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Winter of 1765

Elizabeth wrung her hands with nervousness. She had been the one to discover the state of his room first. It was a little bit after he had left to go upstairs, she had wanted to show him her new present that her father had given her and was shocked to not find him in his room; his clothes strewn everywhere.

She had immediately run downstairs and told all the grownups, who were now running around the house searching for him. Her father had even started to look outside for William; he had been out there for about 3 hours now.

"’Lisabeth?" Elizabeth snapped her head up at the doorway and saw William’s cousin, Xander there with Willow and Dawn standing by his side. Willow’s cheeks were a dark pink with tear tracks shining brightly. Her bright green eyes were bloodshot. Dawn had a look of confusion on her young face, wondering what all the fuss was about, but she still held onto her cousin’s hand tightly. Xander’s face seemed emotionless but there was something in his eyes that showed the same concern and nervousness that Elizabeth herself was feeling.

"Hi." She whispered sadly. "Is my father back yet?"

Xander shook his head as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants. "He’s still out looking for him."

Dawn let go of Willow’s hand and ran over to her sister, sitting beside her on the bed. "Wha’s de mwatter? You wook sad."

"I will be fine." The girl replied as she stared down intensely at her lap. She could feel her little sister play with her hair, curling and threading it through her fingers. Slowly, she lifted her eyes and saw Willow staring at her with the most pitiful look on her face. Every once and a while the redhead would hiccup and wipe away the tears that wet her round cheeks.

The sound of the front door slamming caught the children’s attention. A spark of hope flashed in Elizabeth’s eyes as she jumped off of William’s bed and ran as fast as she could down the hall and the stairs.

She was saddened to find that her father stood alone at the front door and William was nowhere to be found. Her eyes welled up with tears as Rupert looked at her and shook his head heavily.

"Did you find him?" Jenny asked with tears rolling down her cheeks, running over to Mr. Summers. She held her handkerchief tightly in her hands. "Where is my son?"

Rupert reached out and gently laid his hands on her shoulders. Jenny could feel the snow from his gloves seeping into her dress; it caused her shoulders to shudder. "I am sorry Jenny." He whispered softly. His eyes closed tightly as he tried to block out the sounds of her loud and painful cries. His grip on her shoulders tightened as he tried to hold her steady in fear that she might collapse. "I could not find him. I looked everywhere. I am so very, very sorry."

"No!" Jenny shouted as her cries grew louder. She twisted and turned in his tight grasp wanting to be free and to go out there and search for her baby herself. Rupert wouldn’t let her go but merely drew her into his embrace, hugging her tightly. "I want my son. Where is my William?"

Rupert shook his head as he whispered to her. "I don’t know Jenny, but I will go back out and look for him." Mr. Summers looked over Jenny’s shoulder and saw both his eldest daughter and his wife staring at them, both with sadness in their eyes. Joyce carefully extracted Jenny from her husband’s grasp and cradled her in her own.

"Let’s you and I go and have a spot of tea." Joyce told her soothingly, running a gentle hand across the top of the other woman’s head. Jenny agreed silently, letting herself be led into the den where Abigail was waiting from them with a tray of tea and warm biscuits.

"Father?" Elizabeth spoke quietly. Her bright eyes still held unshed tears while her arms were wrapped around her small body.

Rupert crouched down by his daughter. With a gentle smile he took off his glove and cupped her cheek. "Don’t worry, dear. I will find him."

"But what if you don’t?" Small hands curled into fists as her tears fell from her eyes and stained her round cheeks. "What if he dies all alone? Out in the cold? That can’t happen!"

"And it won’t." His hand squeezing her shoulder comfortingly. "I promise you."

Without another word to his daughter, Rupert stood up and placed his glove back on before heading back into the cold.

Elizabeth hung her head heavily. Things didn’t look good at the moment and they probably wouldn't look that way for awhile. Her father promised that he wouldn’t stop looking for William until he was found. What if father never found him though? What if he had to give up?

