"...and I imagine that, though cold and haughty in her general demeanour, and even extracting in her requirements, she has strong affection for those who can reach them..." – Anne Bronte, Agnes Grey.

1813

She hadn't made it out of London as quickly as she planned. She was currently holed up in some less than presentable establishment until she could get out unseen. She'd decided to stay a couple of weeks before moving to Bath. It was her hope to stay low for the coming weeks and throw off her stalker before moving on. She was still no closer to working out who was stalking her. She so desperately hoped it would be him. It would be so easy if it were him, so simple and easy to solve. It was what irked her so, knowing deep down that it wasn't him and that someone else, someone unknown was targeting her.

In the area of London that she was holed up in, she expected to get by without too much trouble. Her jaunts with society always brought in a new supply of money so she could live without straying too deep into the underbelly of all things more...seedy.

She was however, beginning to tire of the London scene. She was never one for shying away from attention. She liked to be in the limelight and basked in all the attention that came with it. She didn't enjoy having to stay in the shadows and watch as life went on without her involvement.

"Valarie, Valarie is that you?"

Cold fear ran down Valarie's back. That wasn't the voice of someone who knew her as 'Valarie the orphaned socialite', that was the voice of someone who knew more about Valarie and where she had originally come from. It was a voice she recognised, so she did what anyone would have done and kept walking forwards, ignoring the voice that called after her.

A hand clamped down hard on Valarie's forearm and she sucked in a breath of fear and uncertainty.

"Valarie it is you! My goodness child, I never expected to see you again and much less in a place like this! Come, let's go for some tea and you can tell me all about yourself."

Valarie recognised when she was beat and with the pressure on her forearm not giving up in the slightest, she knew she had no other choice but to let the woman guide them to a nearby tearoom. She supposed she could have gotten away if she had truly needed to, but she hadn't wanted to cause a scene. She was, after all, trying to stay in the shadows.

Once suitably seated in the tearoom, hats were taken from heads, shawls placed on chairs and Valarie realised why the voice had sounded so familiar. The woman sitting opposite her was one she knew quite well because, for a time, this woman had been Valarie's only companion. How had Cora found her? Surely this could not be a coincidence?

Coincidences happened to normal people and Valarie knew she wasn't normal.

"So, how did you end up in London?"

Valarie looked around fearfully, for she knew that however much she might want to tell Cora, she couldn't guarantee that this place was safe, and even if it was, she wasn't about to put another in danger, especially Cora.

"I was visiting a friend."

"You're not with a friend now though, so what happened?"

Again, Valarie looked around to the other patrons at the tearoom. No one was paying them any attention, she was sure of that but looks could be deceiving. Valarie couldn't take any chances in what she said around others. If she'd been a more ruthless type of person, she'd have tied up all the loose ends and wouldn't be stuck in this place right now. Honestly, she had never expected to see this woman again, and had never stopped to think that they may one day cross path.

"Nothing happened."

Valarie could feel Cora assessing her every move, but Valarie was a master at appearing unconcerned. Her face remained a blank canvas while her heart remained frozen.

Cora however, appeared to see something she was not happy with. Abandoning the tea and paying their way, Cora dragged Valarie once more. Valarie had forgotten the grip this woman had. She had forgotten that Cora had been the one to breakdown all her barriers and she clearly underestimated the woman's determination.

It was pleasant to have someone in her corner once more, but it was unneeded, and Valarie was indifferent to it. She couldn't show weakness, couldn't involve Cora. Unlike Gwyn, Cora wasn't expendable and knowing that made Valarie realise how bad this could become. She couldn't have feelings for other people, platonic or otherwise, less they fall into her mess.

They soon entered a darkened room where Cora shut the door behind them, secured it, and then lip the lamps to illuminate the room.

"What's wrong child? I promise that we are safe here. You can trust me, I swear."

Valarie couldn't tell her, not really, but that didn't stop the tears from making trails down her cheeks. She was better than this weakness. It had been three years since her life had changed and little over a year since she'd perfected her unfeeling mask. What was it about seeing Cora that had caused her mask to crumble?

She needed to erect the barriers again. She wouldn't allow Cora to fall into trouble. She supposed Cora was the one person in the world that she cared about. She had been the person who stayed and helped in her time of trouble and that meant something to Valarie.

"My dear girl, are you in trouble still?"

Why did she continue to ask questions when Valarie was trying desperately hard to keep the answer a secret?

Valarie felt hands capture hers and force her to lock eyes with Cora. The woman starred unblinkingly, and Valarie felt like the woman was trying to read her soul. Satisfied, Cora let go of Valarie and stepped back.

"Should you ever be looking for help, head for Flyzroy Castle and I promise you'll be safe there."