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

by Cathy Bryant

  Pulling his wife against his chest, Alexander whispered, “I know everything, Sarah. There is no need to try and conceal anything from me. I love you, and nothing shall ever change that. I am ashamed you know so little of me that you felt the need to run away. Had I not gone away after we were wed, perhaps none of this would have happened. At the very least, had you been afforded the opportunity to know me better, you would have known you could have come to me.”

  Sarah buried her face against his chest and wept. Alexander remained silent for a time, allowing his wife to cry. Finally, he spoke words of comfort. “Sarah, you must not believe for one moment that after what has happened, I would thrust you aside.”

  Through her tears, she responded in no more than a whisper, “How can you want me now? I am carrying another man’s child!”

  Resting his chin atop her head, he wrapped his arms around her even tighter. “Sarah, the man forced himself upon you.” Placing his hand on her round middle, he continued. “You and this child are completely innocent in all of this. I want you and the baby more than anything in the world.”

  Astounded, she responded, “How can you say that about a child who has been fathered by someone else? What is more, why would you want me after another man has—?”

  While gently patting her round middle, he responded, “He may have fathered this child, but he shall never be the child’s father. In taking another man’s wife, he gave up that right. You and I belong to each other; therefore, as I see it, this child is as much mine as it is yours. Moreover, the child is a part of you—the person I love most in the world. How can I not want him, or her? What has happened to you is terrible, but this child’s life is precious to God, so it shall be to me as well.”

  Alexander was grateful he had been afforded time to process the news about the baby as he traveled from Amesbury to Boston. When he prayed about what he might say to Sarah, it was as though God had given him the words. In his heart he had heard, “All life is precious to the Creator of all life. The life within Sarah is no different, no matter his origin. Remember, to Me this child is fearfully and wonderfully made.”

  “You keep saying our child. Can you really take this child as your own?” she inquired, amazed by all that her husband had said and that he was actually sitting there holding her. Perhaps I am asleep and this is really just a dream—a wonderful dream!

  “I most certainly can. As far as I am concerned, the child need never know the truth of his or her parentage.”

  Sarah fell silent. When she had first come to the realization that she was with child, she could not bring herself to care or even think about the child growing within her; however, as the infant began to make its presence known—by moving about within her womb—she had begun to feel a great affection for the child. She then recalled when she had first realized that she couldn’t fathom ever being parted from the child, which, at present, was kicking up a storm. She was, in fact, surprised that Alexander hadn’t felt the kicks beneath his hand.

  Breaking into her thoughts, Alexander questioned, “Sarah, after you went away I began to suspect that it was Matthew Raymond who attacked you. Tell me, was he the man?”

  All at once, memories of that night came flooding back, causing Sarah to shake violently. With a tremor in her voice, she answered, “Yes. I never told anyone about this, but he followed me to Amesbury from Cambridge.”

  “Your father mentioned that he had chased off a man who had been bothering you. Was he the man?”

  “Yes. I was hoping if I just kept my distance from him, he would leave me alone, and most of the time he did.”

  “If I had been with you right from the start of our marriage, you might have told me and none of this would have happened,” Alexander responded with sincere regret.

  Glancing up at her husband, Sarah assured him, “Alexander, it is not your fault. We both agreed to the sort of marriage we have.”

  “Had! As I said before, I no longer want that kind of marriage.” After a few moments, he said, “Well…we do not have to speak about this right now. I just needed to know for sure who the man was in order to make the constable aware. Like me, he suspected that it was Matthew Raymond. I shall send James over to alert the constable here in Boston that he might send word to have the man locked up. That way, by the time we return to Amesbury, he shall already be put away where he cannot hurt you again.”

  Suddenly, Sarah came to the realization that she would soon be going home. She had mixed emotions at the prospect. Owing to her nightmares, as well as the memories of that terrible night, for her, Amesbury had become a rather dark place; however, that Alexander wanted her and the baby did more for her heart than she could say.

