Surrender Your Heart

by Marie Higgins

  “Indeed, I know the chap, but he wouldn’t be here. Not at tonight’s gala.”

  She inhaled slowly, as to calm her ire. She was here to try to save him, but if this man said one more thing to upset her, she might change her mind.

  Exhaling, she relaxed. No, she couldn’t change her mind.

  He motioned his hand toward the door. “If you would kindly—”

  “Blast it all, I’m not going anywhere.” Showing him her stubborn nature, she cocked her head and folded her arms. “Sir, you need to listen to me. We need to find Deputy Hamilton immediately, because...it’s a matter of life and death.”

  He narrowed his gaze on her. “Life and death, you say?”

  “Yes. I overheard a murderous plot, and if we don’t do something soon, you and your British friends will be killed. And because I’m here trying to help you, there’s a possibility I could get killed, too.”

  Her throat tightened as her panic heightened. She must do everything she could to stay alive, although it frightened her out of her skin.

  “Miss,” the man leaned closer to her as his voice lowered. “If you don’t leave posthaste, I shall summons the sheriff.”

  She wanted to scream at him...to shake him senseless. But she couldn’t alert him to the fact that the sheriff was on the same side as the Irishmen. “Well, if you’re going to the trouble of summoning the sheriff, why not Deputy Hamilton?”

  Another well-dressed gentleman sauntered toward them and stopped by the first man. He looked as haughty as the others.

  “Wiggins? Is this woman bothering you?”

  Emily rolled her eyes. Why did they see her as a threat?

  The man named Wiggins nodded sharply. “Actually, she is, and she’s refusing to leave.”

  She had enough of these fools,

  She pushed past the two men and hurried toward the orchestra. When reaching them, she motioned her hands for them to stop. They did as their gazes jumped back and forth to each other, shaking their heads in puzzlement.

  Emily turned toward the small crowd who were now looking at her as if they were ready to pummel her. She raised her hands, palms out. “May I have your attention, please?” The room quieted quickly, so she continued before someone dared to stop her. “There is a dire emergency, and we all need to leave this room...preferably going out the back way.”

  The murmurs exchanged gradually increased as the crowd shook their head. She really didn’t want to tell them the plain truth, but it appeared that was exactly what she’d have to do to make them understand.

  “Listen to me,” she said almost in a shout. “There are men from Ireland coming at this very moment to attack this party. It’s their goal to kill every British person in Savannah.” She pierced them with a scowl. At least she had their undivided attention and they were silent. “Now, you can either trust me and let me help you, or I can leave and let you fend for yourselves. The choice is yours.”

  She waited, wondering what they were going to decide. If they didn’t want her help, she couldn’t force them. But she would make one last plea before giving up and leaving. “If someone could assist me in locating Deputy Hamilton, he’d let you know I was speaking the truth.”

  Nervously, she fisted and relaxed her hands in a continuous motion. They were running out of time. Why couldn’t they see that?

  From the back of the room, a movement pulled her attention to the tall man with broad shoulders entering from one of the doors. A relived sigh gushed from her mouth and her wobbly legs had her nearly falling to the floor. Instead, she held in a sob and ran toward him.

  She expected him to be upset at her, but the expressions crossing his handsome face were far from that emotion. She couldn’t tell if he was happy to see her—or afraid for them both.

  “Adam,” she sighed as she fell into his arms that wrapped around her shoulders. “I need to tell you—”

  “I heard,” he said softly as he looked into her eyes.

  Adam cleared his throat and lifted his head as his gaze moved from person to person inside the ballroom. “Please listen to Miss Black. She is correct. There are Irishmen gathering right now who plan to attack this party with the intention of killing us all.”

  Gasps exploded around the room, and the cries from women as they leaned against their husbands in despair. Emily wanted to roll her eyes again from their display. She’d already told them that. Why hadn’t they believed her?

