And that is how change happens. One gesture. One person. One moment at a time. ~ Libba Bray.

Chapter 24.

When Change Sneaks In.

For the first time since the accident, Elwyn was waiting for something. He had risen in the morning, he had washed, dressed, eaten; done all the things he had been doing ever since he had made this tower his prison, but today he wasn't just doing it as a chore. Today had a purpose; today there was a reason to get out of bed.

His uniform was faded, but it was clean, and that was the most important thing. He even had Raj polish his boots. The room didn't need much tidying, there was nothing in it to begin with.

Elwyn had Raj open the window to let the summer sun in. Then he sat down and waited and waited and waited. The seconds seemed to crawl and Elwyn had already made up his mind that he had been a complete and total fool when a knock sounded on the door.

His hopes rose, though he told himself that it was only Raj.

But it was not. It was Miss Morton. She was dresesd in a simple, yet pretty green gown that brought out the color in her cheeks, flushed from the tiring climb. Elwyn tried to keep the smile off his face as he rose to greet her. She mustn't think him excited about her visit. She held out her hand, he kissed it. Once the formalities were over she accepted the seat he offered her and took the book.

"I do trust you are in good health, Miss Morton," Elwyn stated, taking his own seat.

"I could not be better...considering the circumstances," Beatrice replied.

Elwyn tilted his head to the side a little. "What was it that you were ill with?"

"I am not ill, Captain," Beatrice corrected. "Rather overtired. It has been a difficult set of months, a little too much drama for my liking."

Elwyn laughed a little. To think he had found a woman who didn't care for drama. "I should have thought most women like to create it," he dared to point out.

Beatrice shrugged. "Perhaps most women do," she half agreed. "But most is not all. Unfortunately for me, if there is one thing I know my life is always going to have it is drama, comes from living with a dragon."

"Yes, Miss Morton, about this dragon," Elwyn leaned forward just a little. "When are you going to tell me just what this metaphor is all about?"

Beatrice gave mysterious smile. "Perhaps when you and I are much, much better aquinted, Captain Fleets. Now, shall we turned to the Odessey?"

She was coy, that was for sure. Elwyn settled back into his chair. and listened as she read of the battles and difficulties of Odessyus, who was still so far from ever getting home.

They had been reading for over an hour and at last Beatrice closed the book. Elwyn grumbled to himself. This was really the worst part of the day, the part when it was time for Miss Morton to go home.

Beatrice, however, was not in a hurry to get going. She set the book on the table taking a deep breath, turned to face Elwnyn. It was obvious she was trying to find the courage to say something and he nodded a little, hoping to give a bit of encouragment.

"Captain Fleets," She stated. "Have you given any thought about what I have told you yesterday?"

"Perhaps."

"The point is," Beatrice replied. "I was speaking with the family doctor yesterday. Do not worry," she held up her hand when she saw sparks fly in his eyes. "I never mentioned you. I made a promise after all. But in the course of the conversation I was able to discover that if you were to go outside right now, after three years of being locked in a tower, it would be dangerous for your health. After breating foul air for so long, your lungs must be taught to take in the air of outside, without it turning in pneumonia. Also, the climb back up the stairs to the tower would be hard on your heart and your muscles, which have grown used to inactivity. All this to say, when I spoke yesterday, I didn't realize what going out of the tower could do to you and I hope you didn't take me too seriously. I am rather ignorant of such things." Beatrice dropped her gaze to the floor. "Ignorant of too many things, actually," she muttered under her breath.

Despite the fact that her words could have insulted him, Elwyn only let out a smile and a slight chuckle.

"Miss Morton, I really did not think you cared so much about my health."

"Well I would hate to be the reason for you death," Beatrice replied, her face coloring deeply. "I'll bid you a good day. I must be getting back before I am missed."

"I thought you said they were all in London."

"Oh, they are, but my mother told the housekeeper to keep an eye on me. They want me to stay in bed, but I have never known bed to be a good cure. I always say get out into the fresh air, take long walks and ride everyday and that will cure any disease, be it in your body or your soul."

