It was always night here.
And Phoebe, Phoebe, where was she? She had broken her promise and run away. Of course, she had run away. Why would she want to stay when she was so quashed by him? She had always been so glowing, so full of life before. He had dragged her down with his own selfish darkness.
Please let her be safe. Please let her be safe. If only he could get out of here and go looking for her again. Find her, see her. That would be enough for him. He wouldn’t have to touch her. He wouldn’t have to have her by his side, in his house, as his wife. He just had to know she was safe somewhere, happy.
He’d find a way for her to have that. Whatever she wanted. Her own house in London. Or a life with her mother.
He shuddered.
It would terrible to have his wife and his child live apart from him, but if that’s what she needed, he would make sure she had that.
He rolled onto his back.
It was so much easier to be noble and generous when you were lying in your grave.
He must have fallen asleep because he went from being in the dark passage to standing at the edge of a large meadow watching his beautiful Phoebe shoot arrows over and over again directly into the sun to being back in the dark passage and hearing the most wonderful sound in the world.
Phoebe’s voice.
“George, George, are you in there?”
He shifted and got back onto his stomach and raised his head. There was a small trace of light coming from the crack under the door. He opened his mouth and no sound came out. He took a deep breath and managed to croak out, “Yes.”
“Thank God, thank God, thank God.” He heard her speaking to someone else, giving instructions about something. Then her voice coming through the crack to him again.
“George, sweetheart, we’re going to get you out, all right? I’m here with you. Can you hear me?”
“Yes.”
“I’m so sorry. I went walking and then to see Mother, it was so selfish of me and I didn’t even think about you being worried. And then when I got home and Mead told me you had been looking for me, I felt awful. And then I couldn’t find you to apologize to you for worrying you and no one had any idea where you were and we’ve been looking for you everywhere. I never thought you’d be here. I’m so happy to have found you.”
“I’m happy you found me, too.”
“George, I’ve been such a bad wife to you so far and so maddening, I’m sure, and I just want you to know I’m going to be better, sweetheart.”
“You haven’t been bad.”
“Yes, I have. And you’ve been very patient, waiting for me to grow up. And I’m going to reward that patience.”
“I just want you to be happy.”
“I will be, I can be. I’m so happy right now to be talking to you.”
“I don’t . . . feel well. It’s so dark in here, Phee. I . . . ”
“I want you to close your eyes. Can you do that for me?”
“Yes.”
“Close your eyes now. Think about something else.” A pause came here and George panicked.
“Phee!”
“I’m still here, sweetheart.”
“Keep talking.”
“Of course, I can’t think of anything to say right now except I wish I was in there with you and I could put my arms around you.”