  An older man marched toward Adam as his white-faced wife hung onto his arm. Adam stiffened. When the couple came to a stop right in front of her and Adam, the older man pinned her with a glare before moving his insulting gaze to Adam.

  “What is the meaning of this?” he grumbled in a low voice. “Are you trying to frighten the women in this room half to death?”

  Adam blew out a gush of air from between his teeth. “Mr. Chandler, what did you expect? Miss Black tried to warn everyone nicely, but they wouldn’t listen. We need to decide now what to do before it’s too late.” He paused, but only briefly. “And if you remember correctly, I tried to tell you this last night.”

  She held her breath. Chandler? These were Mary’s parents? Her mouth dried, but she didn’t dare swallow for fear the older man would reprimand her for doing that.

  Mr. Chandler’s accusing gaze jumped back to Emily and she held her breath. She could only imagine what he might be thinking since she was still next to Adam and his arms were circled around her.

  “Mr. Chandler,” Adam continued in a more soothing voice, “would you please trust me on this? I’m not only trying to save your life, but the lives of everyone in this ballroom. If you don’t agree with the way I’m handling the situation, feel free to take your wife back to your room.”

  The older man looked back at Adam, narrowing his glare. “Does this have something to do with the deaths of Mary and Phillip?”

  Adam’s jaw tightened, and he nodded. “The men who are planning to attack are the same gang who burned down my home and killed my family.”

  Mrs. Chandler gasped a shocked breath as tears filled her eyes. “You... discovered the truth about what happened that night?”

  Adam nodded. “I did.”

  Mr. Chandler’s expression fell. Gone was the tautness in his face, and gratitude had replaced it. He turned and took his wife into his arms as they comforted each other.

  Adam pulled away from Emily and moved to the middle of the room. “Please, we must all calm ourselves,” he told the room loudly. “The Irish aren’t aware that we know of their plan. I believe I’ll be able to get us all to safety.”

  Emily stood back as she watched the crowd swarm around Adam as they gave ideas of how to escape. Her body still shook with fear, but she moved closer, hoping she’d gain more courage. With Adam here now, she wasn’t as afraid, but until the Irish were stopped, she’d always fear for the worst.

  The men in the crowd finally found their backbones and they seemed more eager to help Adam. Of course, Adam was still the only one in this room with a revolver. She had a knife in her boot, but that was all.

  After a few minutes, Adam walked away from the others, and stopped in front of her. His smile was gentle when he lifted her chin with his fingers.

  “How are you holding up?” he asked.

  “I could be better...but at least I’m not worse.”

  He chuckled. “I feel that way, too.” He paused and dropped his touch from her face. “Now tell me what you know about the Irish coming tonight.”

  She kept her voice low, mainly so the others wouldn’t hear her. The concern on Adam’s face deepened the more she talked. When she finished, he nodded.

  “I’d had a gut feeling something was going to happen tonight.” He took her hands in his as he stroked his thumbs over her knuckles. “And, just to ease your mind, I did find some men to help me tonight.”

  Relief once more swept over her, but this time her eyes burned with tears. It thrilled her beyond words to know that he took her suggestion to heart. Of cours
e, it made it harder to tell him this next part...

  “There’s more,” she whispered and stepped closer.

  “What?”

  “This morning I tried to find you, and when I couldn’t, I...” She swallowed hard. “I told the sheriff.”

  He cussed softly and shook his head. “I wish you hadn’t have done that.”

  “I realized that a little too late, which is why I’m here.”

  His eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

  “Hannah told me where Sheriff Montgomery’s family lives, and that’s when I realized I shouldn’t have told him. That’s why I came to town this evening even though I’d promised to stay away. I’d hoped to find you, but when I couldn’t I knew I had to come to the gala and convince these people that they were in danger.”

  His stare wasn’t on her face, but off as if in a daze. He was quiet for a few moments, which worried her. “Adam? Did you hear me?”

