"Is he here again?" Elizabeth asked her husband as she pointed to the wolf and entered the room.

"You are safe to come in. He knows that you are a friend."

"That much I have already figured out for myself. How could Thorn's wife have managed to come upon such a strange pet?"

"Aura said she raised him from a pup. You should see them together. It is almost unbelievable what he will do for her and she loves him dearly."

"I find it strange then that if she went somewhere that she would not have taken him with her."

"I have had a lot of time to think about that. The only thing I have come up with is that she must have gone somewhere he could not follow."

"Got any ideas where that might be?" Elizabeth questioned.

Edwin shook his head as he answered: "I will have a better idea when Thorn wakes and he had better be coherent."

Thorn did wake and he was lucid, as was hoped, although nothing he said seemed to make any sense. Aura was gone, but he did not know where to, or how she could have left. She could not have left on her own or Wolf would have gone with her. He repeated his theories over. She could not have been taken by force. Wolf had been with her before she had disappeared. To get to Aura, kidnappers would have had to kill Wolf. He had no theories as to how she could have disappeared. There was no one to make him believe that she might be dead and he felt a strong sense that she lived. Nothing made any sense.

It was another week before Edwin and Elizabeth would let Thorn travel onwards to Vernon's. Elizabeth had insisted they travel together so Edwin could keep an eye on his brother. Thorn, in their opinion, was not fit to make the trip, especially not alone. There was, however, no keeping him. Thorn traveled with the bleak hope that Aura would be with Vernon when he arrived, but deep in his heart he feared she would not.

Vernon was very surprised to see the two brothers. He had been given no warning of any trouble in the land and he wondered if his spies had missed something. Was the neighboring King, by some obscure chance, plotting against them again? He went out to greet his guests in person, only to have Thorn cut his intended greeting with a curt question.

"Have you see Aura lately Vernon?"

Vernon laughed, not knowing the full situation, and asked. "Why? Has Aura managed to give you the slip Thorn? I thought you would have held on to her tighter than that."

"She did not run away Vernon." Thorn growled. "Wolf also searches for her."

Vernon's brow furrowed as he looked at the wolf by Thorn's side. He then bent down to the animal and asked. "Where is Aura? Wolf, find your mistress."

Wolf gave a pitiful whimper then raised his head to give a mournful howl. Vernon gave Thorn a hasty look then bit out at him verbally.

"I gave you Aura believing that you would take care of her. What have you done Thorn?"

Thorn gave Vernon a bleak look and almost whispered his answer. "Nothing. I have done nothing. She went off on her own to be alone for a few minutes, or so I thought. As she seemed to need this time I left her. After all, she was on my lands, and would be safe. Everyone knows there is no danger on my lands due to the rules and laws I have laid down and enforced. But where I have been successful with everyone else I seem to have failed with my own wife for she never returned."

"Wolf would never leave her go on her own. His being here means that she did not walk off, or ride off and she was not kidnapped." Vernon's mind followed the same thoughts that both brothers had already covered, over and over again.

"We have already ascertained that much Vernon." Edwin growled in a dry disgusted tone.

"I am sure Thorn has covered more ground than that Edwin." Vernon growled back.

"You are right, I have. There was no trail away from where she had been, nor were there any signs of a struggle. It was just as if she had disappeared into thin air." Thorn reported.

"Do not be absurd Thorn." Vernon snapped, his temper short. "People just do not disappear into thin air. It is not humanly possible."

"Where do you think she is Vernon?" Edwin sneered, feeling he was being deliberately ignorant, not that he believed that she had disappeared any more than Vernon did. He had no more answers than anyone else.

Vernon did not allow the slur against him to bother him as he shrugged a shoulder and replied. "I have no idea. The best I can suggest at this time is that we all return to our homes and wait for her to show up. In the meantime, I would suggest you join Chatelaine and myself for a meal and get some rest. You both look tired unto death."

The brothers dismounted and followed him into the house, while stable boys took care of their horses. Wolf went with Thorn, as the animal never let him out of his sight any more, almost as if he were afraid of losing him as well.

