William moved confidently though the crowded rooms. He picked up the high pitched whine of his aunt's assistant. That meant she was here. Silently he passed by Dr. Collins, watching and listening for her.

Then he heard her voice, soft, yet firm, saying "Could you please take your arm off of me."

He followed it to find her with Richard, who was leaning over her, smiling in an unpleasant way. "Oh, I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I thought you favored the attentions of wealthy men."

He walked very close to his cousin and put his hand on Richard's shoulder, and squeezed hard. "I'm only going to say this once," he growled in a low, dangerous voice, "keep your hands off of my lady."

He released Richard, who smiled daringly at him and said, "Of course, William," as he sauntered away.

Like a small child who had injured herself, Elizabeth was staring at William and drawing breath for that first, massive scream. Her eyes were huge and disbelieving. When she stopped inhaling, she didn't scream, instead she merely whispered, "You," in an awed tone.

William smiled suavely and took her senseless hand, "Hello, Elizabeth," he said as he kissed it once, "Surprised?"

He kept her hand and studied her closely. She was pale with shock as her chest rose and fell in quick breaths. Her eyes examined him, trying to determine if he was real. She swallowed once, and asked in a small, breathless voice, "What are you doing here?"

His eyes warmed at her words. He had missed her voice. "Catherine de Bourgh is my aunt," he explained gently. "She invited me, but I really came because I knew you would be here," he breathed as he leaned closer and kissed her softly on the lips.

Elizabeth was sure she was crazy. She's lost her mind and was having an episode. It was impossible. Her mind refused to accept it, yet it was him, William Darcy, holding her hand, talking to her, kissing her.

It was the kiss that convinced her that it could be real. It was William, his face, his hair, his scent, his touch, but something was different. Changed. It took her a long moment to realize what it was: his eyes. He wasn't looking through his mask at her. His eyes were open to her, reveling everything.

Her knees failed her when she realized what she saw in those eyes: tenderness, hope, affection. He caught her as she sagged towards the ground, supporting her at the elbows. "Are you all right?" he asked concerned.

Elizabeth reached up to touch his face, feeling overwhelmed and needing to ground herself though physical contact. "Will?" she asked softly.

He pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her and rocking slightly.

"Elizabeth," he breathed. He thought he was prepared for this, but nothing could have readied him for the experience of holding her again. "Elizabeth, I've missed you so much."

"Will," Elizabeth meeped weakly, her arms sliding around his waist to prove to herself he was real and to help hold her up. "How . . .? What . . .?"

"Shhhhh," he soothed into her hair, "Just let me hold you."

Elizabeth's eyes flashed open. 'Why did that sound so familiar?'

When he trusted her to stand, William released her, but held on to her hand tightly and lead her out onto a small porch overlooking the lake. The view was spectacular, but Elizabeth didn't see it. William kissed her hand before saying, "I know you must have so many questions, I know we need to talk, but I just need to be with you a moment, all right?" he asked, his eyes full of warmth and tenderness.

Elizabeth nodded mutely as he wrapped his arms around her, resting her head against his shoulder as she tried to get her bearings. Will, he was back, he was here. And he hadn't rejected her! Her body recognized his warmth, the feel of his body against hers. She looked up to his face in confusion. His eyes were full as they met her own. Full of wonder, amazement and joy.

"I missed you so much," he said as he took her hand in his, and pulled it close to his chest. "I know I keep saying that, it's just, now that I see you, I can't believe you are really here."

Elizabeth smiled weakly in agreement. "I know, I can't believe it either," she frowned slightly. "But, you said you knew I would be here?" She was confused. "Why didn't you call me?"

William gave her a little boy smile. "I wanted to surprise you."

"Surprise me?" her voice was a mixture of disbelief and shock. "Will, I spent the whole drive up here trying to convince myself to move on, to let you go," Her voice broke with a sob. "I thought you had dumped me."

