Chapter Sixteen
Nathaniel walked from the back parlor into the library and poured himself a liberal amount of brandy. The crowds were dying down as people left for the evening. He glanced at the clock on the mantel, not realizing how late it really was.
God, he wanted to shake some sense into Anne. She actually believed that drivel about magic. This isn’t magic, damn it! This is real. Though he couldn’t put into words what he felt, he did care about her. He was going to marry her.
None of it made sense. She’d come in his arms. She’d loved it. He tossed back more brandy. He wanted to throw the glass or punch something.
The door opened and Sir John came in. Nathaniel balled his hands into fists. “What are you doing in here?”
“I thought we’d discuss the settlement for Anne.” Sir John sat in a chair in front of the desk and looked expectantly at the brandy.
Nathaniel laughed bitterly. “No need. She’s refused me.”
“Don’t worry about that. I can get her to change her mind.”
“What do you want, Townsend?”
“I propose that we agree to forgive the debts I owe you in exchange for Anne’s hand in marriage.”
“You disgust me.” Nathaniel tossed down the rest of his brandy and stood.
“I don’t suppose I could have one of those?”
Nathaniel ignored his comment and poured himself another drink. “You would sell your own sister to pay off your debts. That’s low, Townsend.”
“Word has it you ruined her, so I thought it appropriate.”
“Get out!”
“But what about Anne?” Sir John whined.
“This is none of your business.”
“She’s my sister!”
Nathaniel wanted to punch him hard, but tossed down another brandy instead. He looked up as Tony came into the room. Now what?
“Nathaniel, did you know that Anne left?”
Nathaniel set his glass down. He wasn’t surprised. She probably wanted to escape him. “Was the carriage called for her?”
Sophia pushed her way past Tony and into the room. “Nathaniel Matthews, you are an idiot!”
Bloody hell. Is the whole Townsend family against me now? “What was I supposed to do?”
“You shouldn’t have touched her in the first place,” John said. He got up and helped himself to brandy.
“Sophia, please tell me she didn’t walk home in the rain,” Nathaniel said, ignoring Sir John.
“Of course she did. She couldn’t face everyone from the village looking at her. Mrs. Worth has done her job well.” Sophia’s voice was sharp. “What did you say to her?”
“I told her we were getting married,” Nathaniel mumbled.
“Told her? Do you know her at all?”
Nathaniel felt heat crawl up his neck. “I might have been a bit heavy-handed.”
Sophia laughed. “Really? John, see if you can stop Cecil Worth from writing a sermon about this for Sunday. Tony, find Juliet for me. I need to speak to Nathaniel. Alone.”
“Of course,” said Tony, and he quickly left the room. John remained, intent on finishing his brandy.
“Now, John,” Sophia said.
“Damn bossy woman,” John groused. “I’m surrounded by them.” He closed the door behind him.
“Tell me everything,” said Sophia.
“It’s bloody magic again. She really believes this drivel. I can’t fix her insecurities.”
Sophia sighed. “You aren’t going to fix them overnight. She’s felt this way for years.”
“This isn’t going to blow over, Sophia.”
“No, it’s not. But if you care anything about her, you’ll tell her how you feel.”
It was the one thing he couldn’t articulate. She needed the words—but he couldn’t say them.
“Nathaniel, come quick!” Tony ran into the room, dragging Juliet behind him. Her face was flushed.
Nathaniel looked between the two. “What’s going on?”
“The cottage is on fire,” Juliet gasped.
“God, Anne!” Nathaniel ran for the door.
Tony raced after him. “They are bringing a horse around. I have the footmen gathering as many people as they can to man the buckets.”
Nathaniel rode as fast as his horse would go. He prayed Anne was all right. He prayed she got out. His gut was telling him there were darker forces at work. He urged the horse even faster, leaning forward in the saddle.
At the cottage, he could see the flames in the front windows. He leapt off the horse and ran to the front door. He turned the door handle but then released it quickly. It was hot to the touch. He ran around the back of the cottage and tried the back door. The handle of the door was cool, but the door was locked. Nathaniel shoved on the door but it wouldn’t budge.
