by Lilah Rivers
Chapter 27
He knew that his legs were unsteady, but Amos was desperate to get out of the coach. From waking on the floor of the tavern to those worried faces above him until now when he was within the blurry sight of the house, he knew that he could not give up now.
And then he saw them. Sanding outside his house in the strangest positions. He realized exactly what was happening and knew that he could not wait a moment longer.
“Unhand her!” Amos yelled from the coach, hopping out and rushing over to where he saw the woman that he loved being dragged away despite the protests of her mother and father.
Amos held his bloodied head with a rag against it that he had been given by the young lady at the tavern and pushed past the pain. He was not going to allow the crazed Lord Linton to keep him from his wife, no matter what.
Gemma was desperate, pleading. Her eyes were filled with tears, but the man was merciless.
It wounded Amos to see her like that, so weak and alone despite the fact that her parents stood nearby. Lord Linton was clearly threatening them in some way and, although Amos could not yet hear them, he was certain that he would have to bring an end to it.
But he was getting nearer, and no one had seen him yet. His legs were still wobbly and the world was blurry as he held his head after the wound that had been inflicted upon it.
But, gathering his determination, Amos yelled louder as he drew closer.
“Unhand her!”
This time they heard him.
The man and woman that he knew had to be Gemma’s mother and father, based on their resemblance to their daughter, both turned to him with wide eyes and confusion.
But it was Lord Linton who looked at him with hate and rage. The man boiled up and let out an angry growl as he dragged Gemma forward, roughly.
“Amos!” she cried out.
“Father, please give me strength,” he prayed as his legs drew him nearer.
As firmly and bravely as he was able, Amos rushed at Lord Linton, knocking him hard enough that he lost his grip on Gemma. Amos knew that it was a risk in his current state, but he lunged his body forward anyway, continuing to push Lord Linton back with the force of it until he was farther away.
Amos felt woozy and dazed as he wobbled backwards, but he steadied himself and felt Gemma’s hand at his back to help steady him.
That hand was a comfort and a peace that he needed after the moment of rage. And although Amos did not risk turning his back on Lord Linton to look at Gemma, he was not willing to ignore her.
He reached back for the briefest moment and gave her hand a squeeze of appreciation. She squeezed his back in reply.
“Who do you think you are?” Lord Linton asked as he regained his own balance.
“I am Gemma’s husband. She is my wife. I am instructed by the Lord to protect her and to keep her safe and you would have to be an utter fool to think that I would do anything to jeopardize that. Her safety is everything to me. Her wellbeing is everything. And I will not let you near her,” Amos said.
Lord Linton scoffed at him. His thin little mustache was a shadow of his frown and it laid upon his lip like an angry caterpillar, ready to be squished under the foot of a child.
“Have we not already seen that I am able to best you? Why would you even try? Why do you care about her? And why do you think that you have any rights here? I am the one to whom she has been promised,” Lord Linton said again.
Amos was tired. He was tired from the ache in his head. He was tired of hearing these words about Gemma belonging to Lord Linton. He was tired of having one challenge after the next and all that had come in such a difficult way for him.
But Amos knew that the Lord never promised that life would be easy. He was called to be brave in his exhaustion. He was called to be diligent. He was called to be Gemma’s protector and he was honored to have such a duty.
“Lord Linton, please leave my home. You are not welcome here,” Amos said in a steady voice.
He was certain that neighbors had to be watching from their windows. The street was empty, but they had not been quiet in their argument and Amos felt sure that this drama was on display for all to see.
“I will not,” the man said in reply. He was looking rather fierce in his petulant state of arrogance that Amos was beginning to see was simply his natural demeanor in all things.
Amos began to realize what he was up against. Denial. Pure, arrogant denial from a man who believed that he was deserving of Gemma. No matter how Amos tried to make things clear, to prevent anything from happening to her, Lord Linton would refuse to leave, refuse to let Gemma go.
Trying to find another tactic, Amos looked at his wife. She returned his gaze with pleading, but also with an admiration that warmed his chest.
He could not let her down. He could not allow her to be taken or to be hurt by this terrible man.