William's eyes fell slowly from being happily pleased to being worried and upset. "I, Elizabeth, I would never . . . you are my lady," he said weakly.

"You never called!" she said with quiet fervency. "What was I to think?"

William closed his eyes, his face tight with hurt. "I'm so sorry, Elizabeth. I didn't think. I just . . . I wanted to make you happy, that's all." He opened his eyes and looked into hers. "I am so very, very sorry, Elizabeth. I would never hurt you."

Elizabeth looked back at him, seeing the sincerity in his eyes. She was upset but she realized he was truly contrite. She looked carefully at him, weighing his words. "No more surprises, okay?"

William relaxed and pulled her closer. "Never, Elizabeth. Never again," he promised.

Elizabeth looked up at his beautiful face. She was filled with all the longing she had felt when he was gone. She reached up to brush her hand against his cheek. "I can't believe you're back. It is really you, isn't it?"

He smiled warmly at her, "It's really me," he agreed as he kissed her.

Elizabeth thrilled to his touch, even as a tension in her body eased, as if a piece of her soul was being returned to her. "When did you get back?" she asked.

"Two weeks ago," he answered between kisses. "My aunt called me as soon as I returned and invited me here." He kissed her fingertips. He couldn't get enough of her. "She told me you would be here."

"I was wondering about that. Why did she invite me?" Elizabeth asked in puzzlement.

William shook his head, "I'm not sure, but I'm glad she did." He kissed her again on the mouth, longer this time. "She said something about you defending me at a meeting."

Elizabeth was too distracted by his kisses to understand his words. "Did you really defend me to your friends?" he asked softly. Elizabeth could hear a note of anxiety in his voice.

She thought a moment, then realized what he must be referring too. Her world rocked again as she remembered the fighter practice, George, and everything else that had happened in the last two months. She broke off from William and moved away.

"What's wrong?" William asked, his arms suddenly empty.

"Too fast," Elizabeth said weakly, putting up a hand to stop him. "I need to think a moment."

Her words brought William up short. He was pushing her. He drew back slightly. "Of course, I'm sorry," he said in a voice full of understanding.

Elizabeth nodded and looked out at the lake before her. The view was beautiful. Mountains rose on either side of the house, purple in the twilight. Elizabeth breathed deeply a couple of times, then turned to William again. "You should have called," she said, her voice full of reproach.

"I wanted to," he said softly. "Believe me, I wanted to, but I couldn't . . . with Charles and Jane, I just couldn't." He said sorrowfully, "When I got back to the states, I was going to visit you. I needed to see you." His eyes met hers and pleaded for understanding, "I couldn't call, I needed to see you, to talk to you face to face. Do you understand?"

Elizabeth nodded, her face still questioning. William continued, "Then my aunt called me, and told me you had defended me, and I knew you still cared and I would see you here," he shrugged. "I'm sorry. I never thought about what you must be going through."

Elizabeth looked at him blankly as she struggled to think.

William took her hand carefully. "Elizabeth? You do still care, don't you?"

Elizabeth nodded slowly as she bit her lip. She couldn't deny it, but she couldn't say it aloud either.

"Oh, there you are," Richard said, as he walked onto the porch. "I found them," he called back into the room.

"Richard," William asked quietly, "Could you please excuse us?"

"Sorry, Darcy," he said in a tone that didn't sound sorry at all. "Aunt Catherine wants to meet 'Elizabeth the Conquerer'." He smiled at Elizabeth challengingly.

Elizabeth met his glance. "Why did you call me that?"

Richard smirked, "What else should I call the woman who conquered Darcy dear's heart."

"Richard," William snapped.

Elizabeth was galled by his words, but she remained calm. She looked from Richard to William inquiringly, then back to Richard. "If you are trying to frighten me, I think I should warn you that my courage rises to every attempt to intimidate me."

Richard came very close to Elizabeth's face and said arrogantly, "I'm not afraid of you."