  The husband and wife fell silent for a time. Alexander was so grateful to finally be holding his wife that he just wanted to remain where he was for a while. Sarah, though she still felt ill at ease about her round middle being seen by her husband, simply continued to lean against his chest, sobbing silently. All the emotions she had been suppressing for months had finally let loose.

  After a while, sensing that his wife had at last calmed, Alexander spoke. “Let us go in so that I might talk with the physician about whether you should travel, in your condition. If he gives his consent, I should like to set off for home tomorrow. As I said, I also need to send James off to see the constable, now that we know for certain that it was Matthew Raymond.”

  Still stunned by all that was happening, and also not quite certain she wasn’t dreaming, Sarah responded, “Alexander, if it is all right with you, I shall follow shortly. I need to tend to this face.”

  “You are not trying to rid yourself of my company to run off again, are you?” he questioned with a wink to hide his genuine concern.

  “I promise, I shall be in straight away,” she said with a smile.

  After kissing the top of her head, Alexander placed her back on the bench and rose to his feet. He then went in the direction of the house. Besides making sure that Matthew Raymond was no longer a threat when they returned to Amesbury, he also wanted to get his wife home as soon as possible. He had to be certain it was all right for her to travel.

  Sarah sighed as she watched her husband go. She was still unable to fully believe she had married so wonderful a man. After drying her face on her sleeve, she began gathering her things.

  Matthew Raymond had pulled his wagon off the road in the cover of woods. Following that, he crept along the tree line to the house at which Mr. Swyndhurst’s wagon had stopped. While moving toward the backyard to keep out of sight, unexpectedly, he caught a glimpse of Mr. Swyndhurst and Sarah at the far end of the yard.

  As chance would have it, while he waited and watched, the woman was soon left alone when her husband returned to the house. From what Matthew had seen, they had been quite cozy with each other, so he assumed she would soon follow after her husband. He had to seize her now, or it would be too late. He may not have another opportunity before the pair set off for Amesbury, which, to Matthew Raymond’s way of thinking, to wait for that would be too risky. If he was unsuccessful at capturing her along the way, everyone in the town of Amesbury would hear about what he had done. If that happened, he could never show his face again. And once word got out about his crime, wherever he went, he would risk being caught and thrown in jail.

  Creeping up behind the bench on which Sarah was presently sitting, collecting her things, reaching around, Matthew covered her mouth with his hand. He felt certain she was far enough away from the house that no one would hear her should she scream, but he didn’t want to take any chances.

  He was correct in thinking she might cry out, for though the sound was muffled by his hand, she was doing just that. Sliding his other arm around her upper body, he pulled her over the bench and into his arms. He hadn’t missed the fact that she was obviously with child. With the young woman kicking and biting while attempting to escape his grasp, he hastened over to the edge of the yard along the tree line.

  Back at the house,
the Thompson boys and their grandfather had just returned home. Mr. Hoyt went straight into the house, while the boys started for the backyard to play. All at once, the brothers caught sight of a strange man carrying Sarah off. From where they stood they could see that she was trying to get away.

  The eldest of the Thompsons’ sons, with his brother close behind, ran as quickly as his legs would carry him toward the house. Once indoors, while gasping for air, Daniel, Jr., blurted out, “A man is carrying Sarah off!”

  Alexander jumped to his feet, as did everyone else in the room. “What? Where?”

  The boy grabbed the stranger by the hand and ran for the door. As they made their way to the backyard, while the two were yet running, the boy pointed in the direction he had seen Sarah and the man.

  Alarmed that his wife and a man, he assumed to be Matthew Raymond, were nowhere to be seen, Alexander ran for his wagon. The boys’ father and James were right behind him. After the men had climbed onto the wagon, they raced out of the yard in the direction they had observed dust, which had obviously been stirred up by another wagon. Daniel then said a prayer that they would find Sarah, and quickly. The boys stood with their mother, watching as the wagon hastened down the road.

  Seeing that Alexander was clearly too distraught to manage, James had taken hold of the reins. The poor fellow. After all he has been through, and now this. We must get Sarah back!

