Chapter 30

CORDELIA

One Thousand Years Ago

T wo days the nurse kept me from Eleanor. While I'm certain that her family were desperate to find her after the fire, I was most displeased that I had to be separated from her.

Especially considering I was the one who had bothered to track her down and help care for her. Where was her family then? I was the one who gave the nurse the information to contact them in the first place.

And yes, I am acutely aware it was the right thing to do, but that doesn't make me any happier about it.

But such is the plight of families. They like to own us, treat us as commodities and then discard us when they've finished rolling us out as show pieces. Or perhaps that's just what it's like in my family.

I have never been a daughter; I am a trophy. A prized show piece to be lauded to the other nobles and rolled out when my mother and father deemed it appropriate.

And I have to wonder whether Eleanor experienced the same because when I return to her room two days later, she's looking far worse for wear than when I left her.

I stand in the doorway of her room, my hands balled on my hips. My teeth gnash on my bottom lip as I take in her appearance.

"How is it I can leave you looking like you're on the mend and I return, and you look hideous? Didn't they take care of you?"

She pats the bed and makes a space for me to sit down. But I don't move.

"Peopling, family, especially after a long time asleep, is hard."

"And?" I say, tapping my foot on the floor and then pacing over to sit on the edge of her bed.

"That is why I'm exhausted. And I suppose they were more interested in getting the facts clear so they could spin a story than they really were about my state of health and ensuring I took my daily medicines."

My teeth grind against each other hard enough that Eleanor rubs her thumb along my jawline until I relax.

"I have spent weeks searching for you, finding you and helping you heal, then two days with your family and you've taken back steps."

"Not back steps. I told them that I had more healing to do. Meaning I bought us some time..."

"Time for what, Eleanor? What exactly is it you think we're going to achieve? We're doomed, dammit. If it's not my family coming after you, it's your family coming after me. How are we ever supposed to actually live a free life together?"

She grins so wide she shows me all her teeth.

"I told them it would be at least a month before I'd return home. A month is a long time."

"It will be at least a week before you're ready to leave, and then what are we supposed to do with the three weeks?"

She leans back against her pillow, dragging me by the shoulder until I'm laid flat against her chest. She runs her hands over my raven locks, stroking my head until the huffing ceases.

"I told them at least a month. I'd put money on them not checking on or worrying about me for at least five to six weeks. That's an awful long time for us to run."

"Run?" I ask, shooting back up again.

"Yes, Cordelia. I'm done hiding us. We're going to run. We're going to make this work."