The Earls lie or a scoundrels promise

Open your eyes

                  

chapter 14 - open your eyes

The Silence after screamed louder than the shot.
no sound, not a breath. The birds stopped singing. The wind died and so did his heart. It seemed an eternity passed in that one second.

'Elizabeth?' he ran forwards and grabbed her as she slumped to the floor as the Barons grip let loose.

He held her to him. 'Elizabeth?' He reached her before she had barely slumped an inch.

'Elizabeth! Please Elizabeth, open your eyes for me' he pleaded with her. 'Open your eyes'

Robbie restrained the bastard Baron as he dropped the gun to the floor. Screaming out in pain.

'Elizabeth, Come on my love, open your eyes for me' She lay in his arms, every part of her hurt but she did as he begged. Wincing because who knew that even your eyelids, eyelashes, could hurt.

'Blake?' he nodded and studied her face and body, skimming looking for any serious injuries. He eyes darted urgently over her assessing every mark. Tears filled his eyes as he smoothed her hair back off her face, his fingers trembled he tried not to touch her to much for fear he'd worsen any bruise that already began to deepen on her skin.  'it's me. I'm hear'

'I knew you would be here, in heaven'

he smiled back, he had never felt such a rush of relief wash over his entire being as she spoke.

'You're not in heaven my love. You're here, with me.'

She rubbed her hand along his cheek to feel him, to check if he was real. His jaw, the stubble. He kissed her finger tips.

She was not dead.

She peered round and saw her brother standing over the Baron clutching at the scruff of his coat, as he lay clutching his shoulder in agony, bright wet crimson stained his hands.

She wasn't dead.

Her mind struggled to comprehend.

The Baron...had been shot.

'H...how.?'

Her bottom lip began to wobble and he saw the moment relief washed from him to her. She knew she was safe, it was over.

'Oh Blake' she sobbed into him, into his chest, he picked her up carefully and she curled into him.
She inhaled deeply, and cried nuzzling in the safety of his neck, she had longed to touch him, smell him. It reminded her of the night they met, with the exception that they were not strangers anymore, anything but. 'Shhh my love, You're safe now.' She felt his voice vibrate through her she continued to weep silently.

He spoke little more than a raspy breathless whisper 'I thought I had lost you.' He kissed the top of her head, fierce but soft
'I love you.' He loved her. He did, she knew it.

'You took your time'

She looked up to see who he spoke too

Captain Croft clasp Blake on the shoulder, in his other hand, a pistol.

'I had to wait for the right moment. I'm sorry'

Three rough looking men appeared as if out of nowhere, they surrounded the Baron and hauled him onto his feet, She wiggled in Blake's arms to get to her feet, he helped her up, reluctantly letting her go for a second, so he could whip off his own coat and wrap it around her, an attempt at giving her back the dignity the Baron had tried so hard to take from her, he watched silently as she noticed the blood stained gravel beneath her, and then how much of her was exposed beneath the rips he'd created as he had clawed at her. He was full of rage but kept it in check as his brave Liza faced the man who had done this to her. He was in awe of her. His eyes flickered to the ground once more, her blood, he felt sick.
Blake walked with her, never breaking the contact between their bodies, she leant on him as she made a feeble attempt to take a step.