In the Shadows

Minnie.

It made Charles tired. Frankly, he didn’t care one whit

about conspiracies or threats to his life. He was already dying,

wasn’t he?

By the time he reached the end of the lane he was out of

breath, so he sat on the road and leaned back against a tree, the

wildflowers growing madly up to his chest. Everything hurt.

Sometimes he could ignore the pain, and sometimes the pain shut

out the rest of the world.

He was unsurprised when a woman, tall and beautiful, stopped

in front of him, a parasol shielding her from the sun.

“Hello, Charles,” she said, smiling sweetly.

He squinted up at her. “Constance, I presume?”

She laughed, a lower sound than he’d expected. “Delighted to

finally make your acquaintance. How are you?”

He shrugged. He didn’t feel threatened or scared. In fact, right

now, he felt nearly invincible. “Dying. You?”

She settled into the grass next to him, her skirts pooling out

around her. “Not dying.”

“I don’t suppose you’re going to be kidnapping me for nefarious

purposes right now? There are a couple of things I’d like to do

first, if you don’t mind.”

“By all means. We’re not ready yet. But you’re a remarkable

child, aren’t you?” She leaned closer, and Charles could see her face

clearly. She looked young, face unlined, but there was something

tired in her eyes. She reminded him of Alden in that way, that

strange sense that her youth was a lie. “I wonder. I think I could

offer you the moon and you’d politely turn me down.” She sighed

again, picking a flower and tucking it into his collar. “If we could

all find the peace you have, the world would be a better place.”