Lom pressed the knife to her throat as if knowing the risk she’d been willing to take. She wanted to shout for Morris to come to her no matter the cost. “I still have the gun, Sophia. I’ll shoot him if he comes through this door.”
She remained quiet.
“No one came here?” Morris asked.
“No, Your Grace,” Mr. Adcock replied.
There was a pause.
“I was told that neighbors saw a carriage heading in this direction and you’re the only house for a long way.”
“The carriage is in the barn,” Lom whispered with glee. “He’ll never find it.”
“I… well, we did have one visitor. He was looking for… milk but I told me we had none to share.” Adcock tripped over his words. “It’s late, Your Grace, and I must be up early in the morning.”
“Of course. Have a good night.”
Sophia heard the door closed and felt it in her bones. Morris had left her. She pressed her hand to the wood and closed her eyes, imagining a different ending, imagining that he would come through the door and save her, though she didn’t truly want him to do that. She didn’t want him to risk his life.
Lom dropped the blade and went to his chair. He started to put on his boots. “We’ll have to move north. With Lord Cort in the area, it’s not safe for us to wed in this village. Gretna Green is traditional but we can get married anywhere in Scotland.” He slipped on his final boot, stood, and looked around. “Where’s your blanket?” He went over to her bed to look.
Sophia followed him as if in a daze and when he bent over to search the floor in the now-darkened room, she reached under her mattress and pulled out the bedwarmer.
He looked up, smiling, with the blanket in hand, just as she brought the pan down hard over his head, using all the force she could pull from her body, hitting him with a mighty blow that caused him to drop to the floor.
Sophia held the pan up, ready to use it again but at the sight of Lom's stillness, she dropped the pan and backed away, covering her mouth as she came to understand what she'd just done. Then she moved, her body trembling as she took his boots off his feet and placed them on herself. She flipped him over and almost screamed when he grunted. He was still alive and she was grateful for that knowledge. No matter the reason, she didn't think she could bear having the man's blood on her hands. She took his coat, put it on, and then opened the window.
The cold wind hit her immediately but she pushed through the freezing temperatures and stepped outside. She ran, never once looking back to see if anyone followed her. Ran, not knowing where she was going. Because the house was in a clearing and snow fell in sheets, she found it difficult to see anything but nothing mattered except for escape. Snow made its way into her boots and she stuck her hands to her sides to warm her freezing fingers.
She paused when she thought she heard her name in the wind but the moaning of the snowy air made it too loud for her to be sure. Then a blast went off and she knew it to be the sound of a gun. Her mind raced with the reasons it could have occurred. Recalling that Lom was still alive, she ran harder and prayed she found shelter or help soon. If he was following her and trying to kill her, just as he promised he would, then she wished to be nowhere near him.
As she moved, she warmed herself with thoughts of Morris and the life they would have together and every whispered word or promise he'd made to her were recited in her mind.
"I love you," she said to the cold, wishing Morris could hear her. She hoped he would soon.
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CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
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Morris stood by the carriage with his gloves hands pressed over his face. The storm had grown worse during the night. The winds howled and the snow was now at least a foot high. He had the urge to do something, anything, but instead he waited for the others to come back from where they'd gone. Aaron, Hugh, and William scouted the field after Morris told them that he suspected the old farmer had been lying to him. He'd just returned from checking the hen house, as he'd been assigned to, and would wait for the others to join him at the carriage before they moved on together to catch up with the other men. It would be no good for any of them to get lost in this weather. He looked up just as Hugh came from around the farmer's house. Hugh had been assigned to look around the house from the outside as Morris spoke to the farmer at the first door.
"I saw movement inside the house at one of the windows but I couldn't make anything out through the glass. They’re covered in frost."
Morris shook his head. "There was something very wrong about the man."
Aaron and William returned at a jog.
Aaron spoke quickly. "She's inside. They're hiding the carriage in the barn."
Morris started for the house once more and this time, when the door opened, he didn't wait to hear the man's lies. He pushed inside. "Where is she!"
The farmer's eyes widened. "I don't—"
Aaron grabbed and shook him. "Where's the woman?"
The man pointed toward the back of the dark house.
Morris moved, finding no light coming from any of the room, and opened the first door he could find. "Sophia?"
William appeared with a lamp just in time for them to both see the danger and move out of the way. The loud clap of a bullet shook through the house, followed by the breaking of William's lamp. The house was filled with shadows once more. Morris landed on the floor on his back.
Helsby had tried to shoot him.
They heard scrambling on the other side of the room. Morris peeked inside just in time to see Helsby try to climb through the window. Aaron stormed past him and pulled him out just in time. Morris went and grabbed for the gun. The two men struggled until Aaron hit Helsby in the stomach. He went down and Morris took the gun.
"Where is she?"