Elizabeth was snapped out of her thoughts when Willow’s hand clasped onto her shoulder causing the blonde girl to jump in surprise. "Elizabeth," the redhead blushed for the millionth time, "your mother wants us to get ready for bed."

Elizabeth shook her head and placed her gaze back on the Rayne’s front door, expecting her father to come barging through it with William in his arms. "I have to wait for father to return. He will be back shortly."

Willow reached down and took her cousin’s hand in hers. "Come now Elizabeth." Willow pleaded in a soft voice, tugging lightly on her cousin’s hand. "I am sure Uncle Rupert will wake you when he gets home." But Elizabeth didn’t budge so Willow tugged on her hand harder. "Please Elizabeth, we do not want to get your mother angry with us. She is already having a hard enough time getting Mrs. Rayne to calm down. Just please."

The blonde girl sighed, glancing over at her cousin and the back over at the front door. "All right."

It was hard for her to fall asleep. Every time she would close her eyes she could see William lying in the snow. His face so pale that you could see the veins in his face. His eyes rolled up in the back and his lips a pale purple.

Small, silent tears were streaming down her cheeks as she thought of it. No matter what she did, she couldn’t get the image out of her mind. It had been several hours since Willow had begged her to go to bed. Elizabeth had been listening carefully for her father’s return but heard nothing.

In the bed next to her, Elizabeth could hear the soft snores that belonged to her redheaded cousin. She had a habit of snoring really loud at night and talking in her sleep, but tonight it was not as bad as usual. She could also hear the faint sobs of Mrs. Rayne down the hall in her bedroom and the comforting words of her mother.

Rolling over in bed, Elizabeth saw the faint light of dawn begin to peek through her curtains. Where was her father? Why wasn’t he back yet?

Willow groaned in the bed beside her as she began to toss and turn between her sheets. Obviously she was dreaming about something interesting.

With a sigh, Elizabeth turned on her side and stared out into the faintly lit hallway. Every once and awhile, one of the maids or servants would run down the hallway. Most of the time though it was Abigail and she always managed to peak in the doorway to check on her and Willow.

Sparing a glance at Willow over her shoulder, Elizabeth threw her covers off of her body. As quietly as she could, she pulled on her house slippers and crept out of the room and down the hall towards William’s room. The door had been left open from when she was in there earlier as were the curtains, leaving the room in a soft glow from the now rising sun.

Wrapping her arms around herself, Elizabeth moved softly around the room, daring not to touch anything at all. She was afraid that if he came home and found the layout of his belongings were different that he would be upset. Tentatively she walked over to his bed and lay down gently, feeling the bed adjust to her form, the mattress molding to her. Her golden head buried itself in his pillows, taking in his scent. This was when her earlier insomnia began to slip away and sleep took over, causing her eyes to droop and eventually close.

Abigail shook her head as she watched Elizabeth snuggle into the warm comfort of William’s pillows. The blonde girl let out a small shudder and mumbled softly in her sleep, trying to cling onto the pillow next to her. As quietly as she could, Abigail crept into the room and placed one of William’s grandmother’s handmade quilts across her body. A ghost of a smile appeared on the girl’s face as she wrapped the quilt more tightly around her.

The nanny shook her head as she stepped out of the room and walked briskly down the hallway. She seemed to walk with confidence but inside she was more scared than she had ever been in her whole entire life. William had become like a son to her and it pained her to not know where he was.

When Abigail had reached the top of the stairs, the front door whipped open, allowing mounds of snow to blow into the house. Seconds later a snow cover Mr. Summers entered, eagerly shaking the snow from his body. Several of the servants ran over to him and hurriedly helped him remove his jacket, gloves and scarf while another brought him a warm blanket.

Abigail immediately rushed down the stairs and over towards the older man. "Did you find ‘im?"

Rupert sighed and shook his head slowly. "I looked everywhere I thought he would be and even places I did not think he would. No luck."