"It seems once upon a time, Miss Morton, you and I had the same policy. I never liked being cooped up when wounded. The indoors was the worst place to heal in my opinion." Elwyn let out a little sigh and glance at the miserable surroundings he now lived in. "I suppose I have changed my mind over the years."

Beatrice shook her head. "Captain, I do not think you have changed your mind. For truly, anyone can see you are not healing by locking yourself up in here. If you wanted to heal, you would never have come to this tower in the first place."

Those were bold words and Beatrice hated herself the moment she said them. When would she learn not to be so blunt. She's already offended the captain so many times in her short aquintance with him.

Elwyn, however, was not offended. He was touched, but was careful not to show it. He bid his guest a good day and saw her to the door. When she was gone, instead of going to his chair as had been his custom for far too long, Elwyn hit upon a plan.

If the doctor was truly right about his lungs and his heart and his muscle, then he certainly wouldn't go outside just yet. He'd never be able to climb back up the stairs to his room for one thing. But Elwyn had been a man of war, and that meant he had been a man of battle wounds, and he knew when the wound healed the limb could not right away be put to pressure it was used to. You had to slowly work the leg or the arm, remind it of what it could do, build the strength again.

"I have time," Elwyn decided. "I'll start with building my strength up here, and slowly I'll move out of the tower and outside."

For one thing the excersize would give him something to do while he was alone. It was better than staring at a wall at any rate.

***

The summer sun had decided to reward Catrin for all those years she spent locked up on the manor, and shone down gently on the garden party of Lady Chanton's garden party, and young Catrin Llewelyn was truly enjoying hereslf.

Being a girl of smiles and laughs, it was easy for her to make friends, and when she, Mrs. Fairfax, and her stepmother arrived, Catrin was immedietly whisked away by Miss Crangle and Lady Derrington.

"I see your stepmother has come as well," Miss Abigail Crangle said to Catrin as they went over to serve themselves drinks. "What about your stepsister, Miss Morton? I have never known mother and daughter to be seperated, the two of them are joined at the hip it would seem. Where there is one you will always find the other."

"My stepsister took ill," Catrin explained. "The doctor ordered complete rest and quiet for a month."

Young Lady Elizabeth Derrington shook her head. "She was bound to wear down at one point. I do say, that girl did not know where to stop. So many parties, so many balls, and all those hearts she broke."

The two girls shook their head.

"I do declare, I am glad she is not here," Miss Crangle added. "Her behavior is something to be ashamed of."

"What do you mean?" Catrin asked.

"Why, surely you know better than anyone, Miss Llewelyn, that Miss Morton is a flirt and a jilt."

Catrin could not believe her ears. "Beatrice?" She coughed out. Beatrice a flirt and a jilt? That was not possible! Beatrice hated flirting. She was cold and disagreable, Mamma always complained about that.

"But of course," Lady Derrington replied. "Why she flirts shamelessly with all the gentlemen her mother introduces to her, and then the next day she is cold and cruel and behaves as though the man is a total stranger to her. Why, my brother, Lord Willslly, heir to Canterry Hall, he was head over heels in love with her. She led him on for about two weeks and when he got down on one knee she turned him down with no sense of regret at all. Broke the man's heart, it took him so long to recover. When it comes to men it is impossible to say how she will behave. At times she turns up her nose right from the start, at other times she treats the men like my brother. She is a cruel young lady, you have no idea how many men's heart she shattered. I would think her mother would have put her foot down by now, but Mrs. Llewelyn continues to turn a blind eye. You are quite different from her, Catrin dear. Beatrice is cross while you are kind and gentle. You will succeed where you stepsister has miserably failed."

Catrin thanked them for their kind words but excused herself as quickly as possible.

"How can they?" She muttered angrily to herself as she marched over to pour herself another glass of lemonade. "Say such thing about Beatrice right to my face! They don't know what Mamma put Beatrice through, how she forces her to go to all those parties and balls."

