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boys, Leo an' Jules, I nursed them from wee angels. Young Leo were out in the party searchin’ fer yeh with Jules an’ brung yeh to me, then him went off to fetch the doctor. Middle of the night, but Leo insisted he come to Aven Cottage straight away.” Aven was just on the outskirts of town but it must have been closer to where Leo found me than Rhineholt was.
    “He already been and gone! Doctor Haskins, that is. He wrapped ye'r leg up good an' left me a bottle of black stuff to have ye drink with tea. That Doctor, he be doing his rounds in town, but he'll be by to check ye’r wound, this afternoon. Master Leo went an' rode on up to Rhineholt to tell Lard Rhineholt that he left yeh at Aven Cottage! I bet me life they'm worried sick over their little one! Yer safe with ole Creeda, though.” She patted my hand and then threw her arms up as if the world around her had gone mad.
    “Now see what I brung yeh before it cools! Some nice eggs me hens laid this very morn. Yeh look as pale as the aven flower bloomin’ out back, an' I daresay yer dyin' teh eat somethin’,'" she said and I nodded. She put the tray across my lap, and then swooped out of the room.
    I wondered why Leo did not respond when I asked him who he was. He was so changed from the plump little boy who had taunted me as a child at his brother’s side. He still had the same, fair colored hair, but I did not get a good look at his face. I wondered if he couldn't hear me, or if I'd even managed to speak the words at all. Maybe I dreamed up the whole interaction.
    Then I thought about the vision of my mother again and felt that intense sorrow, like I lost something I could never get back. I looked at the palm that she kissed in my dream. Pressing the hand to my cheek, I closed my eyes.
    The door burst open, and my Aunt Emmaline darted in with Uncle Charles in tow. She embraced me and kissed me, and then Uncle Charles kissed my forehead. I thought, " Well, if that's what it takes to get some affection, I'd rather not. " Then I thought of Perseus and the state he was in when I fainted.
    "Perseus?" I asked, sitting up, and my Aunt sat at the edge of the bed and drew her eyes down. The tears began welling up, and my Aunt pulled a delicately embroidered handkerchief from her sleeve to wipe my eyes. It was Uncle Charles who explained.
    "There was nothing to be done. He was in such pain." There was that moment when I was weaving in and out of consciousness and hear a loud, thunder-like noise. It was Leo putting my dear companion to rest.
    Creeda came into the room, then and said, "My goodness! What're yeh cryin' fer? Ye’r wounds will heal. Poor little cherub! I will make ye’r tea with the remedy the Doc left fer yeh and that'll do the trick!" She rushed back out of the room before anyone could tell her I was simply mourning my horse.
    When Doctor Haskins came, he was glad to see that I was awake. He said the blood loss would make me weak and asked me not to put any weight on my leg for several days. Aunt Emmaline decided she and I would stay with Creeda because, as she insisted, I was a “wee angel an’ no trouble at all.” My Aunt and I needed some fresh clothing, so she went back to Rhineholt with Uncle Charles. The Hilbournes would then return her to me on their way back home. They planned to stay in the nearby village overnight; it was too late in the day to make it back to Hilbourne Abbey.
    By the time Aunt Emmaline was back, it was late afternoon, and I had already napped twice and eaten again, so I was wide awake when Celia came in to see me. Her eyes were red, and I could see that she'd been crying.
    "I was so worried for you, Tamsin, darling! The way you screamed..." Celia held me against her. She clasped my hand so tight it hurt, but I did not have the heart to tell her.
    She continued, "Tamsin dear, I always wanted a daughter and though we have not spent much time together, I want you to know that I believe your mother would've wanted us to be close.