A Night of Forever by Lori Brighton

her. Mary Ellen
froze. Blast, had Worthing found her already? Yes, it was most
assuredly Aidan’s fault and she would make sure to tell him exactly
how she felt when she returned to the ballroom.
    Mary Ellen pasted a smile upon her lips, and turned.
“Why, Lord Worthing, you’ve already…”
    Two men stood in the shadows of the yews, faces
covered with black masks, clothing as dark as sin. She had no
reason to suspect they were anyone other than guests. So why did a
shiver of unease whisper over her skin?
    “Can I help you?” she asked, hating the way her
voice trembled.
    Neither one said a word.
    Mary Ellen knew in that moment how right Meg had
been.
    She never should have left the house.
     
    ****
     
    “Byron is so very romantic, don’t you agree, Mr.
Callaghan?”
    Aidan was doing his best to ignore the woman in
front of him, but she didn’t quite notice his disinterest. He’d
rather stab himself repeatedly in the eyes than talk about poetry.
He glanced out the windows. Where the hell was Mary Ellen? He’d
seen her slip outside moments ago but surely she hadn’t been silly
enough to head into the gardens unescorted.
    “ Don’t go,” he’d whispered, but she had left
anyway.
    He moved to the open doors, knowing the woman
followed… Miss Palmer, or something or another. The woman Mary
Ellen seemed to despise. He didn’t blame her.
    The patio was empty.
    “Or do you prefer other reading material?” Miss
Palmer asked, snapping at his heels like a pup after a meal. If
only all human females were as annoying as Miss Palmer, there would
be no need to worry about infatuations.
    He paused near the railing, resting his hands on the
cool marble. He hadn’t expected Mary Ellen to leave the patio, but
obviously she had. Under the glow of the moonlight he could see the
impressions of her slippered feet in the grass. Not only her
slippers. Larger prints as well. Male. The animal inside him roared
to life. Anger fought with despair. She might not want him, but he
had apparently claimed her as his own anyway.
    “I, in fact,” Miss Palmer proclaimed. “Will read
anything.”
    Aidan started down the stairs, his steps long and
hurried.
    “Will you be back, Mr. Callaghan?” she called
out.
    He didn’t bother to respond. Damn her, what was Mary
Ellen thinking to go off with some drunken fool? He knew she was
attempting to prove something, to show him that she didn’t bloody
well care, but he’d never thought her to be this irrational.
    The laughter of the guests dancing around the fire
was barely audible. The only sound was his own blood roaring…
surging… through his veins in angry protest. He wanted her. He
needed her. She belonged to him. Only him.
    He knew there was an owl overhead without looking.
Could hear Worthing calling for Mary Ellen near the rose garden.
The drunken fool. Knew there was a couple kissing passionately some
ten feet from him, hidden under the branches of a maple tree.
    None of that mattered, for in the air was Mary
Ellen’s sweet scent. He closed his eyes briefly as he continued
down the path, following her. The little fool. When he found her,
he’d tell her exactly how stupid she’d been. And then…hell, and
then he’d kiss her. He’d kiss her and show her pricesly where she
belonged…with him. A sudden scream interrupted the night sounds. A
scream so soft and muffled that others wouldn’t have heard the cry
for help. But he heard.
    Mary Ellen .
    Fear and anger combined. Aidan burst down the trail,
uncaring who noticed his unnatural speed. The shadows between the
yews morphed into human shapes. Two men, one woman. Mary Ellen
struggled in the arms of her captors, doing her best to break
free.
    Aidan saw red. His fingers curled and he burst
forward so fast they didn’t see him coming. He grabbed the first
man by the shirt and tossed him aside, finding perverse
satisfaction when he heard the thunk of the man hitting a tree. He
had no time to think, only time to act. The animal