From the Ashes

Chapter Five

That woman had no right. He felt disgusted to call her Mother. Between her meddling and Anna escaping him at every turn, he was slowly going insane. He had to blow off some steam and the only way he knew to do so without hurting someone was riding. His horse huffed as Richard pushed him to his limits. Tearing through the forest like a highwayman trying to escape the authorities. The black stallion needed to rest. He decided to stop by the ruins that were once the Wadsworth estate.

So many times he thought of his childhood friend. The memory of her comforted him while away at school and through battle after bloody battle. Juliana Wadsworth had bewitched and beguiled him even at the age of twelve. He hated leaving her behind. They forbade him to see her before he left and now he will never see her again.

He swore he would marry her on the spot upon his return. Assuming of course she was not already spoken for, but he had a feeling she would have waited for him. Just like she had every day he had ridden up to her house to collect her.

She would be sitting at the window seat awaiting his arrival and then they would begin one of their many adventures together. His heart bled for her. Richard dismounted from his horse and let the stallion loose to graze.

He walked through the rubble most of the stones had been removed by villagers using what remnants were left to build other shelters. He could still close his eyes and picture it in it's glory. Currently he stood in the grand foyer with its wide staircase that separated the left and the right wings of the house. To the left of the foyer, Mr. Wadsworth's den where he conducted most of his business and straight ahead the drawing room where he would find her sitting and waiting so patiently for him.

He entered what would be that part of the house and he imagined seeing her sitting alone at the window seat. Only the window disappeared and the girl he knew grew into a woman staring out at the hills beyond looking for him. His eyes must be playing tricks. It had to be an illusion.

"Juliana?" his voice only a whisper. Fearing to disturb the apparition, but as the woman turned the spell broke. This was not his Juliana.

Furious that someone would desecrate what he deemed to be sacred space, Richard roughly grabbed the woman's arm causing the basket she held to drop from her fingers and the flowers to be spilled across the ground.

Juliana just stared at him in disbelief. Did he really know it was she? He said her name. She knew she was mistaken when he growled, "Who are you and what are you doing here?" digging his fingers into her flesh most painfully.

Juliana would not raise her eyes to look at him. "I am sorry my Lord. I was picking wild flowers for the guest rooms and only stopped a moment to rest."

He knew that voice. "Anna?" He lifted her chin to see the face that lie under a gray bonnet. She was forced to look at him. She looked to be in pain and he realized how tightly he held her arm and immediately let her go.

Rubbing her arm slightly she knelt down and began to gather the flowers back into the basket. "I will be but a moment my Lord and then I will be on my way. I am sorry to have disturbed your ride."

Richard had grabbed her shoulders making it necessary for her to stop what she was doing and stand to face him. "Why are you here?"

She had always come here when she pick wild flowers usually leaving a bundle behind for the family she had lost but she surely could not tell him that. "I have been walking for miles now," she said "and I was tired and this seemed the best place to rest."

Richard sat her down on the stone where he saw her. "I did not mean to interrupt your rest," he said. "I was just startled to see someone here. You most likely know nothing of the family that lived here but I had lost one of my closest and dearest friends in the fire that ravished this place."

He joined her. Sitting beside her on the stone. "So that is what his mother had told him, that I died in the fire." Juliana almost laughed at the irony for she might as well had done just that for truly the girl that lived here, lived no longer.

Richard felt the pain rip at his heart thinking of the agony Juliana must have faced in her last hours of life. He could not imagine her free and wonderful spirit being taken in such a way.

Juliana looked over at Richard and saw the tear that ran down his cheek. She could not stop from reaching out and wiping it away. She wanted to touch it. Wishing she could bottle it for that tear was hers. He wept for her.

As Anna touched his face he pressed his own hand against hers. Closing his eyes to focus on the warmth of her fingertips and palm against his cheek. He turned and kissed her palm. When he opened his eyes he saw tears carving their path over her pale cheeks. He thumbed the tears away. Wondering what had caused them.

She looked away from him, trying to regain her composure. When she looked back at him her eyes seemed even larger when filled with unshed tears. He knew what he wished to do and he saw no reason not to do it as he held her face in his hands he lowered his head and gently he kissed her lips. Darting the tip of his tongue over them coaxing her to part ways so he could kiss her more thoroughly.

She did not disappoint him. He tasted the soft velvet of her mouth mixed with the saltiness of her tears. The more he deepened his kiss the more passionate it became, showing her his need for her. She returned his kiss with as much passion and vigor as he gave. She amazed and astounded him. Crushing her to him his senses reeled.

He had to break away, he needed to breathe but then found himself nuzzling her neck with feather light kisses and he ran his hand down the length of her arm. Then up he traveled along her waist until he came to rest just shy of her breast.

Juliana ached for his touch, she never felt so alive as she did right now in his arms, she did not want him to stop. Not now, not ever. Boldly she wrapped her arms about his neck, interlacing her fingers into his hair pulling him away from her neck and back to her mouth for another passionate kiss only this time she was the aggressor. He growled as she rubbed her body against him in a wanton manner needing to feel closer to him but unable to get close enough to satisfy her need for him. However that same growl snapped Juliana back to reality and she froze. What had she done? What was she doing?

Richard felt as if someone slapped him in the face. He could not believe how bereft he felt at not having her touch, her kiss, her warmth. She pulled away but why? Confused he stared at her.

In the briefest of moments, Juliana stood up abruptly, half tripping over the basket of flowers, in her attempt to get away. In her panic she left them there as she decided to flee on foot to put as much distance as possible between her self and Richard.

It took him some time to find his horse but as he rode in the direction that she fled there was no sign of her. She managed to vanish like the apparition he first took her for. After a short while he gave up knowing she would have to return to the manor and decided he would wait for her there.

Juliana watched him leave from her perch in the tree. Thankful he had given up so quickly. She climbed down and returned to the ruin and gathered up the flowers leaving a small bunch behind. She hid them just in case Richard decided to visit her family's home again. She was relieved that tonight Albert agreed to inform him of Lady Catherine's change of staff. Considering what just happened, it could not be a more welcome change.