Signi had been visiting with Chatelaine and ran to meet her brothers as they entered the room she was in. Her expression expressed the pleasure she derived from seeing them again.

"Edwin! Thorn! What drives you back to court so soon?" Signi greeted them as she threw herself into Thorn's arms to give him a welcoming hug.

"Aura." Thorn answered shortly.

"Really?" She teased with a bright smile. "Come to gloat about getting her pregnant so soon?"

"No Signi," Edwin answered for his brother. "Aura has disappeared under mysterious circ.u.mstances."

Signi's smile disappeared as she asked, in her concern. "What happened?" Signi's affection for her friend had been genuine and she did not want to lose her.

"We have no idea what happened Signi. Nothing makes any sense. She made changes to the village and the surrounding territory that were astounding. She has won the admiration, respect and loyalty of all who dwell within my lands and under my protection. I would bet they would fight even me to protect her."

Edwin asked: "How did she manage to accomplish so much in so little time?"

"From what I could tell, she overwhelmed them with her enthusiasm. She was so willing to help the people change the conditions they were living in that they were carried away. They all worked so hard implementing her ideas on how to improve their lives. It was good to see everyone work together like that. We were disturbed early, on the morning of her disappearance, by someone pounding on our door. One of the local women was having an extremely hard time delivering her child. They turned to Aura for help. She ran to the woman's aide, although it normally would not have been our concern. You know Aura. Turning from any problem was not her way. She would have felt hurt if they wouldn't have come to her.

She saved the life of not only the mother, but the two male children she bore as well. When they asked her what they could do to repay her, she told them they could help by raising their children to be loyal to their Lord Thorn. She left after that, wanting to be alone for a while. That was the last time anyone ever saw her."

"You let her go on her own?" Signi asked, shocked that her brother would do so.

"You know as well as I do, Signi, that there is no place on my lands that is not safe. You also know that Aura often slipped off to be on her own, usually to bathe. Covered with blood from the birth as she was when she left she did need to wash. She seems to have an obsession towards cleanliness. I would not have expected for her to act otherwise."

Signi nodded in silent agreement and Vernon put a comforting arm about her shoulders, speaking as he led them into the dining room.

"For now you and your brothers will join us for a meal. Thorn and Edwin will return home, after they have rested. We will all watch for signs of Aura. If she returns it will be the duty of the one who finds her to let the rest know of her reappearance."

Signi could not seem to take it all in, it had happened so fast. She could only begin to imagine how Thorn was feeling. He had been so very taken with Aura. He did not look it at the moment but she knew he was feeling a great loss. Despite Vernon's suggestion that they rest, Signi bet Thorn would be gone by morning light, in hopes that his wife would be home by the time he returned.

CHAPTER XXIII.

Aura sat across the desk from the man who would determine her immediate future and blinked in surprise at her lack of involvement. She had expected to feel intimidated by his power over her. She had even thought she might be fearful or nervous. She felt nothing. Had she gotten so used to real power, she wondered, that this man's pretense to it failed to impress her?

"Young lady, give me one good reason why we should think that after three years of absence from any scholastic endeavors you are serious about returning to school. Why have you suddenly decided to study to be a doctor now?" The director of the faculty asked.

"Over the last three years I have been dwelling in very primitive surroundings and, although I have always held an interest in medicine, I doubt now whether I would have had the maturity three years ago to have done justice to the course. I am not saying that I would not have done well in cla.s.s. In fact I might have excelled in the field. I just would not have been as ready for the responsibility."

"I presume that you are saying that you think you have grown more equipped to deal with the real world?" The director replied with interest, despite the skeptical tone he used to question Aura with.

"Yes, I am. Unless I get proper training I am unfit to help anyone in a professional manner." Aura responded firmly.

"And what, may I ask, brought you to this astounding conclusion?" The director asked.

Aura, in answering the professor's question, explained. "I was left in a position where I had to help a woman deliver twins. She was having a hard time with the birth, one of the babies was breach and I had to turn it so it could come naturally. There had been no other alternative, nothing else I could have done. Conditions were such that I think anything else might have resulted in the death of not only the mother but also the twins. Nothing had prepared me for such an experience. I found myself at a loss for what to do. I lucked out and everything went well. I never want to be that scared or feel that helpless again. I want to know what my chances are of doing the right thing. I do not want to look at another dead face thinking, I might have been able to helped that person, if I only knew how."

