"...and Arthur pulled the sword from the stone," as Juliana foretold she acted out the scene brandishing her invisible sword triumphantly into the air, "and became King of all Camelot. The end."

Willy had already fallen fast asleep, but Alex hung on her every word. "That was a great story!" Alex said as he snuggled a little deeper under the covers.

"So glad you enjoyed it. It was my favorite story when I was a child."

"Juliana?" Alex said his eyes starting to get heavy-lidded.

"Yes, Alex?" Juliana replied while tucking the youngster into bed.

"Are you going to marry Uncle Richard?"

Out of the mouths of babes, Juliana thought smiling down at Alex's angelic face.

"I most certainly hope to," Juliana said brushing a wayward curl from Alex's forehead.

"Me too," Alex said sleepily "because then you would be my Aunt and we would have cousins to play with."

A rush of joy filled her heart, at the boy's words. It would be a dream come true to be married to Richard and have his children.

"You would make a great mother," Alex said interrupting her thoughts. Juliana smiled and kissed Alex's forehead.

"As you have?" she asked.

"Uh-huh," he answered, struggling to stay awake and keep his eyes open. "But until then you can continue to read to us if you like?"

"I would like that very much," Juliana told him.

"Me also." Alex smiled up at her. "Good night, Juliana."

"Good night, Alex. Sweet dreams."

As Juliana descended the staircase the house was cloaked in darkness. The only light was coming from an oil lamp on a table in the downstairs hall. Everyone had turned in for the night and the whole house seemed still. Juliana was not surprised. Annabelle most likely believed if they were not around to distract her that she would be able to keep her word about going to bed.

Her thoughts drifted to Alex and his conversation about his Uncle. Richard asked her to plan the wedding while he was away but she could not bring herself to do so. She and Annabelle had looked for some fabric to have a new dress made but her heart was not in her task. If only he would write to her, even a quick little note to let her know he is alive and well. The not know was killing her. She immediately felt guilty at this thought. Richard had his hands full with all his dealings at home. She would just need to be patient.

Then she thought of Alex wanting cousins to play with. She could easily envision a family outing where her sons and Alex and Willy were playing together. It was a fantasy that brought with it such feelings of utter happiness she hugged herself tightly wanting to hold onto the feeling. The thought left a smile on her lips. She thought about a cup of tea before bed but figured no sense to it, she was only delaying the inevitable and decided to turn in.

Juliana looked for a match to light a candle by her bedside but there was none to be found. Annabelle told her how mad Mrs. Moore has been at preparing her a room every night and every night Annabelle was unsuccessful at producing a guest, that was of course until tonight. The housekeeper most likely forgot to leave them thinking it unnecessary. No matter, soon her eyes would adjust to the darkness.

Juliana pulled the curtain open to let in some moonlight. Even though she was on the first floor the bedroom was surrounded by the Kane's private garden so she could still undress with modesty. Juliana shivered slightly from the cool breeze drifting in from the window. She thought of closing it but decided she rather enjoyed the cool air that came through. Looking back at her bed she now could make out the shape of the four posters and the bed curtains and on the trunk was her nightdress. Juliana slowly undressed, got into her nightclothes, and after giving up on trying to untangle her hair climbed into bed snuggling under the warmth of the covers.

"Did you miss me?" was a voice she heard from the shadows whispered in her ear. Juliana did not even remember drifting off to sleep but now her eyes were wide open. She screamed but the sound was more a muffled cry for help as the intruder had already managed to cover her mouth. She was no longer alone in bed and her heart raced. Juliana felt frightened beyond all reason.

"I will take my hand away but you have to swear you will not scream. You see, I have this," the intruder held up dagger allowing the moonlight to gleam off the well-polished blade.

"If you do scream, I am afraid I may be forced to silence you for good," he said quite nonchalantly although he spoke of her death.

"So do you promise?"

Juliana nodded her head in affirmation.

"Good girl," he said removing his hand from her lips. "I have missed you. I thought a lot about you. I enjoyed watching you undress. The way you took your time it was almost as if you knew I was watching you. You have such an exquisite figure," the man had said pulling the covers off of Juliana so he could feast his eyes on her again.

Juliana tried desperately to place the voice. He obviously knew her but from where?

"I have wanted you from the moment I saw you," he said as he ran his free hand across her body and Juliana shivered at his touch.

Juliana tried to see the features of the man above her but could not however, there was something so familiar about the voice.

"I thought about touching you like this. Undressing you. Bedding you."

"Marcus?" Juliana whispered his name.

"So, you do remember me? I am flattered," Marcus mused.

