Episode TWELVE

“Please, Bill, just call me Rosie. The ‘Miss’ makes me sound older than I already feel with this horde…” She says pointing and giggling at the children surrounding the table, they all scoff in a joking manner at her comment, to which she finishes, “Whom I love dearly of course.” Her smile is enticing to him and he feels rather overcome and safe.

“Well…Rosie…you may call me William. I actually do not prefer the name Bill, I only told my daughter to give that name if needed to keep her safe, had I become injured. Which apparently, I did.”

In a pleasant greeting Elouise declares “Well good afternoon to you, my Lord Maynard.” She curtsies in front of him in a proper manner.

“Wait!” he says in a blunt brash tone. He turns to Lilly and asks, “You told her about me when I said not too?”

Shaking her head rapidly, “No Papa, I haven’t said a word about who we are.”

Agreeing with her, Ellie states, “She hasn’t told us anything about who you both are.”

All the children agree in unison chattering about what all was said by Lillianne.

“But you called me Lord. Only peasants say ‘my Lord’ to someone they know is a noble. I just assumed she said something and that’s why you said that.” William retorts with a matter-of-fact tone.

“Look…” Ellie begins bluntly laying the book down on the table so she can place her hands on her hips in a firm attitude, all the while the children start to file out of the room quietly, knowing how Elouise gets, “…all this PEASANT knows is that your name is William and you both were returning home from her betrothed when you were ambushed. Since she is betrothed to someone she DOESN’T even want to marry, it’s normally a NOBLE family.” He starts to speak but she hushes him while continuing, “So don’t be short with her because you assumed something wrong. When you assume, you make an ‘ass’ out of ‘u’ and ‘me’. I may just be a damn peasant to you, but I’m fucking smart enough to put two and two together” She huffs out, boldly defending Lilly.

An awkward silence arises before Lilly whispers into his ear without Ellie hearing, “Please be nice to the angel Papa.”

His gaze is cold as he stares at Ellie before he stands from his chair and takes Lilly by the hand and returns to the guest room while quietly responding once the door is shutting, “I’m sorry you had to witness the INSOLENCE of that woman speaking to me like that. Now…whatever do you mean?”

Lilly explains, “It’s her Papa, the angel you saved. I just know it.”

Chuckling to himself, “And how do you know that my Butterfly?” Kissing her and tickling her, now sitting on the bed, “Besides you were barely three years old, how do you remember that?”

“Because they’ve spoken about some sort of accident from five years ago, she’s a brilliantly smart lady, and I saw it!” Boldly smiling and crossing her arms.

“What did you see my dear?” Still holding her and gently rocking side to side.

Smirkingly, she grins and says “Her wings on her back, or at least where they were at.”

He stops rocking and releases her, “I’ve never told you about that how do you know that detail?”

A knock on the door, “We’ll talk about this later…” he’s short and to the point before continuing, “…You may enter.”

Elouise opens the door and walks in, sitting the tea and a bowl of hot stew down next to the side table, asking Lilly, “Sweetheart, could you excuse us, I’d like to talk with your father privately please.”

Lilly agrees, hops down and skips out the door. Elouise folds her arms and brushes back her hair behind her ear, “Listen, my Lord…I’m sorry for the way I spoke to you earlier. I’ve spent nearly two days getting to know Lillianne, and I guess I got over protective when you accused her of doing something she didn’t.”

He nods saying, “I just am still rather baffled by my situation. Last thing I know, I’m being attacked and next thing I know I wake up to a young man cleaning the bed beneath me because I’ve wet myself in my cataleptic state.”

“It’s a lot to take in, in stressful situations. I’ve had quite the similar experience.” Ellie softly sighs out.

Silence falls again, Elouise sits on the edge of the bed next to him. Her shirt droops down across her shoulder. The low neckline exposing part of her shoulder and back, he sees a faint scarred line. The scar resembles the same similar pattern he remembers. Indicating that his daughter was indeed right. This was the ‘supposed’ angel who flew from the sky that he rescued when the King and him were on that voyage. She’s truly finally in front of him, sitting next to him. He readjusts his posture just as he gets a shooting pain in his side from the wound and doubles over in pain quickly.

“You shouldn’t move that quickly my Lord, you’ll tear the stitching out.” Ellie concerningly says, holding him up. She offers him the tea with herbs to soothe his pain.

William holds his hand up and accepts, drinking the cup while stating, “I’ll be quite alright, other than this headache as I said I have, I feel like myself.” He looks over and extends his hand, “Let’s start over again, my name is William, I simply told Lilly to refer to me as Bill to throw people off our trail. I wasn’t sure who was attacking us and I wanted no harm to come to her.”

Nodding her head in understanding, “It makes sense. Smart on your part.” 

William rolls his hands, “And you are, as you said before, Rosie?”

“Oh, dear me, I am so sorry, forgive my manners. I am Elouise Rose Priestley. Pleased to meet you.” Ellie dips into a curtsy.

“The pleasure is all mine, Miss Priestley.” He takes her hand and brings it up to his lips and kisses it.

Ellie blushes, the last time someone kissed her hand was when Jacob asked her to marry him. “My goodness, you are noble, kissing a lady’s hand, who are you, William? Your family’s name?”

He takes a moment to ponder what her reaction will be when she hears it, before speaking. “Maynard. I am William Eugene Maynard, the Earl of Lincoln.”