Sarah froze when she heard a moan from the corner of the room. Another softer moan traveled from the same corner, but this time, it was much more alert and filled with an urge for attention. Slowly and cautiously, Lady Sarah slipped her way over to troubling sound. With just enough light from the candle, Sarah took in a gasp at the sight of who was bound.
“Ross!” She kneeled down to loosen the tie over his mouth.
“Sarah! Thank God! I thought he had already killed you. How did you get out?”
“Hush, Ross. There’s no time to talk. He’s right there. We’ve got to get out of here before he comes back out and finds us.”
“No, Sarah! We can’t leave until we tie him up and get the police. He killed Elizabeth! He must pay!”
“If we don’t get out of here, Ross, we’ll be the ones who get tied up and face the same end as Lizzy. He’s crazy, Ross! We have to leave! Now!”
“But he killed Lizzy!”
“And he’s going to kill us if we don’t leave. You’re obsessed, Ross. Lizzy is dead. She’s not coming back. Capturing her murderer will not raise her from the dead. Are you willing to sacrifice your life and mine just because you can’t say goodbye to the past? I love you, Ross, but now I know that nothing will ever come of it because you just can’t let things go.”Sarah started untying the ropes around his ankles as quickly as she could. She could feel Ross’ eyes gazing over her, contemplating everything she had just revealed. Even though she finally accepted that there was no future with Ross Hamilton, Sarah had no intention of leaving the only man she ever loved to face his final end. Finishing the ties around his ankles, Sarah slipped behind him to undo the ropes around his wrists.
“Oh, my! What do we have here? Busy little bees buzzing around will soon be swatted down to the ground.”
Sarah sucked in a gasp at the devilish looking eyes of Lord Wellington lit up by the candle.
“Lord Wellington, please. There’s no need to do this.”
“Asking and begging won’t get a reply. Denying proposals mean you must die.”
Ross wiggled his hands to free himself from the ropes and slid his hand to his side pocket to retrieve the knife he had tucked away for such a moment as this.
“Lord Wellington, I’m sorry Elizabeth turned you down. I’m sorry she made you feel like you didn’t matter to her. But killing us will not make things better for you. It won’t make Elizabeth marry you. It won’t help you. It’ll just make things worse for you. Please, Lord Wellington. Please, don’t do this.”
Suddenly, Ross jumped up from his position on the floor and lunged at Wellington with his knife opened and ready for contact. Wellington caught Ross midair and pulled him to the floor. Instantly, the two men were in a physical struggle. Wellington was surprisingly strong and gave Ross a run for his money. With grunts and growls, the Brit and the American battled out for their lives.
All Lady Sarah could do was to stand in complete shock, unable to speak, unable to breathe. She stared on at the struggle for what seemed to be a lifetime, unsure of who would turn out the victor. The men rolled around on the floor, punches swinging and making contact. The knife was glistening in the candlelight.
With a sudden yell, the men went still followed by silence.
Sarah knew that the knife had found its victim, but just who that was. She held her breath to find out. Slowly, Ross rolled to his back, blood covering his shirt.
“Oh, God! Please no! Ross!” Sarah ran to Ross’ side and began to run her trembling fingers over the red on his shirt.
“It’s OK, Sarah. It’s not my blood. Look.” Sarah’s eyes followed Ross’ finger as it pointed to the lifeless body lying on the floor behind her.
“Oh, thank God!”
Slowly, Ross sat up.
“I’m sorry, Sarah. I just couldn’t let him leave here alive. I knew we wouldn’t get the police in time, so I had to do the only other thing that would keep him from coming after you anymore. He’s a dangerous, mental monster that had to be stopped. I lost Lizzy. I didn’t want to loose you, too.”
“Ross … ”
“No, Sarah. It’s the truth. All I kept thinking about when I was sitting here tied up was that I had been too late, that he had killed you when I was unconscious. I had made up my mind that I was going to kill him for taking both you and Lizzy away from me. But when I saw you coming down those steps, my heart skipped a beat, and all I could think about was keeping you safe, no matter what I had to do to make sure it happened.”
Tenderly, he rubbed his hand across her pale cheek, showing her the affection that he had desperately desired to do since that night outside the townhouse. Sarah closed her eyes, knowing she couldn’t give him what he wanted.
“I can’t go to America with you, Ross. I can’t leave Aunt Clara here by herself.”
“I know that, Sarah. I’m not asking you to go.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I’m staying here to run father’s London office.”
“Ross, I can’t let you leave your family for me. You have so much waiting for you there.”
“I have everything I want and need right here in front of me. You have shown me that life isn’t just about doing what’s expected of you, but that it’s making life to be what you want it to be. And the life that I want is with you. It is you, Lady Sarah Hughes.”
“Ross, I don’t know what to say.”
“Say that you’ll have me, Sarah. Say that you will be my wife. Say that you’ll make me the happiest man on this earth.”
Sarah sat beside Ross, speechless and unable to think about what he had just poured out to her. Was it out of sympathy? Desperation? Or did Ross Hamilton truly want to spend the rest of his life with Lady Sarah Hughes?
