Page 66 of The Masked Baron
As her gaze swept around, she froze. It was Eliana, or at least she thought it was. The woman was the same fair-headed one she had seen yesterday.
“Ellis!” Andalin cried. “Look!”
Ellis’s head whipped around. His eyes arrested on the woman.
“Eliana?” he breathed.
His sister slowly moved toward them. As she drew closer, Andalin could see the resemblance between her and her brother. Their coloring was identical. She too was tall, but her figure was lean and willowy. Her clothes, like that of the witch’s, were worn thin and had streaks of dirt on every side.
“Eliana!” Ellis said again, this time much louder and more assuredly. Andalin felt her throat catch. He had found his sister.
Eliana did not yell back, nor did she mirror her brother’s excited demeanor. It was almost as if she was wary about a reunion.
Moving away from the witch, Ellis crossed to meet his sister. She allowed herself to be swallowed in his embrace, and from Andalin’s perspective, returned his hug only tentatively at first. Then, with a cry of anguish, Eliana wrapped her arms the rest of the way around her brother and sobbed.
Ellis wept openly, and Andalin found tears streaming down her face as well. She covered her mouth with her hand. Finally, his nightmare would be over.
***
After some time, Ellis pulled back from his sister and held her at arms’ length. Her spencer jacket and dress were worn and her fair curls were mussed, but she was in one piece. She was alive. “My dear sister! You are not the young girl I have been envisioning. You are so beautiful! A sight for sore eyes. Oh, how I have missed you.”
Eliana’s smile faltered, and she bent her head to see the witch.
Ellis pulled her to him again. “Do not fear. I will not let her near you again.” Then, after releasing Eliana, he unsheathed his sword and crossed to the witch.
The witch’s eyes darted from Ellis to Eliana. Just like from the stories she possessed an unearthly beauty paralyzed from age. She was a mature woman, but not a wrinkle showed the years that had passed. It was not possible, and yet the proof was before him.
“No, wait!” Eliana began. “She is my friend.”
Ellis shook his head furiously. “She has deceived you. This same woman killed our parents, kidnapped you, and hid you away from me for the last ten years. She is no friend!”
The strange woman stilled Eliana’s argument with a quick shake of her head and then turned to face Ellis, whose sword threatened her. “I can explain.”
“By all means,” Ellis growled.
The woman straightened; her empty, dark eyes penetrated his. “The person you refer to is my mother, Mrs. Sephira Dubois. It was she who killed your parents, though she was not responsible for Eliana disappearing. ’Twas I.”
Ellis flicked his sword to the woman’s throat. No one would deceive him. “And who are you?”
“My name is Sephany Dubois.”
“Miss Dubois, where is your mother so she might confess to prove your innocence?”
Miss Dubois’s gaze fell to her feet. “She died a few years ago. I can show you where we have buried her.”
Ellis turned to Eliana. “Is this true?”
“Miss Dubois’s mother is the one responsible for our parents’ deaths,” Eliana said solemnly. “It is also true she is dead now.”
“The witch. She has been dead for several years?” Ellis asked, disbelief clouding his vision.
“She was never a witch. The story is false, or at least an illusion,” Miss Dubois said, her eyes pleading to be understood. “My grandmother, when she was young and beautiful, made up the idea her family had eternal youthfulness, in order to attract suitors for herself and later her daughters.”
“But why?” Annie asked, stepping nearer. Ellis put out his arm to keep her back. He did not trust this woman, not yet.
“My grandfather lost all their money in the gambling hells before he passed away,” Sephany answered. “They were left destitute. They needed money to save their home and reputation. As the years passed, things got out of hand. My mother took my grandmother’s place. The pressure became too much. She became obsessed with her appearance, which led to a sickness of the mind. She believed herself to possess powers beyond her ability.”
Ellis dropped his sword to his side but did not resheath it. “Where do you come into the story?”
