Lord Chandos looked at Michael.
Michael’s mouth opened, and his gaze moved from Lord Chandos to Gabriel and back again. There was no explanation he could give that would explain this. This was his only chance to tell the truth and he knew it. With a small sigh, he bowed his head, relenting, and nodded. “It was Gabe. He found the girls, not I.”
Gabriel brushed past the two men, taking the stairs two at a time. “Send the physician and her lady’s maid to Eve’s room.”
He kicked open the wooden door to her room where a warm fire was dancing in the hearth. He laid her down in her bed and covered her with all the blankets he could find on her bed. He rubbed her hands briskly to bring feeling into them again. It was a moment later that he realized he was rubbing her wounded hand. It mattered not to him. To him, her hand was a sign of survival and strength.
He kissed her forehead and murmured, “Please, Eve. Please stay with me.”
Eden laughed and raced around the clearing, dodging this way and that. “You can’t catch me!”
Eve chased her through the grass, beneath the warm sunshine. She giggled as she almost caught Eden, but the small girl whirled just out of her reach.
Eden paused beneath the tree and looked up at its leafy branches.
Eve ducked beneath the branches, smiling at her sister.
“You can stay, if you want to,” Eden said.
“Eve,” a voice called from somewhere, from all around.
Eve looked at the sky for the source of the voice, but it seemed to come from everywhere.
“I won’t be mad if you don’t want to,” Eden admitted. “I’ll wait until you are ready.”
“I won’t see you again.”
Eden shook her head, her tiny curls swinging about her shoulders.You don’t need me any longer.
“Eve,” the voice called again.
Eve looked at Eden. She had wanted to be with her sister for so long, but something in the voice was drawing her away from Eden. She reached for her sister, stretching out her hand.
“Open your eyes and I will tell you a most amazing story.”
Eve gasped and opened her eyes.
Gabriel looked at her with anguish and worry and desperation.
“Gabe,” she breathed.
His arms went around her tightly. He kissed her forehead, her cheeks.
She hugged him fiercely. “I knew you would find me.” Her voice came out as a croak.
Gabe turned and took a mug from the table. He held it to her lips and she drank deeply of the soothing ale.
“That was a very dangerous thing you did to prove your point.” Her father stood at the bedside, his hands behind his back, a scowl on his brow.
“No one would listen to me. No one asked me what I remembered. I always told you I saw blue eyes.”
“You knew it was me?” Gabe asked.
“I knew from the first time I saw you.” She ran a tender hand along his cheek. “I knew you were the angel I was searching for.”
“No,” Gabriel shook his head firmly. “You are the angel. You aremyangel.”
Eve’s eyebrows rose in surprise. She turned her gaze to her father who nodded.