  Slowly, he nodded and looked at her. “My sweet, Emily, it makes me happy to know you care about others so much, but it scares me to know that something terrible might happen to you.” He lifted her hands to his mouth and brushed his lips across her knuckles. “I don’t want to lose you. Ever.”

  Her heartbeat flipped excitedly, and yet, this was the wrong place to feel this way. “Good, because my feelings for you haven’t changed, and I definitely don’t want to lose you, either.”

  Sighing heavily, he released her hands and stepped past her. “We need to get these people out of here, but we can’t draw attention just in case the men from Ireland are waiting outside.”

  She moved next to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. “What should we do?”

  He scanned the room, but his gaze kept moving to the back door. “We need to sneak them out the back and into another building.”

  “Yes.” She gently squeezed his arm. “I’m right beside you all the way.”

  He smiled fully and winked. “Then let’s do this.”

  NINETEEN

  Adam couldn’t keep his eyes off Emily. It warmed his heart to know she so generously helped the same people who had treated her badly not too long ago, and that she had risked her own life to do it. She was such a strong-willed woman, and very stubborn, but that’s why he loved her. Emily had brought happiness back into his life and given him a reason to see himself through her eyes. Now he wanted to become the man she thought he was.

  He carefully opened the back door and peeked out into the alley. The sun was almost descended now, but thankfully, the moon was a little brighter than last night. Still, all he could see were shadows...and a wagon. He frowned. What was a wagon doing out in back of the hotel?

  Adam pulled back inside the building and looked over his shoulder at Emily. “Wait here. I’m going to sneak around out in the back to see if I can find a way to get these people out of here.”

  She nodded and touched his arm. “Please be careful.”

  He withdrew his revolver out of his holster. “I will.”

  Taking cautious steps outside, he listened closely for anything out of the ordinary. He wanted to know if the Irish gang was hiding back here. But really, there would not be a good place to hide. There were no trees close by, or barrels, or anything they could hide under.

  He moved to the wagon and peeked in the back. Only one long crate sat near the edge of the wagon. He lifted the top. As his eyes adjusted to what was inside, he hitched a breath. Rifles! He withdrew one and checked it thoroughly. If this one was loaded, that meant they’d all be loaded with ammunition.

  Grumbling, he quietly lifted the crate out of the wagon and took it back to the building he’s just exited. Emily waited for him at the door. Her wide eyes were aimed on the crate as she opened the door wider to let him inside.

  “I found something that will help us.” He placed the crate on the floor and knelt beside it as he removed the lid.

  She gasped. “Oh, no. That’s not good.”

  Glancing up at her, he arched an eyebrow. “How do you figure that?”

  “I reckon they were placed in that wagon for one purpose only...to kill people.”

  “My sweet Emily, in this case, these rifles will protect the ones inside from being killed. If the gang who plans to attack happens to get shot during the squabble, then it’s their fault for starting this in the first place.”

  She frowned. “I know. I just hate to see violence.”

  “As do I.” He stood and took her in his arms. “Unfortunately, this world is all about good versus evil, and sweetheart, the kind and goodhearted people in this world—like you—need to protect themselves any way they can.”

  She smiled, but it wasn’t as bright as he’d seen it before. “You think I’m kind and goodhearted?”

  “Emily, my love, you have a heart of gold.”

  He kissed her briefly on the mouth before pulling away. “I need to get these rifles to the men in the room.”

  “What about the wagon?” she asked as she opened the door and peeked out.

  “What about it?”

  “Well, I was thinking that we could use that to move the women out of the hotel and to another shop to keep them safe.” She closed the door softly and met Adam’s gaze. “We could cover them with horse blankets I saw in the alley so that the gang doesn’t notice their fancy gowns.”

  Adam stared at her, briefly dumbfounded. This woman was amazing. He laughed and gathered her in his arms, lifting her as he swung her around once.

  “Oh, my sweet Emily. You are so very clever. That’s a brilliant idea.” He placed her back on her feet and grasped her hand. “Come. There’s no time to waste.”