Aaron yanked the man up on his knees by the back of his neck. "Answer the question."
The baron struggled to free himself from Aaron's hold.
A second later, Aaron pushed Helsby to the ground and delivered a swift kick to his ribs.
Helsby cried out with great pain. Morris was sure a few ribs had been broken in the man but he ignored the urge to stop Aaron, even knowing how far the torment could go. Aaron was usually a calm man because everyone worked to keep him calm. He had a temper and didn't do well with anger, hadn't learned to control it. He'd been a terror at Eton, beating through one boy after another until Francis invited him into their secret club, and giving Aaron what he'd lost: a brother.
"Answer him!" Aaron kicked him again in the same place, his blue eyes blazing with hate and maybe the need to cause pain.
Helsby's eyes widened and he gasped in pure horror.
"Enough," Morris said. "He can't tell us anything if he's dead."
Aaron looked at him, his expression blank.
A woman came into the room along with the farmer. William and Hugh stood behind them, Hugh holding the woman while William held the farmer. They shoved the couple further into the room.
"Tell them what you told us," William said.
The woman was crying. "We didn't want to do it. He forced us to, threatened us. This is his land. We had no choice. He'd have tossed us out in the dead of winter. I know it." Her eyes went to the gun in Morris’ hand.
Morris lowered the weapon to his side. "Where's Sophia? The woman who was here with him?"
"I saw her run," the woman said. "From my window upstairs, I saw her head east."
Morris' eyes widened. "In this storm?" He looked at the others, his mind already imagining Sophia out there alone in the wind and snow. She'd be buried alive if they didn't hurry.
William said, "We'll take the horses from the carriage and go looking for her."
"Let's go." Morris started from the room. William followed. They worked quickly to untie the horses and Aaron and Hugh made it
just in time to take a steed.
Hugh climbed a horse. "We tied the baron up. He should still be there when we return."
"Let's move." Morris started his horse in a trot but didn't want to move too quickly, afraid of missing Sophia in the snow. He remembered that she only wore a chemise, which would nearly make her invisible except for her black hair. "We have to find her," he said to the others. There was nothing east for miles.
"We will find her," William promised.
They rode for a few minutes and then Morris saw something black in the distance.
"You see that?" Hugh asked.
Morris didn't answer, he simply headed in that direction. His heart raced with the pace of the animal, both their breathing labored for different reason. Fear gripped Morris as he noticed the black spot in all the winter white was not moving.
When his horse neared he stopped it and dropped into the snow before taking off. His eyes remained steadfast on the black and recognized it to be a black coat. Black hair blew in the wind. It was her. His body knew it; his heart ached. He knelt by her and turned her gently into his arms.
Sophia's eyes were closed, her body nearly white. Her lips were blue.
His blood ran cold. "Sophia?" He ran his hand through her hair, finding it to be like ice. "Sophia?" He pressed his ear to her mouth and listened for breathing, concentrating and ignoring the wind and the presence of the others who'd followed.
A small flicker of heat touched his ear and he knew she was alive.
He stood with her in his arms. "We must get her back to the house." He saw no one as he went to his horse. He gave her over to William and climbed up. The men helped get Sophia onto Morris' horse and then he took off, heading as fast as he could toward the house. Sophia remained nearly lifeless in his arms. He held her close and restrained his tears. If anything happened to her, he didn't know what he'd do.
He made it to the house just as the men did and they helped get Sophia down before giving her over to a standing Morris. He stormed into the house and laid her down on the couch before dragging it close to the fire.
"I need towels and blankets!" Morris shouted.
The house was strangely quiet but everyone worked to get Sophia warm. Morris dried her hair while everyone moved in silence. Eventually, Sophia's color began to return and most of Morris' fears vanished. He held her on the couch, keeping her in his lap for what seemed like forever and simply listened as her breathing grew stronger. He rested his hand over her heart and felt it beating and stroked her hair.
Eventually, the others came, nine men filing into the room. They remained quiet but at Morris' smile they returned it.
What seemed like an hour passed before someone spoke. It was Francis.
"I'll return to the inn and tell the women not to worry. Most likely, they'll wish to come and be with Sophia." The couple who owned the house had left to sleep in the inn earlier in the night.
"Don't let the women come quite yet," Hugh whispered.
Emmett was standing by the door. "Why not?"
Hugh and William hung their heads.
Aaron straightened. "Lord Helsby is dead in the back room."
The room was quiet again.
Morris stilled and looked at Aaron. "How did he die?"
"Took his own life from the looks of it," William said.
Hugh looked up. "Apparently, I didn't tie him that well. He had a knife and used it on himself."
Morris looked at the three men. "Is that truly what happened?" His eyes fell on Aaron.
Aaron lifted a brow. "I didn't kill him but I'm not sorry he's dead."