“Don’t doubt what I say, Sarah. I truly do want to be with you.” He reached up and caressed her furrowed brow. “Please say you’ll marry me, my love. Please say yes.”
Sarah closed her eyes. Honestly, what did she have to loose. Here was a man sitting in front of her, a man who just killed to save her, asking her to marry him, giving up his life in another country to stay and be her husband. Now how could she say no to that?
“Yes, I’ll marry you.”
“Truly, Sarah?”
“Truly, Ross.”
“Oh, Sarah, thank you! You won’t regret it, I promise. I’m going to make you the happiest woman in the entire world.”
The two sealed their promise with a kiss so soft and sweet and tender.
“I love you, Lady Sarah Hughes.”
“I love you, Ross Hamilton.”
The End
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CHAPTER 1
The day was sticky with more than just the Western heat. It was heavy and humid, and the clouds glided lazily across the sunlit sky. Even vultures took the day off, disregarding the surety of finding some edible, rotting flesh—a common sight in these parts of the West. The old Western front was deserted. There was no one left to shed any light of God on the poor souls who just happened to be passing through.
Or at least that was the image that Lily Wonderly had in her mind, as she rested her heavy head on the train window that clinked and clanked as the machine rolled along. She didn’t care that the window hadn’t been washed in ages or that dead flies were stuck on the smudged glass. The whole world seemed like a rat-infested hellhole. She hadn’t always been such a negative person. Quite the contrary. Just used to relish in the beauty God created for his children and delighted in the joy that took place before her wonder-filled green eyes.
Some would say that everyone’s baseline before the fall. But sooner or later, everyone experiences a fall out of grace and feels like God isn’t there to protect them anymore, like they had been s
tripped of His sheltered embrace and were now forced to walk in a dark valley of nothingness.
A small tear rolled down Lily’s cheek. She instinctively placed her hand on her still-flat belly in an effort to soothe the little life that was invisible to the human eye but that was in the process of being formed nonetheless.
“This is not what our life was supposed to be, little one,” she said. “Not at all.” She glanced across the train car, locating her small suitcase. It didn’t hold much, just a few necessities. Not even necessities really but rather emotional trinkets that would be of no value to any thief, but for her, these items encompassed her life up to this point.
Lily closed her eyes, and her mind suddenly flooded with memories that were dying to get out, memories that she had been suppressing for the past couple of weeks, preferring instead to remain in the present moment and try to find a solution to this seemingly no-exit situation.
A mail-order bride—that was what she was supposed to be, and that was the role she willingly agreed to play. But, as it happens, sometimes things don’t go according to plan or even how we want them to go. She didn’t do any of those things on purpose—she needed them all to know that. But things had changed, and she simply couldn’t have gone through with it. Yes, it was quite a shame that she had figured this out on what was to be her wedding day. But better late than never, right? Or at least that was what she kept telling herself.
Marrying the wrong person, for whatever reason, is never the way to go, she kept repeating to herself as she ran through the mansion, passing the flabbergasted faces of shocked guests, including her traumatized future mother-in-law. But in all honesty, she didn’t even see them there. They were just fleeting figures, an obstacle on her way to him. To Harman.
She thought that becoming a mail-order bride would make her happy. But it all changed when she met Harman, her future husband’s best friend. It was wrong, so wrong, but neither Lily nor Harman could help themselves. They never forgot the propriety of their behavior that was instructed by their faith, but what they did manage to share was a profound spiritual and emotional connection that went far beyond what she and her future husband to be had, or would ever have.
She knew she needed to act quickly. Harman followed without any words of disagreement, despite the fact that she knew how much it hurt him. He was such a good, pious Christian man. She knew his heart was breaking, and all she could offer was her unconditional love. He accepted it.
Their plan was set: She was to flee from her own wedding. There was simply no other way. It was too late to cancel. With her narrow escape, she reached their meeting place, and together, Lily and Harman left that little sleepy village, never to return again.
They ended up in Tucson, where Harman had a few relatives who agreed to provide shelter until the heat died down. In the meantime, the two got married, and their union resulted in a new life that would be cherished and loved beyond.
But then tragedy struck. Harman and two of his cousins were returning from a neighboring town when they were accosted by a gang of criminals. The lowlifes didn’t even give them a fighting chance, shooting them in the back. The gang stole all of their money and valuables and left their bodies to the mercy of the wild West. When Harman and his cousins were finally found, his cousins were delirious. It was just a matter of time before they would breathe their last breath. Harman wounds were less severe, but the gangrene had already set in his vital organs. Even though he didn’t look so bad on the outside, the doctor gave him only a few days.
Harman was under the influence of so much morphine that he was barely able to recognize Lily. Her heart was breaking into millions of little pieces. She cried over his bed night and day until finally, Harman’s eyes closed for the last time. “I love you, Lily,” his whispered before he let go. Completely shattered by what had happened, Lily felt utterly lost without Harman. What was a young woman in her situation to do?