  In the next ten minutes, Adam and Emily had gathered the women and some horse blankets. One by one, Adam and Emily sneaked the women to the wagon, getting them to lie down in the back and be covered with blankets. It surprised him that the women weren’t belly-aching about getting their lovely gowns soiled. He was relieved that they were thinking of their safety over their appearance at this particular moment.

  Once the women were all settled in the back and covered, Adam led Emily to the driver’s seat with his arm around her shoulders. They both stopped, and she turned to look up into his face.

  “Here, take my gun,” he said, handing her his revolver, “just in case something happens.”

  She hesitated, but thankfully took it.

  “Drive them to that building over yonder.” He pointed in the direction. “Get the women into the building and wait for me to come and get you when it’s over.”

  Her eyes spiked with tears as she nodded. “As long as you promise to...come get me. Don’t die on me.”

  He gave her a tender smile and caressed her cheek. “Emily, you’re the only thing in my life that makes me happy. I’ll fight to stay alive so that I can see your beautiful face again.”

  A tear slid down her cheek, and he wiped it away with the pad of his thumb.

  “Then I’ll wait for you,” she whispered brokenly.

  He bent his head and kissed her. She desperately clutched his vest, and her silent answer was powerfully emotional. His heart swelled.

  Adam broke the kiss and stared into her eyes as he kept her in his arms. “I love you, Emily.”

  She breathed a relieved sigh. “I love you.”

  He assisted her to the driver’s seat and handed her the reins. “I’ll see you soon.”

  “I’m holding you to that promise.” She smiled shakily.

  She urged the horse forward and drove toward the other building. Standing in the shadows against the hotel’s brick wall, he watched to make certain Emily arrived at the shop. He held his breath until every single woman had entered the back door of the establishment.

  As he expelled his breath, he returned inside the hotel to join arms with the British men. He didn’t know when the gang was going to attack, but they’d be ready for them.

  EMILY CHEWED ON THE end of her thumb as she stood by the window and watched the hotel. From where she stood,
she couldn’t see the front of the hotel, but she’d make sure the gang didn’t try to sneak in through the back door.

  She was still very confused to why the wagon with the crate of rifles had been sitting in the alley, especially when the wagon bore a strong resemblance to the one Brian had driven around town. It hurt her heart to think that her cousin might be a rebel with these other Irishmen, but yet, he’d pretty much told her that when he dropped by Hannah’s house to say good-bye.

  But she mustn’t worry about that. She would deal with her cousin later. Right now, she had more to worry about.

  “Oh, Adam,” she said in reverence as she touched the glass pane, “please come back to me.”

  Emily realized someone had come up to her and stood staring at her. She looked at Mrs. Chandler. Sadness marred the woman’s wrinkled face.

  “My apologies for intruding upon your moment of solace,” Mrs. Chandler said. “But I couldn’t help but notice—and overhear—that you have strong feelings for Adam Hamilton.”

  Emily pulled away from the wall and straightened. “Yes, ma’am, I do. I’m in love with him.”

  “How long have you known him?”

  “Not very long. Perhaps just a few weeks.”

  The older woman nodded as she smoothed her hand along the loose bun of gray mixed with brown hair at the back of her head. “Then you are probably aware he was once married to my daughter.”

  “Yes, he told me.”

  “We—my husband and I—never did approve of our Mary marrying a man like that.” Her frown deepened. “We were hoping that she would marry someone from England.”

  “Yes, I can imagine.” Emily folded her arms. “But it makes me wonder why you were judging him solely on the fact of his citizenship. Adam Hamilton is a good man, and I’m sure he was a great husband to your daughter and a wonderful father to your grandson.”

  Mrs. Chandler shrugged. “Well, I—”

  “You know,” Emily continued as ire built up inside of her, “if you really think about it, you and your husband aren’t any better than the Irishmen who will be attacking the hotel.”