.

  ‘What happened, William dear?’ she asked as she hurried to kneel beside him.

  ‘I—I fell. My arm...’ He gasped.

  ‘I see that.’ Rose carefully examined the arm and saw it was luckily not broken. She feared, however, that perhaps his collarbone was fractured. She wished she had some laudanum or brandy, but there was nothing. She could only hope Eleanor was very quick.

  She tore a wide strip of linen from the hem of her chemise and used it to bind William’s arm close to his side. She wrapped her cloak around them both and held him near, keeping a close watch on the sputtering candle.

  ‘We just didn’t want you to leave, Miss Parker,’ he whispered.

  ‘What do you mean leave, my dear? We’ll always be friends, I promise.’

  ‘We thought if you married Captain St George and stayed at Hilltop, you could still teach us music, and tell us stories,’ he said.

  ‘Oh, William. I will always help you, no matter where I live,’ Rose answered, her heart aching.

  ‘But if you love Captain St George...’

  ‘Sometimes love isn’t quite enough,’ she murmured.

  ‘Of course it is! What of the stories you told us? About warrior knights and their fine ladies? The Captain is a warrior knight.’

  ‘So he is.’ The bravest warrior knight she had ever known. But before she could say any more, William let out a shout. Rose heard the crack of a falling stone. There was a sudden, sharp, piercing stab at the back of her head. Dizziness and pain, as well as a terrible cold, overwhelmed her as she fell to the floor. She heard William yelling, but it seemed to come from very far away.

  ‘Harry,’ she whispered. Then everything faded to blackness.

  Chapter Nineteen

  ‘Captain St George!’ Harry heard a little girl’s cries just as he swung down from the saddle and handed the reins to a waiting groom at Barton. He had gone to Hilltop to put his mother’s ring back in storage, but he had not been able to do it.

  It was still in his pocket as he went for a long ride, long after the light faded and he should have returned to Barton. But he needed the movement and speed, the cold wind on his face, trying to leave behind thoughts of Rose. Memories of how she looked after he kissed her, the way it felt to hold her close. The pain when she turned him away. But she could not be outrun.

  He only forgot his heartache now, though, as he heard a panicked cry. His battle instincts went up and he whirled around, reaching for a sword that was no longer there. He saw little Lady Eleanor running towards him, her face smudged with dirt and her jacket torn.

  He reached out to catch her as she hurtled towards him. ‘What is it, child? Are you hurt?’ He studied her swiftly, scanning for wounds as he once did in the chaos of a battlefield, but there didn’t seem to be any blood or broken bones. She did, however, look terrified.

  Lady Eleanor shook her head and gulped in a breath. ‘No, but—our parents have gone to the village, and—and you must come with me! At once!’

  ‘No, we need to get you inside and send for the doctor. You can tell me about it once you’re in from the cold.’

  ‘We do need the doctor, but not for me,’ Eleanor wailed. ‘It’s my brother and Miss Parker. We fell down into the ruins of the old castle and William hurt his arm, and she came after us, but I don’t know what’s happened now.’

  Harry froze with fear. Rose had run after the children into the freezing night, gone into the old ruins? But then his instincts took over and his mind because as clear as ice. ‘You, there!’ he called back to the groom. ‘Who is still in the house tonight?’

  The young man looked quite confused, as panicked children were probably not usually part of his job, but he answered quickly, ‘Just the butler and housekeeper, sir, and perhaps the nursemaid and another footman. Everyone else has gone for Boxing Day and the family is in the village.’

  ‘Then send for the nursemaid at once and bring as many men as you can find to follow me. We must go to...’ Harry turned to Eleanor. ‘Where is Rose, exactly?’

  ‘The ruins of the old castle on Uncle David’s land,’ Eleanor said. ‘In some old cellar. We fell in and couldn’t get out.’

  ‘Send the men after me to Rose Hill, with blankets and
medical supplies,’ Harry told the footman. ‘And fetch a doctor at once.’

  ‘Will they be all right?’ Eleanor asked.

  Harry hugged her quickly. ‘I am sure they will be. Miss Parker is a most sensible lady.’

  He took back his horse and galloped off towards Rose Hill. He had to make himself focus, to stay in the cold mindset that had taken him through so many battles. It was more important now than ever. Rose needed him.