Amos knew in that moment, more than at any other, that he would not let anything happen to her. She was far too important to him.
He had to pray.
Father God, I do not know what to do. I stand here, facing my enemy, a man who believes himself worthy of taking whatever he wants. A man who believes himself important enough that we must all bow to him and concede to his wishes.
We face a man who is violent and cruel. A true enemy. He is someone who would hurt the woman that you have given to me to protect and love and care for. He is a man who laughs in the face of submission.
Please, give me strength. Give me grace to fight for the woman that I have come to love, this woman whom you have given as a gift to my life.
I know that our marriage began because of a lie that I told. But please do not allow her to be punished for that. Do not make her face the consequences of my sin and be forced to return to England with this terrible man. Help me to be strong and brave even in the midst of the pain that I feel.
I trust you, Lord. I know that you are greater than this enemy that we face. I know that you are better and you are true. I submit my will to yours and ask for favor in this situation. I ask for safety for Gemma and I ask for her parents to see that this life that she has chosen for herself is a better life than one in England with Lord Linton.
Lord, please help us to be wise and gentle, fierce and kind, bold and humble. Grant my wife safety and grant me the endurance to ensure that she is free.
Amen.
Amos took in a deep breath, bringing himself back into the moment.
Lord Linton was eyeing him with hatred and looking as though he might try again to get Gemma back in his grip. But Amos would not allow it, no matter what.
“You think that you will best me?” Lord Linton asked, an eyebrow raised as though Amos were a fool for even considering the possibility. But Amos knew that he had the Lord on his side and there was no man that he would fear.
“I care nothing for besting you. I care that Gemma deserves to be loved and, as I love her very much, I think that I am the man under whose care she belongs,” Amos said.
“You think that? And you must think that I will be subject to you? That I will relent to your flowery language and attempts at poetry?” Lord Linton asked.
“Honestly, Lord Linton or Mr. Lindsey or whomever you believe you are, I don’t care about you being subject to anyone and I don’t care about besting you and I don’t care what happens to you at all. I care only for her. As for me, I am subject to the Lord and it is his will that I will pursue,” Amos said.
He looked back at Gemma and she smiled at him through eyes that were still filled with tears. He saw the peace that she now had and was glad that he could bring her some form of rest.
But he also saw the way that she rubbed at her wrist and he wished that he had been able to come sooner. Or that he had been prepared in the tavern and had not been caught unawares. Maybe it was his own pride that had led to him being bested by Lord Linton.
He had judged the man as weak and inferior, which had been the grave mistake that he had made. If only he had
been ready for the man’s violence, he might have prevented all of this by coming back to the house before Lord Linton arrived and keeping his wife safe.
But now, he was here. And as he looked at her beautiful but brave smile, Amos knew that he could still remain firm, that he could protect her despite all the odds that they had faced and would in the future.
And he knew that what he had said was true. Truer than anything.
He loved Gemma. He loved her sweetness, her kindness. He loved her graceful way of moving and her peaceful grin.
He even loved her boldness and haughty outspokenness that he had seen, which masked her fear so often. He loved the way that she could be both terse and tender, arrogant and ardent.
She was a remarkable woman and God had brought her to him for a reason. He was not going to lose her now. He would not do anything to risk being with her, even if it took all of his strength. Even if it took his life.
Amos looked from Gemma to her mother and father, both of whom eyed him with an admiration of their own.
“Thank you for loving our little girl,” her mother said.
Amos smiled, relaxing a bit. He felt that he had little reason to fear now. There were four of them standing against Lord Linton. Four of them who could stand up and be firm to be rid of him.
“Indeed, thank you for being a true husband to her, Mr. Thompson. I am sorry that we had any doubt as to you and your motives,” her father said.
“It is my honor and privilege to love your daughter. I will never allow anything to come against her and succeed. She is my responsibility and I am glad for it,” Amos said.
He turned back to Lord Linton before anything else was said and felt confident that this would be the end of it. There was nothing more that Lord Linton could do.
But the man was clearly not finished, and Amos saw that whatever hatred had been in his eyes before was still there.
No, this was not over yet.
