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I spent the rest of the evening in a wonderful daydream. Even Aunt Ethel complimented my mood. The bitter taste of reality seeped back in the next morning. I went down for breakfast as usual. Aunt Ethel was absent and when I took my seat, Stewart served me and quickly dismissed himself, acting slightly more stiffly than usual. My father's worried face told me why.

"I spoke with Nathan in the stables this morning," he said. "He told me you went to town yesterday."

I did not know how my father would react to news of Langston kissing me and I did not want it ruined so soon after it had happened. "Yes, we discussed that remember?"

"We spoke generally about you visiting the town. I don't think it was unclear that I meant it to be under my or Ethel's supervision."

"Marie and Nathan looked after me, I think." I tried to temper my resentment, but my father easily recognized my tone.

"Nathan spent the day buying a new horse and Marie is a girl not much older than you. And both of them are your subordinates. They cannot be expected to manage you on an excursion of your own making." A blotchy scowl glared at me from across the table. I knew my father well enough that as frustrated as he might be at me, he hated being angry all the more. It did not suit him and made him complain of ulcers or headaches. "They acted in good faith and from all three, I have a report that you were well behaved."

"All three?"

"Please, Anna, do not play the fool." He took a drink of his coffee, wincing as the liquid slightly burned his mouth. "Langston told me himself that you were with him. Any other man would have fired him for not bringing you home immediately."

"We only toured the factory. I wanted to see more of what you do. Every time we have guests for dinner, it is always a topic of conversation. Aunt Ethel might be content in her ignorance, but I would like to at least know what people are talking about."

My father took a slow breath. "A young lady of high standing cannot be alone with a young man. No matter who he is. Please to not conflate a desire to learn more about my work with your machinations to see a pretty boy." He spoke in a harsh whisper and I knew he was at the end of his temper. I unfortunately shared his fiery will.

"Would you rather I sit in my room until you needed to parade me around again?"

The small man sighed, showing the full weight of his title and responsibilities for a brief moment. "I would rather the world were different and we could all do as we please. But it is not. Langston is a busy man. Much is expected of him, and he has his own burdens to carry. The last thing he needs is to babysit the bored daughter of his employer."

My words stuck in my throat. My father thought that Langston had minded me like an idle nursemaid would an infant. I wanted to tell him -- to scream at him that Langston had kissed me, but I knew it would wound them both. "I have done nothing wrong."

"No, you have not. If you would like to go to the town again, your Aunt Ethel has volunteered to accompany you. I don't think you will have reason to tour the factory again. Langston is very busy with his work, but we will have him for dinner soon. I promise. In the meantime, I want you to consider our place here, how we are afforded this lifestyle, and the good 'parading' you around has done."

I turned my attention to my meal as I calmed myself. As the minutes passed, the tension in the room mellowed slightly and I turned my thoughts to my father's words. I wanted to see Langston again, but father was clearly not open to the idea of us openly courting. Langston was a class beneath us. The daughter of Lord Ingram taking up with a commoner could spell disaster for everyone. Annandale, the factory, and everything in between sat on the precipice of ruin. Investors held faith in my father because he was restoring their former glory by revitalizing the economy. If they blanched at my choice of man, they could pull out their money or take their crops elsewhere. The factory would shut down, Annandale would go bankrupt, and the town would starve. My own fate remained tied to the prosperity of my father's holdings.

"I did have a thought yesterday. You're selling dyed cotton to the local merchants?"

Father seemed surprised that I had actually learned anything. "Yes. Still profitable for both side, actually. Langston thought of that."

"Have you considered having a market day? Perhaps showing an exhibition of the new fabrics? If you let the merchants know, they could prepare sample dresses before hand. The whole town could be made into a fair, like the one we visited that time in Monwraith."

He adjusted himself in his seat, crossing his legs and looking at me like an old barn owl. "Could work. It would require a great deal of planning and coordination. We've been taking samples around to different buyers in the region, but if we could invite them all to a larger event that might make a better showing. I'm not sure I have time to orchestrate it though."

"I could do it. At least, with your help I could. Aunt Ethel and I already know the dressmakers and clothiers. I'm sure Elsa and Stewart can provide me names and contacts for the local shops. They'll be happy for the patronage."

"It's not a bad idea. Let me consider it."

I returned to my breakfast confident that he would find merit in my plan. It was not a trick, such an event could greatly help the community. We'd proved it with my birthday, but a market day would not require nearly as much out of pocket expense. If it also meant that I had reason to spend my days in the town, then it was happy coincidence. My father's mood improved as he mulled it over that morning and he left from breakfast with a noticeable spring in his step. I returned to my room somewhat heartened, but still in a foul mood until I found a note sitting on my vanity. My stomach jolted from a rush of adrenaline as I took the note and hid it quickly in my dress. Once I was certain the door was shut and I was alone, I opened it.