  He couldn’t, wouldn’t, ever let her down.

  * * *

  Rose felt as if she was sinking down into the dark waves of some warm sea, drifting deeper and deeper. She knew she had to fight against it, to push herself up into the cold world again, even though she only wanted to sleep.

  But there was something there, something she had to battle against no matter what. If only she could remember...

  Then, with a jolt, she did remember. She was in the old ruins, she had gone there looking for the children and something had fallen on her. She could smell the damp, earthy scent of rotting wood and darkness pressed around her. How long had she been there? She could hear a sob, seemingly from very far away, and she remembered William was with her.

  She drew in a deep breath and pushed herself into a sitting position. Pain shot through her head like a bolt of lightning and she feared she would be sick. She ground her teeth against the nausea and waited for the dizziness to pass before she took stock of her surroundings.

  The children’s candle had burned down to a tiny stub, but it still gave a little light. She saw the old, collapsing shelves that had long ago held wine bottles, the children’s shovels and the rock where she had pulled Eleanor up. Very high up, she could see a bit of the night sky and even a star or two as the mist seemed to be lifting. Surely Eleanor would be back soon. She tried not to think of the little girl alone out there.

  ‘Oh, Miss Parker, you’re awake,’ William sobbed.

  ‘Yes, my dear. I’m awake.’ She shivered and drew her cloak closer around them both. She closed her eyes and thought of Harry, imagining him there with her. Holding her close, keeping her warm and safe...

  ‘Rose! Are you there?’ he shouted, and for a moment she was sure it was just part of her dream. But then it came again, so loud and strong she knew it was real. ‘Rose! Please answer me.’

  ‘We’re here,’ she called back hoarsely. ‘Can you hear me?’

  His face appeared above her, blotting out the stars, the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.

  ‘Are you hurt, my love?’ he said.

  ‘I hit my head. I’m afraid I fainted for a moment. Poor William’s shoulder is hurt. Is Eleanor...?’

  ‘She is safe back at Barton. The doctor and some of the servants should soon be on their way. Don’t worry, I’ll have you both out in only a moment.’ He vanished again and after a moment she did indeed hear the murmur of other voices. A rope was lowered and Harry climbed down it with a swift power and grace that quite astonished her. He did look like a warrior prince, just as the children had said, coming to their rescue.

  He knelt down beside them and helped William into a makeshift sling with a blanket and the rope. The boy was quickly drawn up out of their prison.

  Rose feared she would burst into tears as Harry gently took her into his arms. She clung to him, knowing at last that she was not alone. That she was truly safe. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, all the pain and fear vanishing. It was just like in those sweet moments after they made love, all the worry and care of life gone perfectly quiet.

  How could she ever give that, give him, up again? She clung close to him, feeling their moments together slip away.

  ‘Let me help you up, Rose,’ he said. ‘You’re safe now, I promise.’

  ‘I know I am. With you.’

  ‘Then why did you leave me?’

  ‘Because you deserve more than a poor companion as your wife. You deserve—everything.’

  ‘Oh, my dear.’ He pressed an ardent, tender kiss to her forehead. ‘You are all I have ever dreamed of wanting. You are so kind and sweet, so strong. And I am sorry, but I won’t let you leave me again, not unless it’s because you truly do not love me.’

  ‘I do love you,’ Rose said, her throat tight with tears. ‘So very much!’

  His arms tightened around her. ‘Then it’s settled. We are staying together. Nothing else will ever hurt you again, my dear, sweet Rose. Not when I am here. Because I love you, too.’

  She was half-afraid to hope, even as his words thrilled her to her very soul. She had hoped for things before and seen them shattered, just as her family had cracked upon her father’s death and their separation. Did she dare reach out now for her heart’s desire and hold on to it, no matter what?

  ‘What—what are you saying, Harry?’ she whispered.

  ‘I’m saying I’ve never been happier in all my life than when I am with you. I never even thought feelings like this were real. You show me that being alive can be a joy, a wonder! I never realised before you that I was only in some grey half-world, driven by some sense of dry duty. Now I see what there can truly be.’ He looked deep into her eyes, not letting her turn away. Not letting her run again. ‘Please, do not send me back to that. Say you will be my wife.’

  How very, very tempted she was, how filled with raw, burning longing. ‘But—what will we do?’

