18
"Where are they? It isn't like them to be so late," Cecilia wondered after a while as she pulled out a pocket watch. None of her friends were there yet and it seemed they would miss out on all the fun.
"It's still yet morning and I doubt Isabella's even out of bed," Delilah reassured her before having a go at the game. This move ended their turn and Cecilia collected the prize.
"Oh, look, a hand reader!" Cecilia pulled her cousin with her free hand along to the person in question.
"I don't believe in this, you know," Delilah tried to back away but her cousin had a firmer grip then she had estimated.
"Well, I want my hand read. Edward once told me how accurate they are," Cecilia took a vacant seat in front of an older lady with wispy, long, grey hair. She was wearing a gaudy, purple cape which didn't help Delilah's skepticism.
The old woman peered into Cecilia's hand, "Your fortune is written in plain words in front of me. You are destined for greatness. Found yourself attaching yourself to the Prince, eh?"
The old lady looked up towards the pavilion and the two girls followed her gaze. It was an absurdly surreal moment to catch the Prince's gaze at this instant. It was no coincidence though; he must have been looking at them prior to their noticing him.
"Doesn't your pretty companion want a reading as well," The old woman leered after looking at the coins Cecilia handed to her.
"No, thank you," Delilah belatedly smiled. In an unspoken agreement the two girls decided not to discuss Cecilia's fortune and headed towards the food. Delilah looked back at the pavilion but the man looked like he was sharing an amusing tale with his friends.
"It's getting warmer," Delilah muttered feeling sweat form on her forehead and her cheeks growing red. The sun was shining brighter than it had moments ago.
"Yes, I think you'll turn into a tomato by the end of this day," Cecilia observed cheerily before taking place in an audience in front of the Magician's stage.
A magician pulled out cards from under his nose and Delilah thought she would be impressed if she was paying attention to the tricks. Cecilia enjoyed her sandwich while Delilah nibbled on her own food though she wished she had taken the initiative to get the candy floss. After watching the magician's assistant get cut into half she realized that the heat had increased manifold and to bear it she needed some water.
"I shall find us something to drink," Delilah murmured in her cousin's ear though from the rapt attention on her face towards the magician she wouldn't be surprised if she wasn't heard.
Delilah's delicately rubbed her forehead and wondered why it was so warm when it was only in the middle of spring; summer wasn't due until at least another month or two. She looked at the sky and wished there would be some kind of cloud cover soon or she would melt into the ground with nary a whisper.
The brunette picked up her dress to allow for easier navigation and passed through the throng of Ladies and Gentlemen, enjoying the fair. The drinks table was near the pavilion where she eyed the small shade, provided by the canvas stretched over it with, longingly. Delilah would have had no qualms about usurping a place underneath it but the pavilion was already full of men and women not disposed to frolic in the sun.
A server generously poured her lemonade from a jug and insisted he carry the glasses with her but she declined the offer with a reassuring smile. She tightly held her two glasses and walked back into the crowd hoping Cecilia had remained put. Delilah's arrival at their places told her she hadn't.
"Excuse me, but did you see where the young Lady with the red hair went after I left my seat?" Delilah asked the nearest neighbour.
The Lady blinked at her before curtly informing her that the show was far too engaging to allow her attention to wander. It was a subtle hint for Delilah to stop interrupting. She decided to conduct her search elsewhere.
She explored the fair ground hoping to find Cecilia looking for her when the sign board with an arrow and the words 'Archery' came in her vision. She envisioned a moment where Cecilia had joined her friends and convinced them to take her to the archery course. Delilah stood in the middle of the ground unsure of what to do and the worry that Cecilia might have snuck off to the archery area made her feel sick. She closed her eyes and let herself breathe so she could think more clearly.
She had only been motionless for a moment when a hand touched the side of her heated cheek. She instantly started and stumbled backwards, gasping, nearly dropping the glasses still in her hand.
"I wished to see if you were still alive," Damian explained with a small smile. His eyes softened as he leaned in closer, "You look like a mess."
"I cannot find Cecilia, and she wasn't even with one of her friends when I left. Where could she have gone?" Delilah babbled for once not concerned about what the man in front of her thought about her, "I hope she didn't go to the Archery ground like she wanted to."