Abigail bowed her head and tried to compose herself and not break down and cry. With a heavy sigh she looked back up at Mr. Summers. "The missus is not goin’ to like this. She has been cryin’ ever since you left."

"I know." He nodded his head, guilt laced in his voice. "I will rest for a bit and then go back out again."

Abigail took Mr. Summers gently by the arm and led him into the den, sitting him down on the couch. "Rest here. I will fetch you something to eat and drink." And with that she off to the kitchen, her uniform swishing around her legs.

Taking in a deep, heavy breath, Rupert laid his head back against the couch. His eyes drooped slightly. He was so tired but he couldn’t take that long of a break, he had to go back out there and look for William. He…couldn’t…fall…asleep.

"Mr. Summers!" Rupert immediately woke at the bark of Abigail’s voice as she placed a tray in front of him. She looked over at him, taking in his haggard state and shook her head. "Mr. Summers, you sure you should go back out there? Could be dangerous for your health."

"I will be fine." He reassured her as he sipped his drink. Sighing with pleasure as the warm liquid cascaded down his throat. "I just need something to drink and eat and I will head back out."

"Do you think he is…all right? You do not…think he is…dead." Abigail asked tentatively as she suddenly became interested in her apron.

"No. I do not think he is dead." He told her, giving her a reassuring smile. "He will be found."

Sighing heavily, Abigail looked back up at the older man. "I will not be able to stand it if we don’t get ‘im back. It will kill me."

"I feel the same."

"Never really told anyone this…" Her hands began to twitch and fiddled with the seams of her dress. "I think of ‘im as my own. I know he’s not, but in my heart he is mine."

"I understand that Abigail." He watched with a slight smile on his face as she continued to fidget about. "Do you think-?"

Rupert was suddenly interrupted when there was a harsh knock on the front door. Abigail furrowed her eyebrows and immediately excused herself while wondering who could be at the door. Her eyebrows knitted together even further when she opened the door and saw one of their neighbors, Mr. Mason, standing there.

He was one of Mr. Rayne’s former clients, a shipping merchant who, a couple of years ago sued another local merchant for sabotaging one of his shipments. He was about medium height but was one of thinnest men she had ever seen. He took off his hat and bowed to her in salutation, revealing his balding head.

"Hello, Ms. Abigail." He greeted. "Merry Christmas to you."

Abigail curtseyed with respect and then smiled as him meekly. "And Merry Christmas to you, sir."

"I hate to disturb you so earlier in the morning," his nose twitched as the course hairs of his dark mustache tickled him. "But, I do believe I have found something of yours." He glanced over his shoulder at the driver of his couch and snapped his fingers at him. Immediately, the driver jumped down from his position and whipped open the door to the coach and went inside. Seconds later he emerged with a small body tucked in his arms, wrapped up in a several wool blankets and a pouch made out of a emerald blanket sitting on top of the bundle. Abigail’s heart began to flutter with hope as she saw a mass of brown hair peak out from the blankets. "One of my servants spotted him late last night behind my mansion. As soon as they brought him in, I knew he was yours. We have been trying to keep him warm and wake him up but have had no such luck. I decided to bring him back, so that Ethan and Jennifer would not have to worry anymore."

Tears of joy began to roll down the nanny’s cheeks as the driver handed the sleeping boy into Abigail’s arm. "Thank you so much, sir! Thank you! You do not know how much we were worried. The missus has been crying since late last night. She will be so glad!" The nanny babbled and then looked over her shoulder towards the den. "Mr. Summers! Come look Mr. Summers! William is back!"

Rupert ran over to the door and a look of glee passed over his face and immediately took William out of Abigail’s hands. "Abigail, alert Mrs. Rayne that William is back." The nanny nodded her head and dashed up the stairs calling for Jenny. "Thanks to you sir." He grinned at the other man, holding William tightly in his arms. "We are very grateful. Merry Christmas to you, sir."