My dearest Anna,

I have no doubt that your father intends to discourage you from meeting with me again. He is right. After you returned to Annandale yesterday, the whole town talked about our walk. We should have been more mindful of who watched us. My feelings for you are unchanged. From the moment you left my side, my heart has ached, a true ache like I have not felt before. I fear that your presence is its only cure. How can a man live deprived of such a wonderful thing and feeling the loss of it each moment? Yet we must be honest, to see you again I would need to pluck a lordship from thin air. My whole life I have wandered along making what good I could in the world, but without purpose. I understand my purpose now. I have pondered it again and again over a thousand nights, but one night without you and it has become so very clear. I will do what I must to attain a title if that's what it takes. We will see each other soon. Don't do anything rash in the meantime. With all my love -- Langston

"With all my love," I repeated the phase softly to myself. I felt as though I would burst from happiness.

Unfortunately, my father failed to share my eagerness. Every morning, I rushed down to breakfast and every night I waited with bated breath at dinner for any news of my idea. I knew better than to prod him about it. Three days passed before he mentioned it again, but he came with great news. He'd decided to go ahead with my idea. The market was planned to occur at the end of the month and he gave me almost full authority over the affair. Within a day, I had a list of vendors and Aunt Ethel had started to contact the wives of all the nobles. I soon regretted my eagerness to such a monumental task. Perhaps that is why my father let me take over so easily, expecting me to fail and lose interest. Instead, I rose to the challenge. I had trouble adjusting to my life as a lady when I was meant to sit still and be pretty, but now that I had a purpose I found it easier to give orders. I took over one of the empty rooms and quickly converted it into an office of sorts. I had Stewart find a layout of the town and we selected a clearing on the East side that could work well for having booths and games. We started writing letters to the local business owners offering them small plots, almost all of them agreed. I dispatched any of the free men to help construct the booths. When my father came to check on everything, he discovered that in a single week and with little more than ink, paper, and goodwill, all of the planning had been done.

I wanted more than anything to stow Aunt Ethel in the carriage and cart her with me into town on some thin pretext to see Langston, but knew that could only lead to trouble. Instead, we used our small network of allies to send messages to one another. Nathan felt guilty for having let Lord Ingram know what I'd been up to and agreed to carry the small notes back and forth on his almost daily trips into town. Marie took care of getting them to me. Though she continued to dislike sneaking around behind her employer, she knew both sides of our dilemma. I confided in her daily about Langston. For his part, any time Marie visited him, he pressed her for every detail of my day. I kept each of his letters, secreted in a small box that I kept hidden in a closet. Marie told me that he carried at least one of mine in his pocket every day. At night, I fell asleep reading his words again and again in the moonlight.

When I could not resist being apart from him any longer, I arranged for a visit to my father's tailor. We had already arranged for new dresses to be made for the women of the household, but my father would have a new suit made of his own factory's fabrics. Aunt Ethel accompanied me, excited in her own way about my sudden occupation and eager to help. I sent word to Langston the night before to be at the tailor's around the same time. My plan was to spontaneously cross paths with Langston and go walking with him under some pretense of his role during the market exhibition. Aunt Ethel would rather be put out than appear rude. At the very least, Langston and I would have a chance to talk with one another face to face. And if the moment presented itself, we could sneak away to show our true feelings.

We arrived in town a little earlier than intended. While the road usually provided several reasons for delay, it was entirely clear. The town too was sparsely populated. I asked Nathan if we were traveling on some holiday or event day that I did not know about, but he could provide no answer either. The tailor's shop occupied a small sliver of a larger building near the center of town. Nathan drove us right up to the door. As he helped Aunt Ethel out of the carriage, I noticed a familiar face on the opposite side of the small lane. Gretchen, the factory worker, carried a heavy book with different colors of fabric sticking out of the side at odd angles. She looked harried and moved quickly until she saw me. Her face brightened and she waved.

"Who is that dear?" Aunt Ethel whispered.

"One of the factory workers. I think I'll say hello, if that's alright."

"Be quick about it. My throat is parched from the dust. I hope they have a clean glass for water." She sniffed derisively and headed inside.

I thought of crossing the street, but several piles of horse dung discouraged me. Thinking only of myself, I waved for Gretchen to come over, which she did with little regard to the excrement. "Hello again, Gretchen! It's so nice to see you. What is that you've got?"

