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Rolfe had to smile at the memory. “And don’t forget the little white cap.”

“Don’t you try to change the subject. I know how you feel, how you refuse to believe it could be true.

It’s as if by admitting any feeling for this woman, you are somehow showing a weakness, a flaw.

I know that you vowed never to fall for the wiles of a woman again after Daphne, but I see now there is no doubt.

Look how worried you are about her. You are completely hooked. ”

“And you’re one notch short of a sound mind, Hadrian. I was appointed to guard Cassia, to try to discover whether or not she was responsible for the murder of her father, that is all.” And then he added, “Nothing more.”

“As you insist,” Hadrian said. “The question is, what are you going to do now?”

Rolfe stood, turning his back on his friends to stare out the window at the night sky.

He was silent for some time, lost in thought.

What could he do? In all his other assignments, even when things hadn't gone off as planned, Rolfe had always managed to keep a clear head, accomplishing his goal regardless of the obstacles in his way.

When he'd met adversity, he'd simply chosen a different course, oftentimes a more perilous course.

It hadn't mattered to him that he'd been placing his life in danger.

But this time, it was different. This assignment was different.

Cassia was different. It was different because this time he did care.

What would happen when this assignment was ended?

Who would be there to assure that no one could attempt to harm Cassia again?

She had no family to protect her. What if they never found out who had murdered her father?

For the rest of her life, Cassia would be made to live in fear of every blind corner, every dark turn.

Who would be there to chase away the demons that hounded her in her sleep?

Even while Rolfe wondered this, he knew what he must do. He turned to his friends.

"In answer to your question, Hadrian, I am going to do the only thing I can do, what I must in order to assure that, if by some happenstance of luck, Cassia does live, her life is never put in danger again. I am going to marry her, tonight, here in your house, Hadrian, with you and Dante standing on as my witnesses.”

Voices.

Cassia could hear them, several of them, murmuring quietly nearby.

Some were deep, some more highly pitched, but she could not make out anything they were saying.

Her brain felt so very clouded, as if stuffed with goose feathers, and only sometimes did she manage a clear thought.

For some reason, it also seemed that she’d forgotten how to speak.

And then she heard another voice. This one was familiar and seemed to rise above the chatter of the others, shutting them out. A deep voice, it somehow brought calm to the unknown place where she’d woken to find herself.

“Cassia, can you hear me?”

Who was it? Why couldn’t she see anyone?

The other voices returned, but she still could not understand what they were saying. Why couldn’t she make out their words?

Then the deep voice, the familiar voice, came to her again.

“Cassia, listen to me. Don’t give up. You cannot. Show me if you can hear me. Call out. Squeeze my hand if you can. Show me you want to live.”

I do. I do. I do want to live.

Cassia fought to push the words out, but her body, her voice wouldn’t respond. She tried to force her eyelids open, to see the face behind that voice that was calling to her, begging her, filling her with the will to live, but even that was beyond her.

“Can you hear me, Cassia?”

Yes! I hear you!

There were other voices then, sounding like they came from far away. She tried to understand what they were saying, but only parts of it came to her.

“... to join this man and this woman ...”

She felt someone take her hand then. It was large and warm and covered her own.

“... to have this woman as your wife ...”

The deep voice spoke again. “I will.”

“... to have this man for your husband ...”

There was silence.

Rolfe looked at Cassia. Her eyes were still closed. She wasn’t moving.

“She must respond, my lord,” said the cleric they’d woken, dragging him here to wed them in the middle of the night. “This is already most irregular. I cannot pronounce you wed unless she voices her consent.”

Rolfe knelt down beside Cassia. “Cassia, can you hear me? You must listen. There is a man standing here with me. He is going to marry us. You must tell him you will be my wife. I only want to protect you, Cassia. This is the best way I can see to do that. I will never allow anyone to hurt you again. You do hear me, Cassia? Tell me you want that. Tell me you can hear me.”

The room fell silent.

Rolfe felt Cassia’s hand move slightly in his. He motioned for the cleric to come even closer.

“Tell me, Cassia. Please just tell me.”

He leaned in closer. The cleric did the same.

“Yes,” she managed. “I do.”

Her response had been as weak as a whisper, but Rolfe, and more importantly, the cleric had heard it.