Morris nodded, trusting Aaron's words. There would be no point to lie to present company. They'd all done things that Society would frown on, that could get them arrested. "What do we do with the body? It won't look good if it’s here."
Julius stuck his hands in his pockets. "We're wealthy lords. No one will question us. We'll leave it and let the courts do what they will. Everything will be fine."
"If we stand together," Hugh said.
"Here we go again," Emmett murmured.
"This is different," Julius said. "Helsby killed himself. Our hands are clean."
Francis put his hands on his hips. "How the hell did this happen?"
"We're cursed," Emmett said.
That seemed to be the truth and not a soul denied it.
Morris tightened his hold on the woman in his arms. "Sophia will be distraught once she finds out his little girls no longer have a father."
Aaron's hands with to his eyes and his blue eyes widened. "Bloody hell!"
"What?" Emmett asked.
Aaron closed his eyes and continued to curse.
"What it is?" Calvin asked.
Aaron looked at everyone. "With Helsby dead, his title falls under mine. I'm the next Baron of Helsby." Though no one would address him as such. He would simply continue to be called the Earl of Jeanshire. This happened on occasion.
Calvin frowned. "That's not so bad. More land for you."
"Yes," Aaron agreed. "More land and two little wards."
A sound of distaste, dismay, and sympathy went around the room, except for from Calvin, who only laughed.
"Oh, you’re a daddy now." Calvin slapped Aaron on the shoulder. "Who would have thought you’d be the first of us. Salutations."
The others laughed as Aaron wrapped his arm around Calvin's neck. The mood lightened for the moment, which was much needed.
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CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
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Sophia opened her eyes and smiled up at Morris. She could tell it was night by the way the fire glowed, sharpening his eyes.
He grinned down at her. "How are you feeling?"
She slowly reached up and touched his cheek. "Perfect." She looked over and saw her friends were around her. The woman were all sitting in chairs smiling at her. They were no longer at the farm so she suspected they were at the inn. She turned back to Morris. "What happened?"
He held her gaze as he spoke, telling her everything that had happened before she made it to the inn. "Helsby is dead."
Sophia nodded.
"Are you all right?"
"Yes, thanks to you."
He kissed her cheek. "I'll leave you with your friends for a moment but I'll return." He laid her on the bed and closed the door behind him.
The girls rushed over and Sophia gave every one of them a hug.
"We were so worried," Genie said.
Sophia took her hand. "I'm all right but there's something I need to tell you."
"Rest now," Lorena said. "You can tell us in the morning."
"No," Sophia shook her head. "I must tell you what I heard the men speaking about when they thought I was asleep at the farm."
The women went quiet.
Sophia told them everything exactly how it happened.
* * *
Calvin broke from Aaron's hold and sighed. " You know what? I think things will settle for us once we're all married. I'm sure of it."
Sophia kept her eyes cracked as she watched the men in the sitting room of the farmer's house. She'd woken a few minutes ago and was about to tell Morris when the conversation gave her pause. She realized that never again would she have the privilege to gain this much insight about the Men of Nashwood. The writer in her forced her to remain silent and listen, though she would never print a word.
"Are you?" Hugh asked with disbelief. "Marriage has the power to fix this mess."
Calvin shrugged. "It's worth a try."
"The women are drinking smartweed," Morris said. "Or knotweed." He must have looked it up after Sophia mentioned it. She mentally cursed herself for being so foolish as to tell him.
"Knotweed?" Frank asked. "Why?"
"It keeps them from getting pregnant," Morris told him.
Her heart race
d as the silence that stretched was deafening.
"What?" Calvin was the first to explode, his golden eyes burning with something fierce. "I can’t believe this. Those little... Spinsters!"
"It gets worse," Morris said. "The weed grows everywhere. On trees, in ponds, on vines. It's abundant in Europe. We won't be able to stop them from taking it."
Sophia hadn't known that little detail and filed it away in her mind for later use.
"Unless we find out who is collecting it," Emmett said.
"And then what?" Francis asked. "Trade it for peppermint?"
The room went silent. In Sophia's mind, she was screaming 'no.'
Calvin smiled. "Not peppermint. Something else." He laughed and nodded as a plan formed in his mind. "We'll switch out the leaves."
"Is that wrong?" Emmett asked.
Yes, Sophia cried to herself.
Emmett sighed. "Lorena will have a fit when she finds out."
"If you make haste, Lorena will be with a fat belly by the time she finds out. Then she'll simply have to forgive you and move on." Calvin crossed his arms. "As for me, I'm not leaving Gretna Green without a wife."
Emmett turned to looked at Francis and they both grinned.
Morris' head began to move and she closed her eyes softly. She felt his warm breath on her cheek as he said, "I'm in."
The plan was set.
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EPILOGUE
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Miss Sophia's Spirited Spinster's Society Page 20