"I can help you find her. It is not too difficult a task," The Prince explained with calmness in his voice that helped Delilah feel less like anxious. He took the glasses from her hand.
"It is not necessary. I doubt anything wrong can happen to her in such a tremendous crowd. I fear my nerves are overreacting," Delilah tried to smile but it was more like a grimace and her face went back to looking wretchedly forlorn; the very look that had pulled Damian towards her in spite of his vow to stop following her around. His friends were beginning to joke about it and Bea had given him a long lecture about bringing a girl's hopes up unnecessarily. He could have sworn left, right and center on a disemboweled frog that the girl in question was as far away from hoping about him as possible. She probably detested him.
"You can't possibly tell me that I walked all the way over here to be rebuffed," Damian cocked his head in mock affront which even caused Delilah to be distracted enough to show a semblance of amusement.
"I could sense your misery from a mile away and wondered why no one came to your help even though you were so obviously a Lady in distress," Damian continued with a shrug under Delilah's probing stare. He gave a short glare at the crowd around her, unhappy no one had even inquired to the Lady's well being when she looked so close to fainting in the heat. He did not think the polite society was that callous.
"You should know my secret by now, I am invisible," Delilah half joked. She did have the tendency to hide in the shadows and Cecilia often called her the invisible woman for having the ability to do so. The thought of her cousin made her stomach squirm unnecessarily.
"If that were the case then Bea wouldn't be glaring at us right now," Damian remarked with shocking accuracy. Lady Beatrix was indeed glowering at them.
"Your back is turned so how do you…" Delilah asked, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.
"How do I know? I am the master of reading a woman's thoughts," Damian bared his teeth in a cocky grin.
"I see," Delilah stated unimpressed, "I must leave; my runaway charge needs to be dragged back from any harm she could possibly do to herself."
Before she could walk off he held the glass in front of face, "Here drink this. You will faint if you don't."
Delilah felt her already red cheeks go up in a blaze when he put her in a position where she couldn't rebuff him without looking cruel. She took a sip hesitantly.
She knew the people around them were staring; they had to be, the Crown Prince was having her drink from a glass he was holding. She felt self-conscious enough to immediately grab hold of the glass herself but the Prince wouldn't let go and she had no desire to be involved in a tug of war.
"Thank you," She uttered and wished he would let her leave.
"The archery camp isn't even set near the fairground. To prevent any accidents I had it removed to a more remote location,"
"Accidents! Cecilia will tell everyone she is a master in that game and get wounded in the end. I just know it," Delilah sighed composing a letter in her head about what she would have to write back home if her fears turned out to be true.
"Well, come on," Damian took her arm and downed the other glass of lemonade. He thrust the glasses into a surprised server's hand before walking the Lady, still attached to his arm, off to a corner of the fair.
"No, no, I shall get an attendant to assist me. I cannot take so much of your time," Delilah protested in vain.
"Ah, but the attendant would place you atop a horse on a narrow trail that would lead you to the Archery area but I know a shortcut," Damian wriggled his eyebrows, "I know how much you like pretty, little horses."
Damian took her out of the fair from a gap in the food stalls into a quieter meadow like field. Without the people Delilah could appreciate the beauty of the orchard. Trees were planted at a distance from one another and each of them was laden with apples. At a distance Delilah heard a sound of men laughing. As they got closer she spied three men sitting on the floor playing cards with their horses tied next to them.
"I see my guards are not taking their duties seriously. I gather you lot were to secure the path between the fairground and the Archery area?" Damian scowled fiercely at them and the men looked like they were about to be murdered. They got up hastily and bowed.
"Y- Y – your Highness," One of them stuttered and then looked like he could not go on any further.
"You two, go back to the fair and find the whereabouts of a lovely, red headed Lady known by the name of Cecilia Winsham. And you, young man with the curly mop, go ahead of us on your horse and do the same in the competition grounds," Damian ordered sternly at his guards who looked fully aware that shirking their duties could have placed them in a very dire situation. The bowed and raced off to fulfill their task.
"Thank you," Delilah spoke quietly. Words failed her in expressing the gratitude she felt at the extra help.
"I wonder why I haven't ventured out to this area. The apples look sumptuous," Delilah offered as a starting point as they continued to walk towards the Archery arena.
