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If any of the hospital staff had thought it odd that she had arrived dressed in a ball gown and velvet cloak, none had said as such The doctor had explained that her grandmother had suffered a broken hip and fractured shoulder from the fall but the knock to her head had been what had worried hi her usually quite good hold on the French language, had made her want to shake theto be okay But after nearly thirteen hours in the hospital, Claudette hadn’t yet regained consciousness and the et soe Because if she’d looked dishevelled when she’d first arrived, Lord knehat she looked like now

When she’d asked the taxi to stop on the other side of the woods, she’d given no thought to her clothing Instead she’d wanted to e on the path that felt achingly fae and unknowable at this ti But the he up the daht on twigs and thorns, Ella felt as if she were battling so physical, not just erandmother’s

She pulled up short, wanting to wrench the da to wail and shout and cry all at once She forced herself to breathe in a long, slow breath, in and out She had al The hairs on the skin of her arles and shivers down her back Casting a glance around her, Ella’s gaze snagged on soe and she took half a step towards the bush before she saw the glea at her Before she could run, the beast crashed out of the tree cover and loped towards her in an alarait that covered the distance between them in seconds and, just as it was about to pounce, she closed her eyes and—

‘Dorcas, sit!’

Prising her eyes open, she watched as the massive beast careened to a halt barely a foot fro out of itsfound so for its master spread across its wolfish features

An alh of relief bubbled in her chest, until it caught there thehis way towards her

He was over six feet fall, raceful as he wove his way through the trees Ella’s heart thudded in her chest the aze as easily as the breath in her lungs Longish dark hair swept carelessly around his head and hung doards a lo that appeared alainst the pale ht blue, almost yellow, as if he shared some kinship with the animal which sat at her feet Lips that were neither thick nor too thin made her wonder whether they would feel as perfect as they appeared to her The fanciful thought rily ate up what else she could see of hi and proud, and Ella’s eyes tripped down to where the collar of his grey linen shirt peeked above a deep rich blue pullover, revealing a glimpse of the hollow that she inexplicably wanted to press her thumb to

Ella’s heart pounded in her chest Never had a man had such an effect on her before And never had her h her entire being

Thisto break my heart

The shock and sheer ridiculousness of the thought ure to stop in his tracks Ella used the brief respite to breathe Despite his i from him

‘I’ets excited e meet other people’

At this, the beast—Dorcas—decided its iant frae Ella’s hand with her nose As Ella absente hound, it took a moment for her tired mind to understand the source of her confusion because, although she understood him completely, she couldn’t quite understand why he’d spoken in Russian

Interpreting her confusion, the man pressed on ‘Je suis désolé, vous m’avez surpris’

He se encounter were his fault and not hers for walking through the woods at so dressed indressed in Oh, God! Ella alh

‘Perhaps we could continue in English, if you speak it It’s been along day’

‘It is only six o’clock in theday’ He looked her over and she suddenly realised that he could quite easily misinterpret the reason for her appearance, which made her think of all the reasons she was in the woods in a ball gown and red velvet cape after spending twelve hours by her grandmother’s bedside

The forest’s dew had soaked into the cloak and, ry and tired But as she began to shiver she realised that it was not fro this man’s sole focus

‘Where are you going?’ he asked gently, as if not wanting to scare her further

‘My grandmother’s house It’s just up the path and not far’