Sarah Anne's Expedient Marriage (The Unshakable Faith Series Book 3)

by Cathy Bryant

  An hour later, having remembered what the minister had said about the man who had been much too interested in his wife, Alexander set off for Reverend Edmund March’s house. Upon his arrival, he quickly informed the reverend of all that had taken place. He then requested that the reverend accompany him to Matthew Raymond’s home. He intended to question the man about Sarah’s whereabouts. Alexander didn’t expect an honest answer—or that the man even knew where Sarah went—but he hoped to ascertain, by the man’s demeanor, whether he had been involved in what had happened to her.

  Matthew Raymond, passing by his front window, caught a glimpse of two men approaching. As he looked closer, recognizing Mr. Swyndhurst and the reverend, he grew angry. He had planned to be long gone by now. To his utter amazement, the tiny woman had escaped him. He had run after her, but by the time he had dressed and gained the out of doors, she was nowhere to be seen. As he had continued to look for her, he had spotted her down the road with another person, not far from her home. He had, therefore, been forced to give up the chase, or risk revealing his identity to whomever was with her.

  While making his way to the door, Matthew Raymond wondered if he should have fled. He didn’t think he was in any real danger of being discovered, for he was aware that Sarah had been missing since she had escaped him. Two different servants from the Swyndhurst estate, a young man and, later, an elderly woman, had come to inquire whether he had seen Mrs. Swyndhurst, and they hadn’t seemed to suspect him in the least. To him, it appeared as though she had secretly taken leave of the town. Besides, he reasoned, if the men had come because Sarah had revealed what he had done to her, they would likely have been accompanied by the constable. Therefore, as calmly as possible he opened the door to the two men and ushered them in. As they questioned him, he feigned sympathy for the husband’s plight. Though they justified their reasons for having questioned him—that he lived close by—their facial expressions indicated otherwise. They suspected him, all right, and he knew it.

  Once they had gone, he breathed a sigh of relief. Though he believed that Sarah would have been too fearful of what he might do to her if she had told, he hadn’t been all that certain she would remain silent. Just now, however, he grasped that the visit with the men would have gone drastically different if she had in fact informed on him. He reasoned that he may have even been hauled off to jail; however, that she was missing, the despicable man knew was an unforeseen advantage for him.

  As he hadn’t been completely certain that Sarah had not eventually returned to her home, this visit with the reverend and Mr. Swyndhurst had confirmed for the treacherous man that Sarah was still missing. She must have been too ashamed or too scared to remain. I shall have to keep an eye on Mr. Swyndhurst’s comings and goings if I am to learn where Sarah has gone.

  Even though they both truly felt that Mr. Raymond was somehow involved, Alexander and Reverend March spent the rest of the day calling upon many of the people with whom they attended church. They hoped that one of them might have seen something.

  Just as Alexander was getting ready to take his leave—after bringing the reverend home—he had a question, “Reverend, what do you know about Matthew Raymond? I don’t believe he was residing in Amesbury prior to my leaving for England.”

  “Well…no, no I do not think he was. If I remember correctly, he came along shortly after you left. Why do you ask?”

  Looking thoughtful, Alexander replied, “What I am thinking is just too unbelievable to be true.”

  “What is?”

  “Well, there was a man in Sarah’s home town who had incessantly pursued her. In fact, that was the chief reason her father, aware that he was dying, wanted her to come under my protection. Do you think it possible that Matthew Raymond and the man from Cambridge are one and the same?”

  “Anything is possible. As I said before, though she little noticed the attentions of other men, she did seem to shy away from Mr. Raymond whenever he came near. If it is the same man, I wonder at her not telling you about him.”

  Hanging his head, the guilt-ridden husband responded, “Why would she? It is not as though I have been available to her. I have only just returned from England.”

  The reverend wished he hadn’t asked. He could see the worried husband didn’t need anything else about which to feel at fault. “One would think she would have at least told Martha, if, in fact, it is true—that he is the man from Cambridge. But it surely would seem to fit with what your maid-servant told you happened to Sarah.”