  ‘I could go back into the army, or learn how to be a farmer—a real farmer, who could make Hilltop profitable again. You need have no fear that I will take care of you and that we will make a true home of Hilltop. It may not be exciting or glamorous...’

  ‘But we will take care of each other,’ Rose said. She at last let her tears flow free, her emotions fly out into the world. ‘I knew that day with you at Hilltop that I wanted to belong there, with you. If you want me, then I am yours, and I’ll do anything I can for our life together.’

  Harry laughed, a glorious sound full of a sheer joy she had never heard from him before, but which she hoped to hear again. But now perhaps she would hear it, again and again, every day of the life they would build together. She hardly dared believe it was true.

  ‘Please, Rose,’ he said. ‘Say you will marry me. I can do anything if you are beside me.’

  And she knew she could do anything with him. He was the best man she had ever met, brave and kind and strong. ‘Yes, Harry St George. I will marry you.’

  He smiled, like a burst of sunlight in the dank old cellar, and he reached into his coat to retrieve the box he had once offered her. ‘It’s fortunate I didn’t lock this away again.’ He opened it to reveal the ruby and pearl ring, shining and beautiful, full of promise. ‘I know my mother would want you to have it.’

  ‘Oh, Harry,’ she whispered. She could say nothing else. Her hand trembled as he slipped it on to her finger. It shimmered there, like hope itself.

  He lowered his lips to hers for a lingering kiss—just as they heard a clamour from the world outside. A shout, the sound of their names being called.

  ‘It seems we must now be rescued,’ Harry said.

  Rose laughed. ‘I must say, I am very glad they waited for us after all.’

  Chapter Twenty

  ‘Are you sure you feel quite well, Rose?’ Emma Marton asked as she arranged a tea tray on Rose’s bedside table. ‘The children are begging every five minutes to see you, but the doctor said you must rest...’

  ‘I am very well indeed, Emma,’ Rose answered. ‘The doctor just left for his second visit and he says I may even come down to dinner. My head is quite well. I have missed the children.’ She had also very much missed seeing—and kissing—Harry, who had only been allowed in for a quick word that morning. She knew the days of Christmas were still going on downstairs, and she didn’t want to miss a minute.

  ‘And they miss you. They are so te
rribly sorry for what they did.’

  ‘They were only trying to help. They have such good hearts.’

  Emma sighed. ‘I know. It does get them into trouble sometimes. Bea and I once found ourselves in the same predicament before David and I married. David boarded up the old ruins, but now he says he will fill them in altogether.’ She paused to rearrange a vase of greenery on the table. ‘I understand we are to have a happier event here at Barton quite soon, though!’

  ‘I hope so. Lily’s husband has gone himself to beg a special licence from the archbishop.’

  ‘A Christmastime wedding! How lovely.’

  ‘Yes. I think it will be. Jane says she is bringing in even more greenery to deck the drawing room.’

  ‘Everyone does love a romance here!’ Emma said with a laugh. ‘When I came back to Barton after I was widowed, I was so tired, so heartsick. I never imagined I would find someone like David here. And Barton helped Jane and Hayden find their way back to each other, too.’ A soft smile lit her face. ‘There is magic here. Something that brings hearts together, when they are meant to be.’

  Rose laughed. ‘So it does. This has truly been the most wondrous Christmas.’

  ‘And now we shall all be neighbours!’ Emma said, clapping her hands in delight. ‘What do you and Harry plan to do at Hilltop now?’

  ‘I am not sure.’ She frowned as a worry pierced through her happiness, the fear that Harry would indeed go back into the army. ‘There is so much to start on. I think Lily will stay and help me for a while.’ As a curate’s wife, Lily was well practised in making a lovely house on economies, but still Rose worried. She wanted to make everything so perfect for Harry, for their new life together.

  ‘Well, I am glad you will be nearby. What fun we will all have together!’

  As she clapped her hands again, the chamber door opened and Jane appeared with her arms overflowing with silks, satins and laces. ‘I thought we might like to look through these, Rose,’ she said, draping the gowns over chairs and the end of the bed, a shimmering rainbow. ‘There’s no time to have something from the dressmaker, of course, but Emma and I are quite handy with our needles. We could make over a few of these. Perhaps the lace from this gown on that blue silk?’