William blocked Richard with his shoulder and pulled him away from Elizabeth. "How dare you?" he asked angrily.

"I dare," Richard said smoothly, "because I care, Darcy dear." He smiled rakishly at William. "Seriously, though, Aunt Catherine would very much like to meet Lady Elizabeth. She sent me to find you."

William frowned and turned away, knowing he couldn't put this off, he offered Elizabeth his arm. Elizabeth took it, hesitatingly and let William walk her back into the house. They entered the main room, which was filled with chairs all facing a large, gilded armchair, in which sat an elegant looking older women, in her 60's Elizabeth guessed. She was wearing an attractive designer suit and looked at Elizabeth with open curiosity as she entered the room.

"Oh there you are Darcy, dear," she observed. "This must be Elizabeth Bennet." She regarded Elizabeth and then smiled politely. "It is nice to meet you, Miss Bennet. I'm Catherine de Bourgh. I've heard so much about you lately." Catherine's eyes moved around the room.

Elizabeth spoke calmly, "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. de Bourgh. Thank you for inviting me here. I was very surprised," her eyes flicked to William's, "by the invitation, but I'm glad I accepted it. Your home is remarkably lovely."

"Yes, I am fond of Rosings," Catherine replied pleased. "Please sit, and tell me more about yourself."

Elizabeth sat on the sofa closest to the throne, William sat down beside her, not touching her, but making his position clear. Elizabeth did her best to ignore him and addressed the older woman. Elizabeth found herself kindly and politely interrogated about every detail of her life. Her parents, her sisters, her childhood, her education, her hobbies and her plans for the future. It was only the last topic that Elizabeth had trouble with. She suddenly realized that she didn't know what her future plans were, and that disturbed her more than she let Mrs. de Bourgh know. Elizabeth bluffed through the question using her wit, but she held it in her mind as something she would have to examine privately.

After 25 minutes of questioning, Catherine let her know she was done by turning on William. "Darcy dear, how are you doing?" she asked affectionally.

"I'm well, Aunt Catherine."

"I read so much about you while you were away," she smiled, "you certainly are the darling of the press."

William smiled politely and looked down. "Darcy dear, do make sure you bring Miss Bennet outside for the fireworks. I wouldn't want her to miss them."

"I will, Aunt Catherine," William rose and offered his hand to Elizabeth. Elizabeth knew a dismissal when she saw one and took his hand. Together they left the room and William guided her to a dining room, containing a fantastic spread of food and drinks.

"Hungry?" he asked. His face was polite and friendly, but Elizabeth could see it was another mask. She was actually okay with this, as she still had so much on her mind that she needed the space.

Elizabeth said yes and let William serve her a plate of food and get her a drink. Elizabeth was pleased it was just soda. She couldn't handle alcohol right now. She followed William to a quiet side room and sat beside him but not too close. They ate quietly, Elizabeth asking meaningless questions about the house and William answering them, while both of them were pulling themselves together from their earlier encounter.

When she was done eating, William asked if she wanted to go outside. Elizabeth nodded, and let him show her the main porch. They walked along the waterside, then down the steps to the boat launch. Elizabeth sat down on a bench there, signaling her willingness to continue talking.

"So tell me," Will asked, "who were you defending me to?" he smiled, thinking it would be an easy question they could start with.

Elizabeth's stomach lurched. In a tight voice she answered, "It was George Wickham."

William's face shut down and his eyes got very cold. "What was he saying?" he asked with deliberate calm.

"He," Elizabeth sighed, and started again, "he told me you were not in Europe for business." She looked down for a moment, then raised her head and continued. "He told me you were seeing someone. A long-term affair with a girl you stole away from him."

"Did you believe him?" he asked softly.

Elizabeth shook her head frowning, "No, he showed very quickly what kind of scum he was. He got particularly," she paused for the word, "vicious when I rejected his advances and finally, at the last fighter practice, I had had enough of his lies and told him so."