  Alexander nodded in agreement. “That was my thinking—what has happened is just too similar to what occurred in Cambridge. And as for Sarah’s reasons for not telling at least Martha, she never was one to worry others, especially Martha. No, I am certain; if Matthew Raymond and the man from Cambridge are one and the same, Sarah would not have told Martha. Furthermore, whether he is or he isn’t the one who…it is not as though he would know where Sarah is now.” Glancing at the reverend, Alexander sensed that he had thought the same—Matthew Raymond was of no use in their search for Sarah. “I better be going. I am much obliged to you for coming along with me today.”

  “Think nothing of it. Sarah is very dear to all of us. We shall pray that you find her, and soon.”

  With that, the two men parted company. It was quite late when the troubled and exhausted husband finally returned home. Coming into the kitchen, he found that his servant-friend had been awaiting his return. As soon as she noticed the expression upon her employer’s face, she knew he hadn’t been successful at finding his wife. The pair remained at the table until the wee hours, deciding what to do next.

  A couple of days later, Alexander made arrangements with a gentleman by the name of James Haddon to seek out all possibilities for where Sarah might have gone. The hired man was also to see what he could learn of the older gentleman with whom she had gone away.

  Similarly, Alexander had devised a schedule for himself to visit the surrounding towns. He hoped to learn whether Sarah had passed through or might yet be in one of the towns he planned to visit.

  Martha and the other servants were beside themselves with worry over their beloved mistress. Esther had been especially troubled by the fact that she might have prevented Sarah from leaving, had she just informed Martha. Mr. Swyndhurst had attempted to reassure her that he did not hold her responsible, but Esther could not help but blame herself for her employer’s misery.

  Alexander’s heart ached for his poor wife. He knew that what had happened to her had to have been most devastating, and as it was now, he could not be there to comfort her. The thing that troubled him most was that she could possibly think he no longer wanted her. He would never have held her responsible for what had happened. In reality, if he was holding anyone responsible, other than her assailant, it was himself for not having been there for her since they were wed. Oh, he knew he had been back for a while now, hoping to make it up to her, but it was too late. He had left his poor wife unprotected for far too long.

  And then there was Martha. She had also been blaming herself for not keeping a better watch over Sarah. From the time the young woman had vanished, she was all the elderly servant could think about, wondering where she might have gone. They had to locate her, and soon. Martha feared that the longer it took, the less likely it would be that they would ever find her.

  Just then, there was a knock at the door. Martha hastily opened it, hoping there might be news. Who she found was the constable, standing there on the threshold. She ushered him into the parlor to wait while she went in search of Mr. Swyndhurst. Finding him in his bedchamber, she informed him that the constable was waiting in the parlor to speak with him. After following his servant-friend down the stairs, Mr. Swyndhurst went to find out what had brought the constable to his house.

  As Alexander entered the room, he greeted the gentleman. He had been to see Charles Caldwell, the constable, the morning after Sarah had been attacked. At that time he had disclosed his suspicions about Matthew Raymond to
Mr. Caldwell. Following that, the constable had made inquiries of his own with the man in question, but to no benefit. In spite of this, after having met with Matthew Raymond, the constable shared Alexander’s concerns—there was something not quite right about Mr. Raymond.

  At this moment, Alexander hoped there had been news of Sarah. Once the constable had explained that he had no further information concerning Mrs. Swyndhurst’s whereabouts, the two men spoke about what to do next to find her. Alexander enlightened him to the fact that he had a man going from town to town to see what he could learn—if anything. Alexander then informed the constable that he himself would also be making visits to as many towns as possible in the days to come. Mr. Caldwell agreed with Mr. Swyndhurst’s plan, and then offered to send missives on his behalf to the constables in the surrounding towns.

