CHAPTER XXIV.

Aura was late for the party, which was permissible by anyone's standards. She pulled her hair back off of her face, held it with the gold combs her step father had given her and let it fall in waves past her waist. She walked with a confidence that her stepfather knew had not existed before she had left. He smiled with pride at the woman she had become. The changes he had noted in his stepdaughter added to her charm and he noticed he was not the only one to appreciate her beauty.

Ryan, Lord Bertram's younger son, stood by his side and watched her with amazement written across his face. Aura's stepfather smiled in amus.e.m.e.nt, as the lad's thoughts seemed to change from the topic they had been discussing as he asked.

"Pardon, but is that Aura?"

"Aura?" Her stepfather pretended to act as if he had not noticed her from the moment she had entered the room. He made a show of locating her. "Ah, yes. So it is. Would you like to meet her? She is really a charming girl, perhaps a little too solemn at times though."

"I know," the young man replied. "I see her from time to time at the University hospital. I am into my final year of residency there, but I have never seen her looking like this before."

"I know what you mean. Usually she has her hair done up in that hideous braid. And before you ask, yes, she does know that it does not suit her."

"Then why does she wear it that way?"

"I have no idea, you would have to ask her yourself." With that he waved to catch her attention then motioned her over.

"Yes father?"

"Aura, I would like you to meet Ryan, he has been after me to introduce you to him ever since he saw you enter the room."

Aura turned a light pink, but said nothing of the compliment as she offered Ryan her hand, greeting him with a cool civility as she did. She was not, nor had she ever been, impressed with Ryan Bertram. "How do you do Ryan? You are enjoying my mother's party I hope?"

"Of course, I always enjoy your parent's parties. They are good hosts." Ryan replied with practiced charm.

Aura smiled as she pulled her hand back from his firm grasp and replied. "They will be pleased to hear that you think so."

Ryan gave her a light frown. Aura looked as if she was going to be difficult and although it might add a little excitement to the chase for some, he preferred more cooperative prey. He moved from the foursome they were creating as his father joined them, pulling Aura along by the hand as he spoke in a polished fashion.

"I have often seen you at the University and at the hospital. You do not seem to remember me very well though, I am crushed." He tried to look the part and was rewarded with a skeptical frown from Aura.

"I remember you Ryan. You spend half of your time chasing every presentable nurse on campus. Your reputation is notorious."

Ryan laughed at that and replied. "So that is what bothers you about me. Might I tell you that after seeing you in your true form no other woman will ever hope to compare?"

Aura gave him a crooked smile and answered. "You are good Ryan. You must stand in front of your mirror and practice for hours."

Ryan looked at her in shock as he replied, not even thinking about what he might be saying as he spoke. "Obviously I am still not quite good enough."

"In that case might I prescribe more practice and all things considered, you are in luck, for there is a whole room full of people for you to practice on. Good luck Ryan." Aura tried to dismiss him. She moved away, leaving him standing alone in the middle of the room with his mouth open. She really was not interested in carrying on a flirtation and certainly not with a Casanova like Ryan Bertram.

Ryan continued to watch her as she made her way through the crowd. She had made him feel as if he were a servant who had just been dismissed. He was in the midst of mulling all of this over when his brother walked up behind him.

"Something wrong little brother?" He asked with amused indifference.

"Yes, no, I mean, I am not quite sure."

For that bit of uncertainty he was laughed at. "Not susceptible to your charms is she?"

Ryan did not like that coming from his brother, so, to put him on an equal footing shot out a challenge. "I doubt if you could do any better Derek, although you might enjoy the chase. Delinda might not like you pursuing her though."

"Delinda and I understand each other very well and she is very sure that a diamond awaits her in the near future. Anyone else in the meantime is just the sowing of wild oats." Derek remarked smugly.

"And is there a diamond for Delinda in the near future Derek?" Ryan asked.

"With a bank account of over twenty million I should hope so." Derek replied. He didn't care how jaded the remark made him sound.

"Well if you should ever decide otherwise, let me know. I would be more than happy to take your place." Ryan wasn't joking either. Delinda and her bank account made a very attractive package.

"You and a million others, but as long as she is in New York visiting her mother over the holidays, I can play for a bit, and not get caught." Derek grinned.

"Unless I tell." Ryan threatened.

