Page 24 of Emma & Edmund

"I did!" Emma's voice broke over her excitement, stripping it of any legitimacy. "I think it'll be best for, well, my rest."

Margaret kept wary eyes on her for a moment longer, as if waiting for Emma to crack under her scrutiny. When she didn't, only a small puff of air flaring Margaret's nostrils indicated any annoyance.

"Whatever is best for your rest, is best for me. Go. I assume you’ll be able to rejoin later?”

"That will be a decision left to the physician, my lady. Dependent entirely on Miss Thompson's condition, I'm sure."

Margaret snapped her attention to Emma.

"Then you must do your best to be well. Immediately. Do not think you can leave me to the wolves for this entire event."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

Yet, even if Emma had meant to fully pacify her friend, her vow fell from her mind the moment she turned to Anthony, following him out of the room, through a servant's door hidden in the hall, and out through a side door.

The gusty chill of the night hit her cheeks, seeping through her silk evening dress in moments, despite its sleeves and petticoats.

"Perhaps velvet would have been more appropriate," she mumbled, wrapping her arms around herself and rubbing her gloved hands over her shoulders and down to her elbow.

If Anthony had been curious about what she had meant, he gave no indication, merely striding across the lawn as if he had walked the same path every day.

And he most likely had, Emma realized, knowing she couldn't go a day without Heidi - let alone however long Edmund was sequestered to the damp, dank woods.

Anthony's daily pilgrimage proved handy when the light of the house waned as they passed the gardens, rays trapped behind the towering, sculpted bushes. A lamp dangled from his clenched fist, but it did little to ward off the ever-encroaching fingers of darkness.

But it hardly seemed needed for him. He knew the way like an expert navigator, never breaking stride nor taking a step out of the straight line he set them on. And, without pause, brisked past the tree line, Emma helplessly following behind, using the lantern as her beacon.

"Anthony, where did you run off to? I have-"

Emma hadn't meant to yelp with shocked surprise at the voice that broke through the dark, but the reaction came, nonetheless. Her embarrassment seeped into her before it was even done echoing, the lamp light catching the high cheeks and brow of just the man they were looking for.

“Hello to you as well, Miss Emma.” Undeterred, Edmund’s bright smile caught the light, tusks glowing eerily.

"Miss Thompson insisted on counsel with you this evening, your grace."

"To great dismay, I'm sure," Edmund joked with his man, lightly prodding him with an elbow. Anthony did an excellent job of pretending nothing at all had happened.

"You look very lovely this evening, Miss Emma," Edmund turned fully to her, his broad smile completely visible in the low light. "I did not expect to see you again."

"Thank you, Edmund, but we-"

"Edmund!" Anthony cut her off indignantly, huffing on behalf of his employer at the familiarity of her address.

"I told her to call me by my name," Edmund laid a hand on his employee's shoulder, engulfing the crisp white cotton.

"Perhaps it would pass in private, but in my presence, the lord will be called by his-"

"We don't have a lot of time," Emma cut through, tone stilted and hands wringing. Anthony had sounded certain the woman wouldn't depart while they were talking with Edmund, but there wasn't a way to be sure. And if she were to go through all of this, effectively handing Edmund a platter of hope only to smack it out of his hands, she doubted she could show her face to him again.

"What's going on?" The young lord asked. "Anthony breezes through the cabin, but only mentioned a woman at the house."

"Yes!" Emma suppressed another shiver as the wind whipped through the trees once more. "A fortune teller was brought in for entertainment."

"None of the staff seem to recognize her," Anthony supplied, "so she can't be local."

"And even if she's a charlatan, she might know something about the coven you're searching for. I wouldn't know where to begin the conversation and thought it would be best to ask you."

In the low light of the single lamp, thick shadows danced across Edmund's face, masking generous portions, but it would be impossible to miss his eyes going wide. The silence that followed was thick, as both Anthony and Emma waited for the response.

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