*~~*~~*
She should not have told him.
That thought rattled around her mind as she watched him blink, blink again, frown, and then swallow.
“I think I need to sit down again.” Which he promptly did, with a little less elegance than usual.
“Of course. I understand.” She twisted her fingers together awkwardly. “If you wish to leave, I will walk back to the house and let them know you’ve gone…”
Please don’t go.
“I am not leaving, Elinor. Good lord, do you think me such a-a-daft idiot that I cannot recognise the truth when I hear it?”
Her jaw dropped, and she sat down on the bench beside him. “I…”
“Hush,” he said, covering her hand with his as it lay on the bench between them. “Let me… let me absorb this for a moment or two.”
Carrádog walked to her knees and rested his head on them, an offering of such wonderful doggy-comfort that her eyes stung for a few moments. She rested her hand on his head. “Thank you, dear Carrádog. I have to wonder if perhaps I’m not alone in my gift.”
She could have sworn he grinned at her before giving a quiet little woof and then returning his head to her knee. She stroked him gently and turned to Caleb. “Since you’ve not stumbled over your feet in an attempt to escape the madwoman sitting beside you, I’m going to hazard a guess that you have some questions?”
He managed a chuckle. “That is truly an understatement, Elinor.” He nodded. “I scarcely know where to begin, as a matter of fact.” Absentmindedly, he ran his hand through his hair, as if to stimulate his brain back into working order.
“Perhaps it would help if I related the history of the Molliney family,” she offered. “For that is where this—this odd ability began.”
He managed a smile. “I’ll wager this is going to be an interesting tale.”
“I think so,” she nodded.
And for the next half hour or so, Elinor related the tale of the first Jeanne Molyneux, and how an elf was rescued from certain death by her kindness and bravery.
“Since then, there have been many Mollineys with this…this gift, I suppose you could call it. It is a part of our family history, Caleb, much like those who have ancestors carrying other sorts of adventures with them…” she thought for a moment, “like the ones who fought at the Battle of Hastings, or those who lost people during Cromwellian times…all legends that become an integral element of a family’s antecedents.”
Caleb’s eyes remained fixed on hers, and she breathed a little easier when she saw his interest, not the derision she’d feared.
“I wouldn’t call this a legend, Elinor. You’re living, breathing proof of its reality. And this…thisgift, if you will, has been possessed by many of your forebears, I would guess?”
Elinor nodded. “It has.” She relaxed even more. “Not all those who received it wanted it, of course. And in our family archives—which are extremely well documented, by the way—slight mentions are made of the times the gift was accepted, and the times the recipient decided never to use it.” Glancing at him, she took a breath. “It is carefully written down, but names are not, Caleb. If you were to read our history, you wouldn’t notice the references. None of us know who had the gift, and nobody asks. It justis.”
“It’s a choice, then?”
“I suppose you could call it that. But accepting it is also not a burden. And before you ask, no, my parents do not know.” Still unsure of his reaction, she stood. “Shall we walk a little? I think better on my feet.”
He rose as well. “You seem to be thinking very clearly just sitting there, but by all means let’s stretch our legs.”
Suiting words to action, he offered his arm, and Elinor willingly took it as they began a leisurely stroll toward the shrubs and trees that shaded the lawns.
Silent for a few minutes, Elinor managed a laugh as she noticed Carrádog patiently following them, tail wagging, and an expression on his face that just had to be a smile.
Caleb grinned as well, and drew them to a halt. Then he put his hand over hers, and they paused, screened by massive rhododendrons.
“I believe you, Elinor. I truly do. I have no idea why, but one look into your eyes and I can see the truth.”
She gulped down her gasp of surprise. “Caleb,” she whispered, “You have to understand, I never imagined hearing anyone say what you just said.”
She felt the sun warm on her face, and licked her lips as she smiled up at him.
His expression changed a little, and she saw his chest rise with an indrawn breath. Gently pulling her closer, he slid his free arm around her waist. “I don’t even care if you can summon angels from Heaven or devils from Hell. I know only one thing…”