"Which is a good thing. It is not safe to be traveling alone in these mountains and another reason why you shouldn't be chaperoning," Damian offered matter of factly.
"Is it because I am a female," Delilah sounded put off.
"No, it's because you're much too young. You are hardly old enough to be caring after young children much less an overgrown child like your cousin," Damian answered without any hesitation indicating he was only speaking what he truthfully felt.
"She is a perfect lady and is usually quite easy to handle. And it's not like I'm ever going to be clambering after any of own children either so it would seem I start practice with Cecilia and eventually maneuver myself to my brothers growing brood as a good aunt must," Delilah answered sensibly although she didn't like Cecilia being maligned by him. She changed the topic by asking, "Whose idea was it to organize the fair? I would never have thought such an event could have occurred when I attended the last ball.”
He looked like he wanted to ask something but hesitated and his expression indicated he had discarded the idea of what he originally wanted to say.
"My mother's taste differs from mine," Damian answered instead.
"I know," Delilah uttered and let the quietness reign over them.
"These apples are as sweet. Would you like a try?" Damian asked her abruptly.
"Oh, no, I couldn't. That's too much trouble. I shall give in to my craving for sweetness with the Candy Floss I have been eyeing after I've found Cecilia," Delilah tried to stall.
"Oh, let me have a go at climbing these trees. I haven't done so in ages," Damian protested taking off his jacket carelessly and rolling up his sleeves. He eyed the nearest tree as if he meant to carry out his suggestion.
"I believe you are forgetting a certain cousin of mine who could be in great peril," Delilah tried to remind him sternly.
"Great peril," Damian scoffed, "She probably stole off with those friends of hers. And my men organizing the Archery event are not so incompetent that they let a Lady get injured in the process. She will be safe, I promise you."
Delilah moved towards him swiftly so he could see reason but was stunned in her spot when agonizing pain ran up her arm. She stared in horror as blood welled up from the wound which she could clearly see because of her torn sleeve. She looked around at the ground to see an arrow sticking onto the ground. Apparently it had missed being fully embedded in her but only barely.
"What in the blazes?" Damian swore colourfully to punctuate the sentence. He yanked off his cravat and pulled her towards him so he could tie it around the wound and stem the flow of blood. Delilah bit her lip and winced with the pain the movements caused her.
"There he is. I swear I shall tear him from limb to limb once I get a hold of him," The man growled towards a running figure in the distance.
"Please," Delilah urged not sure what it was she wanted from her companion but her voice was enough to still him.
"I shall get you to the infirmary," He told her hoarsely before holding her other shoulder and hoisting her up. Her blood from his hands now smeared onto her dress as large hand prints.
"Cecilia," Delilah muttered unseeingly.
"Forget that dratted girl for once! Any trouble she could possibly be in is not nearly as dangerous as your wound," Damian wanted to pull his hair out at her self-righteousness. He knew he would have a firm word with the missing cousin after this incident was over because Delilah was not unyielding enough with her charge. He was relieved to see the two guards, he had sent towards the fair, racing towards them on their horses.
"We were coming back to tell you Lady Cecilia Wisham is nowhere near the archery grounds. We found her bobbing apples in one stall. I believe she was winning," The guards looked at the bloody scene before them with wide eyes.
"Keep this incident quiet. Not one word must reach the guests. See that arrow over there. I believe it was meant for me because I was standing in that spot only a moment before it was pulled. I suggest you relay this information to the officer in charge and begin proceedings immediately," Damian hissed at them urgently.
"She's okay," Delilah whispered weakly and Damian pulled the strands of hair from face as she blinked at him with a vacant look.
"Don't faint on me," He ordered.
"Why would I," Delilah mumbled, "I'm not that weak."
"How do I get you back without half the world seeing you in this state?" Damian spoke out aloud mostly to himself. His question was answered by a trio of worried horsemen who arrived galloping onto the scene.
"Your Highness, the perimeter of the grounds has been secured so no one can go in or out of it. We will catch him," The largest guard asserted confidently. Damian nodded sharply.
"Get off your horse! I must take this Lady to the infirmary and I need a ride. I think I shall take the route through the forest," Damian spoke to his men. The man he had gestured towards immediately got off.
This was the last thing Delilah saw before losing consciousness.
