Mrs. Ingram actually arrived, there was
no point in getting the girl's hopes up. Two years had passed; many more might do so
before May's mother saw fit to come for her .
She scanned the first lines of the letter and inadvertently crumpled the edge of the
paper. The promises in this one were much more explicit than any before. "Please keep
my daughter safe," the last lines said. "I will return for her very soon.”
The statement might even be true. But if it were not, Mrs. Ingram need have no fear for
May's safety .
She pushed the letter back in her pocket and looked up to find the subject of her
musings only a few yards away. May was standing at the border of the garden in her
plain, loose-fitting dress, poised on the edge of flight. The object of her riveted attention
was Quentin Forster .
He stood as still as she, with the absolute motionlessness of a wild animal. He and May
regarded each other minute by minute, as if in silent communication. Then Quentin held
out his hand and spoke. Johanna couldn't hear his words, but the tones were low and
soothing. He smiled. May flinched, eyes wide, and stared at his hand .
Of course Quentin didn't know any better; she'd failed to properly warn him. May was
terrified of strangers, men especially, and Quentin was, in spite of his leanness, an
imposing figure. Johanna felt an instinctive need to protect May from any discomfort he
might inadvertently cause her. She prepared to go to the girl's rescue .
Then a miracle happened. May reached out to brush Quentin's fingers with hers,
withdrew her hand, repeated the gesture. Quentin spoke again, and her piquant, heart-
Secret of the Wolf – 19th Century Werewolf 03
Page 86 of 455
shaped face broke out in a tremulous smile. She answered him, her voice hardly more
than a whisper .
The magical moment passed, as it must. May remembered her fear and backed away.
Quentin didn't try to hold her. He watched her run off, a faint frown between his brows.
Concern. Why should he care about a girl who was a stranger to him?
Why should he not, if he were a decent man? Inebriety, even insanity, did not always
destroy what was fundamentally good in a human being .
She strode along the graveled path to join him on the other side of the garden. His
engaging smile was back in place by the time she reached him .
"I've finally met your May," he said .
"So I see." She looked him over severely. "You ought to have remained in bed.”
"But I had so little incentive. I've always felt that sleeping was a very poor use for a good
bed.”
This time she managed to control her blush. "A return of your illness will be incentive
enough." But he hardly looked as though he needed more time to rest. He'd thrown off
his debilitation as if it had never existed. "You have no lingering weakness, no distress?”
"Nothing that a dose of your healing touch wouldn't cure.”
"I am surprised, Mr.—Quentin." She must not treat him differently than any of the
others. Using first rather than surnames and formal address helped build trust, and she
could not abandon the practice simply because it smacked of a greater intimacy when
used with this man. "May generally refuses to go anywhere near strangers. She seldom
even approaches any of the other patients, except for Oscar. What did you say to her?”
Secret of the Wolf – 19th Century Werewolf 03
Page 87 of 455
He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "I told her a secret.”
What sort of secret? she almost blurted out. Instead, she considered how much she
was prepared to trust him with May's well-being .
"I have no objection to you speaking with her
if you are very careful. It might help her
to realize that not all men are—" She stopped herself from revealing too much. "Just
remember that she is fragile, and cannot be pushed.”
He glanced the way she'd gone. "Poor child. But you are helping her.”
"I do what I can," she said coolly. Within the unconstraint and
no point in getting the girl's hopes up. Two years had passed; many more might do so
before May's mother saw fit to come for her .
She scanned the first lines of the letter and inadvertently crumpled the edge of the
paper. The promises in this one were much more explicit than any before. "Please keep
my daughter safe," the last lines said. "I will return for her very soon.”
The statement might even be true. But if it were not, Mrs. Ingram need have no fear for
May's safety .
She pushed the letter back in her pocket and looked up to find the subject of her
musings only a few yards away. May was standing at the border of the garden in her
plain, loose-fitting dress, poised on the edge of flight. The object of her riveted attention
was Quentin Forster .
He stood as still as she, with the absolute motionlessness of a wild animal. He and May
regarded each other minute by minute, as if in silent communication. Then Quentin held
out his hand and spoke. Johanna couldn't hear his words, but the tones were low and
soothing. He smiled. May flinched, eyes wide, and stared at his hand .
Of course Quentin didn't know any better; she'd failed to properly warn him. May was
terrified of strangers, men especially, and Quentin was, in spite of his leanness, an
imposing figure. Johanna felt an instinctive need to protect May from any discomfort he
might inadvertently cause her. She prepared to go to the girl's rescue .
Then a miracle happened. May reached out to brush Quentin's fingers with hers,
withdrew her hand, repeated the gesture. Quentin spoke again, and her piquant, heart-
Secret of the Wolf – 19th Century Werewolf 03
Page 86 of 455
shaped face broke out in a tremulous smile. She answered him, her voice hardly more
than a whisper .
The magical moment passed, as it must. May remembered her fear and backed away.
Quentin didn't try to hold her. He watched her run off, a faint frown between his brows.
Concern. Why should he care about a girl who was a stranger to him?
Why should he not, if he were a decent man? Inebriety, even insanity, did not always
destroy what was fundamentally good in a human being .
She strode along the graveled path to join him on the other side of the garden. His
engaging smile was back in place by the time she reached him .
"I've finally met your May," he said .
"So I see." She looked him over severely. "You ought to have remained in bed.”
"But I had so little incentive. I've always felt that sleeping was a very poor use for a good
bed.”
This time she managed to control her blush. "A return of your illness will be incentive
enough." But he hardly looked as though he needed more time to rest. He'd thrown off
his debilitation as if it had never existed. "You have no lingering weakness, no distress?”
"Nothing that a dose of your healing touch wouldn't cure.”
"I am surprised, Mr.—Quentin." She must not treat him differently than any of the
others. Using first rather than surnames and formal address helped build trust, and she
could not abandon the practice simply because it smacked of a greater intimacy when
used with this man. "May generally refuses to go anywhere near strangers. She seldom
even approaches any of the other patients, except for Oscar. What did you say to her?”
Secret of the Wolf – 19th Century Werewolf 03
Page 87 of 455
He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "I told her a secret.”
What sort of secret? she almost blurted out. Instead, she considered how much she
was prepared to trust him with May's well-being .
"I have no objection to you speaking with her
if you are very careful. It might help her
to realize that not all men are—" She stopped herself from revealing too much. "Just
remember that she is fragile, and cannot be pushed.”
He glanced the way she'd gone. "Poor child. But you are helping her.”
"I do what I can," she said coolly. Within the unconstraint and
Similar Books
