"Ben Stokes!"

"Ahhh! Stop doin' that - you'll give me heart failure, then who'll do your dirty work for ya?"

Angelique Collins stood before the man as he tended to his duties of splitting firewood. He momentarily considered using the hatchet he held on her, but knew it would do no good. He didn't think anything would permanently kill this witch.

"Never mind that now, Ben. You did something wrong and I want to know what it was."

"What are you talkin' about? I didn't do nothin' wrong."

"You must have. The potion did not work as it should have."

"You mean Mister Joshua and the Countess didn't..."

"Oh, indeed they did, Ben. They could not stay away from one another."

"Well, that's what you wanted, ain't it?"

"Yes, but they should hate each other over what happened, they should be at each other's throats."

"And they ain't?"

"No."

Ben began to chuckle, then to laugh out loud. He could see Angelique's anger rise, but he couldn't stop laughing. Finally he caught his breath and shook his head.

"Don't go blamin' me 'cause your spells and potions don't work like you want 'em to."

"What did you do?!"

"Nothin' but what you told me. You watched me mix that evil potion, I couldn't a' done nothin' to it even if I knew what ta do. Then I sprinkled half of it on the Countess Natalie's pillows and the other half on Mister Joshua's pillows, just like you ordered. Gossip at the big house is she spent all night in his room, and they wasn't sleepin'."

"I don't understand. Well, you shall have to make the potion again, only this time it will be much stronger."

"No. I ain't gonna risk gettin' caught cause the first time weren't good enough for ya."

"You shall not be caught!"

"Maybe not, but if this happens to 'em again, they'll figure a witch is involved and come to me, askin' questions. Even if I can't tell 'em nothin', they'll know. Just leave 'em be. You done what you wanted to 'em, ain't that enough?"

"No, it is not."

"Why? They'll have to fret over what happened the rest of their lives."

"Even that is not enough, Ben. I want them to know they must have each other, and hate each other for it. Now go - collect what you will need. I shall be watching you very closely."

Ben swung the hatchet angrily, so it lodged deeply in a tree stump, then reluctantly ambled into the woods. He would be sorry about this, he was sure.

The soft yet urgent knock startled Natalie. She turned away from the window and glanced at her bed. It had been turned down but she had not yet retired. The knock came a second time and she sighed, resigned to not seeing her bed for a few more minutes. Crossing the floor to the door, Natalie leaned close and listened.

"Who is it?"

"Natalie!"

Joshua? Natalie hesitated a minute, less than pleased to hear his voice on the other side of the door. She did not especially wish to see him.

"It is late, Joshua. Can it not wait?"

"Natalie, I must see you."

His voice sounded desperate, almost as if he were in pain. Taking a deep breath, she unlocked the door, turned the knob, and opened the door, allowing Joshua into her room.

He entered quickly and Natalie was alarmed by his appearance. He'd obviously been asleep, but he'd awakened and drawn on his dressing gown in a hurry. Joshua closed the door behind him, locked it, then grabbed Natalie by the upper arms and drew her to him for a needy kiss.

Protesting as best she could, Natalie pushed against Joshua, trying to free herself. She tried to slap his face, but he caught her hands and held them between them as he embraced her tightly. His eyes were filled with need and desire.

"Natalie, I must be with you. I feel as though I may die if I am kept from you."

Again he kissed her, his embrace tightening. Natalie could feel his need pressing against her thigh, but she did not share his desire. Again she struggled and broke free of him.

"No, Joshua. We agreed..."

"Damn the agreement. One night with you was not enough, Natalie, for either of us."

Collins caught Natalie by the arm as she tried to turn away from him. His other hand tangled in her dressing gown and night dress. The tearing of cloth frightened Natalie and she drew breath to scream for help but Joshua captured her mouth with his, preventing any sound from escaping her. He held her close with one arm and used his other hand to remove the tatters of her clothing.

Panicked, Natalie tried to think how she could escape this man, but he gave her no opportunity. With building desire, he steered her over to the bed and caused her to lie down, her head on her pillow. Collins quickly joined her in bed and stretched himself along the length of her body. Natalie turned her head, trying to draw breath to scream, but suddenly realized she did not want to be rescued. Natalie had inhaled the fragrance of Angelique's potion, the one the witch had forced Ben to sprinkle on the pillows of both Natalie's and Joshua's beds, as he had the previous night. No, Natalie did not want to be rescued at all. She looked at Joshua, grabbed his head between her hands and pulled him to her for a deep and passionate kiss.

Angelique's stronger potion had done its job. Natalie's frightened and desperate struggle to escape quickly became a welcoming embrace of passion and lust.