Elwin had a list of things that Selene had made over the previous weeks. All of the items were important but could wait for his return. The first duty was to assess the stables to ensure they were still sturdy enough for the coming winter.

As he stepped out the rear door, Elwin looked up at the dark sky that threatened to rain again and wondered why his mother hadn't mentioned this to Ned. As he thought about the list, Elwin heard the soft laughter of women and looked to his right where the guest residence was located. It was then that he figured out the truth. This wasn't a list that had been formed over weeks. It was formed in one night. With a sigh, Elwin turned back into the house to find his mother.

"You can be honest with me."

Selene tilted her head, waiting for a little more information.

"This list," Elwin said, flicking it in the air between them. "Ned could have done this weeks ago. You're just trying to keep me occupied."

"Perhaps," Selene said with a supreme smile.

Ushering Aleph out from behind her skirt, Selene turned and continued her path to the sitting room.

Huffing with frustration, Elwin walked outside again. This time Ned had appeared.

"Is there an issue with the stables?"

Ned shrugged, scratching the thick black hair with slight confusion on his face.

"I suppose the wall on the east side could do with a bit of a look at, but it's nothing that couldn't wait. Just a little bit of wood rot. It won't make any difference if it's left alone but if you mess with it now, you'll need to remove the entire panel."

"Do we have the supplies to get it done, and can it be done in a day?"

"No, we don't. I'd have to measure the area and then go to town to bring the supplies back. If we pre-cut everything in one day, we could rip the wall down the next. Three days of good weather could see it done, but I don't know if we're going to get three straight days of sunshine."

Elwin hummed as his eyes narrowed at the offending building in the distance.

"If you went to get the supplies today, could you use the coach house to cut and store the wood for a day that was more suitable?"

"I suppose so, provided that the space wasn't required for an event. It was mighty full last night."

"Well, at the moment, it won't be. Move the carriages to one end and utilize the other end to cut the wood. If you need to store it elsewhere, then find something."

Elwin's attention lapsed as the words drifted off. His eyes turned to the guest residence where Nellie had emerged. She looked a little frazzled. Elwin's gaze soon turned to the lovely creature beside Nellie.

He felt his mouth go dry as his heart hammered hard in his chest. The gulp of nonexistent saliva painfully slid down his throat as he watched Maylin.

"I suppose it would be a good idea to get it started. It looks like we're in for a rough winter."

Elwin nodded, giving Ned a friendly pat on the back of his shoulder.

"Sounds like a plan. I'll leave you to it."

Ned nodded, wondering how he'd managed to gain the auspicious duty of replacing a stable wall. He was not a builder, yet he was about to become one.

Making a hasty path to the guest residence, Elwin tried to play it cool and pretend that he wasn't really rushing over to them. He was here to ensure that his staff were okay and that nothing was wrong. Elwin would argue that he wasn't playing with fire. He was checking that Nellie was okay because she did look a little lost.

"Everything okay?"

Maylin blushed as her eyes lowered to the pretty pink flowers in the garden next to her. Nellie, on the other hand, she was more than happy to tell Elwin everything.

"Master Calion and the ladies have gone for a walk in the lower garden. Lady Lovaris overslept."

"And those monsters left without you?"

Maylin smiled, restraining the giggle. She knew he was only teasing.

Elwin turned his attention back to Nellie.

"So, what's the problem?"

"Lady Lovaris does not know the way, and we both know that the gardens are quite extensive. I have a rather long list of things that need to be done."

"You'd like someone to deliver her to the group?"

"If that's possible. I don't mean to be a bother."

"Nonsense. You've got your duties, and I am conveniently free."

Nellie's gushing gratitude was missed as Elwin's attention turned once more. It seemed that no matter how hard he tried to avoid Maylin, he was always drawn back to her. If he was completely honest, Elwin would admit that he didn't try too hard.

Holding out his elbow, Elwin waited for the breathtaking beauty to slip her hand into it. Her touch was soft, barely felt as she crushed her hand against the deep red cotton.

Maylin didn't think that he could get any better than last night, but it seemed that even in a moment of relaxation, Elwin was still perfect.

Over the deep red was a rich black vest with an intricate brocade pattern. It hugged his torso, highlighting the firm form that was right next to her. Maylin thought that she might hyperventilate and was grateful she wasn't stuck in the tight corset like she was last night.

Maylin never thought that this would be where she found herself. In love with the wrong brother. She knew how this would play out. There was a reason why she didn't have a game plan to win Calion's heart. She didn't want him.

