Chapter 206 - What To Do

They rode back to the stables and left the horses with very tired-looking stable men. Miles was still quiet as they walked towards the manor. He took Delaney's arm to help her up the stairs in case they were slick from the snow and then he opened the door for her.

They were barely through the doors when they heard someone say their names. They both paused and looked up in surprise, finding Cora and Violet standing there frowning at them with their arms crossed. Both women were in their nightgowns and robes with their hair braided down.

"Where on earth have the two of you been?" Violet demanded, "We've been worried sick!"

"No one knew where you'd gone," Cora glared at her husband, "We asked servants and the men in the stables and the guards. No one knew! They only said you'd ridden off into the woods together!"

"It's the middle of the night and there are all kinds of dangers in those woods," Violet shook her head, "How could you both be so foolish?"

It was only then that Violet and Cora came to a stop as they took in Delaney's tear-stained face and the pained expression Miles wore. Both looked back and forth between the two in confusion.

"What is it?" Violet asked seriously now, "What's wrong? What's happened?"

Miles sighed, "Let's go to the sitting room."

-

Delaney sat silently on the couch, now and then a tear slipping down her cheek. Beside her, Miles saved her by retelling Cora and Violet what she had told him earlier but now included visiting the castle and it being Sophia who took her to get the "potion" that had turned out to be poison. He told them about Vincent allowing a very kind witch to live in the forest and all the witch Opal had told them that night. Last, he told them what Opal had said about Delaney having to wait to have children.

When he finished, Violet and Cora stared at her in shock.

"So the Queen has poisoned you?" Cora asked.

"But why?" Violet shook her head, "Why would Sophia have done this?"

"I don't know," Delaney answered quietly, "She...She sounded so sincere. She said she wanted to help me..."

"I'm going to ride to the King's City tomorrow and speak with Daniel," Miles informed them, "Sophia can't get away with this and that witch needs to be punished for her part as well."

"Stop it, Miles you can't do that," Cora shook her head, "Your brother will need to be the one to go to speak to the King."

"Delaney," Violet said seriously and they all turned to look at her, "Did Vincent know about the potion?"

Dropping her eyes, she shook her head slowly.

"Oh, Delaney why didn't you tell him?" Cora asked sadly, "Did you tell anyone?"

"No, I don't think so," she answered, "Only Sophia knew. She told me not to tell anyone."

"Of course she did," Cora frowned.

"We need to go to the city and tell Daniel," Miles insisted, "If his wife is trying to punish Vince and Delaney for something we need to know why."

"I know this is upsetting but we have to stay calm," Violet spoke, raising her hands, "We can't rush into the city and blame the Queen of something so serious when we don't have proof."

"What are you talking about?" Cora turned to her, "We have the bottle with some of the poison still in it and Delaney said Sophia took her to the witch that gave it to her. That's plenty of proof."

"It isn't," Violet shook her head, "Because Daniel has a law against working with witches it will be dangerous for us to bring up the ones he's keeping in the castle himself. Not to mention what he would have to do if he learned Vincent and Delaney had a witch at Edgewood they worked with."

"Daniel wouldn't do anything to us," Miles argued.

"That's not true," Delaney cut in, "Daniel had Vincent dragged into court, his shirt torn open, and humiliated him in front of the other nobles. The King may love his cousins very much but he is still the king."

"What are you talking about?" Miles asked now, his voice gone cold.

Delaney told them now of Mason running away and how Daniel had blamed them and said they had abducted the Prince. Violet, Miles, and Cora had heard about the Prince's disappearance but thought it was just Mason up to his tricks again. They had heard the rumors that Vincent had abducted the Prince but knowing this was a lie, none of them ever paid much attention to it. Now though, hearing the full extent of what had happened, they all sat in shock.

"I can't believe this," Miles hissed, "After everything we've done for him."

"We need Vincent," Violet said seriously, "He is the Duke. He needs to know what's happened and then we can decide what to do."

"He won't be back for days," Delaney shook her head as she turned her wedding ring around and around on her finger.

"He won't like it if we wait for him to get back to tell him," Miles said, "He'll want to know right away."

"You can ride out first thing in the morning," Violet nodded, "You know all the estates he would go to. You can find him and tell him what's happened. Then it will be up to him if he wants to come straight home or finish his work. Either way, at least he'll know what's happened."

"I'm not going to wait until morning," he stood, "I'm going to leave tonight."

"Wait Miles you can't!" his wife exclaimed, getting to her feet as well.

"You can take some of the guards, "Delaney told him, "I'll send someone to wake them now."

She left the room before hearing whatever argument Cora would try to make to keep Miles at Edgewood. If he was anything like his brother, her argument would fall on sympathetic but stubborn ears. She understood her friend not wanting her husband to go. She wouldn't want Vincent to go either. But if the roles had been reversed Vincent would leave in the dead of night to go to his brother too.

Most of the servants were asleep but with the nobles all awake, the butler had pulled himself from his bed and gotten dressed to be available to serve them. Delaney sent the man to wake some of the guards that weren't on watch already and have horses saddled for them. She didn't have a carriage prepared for Miles. He would be faster on horseback and he wouldn't want to bother with a carriage since he was traveling on his own.

When Delaney returned she found Violet waiting by the front door with her arms crossed. She looked worried and Delaney knew her own expression was probably a mirror of that. Going to stand by her mother-in-law, Violet forced a small smile to her thin lips.

"Don't worry Delaney. Vincent will come home and he will know what to do."

"I know," she agreed softly.

"He'll take care of everything. And once that horrible poison is out of your system I'm sure you and he will be able to have all the children you could want."

Delaney nodded but a tear slipped down her cheek and her hands flew to her face to cover it as more fell.

"Oh my dear girl," Violet came forward then and to Delaney's surprise, pulling the younger woman into her embrace.

"He's going to be so angry with me," she managed to get out, "He's going to be so so angry."

"Shhh," Violet shook her head, "He won't be angry. This isn't your fault. It's Sophia's."

"But I took the poison," Delaney whispered, "And I didn't tell him about it."

Violet sighed, "I'm sure he will wish you would have told him but he will understand that you were doing what you thought was best for both of you."

"I don't think so... I think he will feel that I lied to him."

At that moment Miles came down the stairs with Cora on his arm and a sack on his other. He saw Delaney and his mother and his frown returned. Violet let go of Delaney and Miles swept in to take her into a hug of his own.

"Don't worry," he assured her, "I will find him and I will bring him home to you."

"He's going to be so angry with me..."

"No," Miles shook his head, cutting her off, "I will explain everything to him. He will be angry I'm sure but it won't be with you."

Delaney looked up at her brother's eyes that matched her husband's and she hoped he was right. She gave him one last tight hug before he moved to embrace his mother. He took Cora on his arm and they stepped outside.

Delaney and Violet watched as Miles kissed his wife goodbye as tears slid over her rosy cheeks. In front of all of them, Miles kneeled in the snow and kissed her curved belly, making her laugh through those tears. When he stood again there was a smile on his own lips before he gave her one last kiss and walked down the steps to his horse.

Violet and Delaney walked out to join Cora and together they all waved and watched as Miles and half a dozen guards rode off into the night with only the moonlight to guide them.

They watched until the men disappeared beyond the trees.