Chapter 28
Gemma was astounded as she watched the whole thing play out before her.
As she held her wrist, trying to ease through the pain, she eyed her husband, who was as great a hero as she had ever seen.
It was clear that her parents now believed her. About Lord Linton and his heinous behavior. About her husband and his goodness. About the fact that this was the place where she belonged and there was no reason for them to worry for her in this country.
Gemma wanted to talk to them, to share everything that had gone on of late. She wanted to enjoy their company and spend time with them. She wanted to pretend none of this mattered.
But first she had to get through whatever was still to come.
Gemma wondered what Lord Linton might do now. Was he going to hurt Amos? Was he going to finally manage to convince her mother and father that he really should be allowed to take her back to England? Was he going to give up altogether?
She could not be sure.
But Gemma was sure of one thing, and perhaps it was the most important thing of all.
She knew that Amos had been praying throughout the entire conflict. She did not know it because she had heard it or because she had seen his lips moving or because he had said anything about prayer.
No. She knew it because that was his very heart and nature. She knew that it was simply in his character to pray and to seek God through times like these that would try their souls.
Gemma was confident that the Lord had heard him. She knew that God was good and that he would be their victory.
She stepped back a few paces, realizing that now, if ever there was a time, she could lean into her parents and trust that they really would take care of her. They would stand up for her and they would believe her.
Wishing that Amos too would fall back, she silently cried out to him, pleading with him from her thoughts.
But Amos stood firm, facing off against Lord Linton.
He was brave. He was strong. He was her husband.
“I have told you that she is mine,” Lord Linton said, as though they would all be worn down by his repetition and insistence that she was merely a shoe or a cravat that belonged to him.
“And I have told you that I am in love with her. I think love is all that really matters as far as to whom she ought to be entrusted. And if she wishes to stay with me, she is welcome. If she does not wish to, Gemma is free,” Amos said.
He looked back at her again, as if to confirm that he really meant it. She could be free if she wanted to be. She could run off and do as she pleased. He would not hold her back.
But Gemma knew that she had words to say in reply and she could not hold herself back any longer from saying them.
“I love you, too, Amos. I am in love with you as I thought I would never be and I promise to stay with you always,” she said.
He smiled at her and turned back to Lord Linton with a shrug.
“Well, there you have it. I guess we know what it is that she wants,” he said.
Lord Linton snarled and looked at her mother and father once more.
“Control your child! She speaks foolishly. She is mine,” he said.
“Go back to England,” her father said, shaking his head in disbelief. “I cannot understand why you are still here and why you continue to fight like this. Surely there is nothing more for you here. And surely, you may recognize that our daughter is not yours.”
Gemma was entirely relieved that her father had put his foot down on the matter. He rested a hand upon her shoulder.
There had still been a small part of her that worried. She had wondered if he might be worn down, if he might actually change his mind and allow Lord Linton to take her. No matter how she trusted her father, she had still been frightened. She had still been praying in her mind that her father would do what was right.
It was frightening to be there, to have to ask God for help when so much was at stake.
But she was beginning to trust. She was beginning to trust God, to trust her husband, and to even trust the parents who had not trusted her for all that time.
She felt new and free, and that was something that she had never imagined.
“What do you think will come of your family if I go back?” Lord Linton asked.
“We are not afraid of you,” Gemma’s father said.
“You ought to be,” he replied.
“No. We should never have been. No one should. And when we return, we shall see to it that it is your reputation that is ruined, rather than our daughter’s. We shall tell everyone about her wonderful husband. We shall tell them all that she is happy here in America,” her father said.
“What does that matter?” Lord Linton asked.
“Because if we are proud of her, then clearly there is no reason for anyone to be ashamed of her. Moreover, it is you who will finally be brought down. At last, you will no longer manage to cast anyone into fear. We should have believed Gemma sooner about you, but now we have seen the truth. Your wealth and name give you nothing if we take it all away with a word against you. An honest word regarding who you really are,” her father said.
Gemma beamed with pride at her father’s strength in standing against Lord Linton. Between her father and her husband, she was confident that everything really would be fine. Everything was going to come together after all.