William had become more and more ridged as he listened to her story. Finally he got up and paced angrily. "Did he hurt you?" he asked quietly.

Elizabeth shook her head no. Then she looked at him, "He was lying, wasn't he?" she asked carefully.

William stopped, his face stricken, he approached her and knelt at her feet, "How can you ask that?"

Elizabeth closed her eyes, her throat tight. "How can I not?" she said, her voice ragged. "You left and I didn't hear anything from you." She looked at him, "I didn't know what to think."

William took her hands between his, "Elizabeth, I swear to you, I was completely faithful to you, in word, in deed and in thought, the whole time." He kissed her fingertips as Elizabeth's eyes closed in relief. "All I thought about the whole time I was gone was how much I wanted to be back to you." He released her hand and slid his arms around her waist, laying his head down in her lap. She leaned forward, covering his body with her own as they let their feelings subside.

"I don't blame you for asking," he said after a few moments. As he slid onto the bench beside her, he said, "I don't want to push, but may I hold you?"

Elizabeth nodded and rested her head on his shoulder. "It feels so good to hold you, Elizabeth. I never . . ." he trailed off.

Elizabeth tightened her arms around him. She didn't think, didn't want to think, she just wanted to feel him, strong and real and here.

Then she heard the booming noises. She looked up to see the fireworks beginning. "Do you like fireworks?" William asked, his voice close and intimate.

"I do," she smiled.

He led her carefully up the steps to the main porch. He pushed their way to the front railing, and stood behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her back to lean against him as she watched the skies.

William delighted in sharing this with her. They might have been the only ones there for all he knew. What mattered was that she was here. His Elizabeth. He loved her. He loved her so much, he wanted to tell her in every way he knew how.

As he held her body close, he knew, with a warm sense of completeness, that she would be his. He would never let her go again. He would give her time, they both needed time to adjust to the sudden change from devastation to bliss, but she would be his. Before this weekend was over, he promised himself, he would make sure of it. He didn't know if she would want to get married, or just live together, but he didn't care. She would be his, and he would never be alone again. Then he would be completely happy.

It delighted him to hear her soft, happy cries of excitement as they watched the colorful explosions overhead. William had always loved watching the fireworks from Aunt Catherine's porch, and sharing them with Elizabeth made the experience all that much sweeter. Elizabeth made everything sweeter. It took all his will power not to drop to his knees right there and beg for her hand.

But he knew that was folly. No, she had asked for time, and he would give it to her. He could wait. He would wait as long as she needed. She was worth it.

When the fireworks ended, William grabbed a pair of champagne flutes as a waiter passed by. It was his aunt's tradition to make a toast at this time. He smiled lovingly at Elizabeth as he handed her her glass. 'How wonderful it will be to share all of my family's traditions with her,' he thought possessively.

"My friends," Catherine began in a loud voice, "It always gives me such joy to see you all here. To see how our children have grown, and to watch new faces being introduced to the de Bourgh Investments family. I thank you all for coming here tonight and sharing this occasion with me. For the coming year, I wish you all happiness and success!"

"Happiness and success," the group repeated. William touched his glass to Elizabeth's and watched her as he drank of the bubbly. Elizabeth smiled, but he could see the worry in her eyes.

"This is all going rather fast, isn't it?" he said, his voice soft with concern, as they moved to a private corner.

Elizabeth's eyes rose and relaxed slightly as he identified her unease. She nodded slowly, looking down. "I'm sorry. It's lovely here, but I'm . . ." she blanked. "I'm a bit overwhelmed by everything," she looked up into his eyes, "I feel a bit . . . "

"Befuddled?" he offered.

Elizabeth's eyes warmed briefly. "That's a good word."

William took their empty glasses away and disposed of them. "I do understand, I'm finding it a little hard to believe myself. To tell you the truth, I feared that you had lost interest in me as well, until my aunt called." His eyes touched hers, "Then I felt like I had been reborn." He took her hand tenderly as he smiled radiantly.