"Oi, lady remembers my name. That's a right honor. This here is a sample book. I had been keepin a little cut of each color I used. The fabric you see." She awkwardly propped her knee up and used it to balance the book as she opened it. Inside, different pieces of fabrics had been pinned to the ledger pages. "Different folks started comin round asking for special colors, but didn't know what they wanted. I showed my book to Mr. Black and he sends me round to all the shops so that they can look at it and place orders. It's easier to do more of one color all at once, you see, my lady."

"They're all beautiful, Gretchen." I heard footsteps, but my attention was focused on the book and I assumed it was some men about their own business. I looked up only because Nathan spoke out. A hand grabbed Gretchen's shoulder and pulled her back, hard. She stumbled and fell into the street, her precious book falling into the muck.

A man's voice spoke, "How dare you accost her? Get away! The smell of you offends me." Two men stood over Gretchen as I watched. Theodore Locke sneered down at the poor woman, his face arrogant and righteous. I recognized the other man as Peter Coren, Theodore's friend from my birthday. It took a moment to recognize them as they both wore black tunics with a red cross pinned to the lapel. Gretchen scrambled to retrieve her book as Theodore kicked it further from her reach. Peter raised his hand to strike her and I shouted.

"Leave her alone, you monsters!" I went to her side, putting myself between Peter and Gretchen. "What on earth do you think you're doing? Attacking a poor woman in the street, you should be whipped, the both of you!"

Theodore sputtered in disbelief, "Lady Anna! But, we thought you were being bothered by the...by this woman."

"And so you take it upon yourself to throw her into the street? Get that book, clean it up." I helped Gretchen to her feet. She was quite shaken.

"You're an angel, lady, but you should not speak so for me. Not against that lot," she whispered. She was frightened, but obviously for a reason greater than two men attacking her. I snatched the book from Theo and pushed it into her hands, nodding for her to be on her way. "I'll not leave you with them," she insisted.

"It's alright. I am acquainted with Mr. Locke and Mr. Coren. Be on your way, I can take care of myself." She visibly disagreed, but seeing Nathan standing behind me, decided to follow my instructions. As she walked away, I wheeled on Theo. "Is this how you occupy your time?"

Peter sneered at me from over the shoulder of his friend. Theodore attempted to make peace. "I apologize, your ladyship. It's not uncommon for ruffians to assault young women with shoddy wares on the streets. I didn't see your man here or realize that you..knew her."

"Why are you here at all?" I could smell alcohol on his breath and his eyes were slightly bleary.

"Do you not recognize my pin? We just finished our induction and have spent the evening celebrating." I looked again at the pin. It was indeed a red cross, but made of swords with Latin inscribed along the blades. As best as I could remember, the inscription translated to-- "A single, clean fire."

"Some unsavory gentleman's club? An excuse to leave your work and spend the day playing billiards?" I asked, but immediately felt foolish. The empty streets and the fear Gretchen had shown the two young men should have let me know.

Theo's lips spread into a wolfish smile. "We are Dragon Hunters, the sworn defenders of humanity against the Wyrm and his cohort. And we should be afforded the respect of that station, even by the young Lady Ingram. In fact, you should be more respectful about many things. Perhaps if you better appreciated just who I am. I have been meaning to call on you, but now I worry that you've grown....idle and started seeking out the company of commoners." He took a step closer to me with a dangerous look in his eyes.

A hand struck his face and he stumbled back. Aunt Ethel stepped forward, buffering back the two dragon hunters with her very presence. "Theodore Locke. You are drunk and embarrassing yourself. Be on your way. Celebrate your hollow honor elsewhere." The shock of the blow shook Theo's delusions from him. Standing in the street, cowering before Aunt Ethel, it was clear he had been wholly defeated. Peter pulled him away and they left without saying another word, though Theo looked back at us with horror in his eyes. "Come inside," Aunt Ethel said sharply.

I followed without objection. As I entered the small shop, a tiny, bald man ushered me over to a table. He provided me a glass of wine and bowed profusely as my aunt moved around to sit beside me. The wine burned in my throat. "What was that about?"

Aunt Ethel looked as severe as she had in the street, flicking her eyes to the door occasionally as she spoke. "They've kept it up all these years. Robert let it go once he could walk around with 'lord' in front of his name, but now I see his son has taken it up instead. They put on those badges and call themselves dragon hunters. Then they do what they please. I would say that I am surprised Theodore wound up with that lot, but I'm not. I've told Arthur for years that the whole Locke family has rot running through them. We knew it back then and it's as clear to me now. No matter, Mr. Edwards, I believe we are here to commission a new suit for my brother. Let's have a look at the material."

As Mr. Edwards went to get a sample book of his own, the door burst open and Langston stepped into the shop. His eyes locked on mine for a moment, but then he went to Aunt Ethel. "My lady, I came as soon as I heard. Are both of you all right?"

