The Traitor's Daughter

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

Elizabeth immediately closed her mouth and stared across at Henry, trying to see if there was any part of the servant boy in the grown Henry's appearance. He had the same warm, brown eyes, and the same jawline that she had always remembered marveling at when she was younger. Her father's had always been covered by a beard, but Henry's seemed to be cut at a sharp angle that looked as though she could cut her finger on it if she wasn't careful. Of course, that was what she feared when she was little, but now it simply seemed foolish to her.

"Please tell me that I'm not mistaken," Henry pleaded, his expression still hopeful. He pointed to the list in his hands. "This list would mean so much more to me if you really are Elizabeth Ledford. In truth, it would explain a lot."

She thought about lying to him and saying that she had no idea what he was talking about, but she knew that he was smarter than that. He would immediately see through her act, and would be upset that she had lied to him. The only solution was to tell him the truth, which was also the most logical. Why she felt so nervous to reveal herself to a friend from her past, she wasn't sure of. She nervously picked at the skin around her fingernails, took a deep breath, then met Henry's gaze.

"It's really you, isn't it?" She spoke slowly, a nervous expression on her face.

Henry's face suddenly lit up with the grin she remembered from the past, and he ran his hands over his face, before setting them back into his lap.

"I don't know what to say," He said truthfully, the grin still on his face. "I thought you were dead."

"I technically am," Elizabeth replied with a small smile.

Henry let out a single peal of laughter, then smiled. He stood from the chair and began pacing, and ran a hand through his hair to get it out of his face.

"I just..." He trailed off, unable to find the right words. "I thought that I'd never see you again." Henry stopped pacing and stared at Elizabeth, while she continued to sit in the bed, her heart beating fast. She patted the spot next to her on the bed, then motioned for Henry to come closer.

He did as commanded and settled down onto the bed, directly next to her.She grabbed his hand and held it tight in hers, the cold coming from his hand feeling good against her warm, sweaty palm. Henry smiled down at their entwined hands, then looked up and met Elizabeth's gaze, his eyes crinkled around the edges.

"I've been trying to come up with answers as to how you became a duke, but I can't think of anything. How did you do it?"

Henry released his hand from Elizabeth's and stood from the bed. He quickly poured two glasses of wine, then handed one to his friend.

"I'll explain everything, but first, I need to fetch the physician and have him take a look at you. I was worried about you, Liz."

Elizabeth looked down at her hands, suddenly feeling sheepish.

"You needn't have worried about me. I've endured much worse."

Henry frowned and opened his mouth to argue, but instead turned towards the door and left to find the physician. Elizabeth set the wine aside,slowly pushed herself closer to the edge of the bed, then gently swung her legs onto the ground. She carefully stood up, the everyday task feeling odd on her tired, weakened muscles. She raised her arms above her head and stretched, her back cracking as she did so, then began to pace around the room, slowly at first, then faster as she got used to the feeling.

She continued pacing, all of the memories from the past week coming back to her. She remembered staying up for days, paranoid, defensive, her mind full of thoughts that both frightened and excited her altogether. Elizabeth suddenly remembered all of the thoughts she had written down and she scanned the room, finding that the parchment filled with her fever-ridden thoughts were nowhere to be found.