  With tears in his eyes, Alexander stated that it was entirely his fault; he must have led the man straight to his wife. Daniel then insisted it would do no good to place blame and that they needed to focus on finding Sarah.

  Nodding, Alexander stared straight ahead. “Can you not go any faster, James? We have to catch them!” The fearful husband hated to think what would happen to Sarah if they didn’t.

  Within a few moments, pointing, Alexander yelled out, “There they are!” Grabbing his musket, Alexander braced himself for what was sure to be a battle. Daniel had taken hold of his muzzle loader on his way out of the house. James, while clutching the reins in one hand, reached under the seat for his firearm. At this moment, he was glad that he never traveled without a weapon.

  As they were closing in on Matthew Raymond, Alexander could hear Sarah screaming for the man to let her go. The distraught husband’s heart was racing as he thought about the terror his wife was experiencing with the knowledge that she was, once again, in her attacker’s hands.

  The men could hear Matthew Raymond raising his voice at Sarah. “That is my child you are carrying! I am sure of it. You are coming with me, so stop moving about!”

  Sarah, angry now, yelled right back at him, “You have no right to take me! And the child is mine, not yours!”

  For an instant Matthew lost his grip on the tiny woman. Seizing the opportunity, she quickly climbed over the seat to the rear of the wagon. While trembling all over, she made her way to the far edge. That she could see Alexander and the others gave her some hope that she might yet escape her wicked captor.

  As the chase had gone on for some twenty minutes, Matthew Raymond finally spotted the turn off for his brother’s house, the home to which he had been intending to take Sarah. He decided that if he could just get himself and Sarah within its walls, he might just fend off the men who were pursuing them. As he abruptly turned onto the road leading to his desired destination, Sarah tumbled out of the back of his wagon.

  Whirling around, Matthew Raymond saw Sarah sprawled out on the ground. He then noted that the other wagon was rapidly approaching. Coming to a halt, he secured his reins, grabbed his firearm and turned, ready to fire. He had no intention of allowing Sarah to slip away from him now. Moreover, he could not allow the men to reclaim Sarah and then make a getaway, or they were sure to go directly for the constable.

  As soon as their wagon had come to a stop, Alexander and Daniel jumped down and started running toward Sarah. Seeing that Mrs. Swyndhurst’s abductor had lifted his weapon—pointing it at Mr. Swyndhurst and Mr. Thompson as they were approaching Sarah—James raised his musket, ready to fire.

  Alexander knelt down on the ground beside Sarah. Then, hearing two loud blasts, his eyes flew in Matthew Raymond’s direction. To his relief, the man was slumped down on the seat in the front of his wagon. Glancing back at James to ascertain whether he had been injured in the gun fight, Alexander observed that James was well, for he had already climbed down from the wagon and was now moving in their direction. Relieved that everyone—except Matthew Raymond—was safe, Alexander directed his attention back to Sarah.

  While moving out of the way so the physician could assess Sarah’s injuries, Alexander prayed she hadn’t been severely hurt. Daniel gently checked her over for broken bones. He then felt the back of her head, for she had landed hard and was presently unconscious.

  “It is essential that we get her back to my house as quickly as possible. But she must not be jarred any more than necessary. Mr. Haddon, while Mr. Swyndhurst and I see to Sarah, would you, with all caution, go over and assess Sarah’s abductor’s condition?”

  Alexander then revealed the evil man’s name to the physician while James strode over to the man’s wagon. As Alexander lifted Sarah, James called over that the man was dead. Although he felt a bit uncomfortable that he was glad to hear the news that a man was dead—since it was this particular man—Alexander sighed with relief. The wicked man would never again endanger his wife.

  James hastened back to Alexander’s wagon and climbed up—prepared to set off the moment Sarah was situated. Alexander and Daniel sat in the rear of the wagon with Sarah. As the wagon began to move, Sarah opened her eyes.