Before the other man could reply, Rupert shut the door in his face and made his way into the den. Rupert’s eyes widened as he pulled one of the blankets away from William’s face. He was a pale white so that you could the veins in his skin. His lips were a pale blue and almost the same color of his face. His small body was shivering constantly with short breaths escaping his lips.

"William?" Rupert whipped his head around at the sound of her voice. There standing was Jenny with a handkerchief clutched tightly in his hand. "My baby?"

Rupert moved over to Jenny and showed him to her. Immediately the woman began to sob with joy as she pulled her son into her arms. Slowly she began to rock him back and forth while her cries began to quiet down. Jenny looked over her shoulder at Abigail and few other servants who had heard the commotion and joined her in the entrance of the den.

"Fetch my son some towels and a bed heater. I also want a fire set in his room and some warm water by his bed." All of them stared at her with blank expressions. "Now! Go! Do as I say!"

All servants scampered off, immediately fetching the items she had asked for. Jenny shook her head at them and then turned her direction back to her son. He looked practically dead in her arms and if hadn’t been for his short breaths and his occasional shudder she would’ve thought so. Sniffling, she leaned down and gently kissed him on the forehead, his body shook at her touch.

A gentle hand was placed on her shoulder. "He needs a doctor." She heard Rupert tell her softly. "Do you want me to send someone?"

Jenny nodded slowly and cautiously eased herself off of the couch so that she didn’t wake her son. "I will take him to bed." She whispered before walking up the stairs towards her son’s room. Jenny was surprised however to find Joyce in there, gently shaking a sleeping Elizabeth. "You can leave her there." Jenny told the other woman, her voice causing Joyce jump in alarm. "She does not look like she will wake anytime soon."

Abigail brushed past Mrs. Rayne as she entered the room, carrying several of the supplies in her hands. Both of the women watched as she set the warm water next to the bed and the bed heater underneath the sheets, not speaking a word to any of them. She pulled back the comforter of the bed and gestured Mrs. Rayne over to the bed. Carefully she took the boy from his mother’s arms and placed him under the covers, tucking the now warming sheets as tightly as she could around him. She took a cloth from her apron and placed it in warm water.

"Margaret will be here to light the fire, madam." She informed her employer, taking the cloth out from the warm water and then wrung the water out of it before placing it on the boy’s forehead. At contact, a small painful moan escaped William’s lips and his whole forehead scrunched up. "Is someone sending for the doctor?"

"Yes." Jenny replied, crossing her arms over her chest while gazing at her only child. "Mr. Summers sent for one."

"Excuse me." All turned their heads toward the doorway to find Ethan there, leaning against the doorjamb. "I would like to speak to my wife alone please."

Both women exited the room quickly, leaving the husband and wife alone. Jenny slowly approached the bed and stroked William’s cheek gently in a comforting gesture. She could feel her husband move up behind her. She could now feel his warm breath brushing against her exposed collarbone and neck. He was looking over her shoulder at their son who was groaning in his sleep.

"So the brat is back now is ‘e?" Ethan said flippantly. "Boy gets what ‘e deserves for running away."

Jenny turned on her heels and glared at Ethan, her eyes trying to burn holes in his forehead. She had never been this angry with him in their whole entire marriage. "How dare you say that! He would have never left if you stopped torturing him."

"Stop overreacting Jennifer." He snapped at her, clasping his hands behind him as he began to walk around the room with his chin held high in a typical snobbish attitude. "I just discipline the boy, but as I see now I am just wasting my time."

"I cannot believe this!" Jenny growled stomping over to him, jutting her face out at him while her eyes were a lit with fire. "Who are you? What happened to the man I married?"

Ethan smirked at his wife as his eyes roamed over her body before landing back on her face. "He’s dead." Ethan briefly glimpsed at his son before turning around and headed out towards the hallway but was stopped by Jennifer’s voice shouting at him.

"You are a bastard!" She hissed at him, her chin held high while giving him a look of defiance.

