Free The Underground Witch (Incenaga Trilogy) by Debbie Dee Page B

hands caressing the smooth wood. “Yes, I know Adelia. Erick is a good man. He deserves a long, happy life.”
    “Exactly! You both deserve happy lives and you will bring that to each other every day. You have nothing to fear.”
    Emmeline glanced at Tiergan out of the corner of her eye. He stood ready for attack, sword in hand. “Yes, Adelia. Nothing to fear. Thank you. Give me ten minutes.”
    “ I don’t know. What will the Crown Prince say? He was adamant I not leave you.”
    Tiergan stepped forward.
    Emmeline thrust out her hand toward Tiergan. “Adelia, as my lady-in-waiting you are my servant and I can tell you when to stay and when to leave. The Crown Prince is just outside my window. There is no need to worry. Now go!”
    Emmeline could almost feel Adelia’s surprise through the solid door. She had never treated Adelia as anything less than a friend, despite her status as a servant. She wanted to take back her harsh words, tell Adelia she was sorry, but she couldn’t. Adelia had to leave before Tiergan lost his patience.
    “ Yes, milady,” Adelia whispered. “As you wish.”
    Emmeline frowned. She couldn’t leave this way.
    “Adelia?” she spoke before her chance was taken away from her.
    “Yes?”
    “Thank you. For all you do.”
    “My pleasure. Are you sure you are all right?”
    “Yes, I’m sure.”
    “Very well, my lady. I’ll return in ten minutes.”
    As soon as Adelia’s footsteps faded down the corridor, Emmeline turned around and faced Tiergan. She set her jaw and narrowed her eyes, and knew a fierce shadow had blanketed her face. A flash of surprise gleamed in Tiergan’s eyes and Emmeline’s scowl deepened. What else did he expect from her? That she would fear him? Fury swelled inside her. He seemed just the sort of person to revel in the fear of others. The thought sickened her. She vowed to never let him see her fear, no matter the cost.
    “Put the sword down, Tiergan ,” she said. “You will harm no one else today. I know your threats are real; however, I refuse to cower. I will do what I have to do to preserve the lives of my loved ones, but I am not afraid of you.”
    She didn’t wait for a response, nor did she care about the brief look of disappointment that clouded Tiergan’s face. She stood at her desk, shaking, knowing she had only a few short minutes before her resolve crumbled. She needed to be brief. She would never be able to hold herself together if she wrote more than a few words. And if she fell apart, it would show through her words. She grasped the pen and wrote a letter that tore her from the inside out.
    Erick,
    I can’t do this. Things have changed. I have to leave. Don’t come for me. We can no longer be together.
    Emmeline
    Her choppy letter held more truth than she thought it would, but only on a level she would understand. When Erick read it, he would think things had changed between them, not around them. He would think she left because she didn’t love him, not because she had no other choice. He would interpret her letter just as he had to, never knowing the truth. It would serve its purpose, but it would crush him. She crumbled the paper between her hands and tossed it aside. She wanted to start over and write something less abrupt, something with a little more respect for the love they had shared.
    “We don’t have tim e for this!” Tiergan said. He crossed the room in three large strides and snatched the crumbled letter from the floor. Smoothing it between his palms, he read it.
    “This will do,” he said . “If you want to spare your maid’s life, we must leave now.”
    Emmeline dropped her chin and looked at the ground. Tiergan was right. Adelia would return soon. There was no time left.
    But he did not own her . She still had some control over her life and she would hold onto that control for as long as possible. Bringing her head back up, she gave Tiergan a defiant stare.
    “Call your men off, Tiergan,” she said. “It is finished.