  Once that bit of business was settled, the constable reluctantly explained the real purpose for his visit. He had some information as to the possible identity of the elderly gentleman who had helped Sarah. He knew the concerned husband deserved to know any information he had uncovered, but he disliked getting the man’s hopes up. “It seems that Mr. Joseph Hoyt took leave of the town around the same time as Sarah. Though Mr. Hoyt is rather new to Amesbury, he has made the acquaintance of many of the people in town—each of whom, when asked, spoke well of him. One in particular disclosed that he believed Mr. Hoyt might have gone to see his daughter. The problem being that no one seems to know the whereabouts of the gentleman’s daughter—only that he had mentioned his intentions of paying her a visit in the near future.”

  Given all of this, the constable and Mr. Swyndhurst surmised that Mr. Hoyt must have indeed set off to see his daughter—possibly taking Sarah along.

  Upon hearing this bit of information, and that the constable, like himself, believed it plausible that Sarah was with Mr. Hoyt, Alexander felt hope for the first time since Sarah had gone missing. The constable assured Alexander that he would keep digging until he came up with more information with regard to where Sarah had gone. As he observed Mr. Swyndhurst, he realized that, though he hadn’t wanted to raise his hopes, the man obviously needed some bit of promising information. He was glad he had decided to share what he knew.

  Once Mr. Caldwell had gone, Alexander relayed to Martha all that had been said. Just as he had, she felt hopeful that the new information might eventually lead them to Sarah.

  Sarah had hidden herself under a blanket in Mr. Hoyt’s wagon as they made their way out of town. She did not want to be seen by Matthew Raymond or anyone else. Still in shock over what had taken place, as well as what had transpired since—that she was leaving town with Mr. Hoyt—Sarah, now that she had come out from under the blanket, sat staring straight ahead.

  Late the second day, after having stayed the night at an inn in one of the towns through which they had passed, Sarah inquired as to where they were going. If the elderly gentleman had mentioned their destination, she could not remember. Mr. Hoyt, knowing he had already informed his young friend that he was taking her to Boston, assured her that where they were going, she would be quite safe. He was sure she just wanted to be certain she would be out of danger. He further informed her that it was to the home of his daughter and son-in-law, Joanna and Daniel Thompson, who were both about ten years older than she. Mr. Hoyt felt certain she would feel at home there, and said as much to her.

  The elderly man had already been intending a visit to his daughter’s home; therefore, that they were doing so now was not that much of an inconvenience. Given that his son-in-law was a physician, Mr. Hoyt was doubly glad that he was taking Sarah there. He hoped that Daniel would have a look at his young friend, for he felt that, if her bruised face and slow movements were any indication, she might have been seriously injured in the attack. As she had communicated little since they had set off, he was convinced that, had she indeed been hurt beyond what was visible, she would not have let on. This worried him exceedingly.

  As there were no opportunities for university training in the discipline of medicine within the colonies, Joanna, Mr. Hoyt’s daughter, and Daniel, his son-in-law, had removed to England for a time where Daniel could receive university instruction, for it was his wish to be a physician rather than an apothecary or surgeon. He had now been practicing in Boston for five years.

  As it was nearly forty miles from Amesbury to Boston, Sarah and Mr. Hoyt had traveled for two-and-a-half days, stopping off each night along the way. The elderly gentleman had taken it slow, not wanting to further injure his traveling companion.

  As they journeyed, Sarah kept an eye out for her husband. She was sure he would be passing along the same road on his way home to Amesbury. If need be, to escape his notice, she had every intention of scurrying beneath the blanket again.

  As Mr. Hoyt pointed toward his daughter’s house, Sarah, though a little surprised at not seeing him, was relieved they had arrived without coming upon her husband along the way. She presumed that either he had been delayed in Boston longer than he had intended or when she and Mr. Hoyt had stopped off each night, they had simply not been on the road at the same point in time.

  As they approached Mr. Hoyt’s daughter’s home, more than a little nervous, Sarah felt a knot in the pit of her stomach; however, as Joanna Thompson came hastening out the door with a large smile on her face, Sarah’s nerves began to calm. Still observing Mrs. Thompson as she made her way over to them, Sarah noted how lovely she was. From where she sat, the woman appeared rather tall, with long, shiny brown hair, which was presently pinned back at the sides of her head.