"It's going to take some time, I know," he assured her. "But I will wait for you. I won't push you, and I won't go anywhere." He kissed her fingertips lightly.

Elizabeth let his words wash over her ravished heart and soothe some of her pain. She stepped into his embrace, and let his strength support her. She had so much to think about, but for now, it was enough just to hold him. She smiled as she felt his light kisses on her hair.

"May I have the pleasure of your company at the event tomorrow?" he asked playfully.

Elizabeth looked up at him, he was smiling charmingly at her. She thought about how much the situation had changed in just a few hours. Shaking her head in wonder, she said, "I was thinking about the event while I was driving up here." She recalled. "I was trying to figure out how not to show you . . ." her voice trailed off as her expression darkened.

William frowned, "Not to show me what?" he asked tenderly.

Elizabeth squeezed her eyes tight, to push back the hot tears there. "I didn't want you to see how much you had hurt me," she said softly, her head down. She sobbed, once, softly.

William felt like he had been stabbed in the heart with a rusted knife. "Elizabeth," he exclaimed, his voice containing the horror he felt at his own stupidity. "Elizabeth, no, no. Please, don't cry." He pleaded with her, all the while holding her close and trying to comfort her. "I'm here. Believe me, I never, ever thought about leaving you, darling. I'm here, just for you. Don't you see that? Please, please see I came here tonight, just for you." His voice was low and desperate. "Please don't cry."

Elizabeth listened to everything he said. She knew the truth of it. He had come exclusively for her tonight. He had sought her out. She had been wrong about him. He hadn't abandoned her, and she was comforted by that knowledge.

Her arms slid up and around his neck as she raised her head to him. He looked miserable. She couldn't help but feel a little vindicated by this. He did deserve to suffer, just a bit, for her last two months. She smiled, softly, then raised herself up on her tiptoes and kissed him.

He caught her up in his arms and kissed her again, then he buried his face in her hair. "I'm an idiot," he said softly. "I'm so sorry."

Elizabeth smiled, "Yes, you are," she agreed. The warmth and closeness of his embrace relaxed her. She had missed this feeling. "It's all right, I forgive you." She sighed, "Please, don't do it again."

"Never, never again, Elizabeth," he said. He felt relieved as she rubbed her face against his, even as he knew he didn't deserve her forgiveness. "Will you spend tomorrow with me?" he asked.

"Hmm," Elizabeth pondered, "Will the important General has any time left for a poor maid such as me?" she asked mockingly.

William kissed her again, carefully keeping himself in check, not wanting to push her in any way. "If I had known then what I know now, I never would have accepted that position. Believe me, Elizabeth, I would dearly love to tell the King and armies to go to hell and spend the whole time with you instead."

Elizabeth smiled at him. She was touched by his truthfulness. He was being 'real' with her. No games, no masks. He had a confidence, a certainty about him that had been absent in all their previous encounters.

It was a confidence Elizabeth found very compelling, as she kissed him again.

"Lizzy?" Charlotte called.

Elizabeth found her senses being dragged back to the real world, as she turned to see Charlotte approaching her.

"Lizzy, Maria's getting tired. We're going to go back to the guest house now."

"Oh." Elizabeth looked from Charlotte to William. It was late, she could feel it, but she was torn as to what to do.

"Elizabeth, you should go with your friends." William said warmly, his eyes telling her it was all right. "I will see you tomorrow, my lady." He gave her hand a squeeze then released it.

Elizabeth smiled, and quickly stole a kiss from him, before following Charlotte back into the house. They said their goodbyes and thanks to Mrs. de Bourgh and departed for the guest house. Elizabeth wrapped her arms around herself, as though cold. Without realizing it, she was trying to hold in William's warmth.

Elizabeth settled into her room after cleaning up and removing her dress. She wasn't surprised by the knock she heard on her door. "Come in," she answered.

