The Bet

“It’s beautiful,” she breathed.

“The fawn, or the woods?” Myles teased. Her answer mattered to him than he cared to admit.

“Both,” she laughed. “If the animals are happy to be here like this then there can be nothing wrong with these woods, can there?”

As if to prove her point, several birds began to flutter around the high branches. Estelle shaded her eyes against the bright shafts of sunlight that streamed down upon them. It was surreal, and bathed her in a kind of peace the likes of which she had never experienced before.

“I don’t know what I was so afraid of,” she murmured.

“Your fear that night is quite understandable given what happened,” Myles assured her.

Estelle nodded. “I didn’t realise being run over would

save my life.”

Myles looked a little bashful. “I don’t think I have ever apologised for that, have I?”

“On many occasions,” she replied. When he frowned at her and looked doubtful she explained. “You took me to safety, fed me, kept me warm and dry.”

“Nearly got you killed, chased through a tunnel, and brought face-to-face with a murderer,” he finished for her.

Estelle wrinkled her nose up but didn’t argue with him. She wanted to say that it was all part of the adventure but couldn’t.

“I am glad these woods haven’t been torn down. They are too beautiful to destroy,” she murmured when Myles urged her to take a path to the right of them and led her down a new path. She suspected she knew where he was taking her and, having now witnessed the transformation of the woods, was curious to know what they had done with the small cottage.

To her surprise it too had been cleared. However, this time there was no sign of the garden. That had been removed completely. A small clearing now lay before the ruins of what had clearly once been a small, single-storey abode hidden amongst the trees.

“Barnabas has undertaken this as a project and has been determined to gather some information on it since he came here to take a look at it for himself. He has, so far, found no mention of the house. However, he has sourced one, very vague, reference to the priory,” Myles explained.

Estelle stared at the gaping hole where the roof had once stood, and sighed. It now looked as though someone had started to build the place, but hadn’t managed to fit the doors, windows, or put a roof on it yet.

“It looks as though it is sleeping; waiting for someone to finish it,” she declared after several moments of thoughtful silence.

“There are a lot of things unfinished,” he said quietly.

Once again he moved toward her but didn’t stand behind her to hold her. Instead, he stood in front of her and drew her into his arms. He stared into her eyes, searching for any sign of objection. It was only when she sighed and settled against him that he began to relax and believe, for the first time in a month that everything would be alright.

Estelle rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. “Thank you for bringing me here. I don’t know why I was so scared of it. When I remember that awful night, it is difficult to believe that I was so lost in these woods.”

“It just needed a bit of tender loving care. While it isn’t finished yet because there are more paths to go in, it is at least safe enough that even in the densest fog, nobody is likely to get lost or stuck. I have no idea who has built this house, or why in here, but the gardener says that it is a newer building than the priory. I can only assume that at some point in the past we have had a hermit living in here.”

Estelle nodded. “But the woods have been too thick for anybody to notice him. It is strange but I cannot bring myself to consider that it was that old lady.”

“No, me neither.”

She looked up at him. “Have you seen her since?”

Myles shook his head. “Eva’s body has never been found either. It disappeared under the water and, while the river has been searched at least five miles downstream, there is no sign of her. She has just vanished.”

Estelle sighed. “I am sorry. She was still your relation.”

Myles snorted. “Well, as the old adage goes, you cannot choose your family.” He tipped her chin up until she looked at him. “But you can choose your loved ones.”

Estelle’s heart flipped and began to blossom deep within her chest when she saw the sincerity in his eyes.

“I am glad you don’t hate this place. While my father has considered tearing it down and establishing new woods, it is still a part of the estate and belongs with the family. Having seen it like this now, he agrees with me that it must stay as it is. We just need to maintain it now.”

“I am glad it is still here,” she replied.