The walk back to the castle felt hours longer than walking away had seemed. Perhaps it was longer, because poor Daphne was left to stumble along only by light of the half moon.

Theresa's fury had burned itself down to a bitter glow. She knew that she should walk, but she let Daphne carry her.

She was overwhelmed by her sense of futility.

When they finally made it back, Daphne carried her inside through the kitchen door which had remained unlocked and went straight to Wildwood's tower.

Theresa was surprised that Daphne even knew where it was, because she generally had seemed to avoid the wizard. Her sister continually surprised her.

Daphne knocked on the great door and Theresa was surprise when it was opened almost immediately. It was the middle of the night, what was Wildwood doing in his study at such an hour?

He opened the door wider to allow them entrance. Daphne set her down.

Theresa strode to the centre of the floor and tried to look as if she was not bothered by anything happening around her.

Finally Wildwood spoke. "You've returned. And a cat again. Which explains so much."

Theresa thought that it had been the most irritatingly obvious statement that he had ever uttered in her presence followed immediately by the most vague.

Clearly, she was a cat again and what in the world did that explain?

Wildwood looked towards Daphne. "What happened?"

"Um, well, my lord," Daphne began, clearly reluctant to explain.

Theresa's rage boiled anew and she wanted to scream. The whole situation was all ridiculous. Why was her sister acting as if Theresa had done something wrong?

As for the unrepentant lying wizard, there was no trace of remorse on his handsome features. He simply looked a bit weary and mildly concerned.

The consummate liar might very well even be in league with her aunt, she thought savagely.

Thomas chose the exact worse time to arrive at Wildwood's study. The door was still open because Daphne was standing awkwardly in the way of it. Thomas dashed past Daphne. "Lord Wildwood, did—"

"Lady Daphne, you're safe," he said with a wide smile on his irritating face.

Daphne smiled back at him.

Thomas' gaze reached Theresa who was sitting in the middle of the floor. "Oh. Lady Theresa. You're a cat again."

Theresa sent Thomas a glare that should have shriveled him down to nothing.

He ignored it and glanced at Wildwood. "I just wanted to see if, well I suppose it no longer matters.

"Indeed, matters have resolved themselves," Wildwood said. "Perhaps you might treat the cuts on Daphne's arms, however."

Theresa felt mortification flood through her at the words. She wished that she had not hurt her sister. She felt terrible.

Thomas looked a Daphne carefully before looking over at Theresa as he put the situation together.

He shot Theresa a look that made her understand she had never seen the knight truly angry until that moment.

She looked away, he was right in his criticism.

"Come on, Lady Daphne. I'll heal you," he said gently.

Thomas left and Daphne walked along with him. The expression on her face showed she was glad to escape giving an explanation to the wizard.

"We still need to talk, don't we, Lady Theresa? No doubt you're at the centre of this tangle," he said dryly.

Theresa's guilt slipped away and she glared at him. If anyone was at the centre of the tangle, it was Wildwood himself. He was the lying manipulator, not she.

"But first, remain sitting there, Lady Theresa, and I'll restore you once again," he instructed.

Theresa loathed the idea of doing anything he said in that moment, but there was nothing else that she could do. He muttered his words and Theresa felt the familiar warmth sweep through her as she returned to her human form.

As before, the clothing that she had left in reappeared with her body, as did her travel bag and the lantern she had borrowed. She set them both down. Curiously, the flame was still burning.

Theresa looked away from the flame and turned her attention to Wildwood. She wanted to confront him about his duplicity but found herself quite without words for what she wished to say.

Instead she got up and then slumped down into her customary chair in his study. She felt exhausted.

Instead, Wildwood spoke first, "What were you doing so far from the castle?"

She refused to feel guilty. He was not her master. "We were leaving, Wildwood," Theresa said shortly.

Wildwood drew in a breath, as if searching for patience. "Why were you running away this time?"

She crossed her arms. "Wildwood, running away implies that there is some reason I am not at perfect liberty to go wherever I wish," she said. "We were heading to the capital."

He sighed as if she were being irrational. "Is there some reason that you could not wait two more days?" he asked softly. He looked disappointed.

His expression made her feel almost as if it was she who had done something wrong even though she clearly had not. She reminded herself that she was the injured party. She was the one who should be angry. He knew perfectly well what he had done. He was clearly trying to manipulate her yet again.

"You had Thomas spy on Daphne," she snapped.

Wildwood raised an eyebrow. "He was hardly spying. He was gently looking for information so as not to upset your sister," Wildwood pointed out in an irritatingly reasonable tone.

"How do you think Daphne felt when she discovered that Thomas was only spending time with her to fit your agenda?" she asked angrily, wanting to see some sign of regret.

Instead he answered evenly, "Sir Thomas was pleased that I asked him to see to Lady Daphne's comfort, because he wanted to spend time with her. He was well smitten before that, since the moment they met."

Theresa scoffed, although she had been annoyed with his mannerisms towards her sister from the first.

"He would probably try to find a spell to change the color of the moon if she asked it of him and he would have been near her at every possible opportunity regardless of my instructions."

Theresa started to protest, but he spoke over her.

"What would you have me do? I could have questioned her myself, but she looked terrified every time she was in my presence when you first came. Even now I make her distinctly uneasy. She looked so small and helpless."

It was probably natural that he felt that way, everyone always wanted to protect Daphne. It made perfect sense that Wildwood would sacrifice Theresa's peace of mind in order to secure Daphne's comfort. Not that it mattered.

Theresa crosses her arms over her chest.

He continued, "She was clearly afraid. Should I have intimidated the information out of her? I could have forced her to tell me everything that first day if I had wanted, no doubt. I hardly think that I did anything wrong in choosing a kinder method of questioning."

He was not done. "It was not as if I could have gotten answers from you at that time. Even now, when we speak, you barely reveal anything."

"Yes, well—"

Theresa started to protest again, but Wildwood cut her off. "In most cases I would not have been concerned about your past since you and your sister were clearly insistent on remaining anonymous. I've assisted numerous people in the past, but your situation is far more tricky."

"Well, I don't see how that gives you the right to trick Daphne," Theresa argued feebly.

"Imagine this from my perspective, if you will. Jim sent you and your sister, insistently anonymous yet obvious highborn ladies, to me for help with a convoluted and complicated spell set on you by a malicious party."

Theresa frowned at him again.

"Jim is an extremely talented wizard and he did not believe he could safely handle the removal. It's clear that you had been transformed by a wizard with powerful abilities and almost certainly dangerous intent. I could not, in good conscious to those in my care, be ignorant of danger you might bring to my lands and I was hardly incorrect. Your aunt is a dangerous enemy."

Wildwood's speech had robbed her of most of her arguments. She could not help but agree that he had to see to the safety of his people. She could even understand his concerns about Daphne's feelings.

What she could not fathom was why those two duties had to directly conflict with Theresa's safety and privacy.

She was not simply being overly cautious in her secretiveness. It was safer to try to be a nameless peasant than a defenseless heiress. Although apparently their station had been obvious regardless.

Still, even though Francine was her most pressing concern, she was well aware there were other terrible things that could happen to them. Theresa did not think that being forced into a marriage where she would spend her life trapped by an unwelcome, unworthy, beastly husband, or held for ransom was much improvement over living as her aunt's puppet.

Anonymity was her shield and this wizard was trying to take it away from her.

His insistence in discovering her secrets made her feel defenseless and she gained nothing of value in return.

She was not even permanently human, apparently.

Wildwood had more to answer for than just his spying, did he not?