An hour earlier... The guests were slowing thinning out and he let out a sigh. He was leaning against the wall watching the people leave and closed his eyes. The music was starting to die down and his agonizing role was almost over. He could hear the children laughing and opened his eyes. They were sitting on the stairs watching people leave and Leon was entertaining them. Quietly he walked across the room and joined them. The three looked up at him with pure trouble written on their faces. "Do I want to know?" Leon chuckled and said "In time perhaps." He sighed and glanced up the stairs. Turning back to the throng of people still lingering, he skimmed the faces and found the woman missing still. He felt Leon watching him and looked at the butler. "I think she slipped into the kitchen a few hours ago." He climbed past the three and headed up the stairs. If the woman had managed to escape this hellhole he would have to applaud her. Raking his hand through his hair, he stopped at the top of the stairs and headed to the West Wing. As he made his way into the quiet part of the castle he heard the frantic whimpering. He stopped in front of Eve's room and slowly pulled the door open. Tanner ran out of the room and down the hall. He watched the pup stop and look back at him. The animal was upset and he shut the door. Silently he followed Tanner back to the stairwell and they descended quickly. The dog skidded around in the hall and raced straight into the crowd of people. Leon looked at him and asked "What is going on?" "Just get everyone out and have Grace take the children." Leon tried to speak but he walked past the man. He heard the people screaming as Tanner ran through them and he pushed his way through. He ignored the questions being thrown at him and saw the dog force his way into the kitchen. He pushed the door open and found Abigail nursing an injured arm. "What happened?" The woman looked at him and sighed "Your cousin got drunk." His eyes narrowed and he watched Tanner scratching at the door. He glanced at Oric and the cook shook his head. "He went outside about half an hour ago." His scowl deepened and he walked over to the door. Pulling it open, he watched the dog take off down the beach and followed. He could almost feel the animal's anxiety. Something felt wrong and he recalled the sudden pain that had hit him while playing his host role. He heard the dog barking as he raced down the beach and ran after him. As he rounded the far bend he heard an angry scream and made out the form sitting in the waves. His blood raced and he watched Tanner race for the distant boulder. As he followed the dog, he spotted the discarded shoes and stopped. The anxiety returned and followed with a wave of pure hatred. He made his way to his cousin and found him rocking back and forth in the water. The man was almost insane and he heard the whimpering. Turning his eyes to the boulder, he saw Tanner nudging the hidden form and approached. The dog looked up and whimpered at him when he reached them. Kneeling down next to the animal, he nudged him aside and looked down at the blonde woman. She was sitting upright against the boulder but was lost somewhere in sleep. Tanner nudged her face again and he saw the marks on her face. Lifting up her arm, he found another band wrapped around her wrist and a growl filled his throat. He could hear the approaching help looking for him and carefully wrapped his arms around the woman. He held her in his arms and could feel the heat radiating from her bruised skin. Standing up, he found Abigail and Oric approaching in a hurry. They stopped when he revealed himself and he stepped around the boulder. Tanner let out a bark and ran at Christopher. The man was finally on his feet but the animal knocked him down into the waves. He stood on the man's chest growling. "Tanner down!" Abigail was ignored and Johnathan watched Oric quietly approach. The cook looked over the woman in his arms and then at him. "He did this?" "Yeah." The man let out a curse and said "I'll take care of him. You get her up to her room without anyone seeing her." Abigail came up to them and said "She needs a doctor. This is worse than the last time." His hold on Eve tightened and he looked down at the woman. She was worse but he could only imagine how angry she would be if he summoned the doctor. "Just get her room prepared." Abigail opened her mouth to argue but he turned his gaze on her. She saw the flames in his eyes and turned around. He watched her disappear around the bend and glanced over at Oric. The man had managed to get Tanner off Christopher and was hauling him to his feet. "Leave some for me." The cook shot him a smirk and said "Will do." He headed down the beach and heard Tanner running after him. The dog wasn't about to leave her side and he didn't blame the animal. The ocean was almost silent as he approached the kitchen door and stepped inside. He stopped at the dining hall door and listened. The guests were still lingering and he let out a sigh. Looking down at the animal, he walked over to a corner door and pushed it open. The old hall was covered in cobwebs from lack of use and dark. His boots fell silently on the cold floor and he climbed a stairwell at the end of the hall. He pushed the door open with his side and stepped into the West Wing library. Tanner joined him as he left the room and crossed the hall to her room. He pushed the door open and found Abigail turning the bed down. The woman looked at him as he approached and he lowered the woman onto the bed. "I need a bowl of warm water and a clean rag." "I should get her cleaned up first." He looked back at Abigail and the woman stood her ground. She could feel the anger rolling off him but couldn't let his emotional state harm the woman any further. "If I can't summon the doctor you will let me get her into a bath." Closing his eyes, he took a deep sigh and nodded. The woman walked to the closed bathroom and pushed the door open. He lifted Eve back into his arms and carried her into the small side room. Abigail grabbed a towel and the robe hanging on a chair. She allowed him to leave the bathroom and began removing the woman's evening dress.