The man stared at Aura for a while then cleared his throat. She was sincere! She actually meant what she had been telling him! He also had no doubt that her story was the truth.

"I have only one more question for you. If we were to train you to become a fully fledged doctor, would you go back?" There was always need for medical personnel in remote areas of the world. If this potential student was serious, she could be invaluable to the system, especially is she was as talented as he thought she might be. He usually had a feeling for these things, and right now his instincts were telling him that he should be rushing her through the doorway, and into the closest cla.s.sroom he could find.

Aura was quiet for a moment as she considered the matter. It would be impossible to go back to where she had been, but there were other places just as in need of medical skills today. Without delay she answered: "If there was a way, yes, I think I would. I am needed there more than you could begin to realize."

The man stood up and extended his hand. "I am going to recommend that you be allowed to join the cla.s.ses. They start next week. That is not too soon for you, is it?"

"No, in fact the sooner the better, thank you." Aura smiled as she rose to shake the offered hand.

She left the office to tell her stepfather the good news and to make arrangements for a room at the university. To celebrate, her stepfather took her out for lunch then left her home alone with her packages, while he went to play a game of golf. A man could only spend so much time with a stepdaughter and she had a lot to get ready for.

Aura watched her stepfather drive away from the yard through her bedroom window, and when she felt she would no longer be disturbed she unbraided her hair and combed it out for her fashion show. It did not bother her that she was alone. In fact she preferred it that way.

She tried on the black velvet gown first and it fit like a glove. She smiled to herself as she ran her hands down the sides of it and touched the gold scrolls on the collar. It was perfect, understated elegance with enough s.e.x appeal to knock any man's socks off.

She held the white gown in her hand, feeling as if she could scarcely breathe. How would she ever find the nerve to wear it? She would have to be practically naked for it to look right. Well, she decided, she would have to at least make the effort. She screwed up enough courage, with this thought, to at least try it on in private. After all, n.o.body was here to see her but herself. She stripped herself down to her silk panties and donned the gown.

Pure white French satin emerged, somehow, from a top of lace, sequins, and pearls, which crossed over her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and were held in place by thin straps of twisted beads and more sequins. She looked at herself in the mirror and was astonished at what she saw. The dress did things to her, made her look like a total stranger, giving her the appearance of a movie star. She smiled at her reflection as she turned to see what she looked like in the mirror from different angles. Moving in an unconscious manner, which was deeply sensuous, she ran a hand down from her shoulder to her abdomen and almost moaned at the feelings the soft satin incited.

The caress brought memories that she thought would have been best forgotten and she felt a slight melting in her bones. "If Thorn ever saw me dressed like this it would drive him mad," she thought to herself as she gave a smile of satisfaction. She then closed her eyes as she sighed in regret. Thorn would never see her again, nor would she see him.

"Thorn." She whispered softly in husky tones. She could almost feel his touch and her body quivered in antic.i.p.ation. Her pulse quickened and she had to make an effort to pull herself out of her half aroused dream state. Hoping to calm her fevered body and inflamed desires she made a quick change into everyday clothing. She then sat on the bed and fingered the white dress while she thought about what she had just experienced, speaking aloud to herself as she did.

"I miss him, Lord help me, I still want him. I want his touch and the sound of his voice whispering in my ear. How could I have fallen in love with someone who died centuries before I was even born!" She then admitted, as she heaved a sigh of resignation. "I never realized how much I cared, and now I need to find a way back. What was it that he had said that he had done to get her there? Pray? It was not possible, was it?" She decided she had to find someone to ask about it, someone who should know about a faith that strong. She wondered where to begin to look.

As soon as the thought hit her she lost her nerve. How could she ever hope to convince anyone that her story might be true? The whole thing was too incredible. Why she hardly believed it had happened herself most of the time. Only the ring remained of her time with Thorn, to remind her of the truth of the past three years. Then, before she began to lapse back into dangerous memories, she cleaned up the mess around herself, hanging up her new clothing and gathering the wrappings for disposal. The effort caused her to remember where she was and not to dwell on whom she had left in the past. She knew that she would never forget him and given the chance she would not hesitate to return to his side.

