Eliza tried to hide her dramatics as she crept along the footpath that was leading to nowhere, but when she reaches the wooden fence post again, she lets out a cry in despair. The sun had set a while ago, so she has no idea how long she has been spinning herself in circles. She slumps against the pole in the dirt and wonders how long it will take Colin to realize she is not at Elsick House. Lucy would notice she didn't return from tea, but would she have the confidence to inform someone that wandering off after tea is not Eliza's normal behavior? That she doesn't usually partake in before dinner strolls in the countryside alone.
She pulls her knees into her chest and is afraid to take a peek at the hem of her frock to see if she's completely destroyed it while strolling about in the dirt for hours. She has her head in her hands, noting how stiff her fingers are when she swears she hears a voice in the distance. Remembering that she is in the woods at dusk has her senses on high alert. A young woman should not be out here strolling the path alone.
When she hears the shout again, she swears it sounds like her name is being called somewhere in the distance. She doesn't know who or what is lurking near her, so she's hesitant to give her location so loudly. When she hears it again, she bolts to her feet as she now is positive that it's her name being called out.
"Colin!" She shouts out, hoping and praying that it is he who came to find her. Her name is shot back to her, so she dashes off in the direction it came from. Her gown catches on sticks and shrubbery as she moves forward, but she manages not to stumble. She continues to shout out as she grabs a stick to bang on the trees she darts past, trying to make as much noise as she can.
"Eliza!" She hears again and she knows he is getting closer. She can hear a horse's hooves padding along the dirt path, so she stops so they can find her. She shouts again and finally, a brown horse bursts onto the footpath, slicing through the wild bushes.
"Eliza!" Colin shouts when he sees her and she runs out to meet the horse. He quickly slides off his saddle and runs over to her.
"Where the devil have you been?" He lashes out at her, but she throws herself into his arms.
"I got lost. I am so sorry," she pleads as she holds on to him. His gloved hands hold her tightly and once she catches her breath, he pushes her away from him.
"Bloody hell, Eliza. You had everyone in Nottinghamshire worried," he tells her, more softly this time.
"I did?" She asks in surprise, "I was worried it would take far longer for someone to notice I had not returned."
Colin clicks his tongue in annoyance, "This is not London, Eliza. There are very few places to go and nothing but forest between the Whitman's and Elsick House. It didn't take long to figure out you never made it back from tea." Eliza wipes the tears from her cheeks and brushes the hair that escaped its pins from her face.
"I thought it was a straight shot when I left to walk off my emotions," Eliza explains. "I have no idea how I got so spun around. Please, please don't be cross with me."
Colin sighs, "I'm not cross I'm..." he shakes his head and some of the anger fades from his face. "My work is nothing but people being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Learning my fiancèe was alone, in the forest after dark...I feared the worst." Eliza bites her lip, feeling sorry now that Colin had to worry. She is about to apologize when he adds, "Although, from the sounds of it...you have no problem defending yourself. When the danger is an actress near a birdfeeder." Eliza's jaw falls slightly, but she quickly snaps it up and tilts her chin in the air, "I did not push her into a birdfeeder. Her nose simply hit my fist."
"Oh?" Colin asks with a smirk, "It was her fault then?"
"Entirely." Eliza states with a bob of her head. She crosses her arms over her chest, but when her sore hand hits her elbow she winces. The darkness hides the bruising on her knuckles, but it doesn't hide the tenderness. Colin notices her coddling her right hand and asks, "Would you like to tell me what happened here, or will the story you tell my aunt be the same?" Eliza ponders this, wondering how much Colin wishes Margaret to know of his relationship with Cecilia. With that in mind, she answers, "You might want to know what happened because you might prefer an altered story when I speak to Lady Henry." Colin stares at her as he adjusts his weight and she notices he's not in proper riding attire. He must have dashed off to look for her.