Charlotte poked her head in and smiled. "Hey girlfriend,"

Elizabeth smiled warmly at her, "Oh Charlotte, I'm a bad girlfriend. I came here to be with you and I haven't said 'boo' to you all evening." She regarded Charlotte frankly, "Did you know he would be here?"

Charlotte shook her head. "If I had, I would have told you." She sighed, "Bill knew, but he didn't share."

Elizabeth tilted her head, "It's okay, it was just something of a shock." She smiled at the inadequacy of her words. "I don't know what to make of it," she said in a puzzled tone. Then she looked at Charlotte, "Oh, enough of me! Tell me about you!" she insisted.

"Well, as you can see, I'm living the good life." She smiled. "I'm so happy, Lizzy. Bill isn't a prince, I know, but he's very kind to me, and he will make an excellent husband and father. That's all I ever wanted."

"He does seem devoted to you," Elizabeth agreed. "After his loyalty to Catherine de Bourgh, of course," she laughed.

Charlotte laughed along with her, "Oh, I long ago accepted that I would always play second fiddle to her." A wicked gleam came into her eyes as she leaned forward to speak confidently, "I think Mrs. de Bourgh set the wedding date."

Elizabeth laughed out loud. "Why do you say that?"

"Oh, I have my ways." Charlotte grinned. "He gets this certain look when he's doing something specifically for her. I can tell," she winked.

"Well, I hope he doesn't keep you too busy in Mrs. de Bourgh's service. I've hardly seen you this last month."

Charlotte laughed. "I know he seems," she shrugged, "Kinda odd with all that, but deep down, I really believe he loves me."

"Yeah, but marriage, Char?" Elizabeth frowned. "That seems like such a huge step."

Charlotte looked away, putting her thoughts in order, "Lizzy, about a year ago, I decided I didn't want to be alone. I wanted to get married," she smiled at her friend. "You might think that sounds mercenary, but it's what I want."

"No," Elizabeth assured her, "No, if that's what you want, Charlotte, I think that's a good thing."

"I decided I would rather be with someone like Bill, who may be a bit odd and quirky, than risk being alone for the rest of my life," she bit her lip, "I know you don't approved of Bill, but I've made my choice, and I'm very happy with it."

Elizabeth felt ashamed. This was her best friend, apologizing for her fiancé. "Charlotte, I'm sorry. I didn't understand, and I should have respected your decision. Please, believe me when I say I wish nothing but happiness for you and Bill." Elizabeth smiled weakly, "I guess, it's just hard for me to get used to all the changes. I miss you."

Charlotte's smile faded. "I know Lizzy, and I'm sorry. It's really hard splitting your time between your single friends and the person you are going to marry. It takes some adjusting, I guess."

"Well, at least I get you all day tomorrow," Elizabeth grinned. "And we will have lots of time together at Pennsic!"

"Lizzy," Charlotte began, her voice subdued. "I've been meaning to talk to you about that." She looked down, "I'm not going to Pennsic this year."

Elizabeth's eyes flared, "Why not?"

Charlotte shrugged unhappily, "Bill doesn't want to go. He doesn't really like the SCA. He says the people are too 'wicked and amoral'." Charlotte grinned ruefully. "And he doesn't want me to go without him." She bit her lip, "Considering my behavior at past wars, I really can't blame him for that."

Elizabeth nodded slowly.

Charlotte giggled slightly, "Do you remember last year? When Jane picked up that band?"

Elizabeth laughed with her, "I do!"

"Who else but Jane would pick up a whole band? What was the name of the leader? Silver?"

"Sterling," Elizabeth corrected her, then sighed. "I'm going to miss you, Charlotte."

"I know, and I'm sorry Lizzy. Maybe next year," she said sadly.

Elizabeth knew there would be no next year. Charlotte has making a decision. She was trading a husband for the SCA. Elizabeth didn't agree with it, but she had to respect Charlotte's wishes. Lizzy hugged Charlotte closely. "I will miss you very much, Char."