The day after the interview Aura received the list of books that she would need. She spent the entire day shopping for school supplies and checking the items needed off her list. Going back to school was going to be quite an experience after all the time she had spent out of it, but she was looking forward to the challenge. At the end of the day she celebrated her move, by buying herself a new python snake. She called him Sid and dubbed him her mascot and partner in crime.

Sid had been in a gla.s.s case, along with two others like him, when she first saw him. The first snake that the clerk had showed her she had not liked the markings on, the second one she felt uncomfortable with. Sid had seemed, somehow, right. She had wondered how welcome he would be in the dormitory, as she had walked out of the pet store then decided that it would probably not matter as long as she kept him under control. She was going to have a room of her own and could do quite as she pleased. Things would be like they were when she had Roger at the convent. No one said much of anything about him. Unlike her memories of Roger, Sid was a very young snake, barely three feet long, and he had trouble wrapping himself around her torso in a secure fashion. He made her laugh as he twisted about trying to make himself comfortable. Being able to laugh made her feel good.

Four days after she acquired Sid she moved out of the big house and into her dormitory room. She had heard that her mother was due back and she decided to leave. She spent the three days left to her before cla.s.ses going through her books and familiarizing herself with her surroundings. The time, and what she did with it, made her feel confident that she would be able to do well for herself.

Life at the University was nothing like what Aura had ever experienced in boarding schools and in many ways she liked it better. The courses were challenging, the teachers demanding and in some cases even rude in their sarcastic form of sn.o.bbery. Aura watched many students who could not seem to keep pace with the work expected from them, fall and crumble under attack.

In her group two people dropped out within the first six weeks, unable to cope with workload and pressures. That dropped the group she had been placed in from six, to four. They banded together, using her room as a meeting station to get together to study and compare notes. In gender they were equal, two men and two women, and there were others amongst the cla.s.s who sought her input. Aura soon became the undisputed head of the cla.s.s. Sid was only a minor distraction. Some disapproved of him, but kept their silence, as long as he was kept under control and as long as she knew his whereabouts.

Aura found she was happy. She worked hard at her studies and was pleased with her results. She made friends, most of them from her cla.s.s. No one person in particular caught her eyes, and time seemed to fly for her as she rushed to meet it head-on. She found the days never seemed quite long enough to learn all she felt she needed to know.

As full and busy as the days were for Aura, the nights crowded in on her like nightmares. In the darkness of the night she was alone, haunted with sensations and glimpses into Thorn's life. She somehow knew that he had been very ill, knew that he had gone to Vernon's in search of her and knew that now, near Christmas, he had made his solitary way to his brother Edwin's to spend the holiday with him and his family. She also knew that if she would have been there the trip would have been unnecessary, for the celebration would have been hosted by them, as Thorn was the head of the family.

Aura could feel him in his search for her and sometimes, while she dreamed, she could swear she could feel his touch and hear his voice. She doubted if she was in much better shape than he seemed, for the feelings unearthed by the dreams were strong, and stirred a deep yearning in her to be with him. Many times she woke softly calling his name and clutching a pillow, damp with her tears Christmas, Aura reflected with a dreary sigh, was wasted on people like her. She had no appreciation for the personal aspects of the season. True, she loved the decorations, music and twinkling lights, but she felt somewhat controlled by it all. She bought gifts for everyone in the family and sent them around to the house a week early then used the rest of her spare time to roam about the shops, buying oddities, pins, needles, cloth, special threads, medical supplies and a kit. Sometimes she found that she would buy something and not even realize that she had done it, until she returned home to see her purchases displayed before her.

Aura arrived at her home a few days before Christmas with her luggage and Sid, and was greeted cordially by everyone. There was a lot of awkwardness between them, but she had expected that. There were a lot of questions that she refused to answer. They would not have believed her anyway. Most of the time she doubted if they cared, even after all the things that had happened.