"Mr. Black! Of course, we're perfectly fine. You need not have come."

"They've been causing trouble all morning. The whole lot of them slipped into town last night and emerged from the pub near dawn to terrorize half the townspeople. They accused one of my workers of being a dragon and whipped him in the street. When Gretchen told me that some of them had attacked her and Lady Anna, I ran all the way here. The three who did the whipping are still with the constable, who --"

"Theodore Lock and Peter Coren," I said. If Langston continued to relive the ordeal for Aunt Ethel, she might cart me back to Annandale before I was able to spend any time with him. "They made a mistake is all. Theodore apologized and went on his way. Two foolish boys unable to handle their liquor. Let's not dwell on it."

Aunt Ethel did not share my desire to move on. "Have the rest left town? Do you know how many?"

"I believe so, a pair left a while ago. With the two here and three in the jail, that would make seven."

"The man they whipped, was he..." she asked cautiously. Langston nodded. "How did they find out?"

"They didn't. Not exactly anyway. It was old Corley. Seeing their pins must have set him off. He attacked them and started raving like a lunatic. Threatened to change and crush them all."

The obvious dawned on me. "He's an actual dragon? They attacked an actual dragon in human form?"

Both of them looked to me as if I'd appeared out of thin air. Aunt Ethel answered, "Yes. He and his family have lived here since before the war. You know your father gave refuge to anyone seeking help. Those of us who know keep it secret to keep them safe."

"But why did he take the beating? He could have defended himself."

"He didn't want to put anyone else in danger," Langston said. "With any luck, they'll write it off as a drunken dream or that he was just a crazy old man. He has family in the East. Once he's well enough, I think he should move on in case they come back. I should let Lord Arthur know."

"I agree. If you hurry, you can likely catch him at the financiers. As always, thank you, Mr. Black," Aunt Ethel smiled at him.

My mind raced as I tried to keep up with what was happening, but it was very clear that Langston was about to leave without saying a single word directly to me. Then, as brazenly as possible, he stepped over to me and took my hands into his. The next second he kissed me, not the passionate hungry kiss we had shared before, but a patience and loving kiss. As we parted, I saw my aunt's face frozen in shock. Langston leaned his forehead against mine and whispered, "You are safe. I wouldn't have let them harm you. Forgive me for being so abrupt, but I will explain everything later. I intended to give you this today. It is a note that I could not trust to any courier." He slipped a folded letter into my hand and then stepped away. He gave the tailor and my aunt a curt nod and vanished out of the door.

I waited for Aunt Ethel to shout at me or demand an explanation. Instead, she turned to the tailor. "Well, Mr. Edwards, I am sorry to have created such an ordeal in your shop. I trust that we'll have your discretion on all these matters?"

The small man nodded. "Of course."

"Excellent, then let us proceed as if we had just walked in. We would like to commission a new suit for Lord Ingram, let's have a look."

We went through our business in the city. I was heartbroken that my plan to spend time with Langston had been ruined by Theodore's foolery. I turned the note over and over again in my pocket, desperate to read it. Aunt Ethel did not mention Langston at all and I grew fearful that she was containing her wrath until she could speak with my father. Once we reached Annandale, I pulled her aside to plead mercy. "Say something! You must be appalled or ashamed, but I love him."

Aunt Ethel did not rail or rage at me. Instead, her brow wrinkled slightly and she took my hand in hers sympathetically. "We have tried to protect you from so many things. And we have been fools the whole way. Langston is a good man. I will say nothing else about him to anyone, not even your father." She squeezed my hands and then left me in the hallway. "I'll see you at dinner. In the meantime, perhaps you'd like to catch up on your reading. My hand tightened around the note in my pocket. I smiled as my aunt hobbled down the hallway. Her rigidity and prim form always hid her age, but the day's events had tired her. She moved in a slow stoop, her many years more evident on her than usual.

I went to my room and curled into a favorite spot by the window. The note unfurled in my hand and the room suddenly smelled of cinnamon. As I read the letter, my face flushed and I looked around the empty room to be absolutely certain I was alone. His words quickened my breath. I could almost feel his fingers moving across my breasts, his strong arms wrapping around my stomach. I imagined everything he described in all its detail. His hot breath against my ear as he whispered "I love you," the cool air moving across my bare skin as he removed my dress, and the unbridled heat between our two naked bodies as we lay together. My hands reach out to his chest, to feel his heartbeat as he pressed down upon me. My own beating slightly faster as his lips moved down my chest, leaving the tingling burn of his kiss across my flesh. I wanted him then. I wanted the doors of Annandale to be thrown open and Langston to charge up to my room. He would throw me on the bed and I would scream in ecstasy. Then my eyes reached the last line. "Until the market day..."