Ethan slowly turned back around and tilted his head to the side, observing her. Suddenly though he was right in her face and Jennifer didn’t even see Ethan’s hand coming, slapping her hard across the face, a loud smack echoing off the walls of William’s bedroom. Jenny gasped as she brought her hand to her cheek looking up at her husband, eyes wide with shock and surprise.

"I am glad to see that you are starting to grow a spine Jennifer." He said in sugar coated voice with a twisted smile on his features. But as quick as it had appeared on his face, it faded away and infuriated one replaced it. "I warned you before my dear, do not test me. You do that again and I will do worse." And with that warning, he left.

Jenny’s knees buckled and collapsed to the floor in pain, tears rolling silently down her face. She didn’t even hear Margaret enter the room.

"Madam? You alright, Mrs. Rayne?" The elderly woman asked as she pulled Jenny up off the floor and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I am fine." She whispered hoarsely, shrugging out of Margaret’s embrace, "I am going to fetch some more cloths before the doctor arrives."

William groaned from bed, slightly tossing and turning. His eyes barely fluttered open and turned to the look at Margaret. "Mum? Tha’ you?"

Margaret’s eyes widened as the boy continued to stare. "N-no." She hesitantly approached the bed and ran a gentle hand across the boy’s cheek. "She’ll be back though…went to get you more cloths for your head. Just try and stay awake." The boy nodded numbly, his eyes fluttering every couple of seconds. "Do you want me to run and get her quickly?" The boy agreed with a slight movement of his head. Margaret turned around and scurried down the hall, shouting for Mrs. Rayne.

The shouting of Margaret caused the girl next to William to stir her from her sleep. A slow groan poured from her lips as her eyes began to flutter open. She turned her head to the side and was surprised to see a shivering William next to her. Her eyes widened at the sight of him and a happy grin settled upon her lips.

"William?" She gasped with excitement as she sat up in bed and looked at him. He turned his head to look at her and a soft smile crept upon his lips. A giggle escaped her as she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. "You’re back." She whispered with a wide grin on her face.

"Yes." He mumbled softly.

Elizabeth sat up and looked down at him for a couple of seconds before punching him hard in the shoulder. Her once happy face was now staring at him with disappointment. "That is for running away." She told him before that grin appeared on her face once again. "I am happy that you are back though. I was worried."

"Really?" Wincing slightly from now throbbing pain in his shoulder. The girl sure had an arm on her.

"Yes, I was." She then noticed the paleness of his skin and furrowed her eyebrows. "Are you all right?"

"I will be. My mum went to go get the doctor." His eyes drooped slightly before he shrugged his shoulders. "I’m cold s’all." He mumbled underneath his breath.

"Promise…you won’t ever run away again?" She sniffled, feeling tears well up in her eyes. "Promise?"

The edge of William’s mouth quirked up in a small smile. "I promise."

The doctor had come shortly after. The examination didn’t take long. It was determined that William would be okay. He had a small case of pneumonia and would need to stay in bed for the next week.

Jenny stayed at his bedside as much as she could, not wanting to leave him alone for a second. She was deeply afraid that he would try and run away again. She had tried to convince her husband to visit his son but Ethan flatly refused, not seeing the need to. He was too deeply involved in his work to pry himself away from it.

When Jenny wasn’t sitting with him, Elizabeth, Xander, Willow, and Dawn would. Occasionally, Willow would sometimes get scared if William would close his eyes for even a second, thinking he might die in his sleep. Xander would usually shake his head at her and would drag her to another room where he could calm his friend down and reassure her that everything was all right. When the pair would return to the room, they would always find Elizabeth and William fighting with one another about something foolish while Dawn would be giggling at them, her pudgy cheeks stained a light pink.

Several days after Christmas, it was time for the Summers family and Willow to leave the Rayne house. It was a short goodbye with a promise that the Rayne family would come and visit the Summers’ mansion in the coming summer.

To be continued…





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