Aura made her way up to her room to shower and change before dinner and found packages of various sizes sitting around waiting to be unpacked. She opened one box to find six queen sized down filled feather blankets that she had bought. Another package revealed threads and patterns. Aura frowned as she surveyed the supplies before her and wondered what she had been thinking of when she had been out shopping.

It was, without much doubt, too late to return any of the purchases, so she set herself to work, repacking her possessions in a more logical fashion. By the time she finished only a few medium to large sized bundles remained. She then attended to her own person, for if she did not hurry, she would be late for dinner and her mother hated delaying meals. With that in mind she decided it would be for the best if she tried to stay in her mother's good graces. They had not seen each other in at least three and a half years so she figured that shouldn't be too hard.

Aura arrived to find there would be only the three of them for dinner, which suited her. They ate most of the meal in silence then her stepfather broke the ice, as he was bored with the strained atmosphere.

"You have arrived just in time for the Christmas party this evening Aura, which dress do you intend to wear?"

"If I am permitted to attend I shall wear the black and gold gown. It is more the wintry type." Aura decided.

She wondered what weather Thorn battled while traveling to Edwin's. She then caught herself in the unconscious musing and sighed as she wondered if she would ever find a way to return to him.

"I thought you might want to wear the white gown your father bought you when you returned." Her mother spoke, as she attempted to make her daughter feel more like one of them.

Aura recognized the effort for what it was and smiled as she replied. "Not this time mother, I am not comfortable with the thought of wearing it in public."

"I understand." Her stepfather replied.

"How are your studies coming along at the University?" Her mother changed the subject, hoping to find some common ground on which to base a conversation.

"Quite well actually." Aura responded, warming to the subject. "I find it surprising how many students have left the course and how many more look as if they will not be able to make it."

"You really like it there?" Her mother sounded surprised. She could not imagine what the attraction was, but then again, she never did understand why her daughter liked the things she did.

"Yes mother, I like it, and I am happy." Aura spoke with such quiet a.s.surance that there could be no doubting her sincerity.

"I never believed you were serious about your choice of a career. I could not picture you as a doctor." Her mother admitted and she realized how little she really knew about her daughter.

"Neither did I at first mother. It was more of a lifetime dream when I was younger. As I got older I feared it might be impossible, that I did not have what it takes, but everything is working out fine. Of course there are times when I question my abilities, but I think everything is going to work out for the best." Aura smiled as if she was pleased with herself.

"They say there is a lot to read."

"It is true, but I am through the worst of it. When I am finished I will start on next year's program, if it is allowed."

"Why the great rush?" Her stepfather asked.

"I don't know, there just seems to be." Aura admitted.

"Did anyone tell you that Veronica is getting married this year?" Her mother asked.

Aura shook her head as she finished the last of her desert then answered. "You know I have not kept up with the news at home mother. I am the outsider here and I know it. You needn't bother to deny it. I feel more at home in my dormitory room than I do here. I truly hope Veronica will be happy and you may tell her so for me, if I do not get to see her myself."

"Well you are apt not to over the holidays. They will visit his grandmother in Scotland. I understand the lady is feeling poorly."

"Nothing serious I hope?" Aura asked in concern as a servant offered her some sugar for her coffee and she waved him off.

"A cold, so I understand. Still, at her age it can turn into something serious. Veronica might not have cared one way or the other at one time, now she does. She has changed since you lived with us. I think both girls have. Sara married last year. Did your father tell you that?"

Aura shook her head as she sipped at her coffee and asked: "Luke?"

"Yes, it seems they are well suited. I think you could become good friends with them if you wanted to Aura. I think I would like that."

Aura looked at her mother over the rim of her cup and sighed as she answered: "It is too late for that mother, it is too late for anything." She then put her cup down onto its saucer and rose. "And speaking of getting late I had better go upstairs and change or I shall miss your party. Now that would be a shame, right mother? You always did invite the cream of society if I remember correctly."

Aura controlled the anger in her voice, making it sound rather nondescript instead of sarcastic then left to change. Her mother would never understand. The harm had been done years ago and now she found she no longer cared, not about anything or anyone. She did not belong here, she realized, she belonged home, with Thorn, her husband.