by Alexia Praks
“You bastard!” Julie swore, glaring at the two people before her. “Fine!” she snapped, reaching her shaky hand into her reticule. “If this is what you want then I’ll just have to satisfy you both,” she said, her eyes turning a bright green. “I will have to kill both of you.” She brought out a pistol and pointed it at them.
Ivy widened her eyes.
“Woman, you’re mad,” Max said.
“If I don’t get what I want, no one will,” she shrieked, and slowly, she pulled the trigger.
“No!” Ivy screamed.
Max pulled her down with him to the ground. The bullet misled passed their heads.
“Are you all right?” he whispered. Ivy managed to nod.
Julie was about to fire another shot when Max rushed up and snapped the gun from her hands. He slapped her on the face. She fell to the ground. Gale rushed to the unconscious Julie.
Max tucked the pistol in the pocket of his coat and rushed back to Ivy. He picked her up in his arms and turned toward the mouth of the cave.
“Is this the way out?” Ivy asked.
“I think so.” He stepped out, taking every step very carefully. It was rocky and very slippery. One mistake and he could slip. The passage was downtrend, and he knew if they were both to fall they could not well get back up.
“Max, I’m scare.”
“Hush, my dove, I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to you.” He tightened his arms around her and took another careful step downward. They were quiet as Max carefully chose his way about the tunnel.
A long moment later Ivy touched the side of his face and said, “Would you really look after me and not let anything hurt me?” she asked for fear that he might lie to her.
He shifted his gaze to her and smiled despite the fact his inside was twisting at the thought that any moment now he might take a wrong step and they both would fall down the long, sloppy tunnel.
“Madam, I am a man of my word as you well know, I do not lie.”
She tightened her arms around his neck and rested her head against his shoulder. “I love you,” she whispered.
“And I you,” he whispered back.
That was all that Ivy needed to hear. She felt at peace.
Thank you Lord for bringing him to me, she said in her mind.
“You won’t get away!” a loud voice echoed behind them.
Max turned to look over his shoulder and saw Julie and Gale. Ivy glanced up and saw the two shadowy figures approaching them.
“Max, they’re behind us.”
“We’ll be out soon,” he said and increased his pace.
The downward tunnel pulled him forward as he ran the last few yards down, and a few moments later, they reached the even ground of the cave safely.
“You won’t get away!” Julie screamed after them. Her wild eyes were so intense on the escaping couple that she did not look at where she was going and slipped. The steep passageway pulled her down, and she quickly grabbed for Gale’s skirt as she slid. The maid fell and grabbed for a sturdy rock to pull herself up.
“You won’t get away!” Julie screamed again. “Gale, help!” She looked up to her maid. Her hands were slipping from the maid’s skirt, and she held on for life.
“M’ lady, I can’t hold on,” Gale screamed as her hands started to slip away from the rock. “I’m sorry.”
“What are you saying?” Julie screamed.
“I’m sorry, m’ lady,” Gale said again, and then she kicked Julie’s hands with her boots. “You’re too heavy. I don’t want to die.” She kicked on Julie’s hand harder.
“You bitch! I brought you in. You bitch!” Julie yelled, trying ever so hard to hold tighter on to the ripping skirt.
“You bitch! I’ll not let you live,” she said and moved her hands onto the maid’s boots, pulling her down.
“No!” Gale screamed, “I don’t want to die.”
“Bitch, I won’t let you live!” Julie pulled on the maid’s other boot.
Gale’s hand slipped a bit more from the slimy rock. She tried to hold on tighter but the weight was too much. She knew this was the end.
“No!” she shouted and her fingers slipped.
The two bodies fell down the steep, treacherous tunnel. As they somersaulted down, their bodies collided with numerous sharp rocks engulfed along the passageway. With a whish, their bodies land amongst the sharp, pointy rocks below.
Max and Ivy heard the high pitch screams and then the thick thuds. They looked at each other and knew the inevitable. Ivy rested her head on her husband’s shoulder as they made their way out of the cave.
About ten minutes later they emerged out into the dark night. As they came out, they saw torches of light approaching them.
“I see them!” they heard somebody shouting.
Not a moment later they were surrounded by the servants.
“Your grace, you found her,” Lisa cried, making her way through the crowd toward her mistress. “Oh, your grace, I’m so happy you are still alive.”
“Everything is all right, Lisa,” Ivy said.
“The duke and duchess must get home immediately,” Nick said in irritation as he looked at the maid who was crying.
Lisa quickly moved to the side. Max nodded, and with the crowd surrounding them, they made their way back.
At the Castle, Ivy tiredly went to bed after Lisa had helped her washed and dressed. Max, too, had washed and dressed in his Banyan, and now sitting in his study, he ordered that in the morning his men search the cave for the dead bodies of Julie Anderson, Lord Sherington, and Gale.
“One more thing,” he said as he looked at the men standing before him. “Why were you all at the forest instead of the tunnels?”
“The tunnels you assigned us to search were dead ends,” Nick said. “We met back at the entrance and decide ‘tis better chance to find the cave as Donald here knows the history of this place well.” He nodded toward the butler.
Donald agreed with a nod and said, “Aye, we didn’t know how long the tunnel is. It might take us days, but we do know that the passageway led to a cave in the east woods.”
“Aye, it was a trial and error, your grace,” Nick said.
Max looked from one men to the others and smiled as he never did before to his servants. “I just want to thank you all for your help.” He came to Uncle John and slapped the muted man on his shoulder. He turned to nod at the rest of the men and left them.
He climbed the stairs and came into the master bedroom. His wife was sitting in bed, staring into space. He came to her and took her into his arms. She gladly accepted him and snuggled her face against his neck.
“I was so scared,” she whispered.
“I’m here now, my dove, I won’t let anything happen to you. Everything is going to be all right.”
