Zane walked in and pulled Bella into his lap. She put her book down and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Officer McGee is coming over to talk to you. They found your purse and wallet."
"Thank god. All that for twenty five dollars." Lillian said.
"The money was still in the wallet. They think someone purposely attacked you." He was tring his best to stay calm.
"Who? Why would someone hurt me?" Lillian let go of his neck and placed her hands in her lap.
"Can you think of anyone that would want to hurt you?" Zane asked.
"... Betty.... Miss Heather Thornton... and ... your mother... " Lillian said.
Zane then picked up the phone and called Bret, "Did you find your sister?"
"Yes, she ran to a friends house. She said she did it because she was jealous of her but didn't want to hurt Bella. She just didn't think things through till it was to late." He said.
"Do you think she would send someone to hurt Bella?" Zane asked.
"No, Betty loves her but because Bella is the baby of the family was jealous. Things like this happen a lot growing up but no real damage was ever done."
"Ok, that's all I need to know." Zane hung up. Looking down at her curled like a kitten in his arm he said, "It's not your sister. If I had to guess it was Heather."
When Officer McGee arrived he explained everything they had found out. He returned her purse and wallet. He took the information on Heather Thornton then left.
"For now don't go out unless Your Brother or I am with you understand?" Zane was still fighting the fury inside.
She shook her head yes. Then picked up her book to get lost in her story again.
◇◇◇♡♡♡◇◇◇ OH, IF I COULD BUT SHIVER! cont:
"Then you shall get into your coffin again"; and taking it up, he threw the body in, and made the lid fast.
Then the six men came in again and bore it away.
"Oh, deary me," said he, "I shall never be able to shiver if I stop here all my lifetime!"
At these words in came a man who was taller than all the others, and looked more horrible; but he was very old and had a long white beard.
"Oh, you wretch," he exclaimed, "now thou shalt learn what shivering means, for thou shalt die!"
"Not so quick," answered the youth; "if I die I must be brought to it first."
"I will quickly seize you," replied the ugly one.
"Softly, softly; be not too sure. I am as strong as you, and perhaps stronger."
"That we will see," said the ugly man.
"If you are stronger than I, I will let you go; come, let us try"; and he led him away through a dark passage to a smith's forge. Then taking up an axe he cut through the anvil at one blow down to the ground.
"I can do that still better," said the youth, and went to another anvil, while the old man followed him and watched him, with his long beard hanging down.
Then the youth took up an axe, and, splitting the anvil at one blow, wedged the old man's beard in it.
"Now I have you; now death comes upon you!" and taking up an iron bar he beat the old man until he groaned, and begged him to stop, and he would give him great riches.
So the youth drew out the axe, and let him loose. Then the old man, leading him back into the castle, showed him three chests full of gold in a cellar.
"One share of this," said he, "belongs to the poor, another to the King, and a third to yourself."
And just then it struck twelve and the old man vanished, leaving the youth in the dark.
"I must help myself out here," said he, and groping round he found his way back to his room and went to sleep by the fire.
The next morning the King came and inquired, "Now have you learnt to shiver?"
"No," replied the youth; "what is it? My dead cousin came here, and a bearded man, who showed me a lot of gold down below; but what shivering means, no one has showed me!"
Then the King said, "You have won the castle, and shall marry my daughter."
"That is all very fine," replied the youth, "but still I don't know what shivering means."
So the gold was fetched, and the wedding was celebrated, but the young Prince (for the youth was a Prince now), notwithstanding his love for his bride, and his great contentment, was still continually crying,
"If I could but shiver! if I could but shiver!"
At last it fell out in this wise: one of the chambermaids said to the Princess, "Let me bring in my aid to teach him what shivering is."
So she went to the brook which flowed through the garden, and drew up a pail of water full of little fish; and, at night, when the young Prince was asleep, his bride drew away the covering and poured the pail of cold water and the little fishes over him, so that they slipped all about him.
Then the Prince woke up directly, calling out, "Oh! that makes me shiver! dear wife, that makes me shiver! Yes, now I know what shivering means!"
◇◇◇♡♡♡◇◇◇
She finished her story and looked up, "Zane?"
"mmmm"
"Can we go out to eat tonight? I'm tired of being home." Bella asked.
Zane smiled this was the first time she asked something from him. "Go get dress up and we will go."
She jumped up and ran to her room. Zane walked around and found her notes on the wedding. grooms side... would his parents come? Did he have a best man? He knew that if he married Heather there would at least a thousand people but Bella only had her small family.
He made a note to ask her brothers to stand with him and to help her forgive Betty to be her with her.
Tomorrow he would even call his mother.