Fortunately, Harman’s cousins’ wives offered to let her to stay with them, and she seized the opportunity. She knew she couldn’t stay there forever, not when there was so much that reminded her of what she lost. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, news reached her that Harman’s best friend was trying to find her. She was sure that if he did find her she would be forced to make good on her promise to marry him, which was the last thing she wanted to do.
So Lily packed her few belongings in a small suitcase and boarded the first train she could. It didn’t matter where the train went as long as it took her as far away as possible, somewhere where she could find safety and the light of God again.
CHAPTER 2
The train stopped suddenly. The motion made her hit the glass, a rude awakening from her drowsy state. Looking out the window, she noticed yet another little town, not unlike the one she was trying to escape. The train platform was bustling with life: Some people were welcoming loved ones, and others were seeing them off with kisses, hugs and tears. She hoped that no one would knock on the door separating her from the rest of train. She enjoyed the solitude and wasn’t in the mood to talk, especially not with strangers.
To her utter disappointment, there was a knock on the glass door. “Yoo-hoo!” A female voice sounded itself. It belonged to a hefty little lady who was barely able to squeeze through the door. She was dressed in several layers, despite the fact that it was 100 degrees outside.
“I beg your pardon, little lady,” she said, looking at Lily, “but I was wonderin’ if I could sit myself down here with you?” Before Lily even had the time to reply, the lady continued. “You see, it’s crowded everywhere, and I’d rather not sit with me. You understand, right?” she asked for understanding. Lily couldn’t refuse her. It wouldn’t be polite, and if she was left with something, it was her kindness and generosity.
“Oh, by all means, please, take a seat.” Lily smiled. The lady did seem nice, and who knows, maybe it would be nice to get her mind off of her troubles for a while and listen to someone else talk, which was clearly what this lady liked to do.
“Oh, bless your little heart!” The lady started shifting in the narrow space that was way too small for her heavy build. However, after some skillful maneuvering, she placed her suitcase on the top shelf and squeezed herself into a seat. It didn’t bother her one bit that she looked like an overbaked muffin.
“I do wish we’d get started already. I haven’t got all day,” she said. “Where’s that whistle?”
As if replying to her question, the station manager sounded the whistle, and the train started rolling down the tracks again.
“Now that’s more like it!” The lady giggled. “Oh, but where are my manners?” She looked at Lily. “I’m Gertrude Echols, but everyone just calls me Gertie.” She offered Lily her hand.
“Lily. Lily Wonderly,” Lily replied and accepted the offered hand of introduction.
“My, what a lovely name!” Gertie giggled. “Mine is kinda old fashioned,” she winked. Lily liked this little lady and her quirks. At least the train ride wouldn’t be dull anymore. She wouldn’t have to fill up the time reminding herself of the hardships she had been through and anticipating the ones yet to come.
“Where are you traveling to, child?” Gertie asked.
“Oh, well.” Lily was caught off guard. She wasn’t expecting such a straightforward question, especially because she didn’t know the answer. “Well, I’m not really sure.”
“Oh?” Gertie seemed intrigued. “One doesn’t see that very often, a sweet young lady such as yourself, not knowing where she’s headed off to.”
“Well, I do know where I want to go. I’m just not sure where that place is yet.” To Lily, this seemed like a perfectly plausible answer. She hoped it would be the same for Gertie.
“I see,” Gertie said. “Sometimes it’s better not knowing. After all, the Lord Almighty knows, and that’s enough for me.” She smiled, and Lily returned the gesture. She wanted to ask Gertie some questions, too, but opted against it, not wanting to appear nosy. Gertie, on the
other hand, had no such concerns.
“Are you traveling to see someone? Or back to your family, dear?”
“No, my family is back home. I’m trying to find a new home, for me and … ” She instinctively caressed her belly.
“Oh, don’t tell me your with child!” Gertie clapped her hands together. “Why, that’s wonderful! That is the sweetest job a woman can have!” She seemed genuinely happy for Lily. However, when she saw the look on Lily’s face, she knew that all was not well. Or at least things weren’t as she initially thought. “Oh, I see.”
Although it was true that Gertie was a little loosey-goosey—just one of the reasons all of her friends and family loved her—but Gertie also knew when she needed to switch to a more serious persona, and she immediately recognized that this situation required that kind of a tone.
“Sometimes the Good Lord puts us on a path that might not seem all that reasonable to us. We don’t know why we’re there or what we’ve done to deserve this kind of suffering. But, rest assured, He never gives us a cross that he’s not sure we can carry. Trust in him, my child. He knows what He is doing, even if we don’t understand why or how.”
Her wise words made Lily think. It must be true. Why otherwise would she be torn away from the one person she loved? Why else would she be in this situation if not to prove that she is worthy of being happy, being loved, being cherished once again?
All of a sudden, she felt more than just sympathy toward this sweet woman. She liked her more and more, and she wished this train ride would never end. Once Gertie left her, she would be all alone again, and there would be no one to offer such wonderful words of comfort to soothe her soul.
Regency Romance: Fallen Duchess (A Historical Victorian Murder Mystery Love Regency Romance) Page 3