Sipping her lemonade, Catrin puzzled over her stepsister. She understood Beatrice disliked London and society, but why must she make enemies of everyone? If she kept up the way she was, Beatrice would be all alone in life. She even made the young ladies hate her. Why? Didn't she want friends?

Mrs. Llewelyn had been watching her stepdaughter out of the corner of her eye and was rather dismayed at how popular Catrin was. Everyone flocked to the little Welsh girl, everyone wanted to talk to her, to be in her company.

"Beatrice, can't you see what you are doing?" Mrs. Llewelyn fumed. "How could you have done this to me? Just look at your stepsister, everyone wants to be with her. When you are in London no one runs to you the way they do to her." Taking a deep breath Mrs. Llewelyn tried to comfort herself that this was only for one day. Tomorrow everything would go back to the way it had been before.

"Ah, Mrs. Llewelyn," Lady Chanton's voice sounded behind her.

Mrs. Llewelyn turned and gave a slight bow in greeting.

"You have such a delightful stepdaughter, Mrs. Llewelyn," Lady Chanton continued. "Such a sweet girl. Full of good manners but no airs and graces about her. Where have you been hiding her all these years?"

"Catrin's health was very poor," Mrs. Llewelyn explained. "I had to wait till she grew stronger."

"And where is your daughter?"

"In Wales. Beatrice seems to have been worn out and the doctor ordered a month of rest. I must return to her, so Catrin and I will depart back for Wales tomorrow."

"Oh, oh no, no, no!" Lady Chanton shook her head, obviously not happy with this arrangment. "You must not take little Miss Llewelyn away. The girl has nothing to do on that lonely manor. No, you must leave her here. I assure you she is very safe in the care of Mrs. Fairfax. We are having a ball tomorrow and my nephew will be very upset if Miss Llewelyn does not show up. He is a good fellow you know. Younger son, but with a glittering career in the law awaiting him. He was quite taken with your stepdaughter. It would be a good match, not that I am pushing for it. But Catrin is already nineteen years of age, it is about time she started keeping her eyes open for a good match, and I don't think you get one out there on your manor."

Mrs. Llewelyn shook her head firmly. "Catrin cannot stay here."

"But of couse she can!" Lady Chanton was deaf to any other option. "There are so many people the girl must be introduced to. She may not be of much family, though Mrs. Fairfax mentioned her father was cousin to a duke? And with the Earl of Worthington as her step-uncle, the girl is full of good connections. And with an entire manor to her name, there is no way all that must go to waste. No, she must find a good husband, and that is only possible if she remains in society. There will be no talk of going back, Mariah, you know it is foolish and society will not approve."

Mrs. Llewelyn rolled her eyes. Of course no one wanted the pretty little heiress to disappear. It dawned on Mariah that even if she were to whisk Catrin away, there would be no going back to the way it had been. Catrin was out, all of society was talking about her, and if she disappeared all of society would start looking for her. And then Elinor Fairfax might say something and they would all start calling Mrs. Llewelyn and evil stepmother who only looked out for her own daughter, and that would put Beatrice in a bad light and those fives years Mariah had so diligently invested into with Beatrice might as well be thrown to the wind.

Mrs. Llewelyn was still in the middle of trying to think of what to do now, when the herald called out.

"The Duke and Denster and his son, Lord Woodworth."

The color drained from Mrs. Llewelyn's face. Lord Woodworth was in London? He had come to this party? And Beatrice was in Wales and Catrin was here. She turned and saw as the familiar figure of Lord Woodworth appeared, along with that of his father.

She watched him casually glance around, watched his gaze rest on Catrin. Mrs. Llewelyn saw the spark of recongnition, she saw the smile come to his face, she saw him excuse himself from his father and go straight to her.

"Well, well, well," she muttered to herself. "I see the prince has found his little Cinderella, who ran away from her stepmother to the ball. How romantic it all is working out. Pity life isn't a fairytale! If plan A isn't working and plan B isn't working, then I shall just have to move on to plan C. And don't you worry, Miss Catrin Llewelyn, there are enough letters in this alphabet to make sure that my daughter, and not some country bumpkin from Wales, becomes the future Duchess of Denster."