Page 58

He knew then that he must protect her, as she did not even seem to know what danger she was in.

He rushed to her side and pulled her by the hand.

“Eveline, come with me,”

With Eveline in tow, he began to seek shelter to no avail.

Suddenly, by some miracle, they stumbled upon a shack, and he decided to take refuge in it.

It wasn’t until they were inside the safety of the shack that he breathed a sigh of relief.

He rounded on her, furious at her foolhardy decision to follow him into the war from the ballroom. However, when he finally turned to face her, all he could see was a severed hand—a hand that seemed to have been ripped from its body.

William’s eyes widened in shock, and he dropped the hand as he let out a scream.

NOOOOOOOO!

CHAPTER 17

Eveline was not quite tired when she retired to her chambers.

As she changed into her nightgown, she could not help but smile as she thought over the events of the day.

She had been walking on clouds when she returned to the castle after finally putting Lady Sarah in her place, and she could not wait to tell her husband.

However, that excitement gave way to concern when her husband told her about the day he had at Parliament.

She was beyond furious at the foolish lords who neither cared for the lives of the young men at war nor the safety of their dear country.

And yet, seeing her husband break down in her presence, she wanted nothing more than to reach out to him, to wrap him inher arms. She wanted to share in his grief, so she would better know how to console him.

However, the look on his face told her that he was not quite ready to share his grief. And yet she offered him comfort still.

Eveline knew that her husband may never be ready to share his experience at war with her, and she understood his reasons. After all, he probably had the most traumatic experience known to man.

She could not help but wonder if his friends were also as affected by the war as he was.

Physically, there was evidence that they were affected, as all but Theo sported scars. What Eveline truly wished to know was whether their minds were also scarred the same way William’s had been.

For a moment, she envied his friends, who had shared such moments with him—moments that had changed and impacted their lives.

And yet she was still happy that he felt safe with her enough to let her see his grief.

After all, he was incredibly protective of that part of his life.

Eveline picked up one of her novels from the nightstand and tried to read. Books had a way of soothing her, of transportingher into another realm so that she momentarily forgot whatever troubles she may have.

She had only just finished a page and flipped to another when she heard a scream.

“NOOOOOO!” William’s voice echoed through the estate.

Eveline sprang from the bed, terrified beyond her mind. She all but flew to the adjoining room, where William was writhing on his bed. She rushed towards him only to see his eyes closed. However, there were beads of sweat on his face and body, and he seemed to be terrified.

She was temporarily relieved to find that he had only been having a nightmare.

Therefore, she tapped him awake.

It did not take long for him to spring awake, looking confused for a moment. His eyes widened as he stared at her as though he had just seen a ghost.