She looked up at him, staring deep in his blue eyes. She knew he meant what he said, for she saw the love inside those eyes and knew she had found home.
“I’ve got something for you.” He let her go and went to a draw beside his bed. He took out the box and came back. He handed it over to her.
Ivy stared at the beautifully designed box that her papa had given her on her sixth birthday. Tears brewed in her eyes and her hands were shaking as she reached out for it. She touched it and closed her eyes, her heart cried with the joy that he had found her what she most cherish--a piece of her papa’s memory.
She brought the box to her chest and hugged it. She turned to him and said, “Thank you, Max. This means a lot to me.”
“I was going to give it to you this evening but...”
She opened the box. She stroked the bundle of letters and then moved her finger to touch the miniature portrait. She brought it to her lips and kissed it. She rested her head on his shoulder again and said, “Thank you.”
She tightened her arm around him as he kissed her lips.
Yes, everything was going to be all right, she thought, her heart light and happy.
Thank you, Lord, for brin
ging him to me.
EPILOGUE
“Max, you’re giving me a headache!” Merrick snapped.
“Shut up, Merrick, your wife is not the one who is giving birth right now,” Max retorted, reaching for the wineglass. He swallowed a mouthful of whisky and dumped the glass back on the table.
“I don’t remember being that worried or agitated when my wife was giving birth,” Merrick commented as he stretched out his legs and rested his head back.
“Oh, do stop worrying, your grace,” Lady Hartland said over her tea cup. “Her grace will be just fine.” She smiled and turned her attention to her companion. “Really, Mrs. Smith, I do think that men tend to worry a bit much over something like this.”
“I do agree there,” Mrs. Smith said and took a sip of her tea.
“Speak for yourself, my dear,” Mr. Smith said over his glass of brandy, his eyes twinkling at her.
“In this situation we ought to give the duke some support,” Lord Queensbury, Christine’s father, said as he looked at Max sitting near the hearth and staring into space, quite oblivious to his surrounding.
“Now, that I do agree.” Mr. Smith nodded.
Tyson, who was sitting beside his mother, frowned for some moment and then finally turned to the woman and asked, “Is the baby going to be a boy or a girl, Mama?”
“Well, that I do not know,” Lady Hartland said. “We’ll have to wait and see, won’t we?” She laughed and patted his head.
“I think that it’s going to be a big, strong boy just like the duke,” Dan announced with is eyes sparkling.
“No!” Mary snapped and stared at him. “It’s going to be a girl, and she’s going to be very pretty just like the duchess.” She turned to her mother with her eyes large and bright and said, “Isn’t that right, Mama?”
“Why...”
“No!” Dan said, frowning at Mary, “the baby is going to be a boy, big and strong.”
“The baby is going to be a girl!” Mary said, glaring at Dan who had folded his arms across his chest. They stared at each other in silent.
“Mayhap it’s going to be both,” Tyson said.
Lady Hart laughed. “Mayhap...”
Max halted his pacing and turned to look at the door. He shook his head and wondered how much longer it was going to take. He walked to the chair and slumped himself in it again. He sat there for almost a minute when he couldn’t bear the wait any longer and stood up again.
First there was the screaming, which almost send him to his grave, and now there was the silent—long and haunting.
“Just relax,” Merrick said.
“Damnation, I can’t! Something might happen to Ivy. This is taking far too long. I’m going to look,” that said, and he stalked to the door. Just as he was reaching for the knob, it was opened from the other side. He saw Christine coming in, and she looked mighty pleased, too. Why the hell would she be pleased? His wife was in pain for the love of God!
“Ah, your grace, everything is in order,” she said, beaming at him. “I believe you may go to her now.”
“It’s about time!” he snapped and stalked pass her.
“Oh by the way, there is a surprise for you,” she added, and she couldn’t seem to stop her smiling.
Max raised his brows at her rather odd behavior and left.
Christine walked toward her husband. There, she sighed and sat beside him. Merrick put his arm around her and pulled her closer to him.
“Well, my love,” he whispered, “what is this surprise you are talking about?”
Christine smiled and said, “’Tis not for you to know.”
He raised his brows at her. When she just stared at him, he said, “I’ll get it out of you tonight,” and smiled.
“Merrick, you won’t. ‘Tis most unfair.”
Max climbed the stairs three steps at a time and reached the master bedroom in no time at all. He didn’t hesitate to knock but turned the knob, opened the door, and walked right in. He saw his wife propped up in bed. She looked tired, but to him, she was still as beautiful as ever. Her cheeks were rosy and her blue eyes were shinning like the stars.
He sat beside her on the bed and turned to look at the little baby in her arms. He moved his hand to touch the baby’s little pink cheek.
“Our baby,” he said, gazing at her.
“What name should we give her?” she asked.
“A girl?”
She laughed and turned to look at the cot not far from her bed. “And him?”
“A boy, too?” He widened his eyes.
“Aye, my love, I believe that we will have to remember which is which for they are identical.”
“Twin!” he said, feeling quite ecstatic. He couldn’t believe it--a twin. He got up and walked to the cot. He stood there staring down at the baby boy with hair as black as midnight like those of his mother’s. He touched the baby’s cheek with the back of his finger. He turned to look at his wife watching him. He smiled, picked the baby up gently in his arms, and carried him to his wife. He sat beside her and wrapped his arm around her. She rested her head on his shoulder and smiled contently.
“Thank you, my dove,” he said and kissed her forehead.
“Hmm.” She smiled.
Yes thank you, Lord, for bringing them to me, Ivy thought.
THE END
*****
Author’s Note
I’d love to hear from you.
Visit me at www.acpraks.com
Join me at http://alexia-praks.blogspot.co.nz/
Read my other books:
The Earl’s Desire
His Hired Girlfriend