Witchrise by Victoria Lamb

I have no wish to be ungrateful. I know what diligent care you have taken of me since I returned to Lytton Park. But I am not an invalid and do not need to spend any more days in bed.’
    Richard limped into the room. His lightning glance flashed across my face, then assessed Alejandro.
    ‘I expect he’ll live,’ he told me drily when I had explained what had happened. ‘You had better wait downstairs though while I check his wound. Go on, your father is below and wishes to speak with you.’
    I left the room, but reluctantly.
    I hated the pained look in Alejandro’s eyes, and the fact that it had deepened when he glanced from me to Richard. His jealousy remained unspoken, but that did not mean I was unaware of it.
    Downstairs, my father called me into his study, his face stern. I could already guess what he wanted to say and stood in an agony of impatience, wishing I knew if Alejandro’s wound had split.
    ‘I imagine the Spaniard will be ready to return to Hatfield soon,’ my father began coldly, standing by the fire with his hands clasped behind his back, ‘and you no doubt intend to accompany him back there. With or without my permission as your father.’
    I shrugged, not bothering to respond. I was no longer a child, being almost seventeen years of age, but my father believed he still had the right to pass judgement on my decisions. It had been one thing to respect his feelings as master of this house by asking Alejandro to return to Hatfield. But now apparently I needed my father’s permission to leave Lytton Park in his company. The injustice made my lips tighten.
    There was a chilly silence between us. The fire crackled and I stared at it, not prepared to meet his gaze.
    ‘If you leave Lytton Park, Marcus Dent will find you,’ my father said pointedly, ‘and destroy you. When he came to visit me before you returned home, Dent made it clear he would remember our friendship and not attack you while you remained under my roof. So you see, you cannot go back to Hatfield if you wish to live.’
    ‘Marcus lied to you,’ I said impatiently. ‘He cannot attack me here because the place is beset with protective spells. Not because of his old friendship with you.’
    My temper, always quick to rise, flared; I could not help myself. ‘Anyway, what do you care if Marcus does attack me? You have never shown me love or understanding. You have only ever disapproved of me and tried to control me.’
    ‘How dare you speak to me like that!’ he blustered, glaring at me. ‘I am your father. You owe me respect, girl.’
    I held my breath, counting to ten as I tried to calm down. This argument was foolish and pointless. My father could not hold me here, and we both knew it. It was better to speak calmly and leave his house with some dignity.
    ‘I shall return to Hatfield with Alejandro as soon as he is able to travel, and probably take William with me too. The Lady Elizabeth has asked for me in person and I am still loyal to her ladyship, even if she saw fit to dismiss me in the autumn.’ I glanced from the smoking fireplace to the ugly faded tapestry on the wall. ‘Surely you see Lytton Park is no longer for me? I was made for more than hiding quietly beneath my father’s roof like a mouse under the floorboards.’
    I went to the door, but my father had not finished. He followed me in haste, his chest rattling with deep, harsh breaths.
    ‘You will regret leaving here,’ he warned me. ‘This is the only safe place in the country for you.’
    I turned on him in the doorway. ‘Being here did not help Aunt Jane when Dent burst in and dragged her away to her death. Dent might leave me alone for a few years, but eventually he would grow impatient and come for me.’ I glared back at him until his gaze dropped. ‘And what would happen if you were to die, Father? Would Master Dent still honour his promise to leave me alone?’
    ‘You seem very keen for my death,’ he muttered savagely.
    ‘I am merely aware of my