Maylin had tried to convince her father to let Sarras take part in this on her own, but he wouldn't have it. Both of his daughters would give it a go, and they would continue until they managed to land a Rochester. Maylin knew her chances were always going to be much stronger than Sarras's.

The next three months were going to kill her. She was sure of it. There was no way that she could survive this and come out the other end sane. This was going to destroy the relationship that she had with Sarras.

Maylin knew about the decree. She knew that Elwin had a duty to his family. It was fairly standard, and she wasn't surprised that their father had created it.

As they began to walk down the path, Maylin covertly looked up at Elwin. It pained her to think about the future, but Maylin knew that Calion would show a strong interest in her and then pick her. Then she would have to spend the rest of her life looking at the brother that she could not have while trying to pretend that she was happy with the one that she got.

Backing out was not an option. Her father would banish her from the family, and it would be more than just being kicked out of the house. She would be marked as an outcast. No one would want anything to do with her. All that she would have was the clothes on her back and not a coin to her name.

Still, she could not resist. When Elwin looked at her, and she was caught, Maylin blushed as bright as the red flowers beside her.

"Did you form a game plan?"

Hide from your brother, her mind offered.

But that didn't work. The matron was determined to help her find the group and ensure that she was a part of it.

"No," Maylin regretfully admitted.

She'd spent the entire evening hiding from Calion and her father, admitting to no one that she was, in fact, ensuring that she was in a good position to watch Elwin. That is once he returned to the ballroom.

"Well, that's no good. I'd suggest that you ask the other women for help, but they might be a little biased and send you on the wrong path."

In their minds, both thought that wouldn't be such a bad thing. For a moment, Elwin considered suggesting that his mother helped her, but then he'd have to admit to her that he'd crossed paths with Maylin when she'd told him to avoid her. He could easily add that it was he fault, giving him the stupid list of unnecessary things to do but Elwin was a wise fae. He would not welcome danger like that.

"And in light of that fact, perhaps I could be of assistance."

"That is most gracious of you."

Elwin knew where his brother would have taken the women. Nellie said the lower garden, and there was one specific place that Calion was always drawn to when he lived here. The shady grassed area overlooked the large lake. When they were children, their mother would bring them down to the lake so that they could swim and have fun. She would sit on a rug on the grass with towels waiting for them. If they grew hungry, she'd open the basket that was packed full of food. It was a beautiful part of the estate, and it also happened to be large enough to accommodate Calion and the women.

With that in mind, Elwin took the longest path to the lower garden, ensuring that he had a lot of time with Maylin. In his opinion, Elwin thought that he was a glutton for punishment.

"Well, Calion is like the rest of us in a lot of ways. We're a stubborn bunch, and we're tenacious. When Calion was a teenager, he was extremely inquisitive and questioned everything. It drove our teacher mad."

Maylin smiled, almost laughing. She didn't want to hear about Calion. There was someone that was far more interesting, yet Maylin knew that Elwin would keep himself hidden from her.

Maylin knew that she was not alone in her thoughts. She'd seen the way that he looked at her, and the fact that he couldn't take his eyes off her last night. When they talked, it felt like they'd known each other for an eternity. She could feel the spark of their connection.

It could not be, though. Whatever was brewing, had to be destroyed. It could not survive, much like Maylin's relationship with her sister.

"Unfortunately, our father hired a fussy old fool who squashed the light in Calion's mind. He went from a boy that would look at the stars with questions forming to someone that barely lifted his head up from the,"

Elwin paused. A devious smirk had begun to form but was quickly subdued. How could he say that they, as teenagers, managed to escape this place and find their way to the shadiest part of town so that they could purchase things that would make this blushing beauty pass out with shock? He couldn't, and the gentleman that he was, knew that it was poor form to speak of such things in front of a lady.

"Books," he murmured.

Books that were full of scandalous drawings of naked women. Some of them were of couples having sex. It was advanced for the time but compared to Earth, it was rather archaic.

"That's so sad." Maylin returned, sounding a little despondent. "Do you think that he'd find it interesting again?"

"Perhaps."

Elwin had no idea. Calion avoided him as if he was diseased, the reason in his mind was distorted, but it was enough to create an eighty-year gap in their lives together. A handful of times in each other's presence did not make Elwin knowledgeable about Calion. He was probably the last person that Maylin should be getting advice from.

In Maylin's mind, she took the information and storedit for Sarras. If she could direct her sister toward Calion and keep hisattention directed away from herself, then she had a fighting chance atavoiding him altogether. It was a plan, flawed in so many ways.