"With my ring on her finger, and a shot to become the future Lady Bertram, Delinda would forgive me anything. Even Aura." Derek was too sure of his chances to concern himself with the blackmailing attempts of his younger brother.

Aura had grown tired of the superficial sn.o.bbery of the guests very quickly and after taking all she could stand, she made her way out to the small fountain in the gardens. She sat on the side of the collection pond and watched the water as it sprayed over a mermaid. She ran her fingers through the liquid and sighed as she listened to the Christmas music. It wafted across the dead bushes over to where she stood and dreamed and she felt so empty, so alone. She closed her eyes and imagined that she sat beside her love and his arms encircled her to draw her against the great expanse of his muscled chest.

The scene seemed so real to Aura's mind that she could almost smell the scent that was part of Thorn's chemistry. She opened her eyes and forced her mind back to the present. The past was too painful to face at the moment.

"Why would you choose to be alone when you could be surrounded by young men who would be more than happy to pay you compliments and make you feel beautiful? You are beautiful you know." Derek's voice brought Aura's mind back from her musing.

Aura looked at the intruder, wishing he would just disappear and sneered. "Perhaps, then perhaps not. This is a matter of opinion I have no wish to discuss with you. I would rather be on my own right now if you do not mind."

Derek ignored her rudeness as he sat beside her on the rim of the fountain pool and smiled, not willing to be sent away by a mere slip of a girl. Besides, if he left now his bother would never let him live it down. "My name is Derek."

"I know. You are Ryan's brother." Aura replied.

"You know Ryan?" He asked, making it sound as if it was news to him.

Aura gave a sniff and answered: "By reputation everyone on the campus knows Ryan."

"I gather you disapprove." Derek smiled showing his amus.e.m.e.nt.

"Truthfully, I could care less. What he does is nothing to do with me, as long as he leaves me alone."

"Is that perhaps the voice of injured pride talking?" Derek was curious in this case, most women loved his little brother. He was a very charming and charismatic man. They both were when it suited them.

"Why should it be? I very rarely run into Ryan on campus, we function on different levels." Aura could actually care less and she was less than impressed with Derek. All she wanted was to be left alone.

"That does not indicate that you are not attracted to him." Derek pushed. He didn't seem to be getting the hint.

"Is the possibility that someone is not attracted to your brother so hard to comprehend that you have trouble understanding it?"

"I must admit, total indifference to my over charming brother is hard to comprehend, or believe."

Aura just shrugged her shoulder and voiced her thoughts. "He just is not my type Derek, neither are you for that matter, so you can quit trying so hard."

"That could be almost taken as a challenge. Tell me Aura, if we are not your type, who is?" Derek had a hard time believing all his efforts were being brushed aside and he was curious about what it would take to attract this pretty little ice princess.

"Suffice it to say n.o.body you know. Just leave it be Derek and be satisfied with the answer you got." Aura was getting very irritated. Why wouldn't he just go?

"No. You intrigue me. First you tell me that you have no real interest in any of us then you go off on your own to be alone. It does not seem to be a natural thing for any good looking woman to do." Derek had never met someone like Aura. Nothing seemed to faze her. What was it going to take to break through that veneer she was hiding behind?

"Really? Are you perhaps a psychologist? Or are you just an authority on the average female Derek?" Aura came back at him sarcastically. She knew she could get away with being rude, but there were limits.

He laughed and answered. "Neither, but I would like to get to know you better."

She shook her head as she replied. "You would be better off if you let it go. Besides, I have no time for you. I have at least two stacks of medical books to read over the holidays."

"You know what they say Aura, all work and no play?" Derek purred.

"My play comes when I say and with whom I choose. Not until then." She snipped back, she was feeling more and more irritated with his continued pressure.

"You sound like such a challenge Aura, how can I resist but to rise to it?" Derek wanted to continue the game. He was getting a charge out of the chase.

"Work on it Derek." She advised then, as he showed no signs of leaving, she did.

Her exit was cut short as Derek also rose and grabbed her by the wrist, to turn her around to face him. He wrapped his arms about her and gave her a sound kiss.

Aura was unimpressed as she felt his lips move over hers. He disgusted her and made her feel dirty. His tongue brushed over her lips giving her the impression that she was being s...o...b..red on and she struggled to regain her freedom. When she was released she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and angrily spat out.

"Surely you cannot be that desperate that you have to force your attentions on a woman who wants nothing to do with you, Derek."