  “What has happened?” she inquired, still a bit dazed. Before Alexander could answer, she remembered Matthew Raymond. “Where is—”

  Seeing the fear in Sarah’s eyes, Alexander interrupted, “He is dead, Sarah. You are safe.”

  Suddenly, Daniel observed a wetness seeping out from under Sarah’s clothing. Fearing the worst, that her water had broken and she was quite possibly losing the baby, he glanced over at Alexander.

  Staring at the physician, for he had also noticed the wetness, Alexander began praying for his wife. He then grasped Sarah’s hand and held onto it until they arrived back at the Thompsons’.

  Once the wagon had pulled up close to the front door, Sarah was lifted out. James was then sent to find the constable in order to inform him of Matthew Raymond’s crime, as well as where to find the man’s body. Alexander carried Sarah into the house and directly to the physician’s examining room, at which point she was placed on the table for Daniel to assess her. From the loss of blood, evidenced by her stained clothing, and the earlier flow of water, besides the risk to her life, he was certain she was losing her child.

  Speaking softly so Sarah wouldn’t hear, the physician said, “Mr. Swyndhurst, I believe we should take her to her bedchamber where she might be more comfortable. This table is no place to deliver a child.”

  Alexander was saddened to hear the physician confirm his fears; Sarah was losing the baby. Obeying Mr. Thompson’s orders, the worried husband gathered up his wife and followed the physician to Sarah’s room.

  Once there, Alexander placed his wife on the bed. He then went in search of a chair. After returning to his wife’s room, he placed the chair over next to the bed and took hold of her hand. When Sarah glanced over at him, he could see there were tears in her eyes. I wonder if she knows what is happening. Perhaps she heard Mr. Thompson. To console her, he said, “Sarah, there is no need to fear. The physician shall look after you.”

  Closing her eyes, she nodded. Besides fearing for the baby, she was ill at ease at having the two men in the room with her. As she had no choice, she pushed such thoughts aside and silently prayed that the baby would survive. She had only just begun to accept the fact that she was with child—had even begun to feel love for the child, and now she knew, even though Daniel hadn’t said as much to her, she was losing the baby. She had felt the wetness, and there had been constant pain since
the ride back to the Thompsons’ home.

  Daniel and Alexander sensed, though she had not cried aloud, she was in great agony. They had seen her shudder every few minutes. Before long, the pains became so intense that Sarah gripped Alexander’s hand.

  When Joanna had come to check on Sarah soon after they had arrived, Daniel had sent her for clean toweling and hot water. Hearing a knock on the door, Daniel called for Joanna to come in. As his wife entered, Daniel sent Alexander away, for husbands were rarely permitted in the room when their wives were giving birth and the physician didn’t think Alexander could take much more of seeing his wife in pain. After Alexander had gone, Joanna took up vigil beside Sarah’s bed. She was also on hand to assist her husband in whatever capacity he required.

  Quite often, though the town had a midwife, Joanna had assisted her physician husband in bringing babies into the world. The circumstances were often those in which the midwife felt the presence of a physician might be necessary—cases where the mother had previously had a difficult time or the child appeared to be arriving ahead of schedule.

  A short time later, Sarah gave birth to a tiny baby boy. As it was still too early for the child to arrive, given that he was not expected for another couple of months and he had clearly been injured in the fall, the child was certain to die within a few minutes of entering the world.

  After calling Alexander back into the room, Daniel, knowing it wouldn’t be long, had placed the child alongside Sarah. The husband and wife caressed the tiny baby boy as he lay dying. Once the child’s heart stopped beating, Alexander, with tears in his eyes, wrapped him in a blanket and took him from the room. Joanna remained behind with Sarah while Daniel solemnly looked after the grieving young woman.

  Before long, the doctor and his wife had tucked an exhausted Sarah into a clean bed. They then went in search of her husband. Finding him in the parlor with the lifeless child, they decided it was best to leave him to himself, for, to their astonishment, he was clearly grieving over the loss. Not that they thought he would take the child’s death lightly, but under such circumstances many a man might have been a little relieved.