"Me too," she agreed. "I'll be thinking about you."

Elizabeth nodded sadly. Charlotte got up and wished Elizabeth a good night and left. Elizabeth turned out the light and laid back on her pillow. She always found it hard to sleep in a strange bed, but tonight was exceptional. She had so much in her mind.

She knew she was losing Charlotte as a friend. Oh, they would still be friendly, but Charlotte was leaving the SCA and had moved almost 2 hours away. There was no way their close relationship could stand that. She was sorry for her loss, and disturbed by the sacrifices Charlotte was making, and she hoped, feverantly, that Charlotte was making the right choice.

Was a husband worth giving up your lifestyle? Was your lifestyle worth giving up for a husband? Elizabeth was sure the changes were worth making for the right husband, but was Bill right for Charlotte?

She realized she was dancing around the issue that was really bothering her: William. Was he worth her giving up her single life? She wanted to tell herself she was rushing things when she realized with a start she had already reached that question, as she had promised to spend tomorrow with both Charlotte AND William.

In the dark, coolness of her room, away from the warmth of his embrace, she faced a number of questions that couldn't be avoided anymore. The most important was: what was she going to do about William?

It had been like a dream when he walked up to her that evening. She had never been so surprised in her life. It helped that he had seemed just as affected by it, when he had known what to expect.

As she thought about him, she came to understand that William had changed. She could see it in his face. She could see that he was trying open to her, but somehow, she didn't feel like they had said what they needed to say to each other. 'Time,' her mind whispered. It would take time, to figure out what was going on, and what she wanted.

What did she want? She remembered her discomfort when Catherine de Bourgh had asked her about her future plans. It deeply disturbed her to find that she didn't have any. For the first time in her 'type A', goal driven life, she didn't have any goals or plans. She had put her life on hold waiting for him. Thinking back, she realized she had been for a while.

What about him? He had strolled into her life again as blithely has he had strolled out of it two months ago. His promise to call completely ignored. Yet he seemed to be truly horrified when he realized what his surprise had cost her. Elizabeth was so confused. She still didn't know much about him. It sickened her that she still didn't even have his phone number. A part of her felt like she was just his SCA girl. Convenient for events, unnecessary otherwise.

But then, the way he had held her. Didn't that count for something? The way she had felt when he held her. That was the important thing. She couldn't deny it, even if she couldn't say it out loud, but when he held her, when he told her how he had missed her, and thought of only her, that had meant something, something she couldn't deny.

The feelings she had held back when he was gone, the ones she had tried to bury when she thought he had left her, couldn't be held back any more. She was overwhelmed by them, terrified by the power of them, but she felt them. She felt something for him, something very strong, and she hoped to hell he wasn't going to hurt her again.

*****

Quietly William made his way through the darkness back to his tent. He had known tonight would be special, but he had no idea how much. His life had changed tonight, he thought with pleasure. He had held her again! The feel of her skin, the taste of her, her scent, still clinging to his clothes. She was real and she was back.

His heart sagged when he remembered her words. Her tears. He hated himself in that moment. God! How could have have been so thoughtless? He promised himself he would never hurt her again, never make her cry like that. She was too good for him, he didn't think he deserved her. He smiled as he remembered how she forgave him, freely. Surely, she must love him, the way he loved her. He hoped he had not upset her too much. He hoped he had made it clear that he was there for her, and that he loved her.

And he did love her. As soon as he saw her with Richard, he knew his heart was hers forever. She was his ideal woman, in all ways, in all things. He couldn't hope to find a more perfect mate.

Tomorrow, he would court her. He would make love to her, tell her of his feelings and his deep desire to be with her. Tomorrow, she would be his. He looked at the camp bed, and grinned, seeing in his mind her waiting for him there, smiling in that special smile she had just for him. And he would go to her, and together they would complete each other.

His heart swelled in anticipation. 'Tomorrow, my love. Tomorrow I will be yours, and you will be mine.'