He looked at her, his eyes dark with desire and he smirked. "I will not lie to you Aura, I want you and I plan to have you. And Aura, I always get what I want."

"Derek, you arouse no interest in me. I do not like the way you kiss and I do not like the feel of your body against mine. In fact there is nothing about you I do like."

"So what is wrong with my body? I have never had any complaints before."

"You are soft." She snapped. "You have never done a days work in your life. I have no use for your brother and even less for you. You don't need to dangle your prospective t.i.tle before me because that does not either impress or interest me either."

"So you like it hard and rough do you?" He snarled, "I think I could manage that."

"Enough," Aura's irate voice whipped out at him. "You are letting your imagination carry you away and I tire of the games, so I will try to make things easy for you. Either you let me go now and promise never to try to talk to me again, or I will tell Delinda everything. There is nothing to desire in an empty t.i.tle Derek and her money can buy her more than you can offer."

"You are bluffing." He gave her an appraising look before deciding that she was quite serious. He was not quite ready to leave her escape so easy.

"Am I Derek?" She gave him a steady look and added. "I would not be so sure of that if I were you."

Aura gave him no chance to respond as she left him to return to her room. She didn't even stop to say good night to anyone at the party. She was disgusted with the society her parents circulated in. It was not real. There were a real lack of morals. Granted, it was not much different at Vernon's court, but at least there she had been safe. There she was the Lord Thorn's Lady and beyond approach.

Aura thought of her husband as she undressed and slipped naked between the satin sheets, giving a gasp at the sensations which the material rubbing against her body shot through her. Strange that she had never felt like this before. Was it the thoughts of Thorn that made her feel so stimulated? She ran her hands over the sheet that outlined her body and quivered at the caress. She wanted him, needed him, only him. She could have cried as she felt the emptiness his absence made her feel. Her life without him was a mockery.

She remembered the one night of pa.s.sion they had shared. She remembered their home and felt ashamed of her past actions. For now she knew that she wanted nothing more than to curl up against her husband and to have him hold her.

CHAPTER XXV.

In order to deal with his loss, Thorn threw all his energies into the building of his new fortress. He finished the surrounding walls then chose a site for his house, before having the stone and mortar material hauled in from the surrounding territory. The outside walls of his new home were put up in record time and work began in earnest on the interior. He was pleased with the progress.

As the workers labored on the roof of the great empty structure Thorn had designed to serve as his future home, he sat and drew up the floor plans for the interior. It had been a job he had wanted to include Aura in but had never gotten the chance. They had spent so little time together and what time they had shared had always been interrupted by their duties. He swore that when she came back that would change. He refused to believe she was gone for good, she would be back and they would be happier than ever.

A week before Christmas Thorn took a break from his work to travel to Edwin's to spend the holiday season with his family. It had been a point insisted on, as none within the family had wished for him to spend the Yule time alone. They had received little news of him and what there had been was to do with the building of his fortress and home. They feared he worked to deal with Aura's disappearance. They also feared he was working himself to death in an attempt to fill the void she had left behind. Thorn, as far as his family and friends were concerned, could not be trusted with his own well being at this time.

There was a promise of snow in the air when Thorn arrived at Edwin's and he was more than pleased to beat the impending weather. Edwin and his wife, Elizabeth, met him at the door and warmly greeted him. They took his cape and boots and they invited him further into the house. He had just gotten half way across the entrance when the children attacked him. Within moments they were trying to climb up onto their Uncle Thorn, laughing and demanding pony rides. Thorn whirled them in circles and pretended to toss them in the air as they screeched and ran around his legs. The games came to an end when Elizabeth decided both sides had had enough playing.

The children were sent up to their rooms for the night, and the adults settled to talk. An hour or so later Signi arrived. They exchanged news and Signi pa.s.sed on the court gossip as they sat and shared a late family meal. There was no mention of Aura, not a word. His siblings were being careful not to hurt him, even to the point where they avoided saying her name. It didn't take him long to grow tired of the way they were evading the issue. He knew there was no news. He would have been told as soon as anyone would have heard. He also realized that they were acting out of love, but he thought that they shouldn't treat him like he was fragile.