He had her pinned. His body straddling her own. Juliana wondered if she would have enough strength to throw him off but then realized he would be on the floor between her and the door. Could she make it to the hall?

"I have dreamt of this moment for so long," he said breathing into her hair.

"Marcus why ..."

"Did I come here? Watch? Wait?" Marcus finished Juliana's question, "because I want you and I promised myself that I would have you. So, I came for you."

With a quick flick of the knife, the front of Juliana's gown was cut open. She gasped and tried to hold the material closed.

"Come now," Marcus said pulling her hands away and pinning them at her sides. "No need to be shy. I already feasted on your naked form. I just wish to do so again," he said as he ran a finger across her collar bone and between her now naked breasts.

Juliana turned her face from him. She would not let him see her cry. She felt so powerless. She had to find a way to steal his knife from him. Think Juliana! Think!

"You may have thought you knew what pleasure was but I assure you that Lord Bentley has nothing over me in bed. I personally never understood what Cecilia saw in him."

Juliana's head snapped back to attention. Marcus was Cecilia's lover, which would also make him her... killer.

"You and I, we are meant for one another. We are not like that spoiled brat of a girl or that pompous git, Lord Bentley. We are real," he said as he crushed her lips with his and leaned his full body weight on top of her.

She managed to free one hand and raked her nails across his face. Marcus sucked in his breath at the stinging sensation it caused. "You little..." he touched his face and was not surprised to see she had drawn blood.

With the distraction, Juliana tried to reach the knife but Marcus pushed her back, easily pinning her once more. She could not move. He held her firmly in place. She wanted nothing more than to scream but with the blade inches from her body she dared not chance it.

"I always knew you would be a hellcat in bed and now I have the scratches to prove it," he said with a low chuckle and then kissed her again only this time was more gentle, and this surprised Juliana.

He moved to her neck, "I wasted my life and my love on that whore, but I plan to prove to you once and for all that I am far more superior then any English Lord and then you will be mine," Marcus said rubbing the back of his hand over her cheek.

"I will NEVER belong to you," Juliana spat.

Marcus hissed at her words. For a moment she thought he would strike her, as his one hand raised and then he reigned himself in, closed his hand and brushed a piece of her hair from her face, instead.

His actions and words were confusing her. At first, she thought he meant to kill her, then she believed he would take her forcibly, but it was almost like he was trying to convince her of something. To make her want to give into him willingly. Something she would never do.

"Why do you deny me, Anna? Can you not see how much I love you? If I did not, you would have been dead by now. I want to save you. I want to save you from him."

"You are vile. A murderer. I could never love you!" Juliana struggled to get free, even if it meant taking her chances with her own life. Marcus' words were making her feel increasingly more frantic.

"Please, Anna?"

Juliana stopped struggling and watched mesmerized as a tear slowly carved its path down Marcus' cheek.

"I loved her. Cecilia was my world. We were discovered by her father and I was banished from her. I begged for her to run away with me and she turned me away. Her family's name meant more to her than me. When I discovered she chose Lord Bentley over me and it tore my heart in two." He stroked Juliana's hair as he spoke and she did not move a muscle.

"Then how could you do it?" Juliana asked. "How could you kill her?"

Marcus laughed, "How can you still be so blind? How can you not see? It was not me that killed her. It was your precious Lord Bentley. That is why I had to come. I had to come and save you."

"You are delusional! Richard did not kill Cecilia. He was here when he got the news."

"For such an educated woman I really expected you to be smarter than this. There is more than one way to kill someone, Anna. He left for London. He came here for you. I snuck into the Chase household, hoping to convince Cecilia one last time before she wed to leave Lord Bentley, to come away with me."

"I entered her bedroom from the outside as I had done several times in the past. I whispered her name, and she did not respond. I could see her lying there in bed and crept closer. She..." Marcus fought with the wave of emotion that threatened to pull him under. "She laid there, eyes wide, her breath gone, her beautiful pink lips tinged blue. She had strung herself up with her own stockings. She took her own life, either because she could not stand the fact that Richard was here with you, or because she could not face a life forever bound to him. Either way, he took her from me."

"Then those horrible rumors started that she was with child and I lost my mind, my job, I had nothing and then I thought of you. I wanted Richard to pay. I wanted you dead. I wanted my revenge but seeing you again... I can not. Runaway with me, Anna? Let me save you?"

"Back away from the Lady," was the menacing growl that came from somewhere near the window. Marcus smiled maliciously at the newcomer in the room. "I underestimated you," Marcus said to the shadow.

Richard cocked his gun. "Just give me a reason and you will be dead before you lay another hand on her."