  Stopping at the side of the wagon, Joanna, still smiling, looked up. “Father, I am so delighted to see you. You sent word that you might pay us a visit, but I had no idea you would come so soon.”

  After climbing down, Mr. Hoyt embraced his daughter. “Yes…I came a bit earlier than I had originally intended. I hope my arriving at this time is acceptable.”

  “Of course, Father. Now, who do we have here?” Joanna inquired as she observed Sarah. She quickly detected that the taut face staring back at her appeared quite bruised.

  “This is my young friend, Sarah Swyndhurst. She shall be staying as well.” Mr. Hoyt knew his daughter well. She would never turn anyone away.

  “That is simply wonderful!” Joanna replied so as to put her guest at ease, for she had surmised that the young woman must have suffered some terrible ordeal to be so black and blue. Talking directly to Sarah now, Joanna said, “Sarah, you are quite welcome here.”

  Not completely believing that her unexpected presence was truly satisfactory to Mr. Hoyt’s daughter—while grasping Mr. Hoyt’s hand as he assisted her down from the wagon—she responded, “I hope this is not too much of an imposition.”

  “Not at all. Just leave your things. I shall send Daniel or one of the boys out to collect them.” Daniel and Joanna had two sons: Daniel, Jr., age ten, and Joseph, two years his brother’s junior. With their shiny brown hair, both boys resembled their mother.

  Sarah and Mr. Hoyt followed Joanna to the house. Sarah would typically have taken in her surroundings, especially since they were so charming, what with Joanna’s lovely flower garden and large, well-maintained house. But with such a heavy heart, she scarcely noticed a thing. Soon they were seated in the parlor with tea and cookies. “I shall show you both to your rooms after you sit a while. We will be having our evening meal in a couple of hours. If you feel the need to rest beforehand, do not hesitate.”

  Before long, Sarah was shown to one of the guest bedchambers, where her belongings had preceded her. After her hostess had gone, Sarah slumped down on the bed. As when they had first arrived, she barely noticed her surroundings. Had she been interested, she might have observed the white lace pillows and brightly colored patchwork quilt upon the bed. It was a spacious room with its own little settee against the west wall. The view from the window, had she been looking, might have brightened her mood a bit, as it overlooked an expansive backyard with a glistening stream in
the distance. She may also have detected the decorative bench situated under a lovely shade tree from which one might observe the sparkling water.

  As it was, Sarah could scarcely keep her eyes open long enough to pull off her shoes and rest her head against one of the pillows. As she slept, her mind went to the terrible man who had harmed her. She tossed and turned from the torturous images.

  In the parlor, Mr. Hoyt gave a brief synopsis of what had happened to the young woman he had brought along on his visit. After cautioning her sons not to mention Sarah’s bruised face, which her husband hadn’t yet seen, Joanna had sent the boys out before their grandfather had begun his explanation concerning Sarah. Though they wanted to know more about the bruises on their guest’s face, the boys had acquiesced to their mother’s wishes. Just now, with eyes wide, husband and wife were listening intently to the family patriarch.

  “Daniel, I am not certain but that Sarah might have been injured—beyond what can be seen, that is. I do not believe she would have let on if she had been. Additionally, she hadn’t been to church in weeks because of an illness. For both of these reasons, do you suppose we might find a way to convince her to allow you to have a look at her?”

  With understanding for Joseph’s concerns, Daniel responded, “Well, with what she has been through, she might be reluctant to allow any man near her, but I shall certainly try. I am concerned as well about the bruises you mentioned.”

  Joanna had tears in her eyes as she thought about what Sarah had suffered. She wanted to help her in any way that she could. “Perhaps I might persuade her to allow Daniel to see to her.”

  Soon, the three sitting in the parlor heard noises coming from the direction of Sarah’s bedchamber. To them, it sounded like someone was crying. Realizing it was Sarah, Joanna hastened to her.