Thorn was determined to leave Edwin's the moment Yule was over. He was thoroughly disgusted with his family and he let them know it. He had been looking forward to his time with them, and they had ruined it with their misplaced intentions. Sure, he understood they meant well, but he had found their treatment demeaning. He privately told Signi that if he heard any mention of him in the court gossip she would be sorry. He told them all he would not tolerate their att.i.tude any longer than he had to.

Elizabeth had cried as Thorn stormed around during his fit of temper. Edmond had glared at him for upsetting his family, though he had held his tongue. Signi had looked at him with a mixture of horror and sympathy. Thorn had made sure none of the children had been present to witness the lecture he had given their parents. When he had finished he looked at the expressions on their faces and realized that none of his words had changed a thing. They were still thinking the same thing.

That was when Thorn had stormed to his room, packed his clothes, collected Wolf, and left. He rode hard through the snow, harder than what was safe for the horse, the wolf, or himself. The anger, however, cooled as he traveled and he had the sense to pull back on the reigns before he did any damage to any of them. By the time he got back home his mind was back on things that he thought mattered more than how he had been treated.

Things would change when Aura returned and he was sure that she would, although he had no indication of how this would happen. She had some unfinished business to attend to he believed. Perhaps it was to discover that she really did want him. A part of him felt like his faith was being tested. He prayed he was being proven worthy, for he still believed with all his heart and soul that she was the woman he had prayed for.

Thorn and Wolf walked into their home to a sensation that someone had been in the building. The air seemed disturbed and there was a clean fresh scent that reminded him of Aura. He charged through the house, searching the rooms. He then stopped to stare at Wolf in wonder. The wolf had settled himself before the fireplace and had stretched out as if Aura was sitting on the floor beside him, scratching his ears. What did that wolf know, or feel? It was driving him crazy.

Before Thorn could even begin to be satisfied that there was nothing more to his feelings than hopeful wishing he checked the area where Aura had disappeared. There were no signs of her anywhere, either by feel or physical evidence. He slowly walked back to the cold house and made a fire before sitting down on the floor beside Wolf to watch the flames while he petted the animal's head.

"You miss her too, I know." Thorn spoke to the wolf as if he were a person and the animal licked his hand. Thorn felt the caring, and taking what comfort he could from the presence of the wolf he cried, and he prayed for her quick and safe return.

By the time spring rolled around Thorn's house had reached the halfway point. It was being finished on the outside while he was making great headway on the inside. It had been an early spring, which helped in their search for supplies. They had no sooner gathered enough building materials to finish the job when a messenger arrived with a call to arms from Vernon. Thorn sighed as he read the note and wondered if peace would ever last longer than a winter season. The annual stream of battles was taking a toll on his resources. He ordered the builders to continue with the erection of his home and warned them against deviating from his plans while he was gone. He then gathered up his fighting forces and rode to meet up with Edwin, who he knew would have gotten the same orders.

Edwin joined his brother, along with his own men, a day later. The men, who were used to fighting along side of each other, fell in with their comrades. They knew their members would swell as they marched, it always did. The men also knew their chances of living through a battle was much better under the command of the Lord Thorn than of any of the other warlords, for that reason alone they gravitated towards him.

"Did Vernon tell you anything other than to ride and bring your army?" Edwin asked.

"No, but then he never does though, does he?"

"No he doesn't. How is the building coming along?"

"I should be finished by late fall. I have hired extra workers to speed it up. I am beginning to get anxious to see it finished." Thorn smiled as he added. "I would have loved to have seen Aura's impression of her new home as it went up."

"You still hope that she will return?" Edwin asked.

Thorn nodded as he continued to smile, giving a confident reply. "She will come back Edwin, I feel it in my bones."

"Have you found any trace of her yet?" Edwin asked, though he was sure he knew the answer. No one had heard anything from or about Aura.

"No, but I have heard from her, in a round about way." Thorn surprised his brother with his answer.

"Well if she contacts you, why does she not come to you? Why does she torment you in this manner?" Edwin was angry at Aura on Thorn's behalf.

"She is bound to where she is for now and will return when she is able. I will say no more on the matter, suffice it to say that she is doing what she can to return." Thorn recognized the angry tone in Edwin's voice.

"Are you sure this is not just wishful thinking on your part Thorn? There is no real sign of her, or signs of her wishes to return, are there?" Edwin sounded his anger.

"She is my wife Edwin, she will return. If you cannot deal with that, keep your opinions to yourself." Thorn snapped back. He was not having his family pecking at his wife.