Frustration and anger flared up. He stepped back and kicked at the door until it gave. He rushed in and almost tripped over Anne. She lay unconscious on the kitchen floor. Smoke filled the room and fire licked at the doorway from the hall. He didn’t hesitate and scooped her up in his arms and carried her outside. Away from the house, he sat with her in his lap and started looking for injuries. He felt the back of her head and his hand came away bloody.
“You found her?” Tony said, running toward them. “The servants weren’t in the house. I sent someone to check on them.”
Nathaniel brushed the hair away from Anne’s face. “Good.”
“Is she all right?”
“I found her on the floor in the kitchen.” He removed his cravat and wiped her face clean.
“Where’s the blood coming from?”
“She’s been hit in the head with something.” Nathaniel pressed the cloth to the wound. He looked up at his brother, feeling more afraid than he’d ever felt in his life. “She won’t wake up.”
“Give her a few minutes. She’s breathing.”
“Yes.” Nathaniel looked at the cottage that was now engulfed in flames. He shook with fear for Anne. Damn, I almost lost her. If Tony hadn’t seen the glow—
“Dr. Anderson is still at the Lodge,” Tony said. “Come on, Nathaniel. We need to get her some help.”
Nathaniel didn’t want to let her go. He held her close, his eyes pricking with tears.
“Nathaniel—”
“I know.” His hands were shaking so badly that he was afraid he was going to drop her. “Take her.”
Tony took Anne into his arms. Nathaniel stood and led Tony quickly to his horse.
A crowd had gathered outside the cottage. Everyone was mesmerized by the fire. Nathaniel spotted Sir John staring up at the house.
“There was nothing left to save. We were too late to stop it,” Tony said as he looked over at Sir John. “They’ll all have to stay at the Lodge tonight.”
“Can you make sure they get settled?” Nathaniel asked his brother.
“Of course. I’ll have some men stand guard to make sure the fire doesn’t flare up again.”
Nathaniel mounted his horse and held his arms out for Anne. “I’ll be back at the house.”
Tony nodded. “I’ll stay with Sir John and see what we can salvage. I don’t think it will be much.”
“No.” Nathaniel looked back at the house. “See if you can find out if anyone saw anything. I want the person who did this found.” Nathaniel turned the horse and headed back to the Lodge. Anne groaned in his arms in pain. “Sorry, sweetheart,” he whispered into her hair.
“Nathaniel?” Her voice was rough. She started coughing.
“I’m here, love.”
“Where am I?”
“I’m taking you back to the Lodge.”
Nathaniel ached for her. She had already borne so much, and now this. One thing he was sure of: He bloody well wasn’t letting her out of his sight again.
Nathaniel stopped in front of the Lodge, where a footman waited.
Anne struggled in his arms. “I can stand.”
“Not a chance. You have a nasty lump on the back of your head.” He handed her down to the footman. He then dismounted and took her back into his arms before carrying her into the house.
Lady Danford had sent the last of the guests home. Anne’s sisters waited in the entry.
“Is Anne injured?” Sophia asked.
“She’s been hit on the head,” Nathaniel said.
“I’m fine, really. You can put me down.”
“Not a chance, love.” Nathaniel looked at his grandmother. “Is Dr. Anderson still here?”
“Yes. I have a room ready for Anne.” Lady Danford led the way upstairs to one of the guest rooms. “Set her here.”
Nathaniel set her gently down on the bed, but was reluctant to release her.
“Nathaniel, I’m all right,” Anne whispered. “Thank you.”
He had an overwhelming urge to kiss her, hold her, cherish her, but with his grandmother and the doctor in the room, he couldn’t.
“Nathaniel, release the girl,” Lady Danford said.
Anne gripped his hand. “Stay?”
“Of course.” He stepped to the other side of the bed and glanced at the doctor. “She had a large knot on the back of her head. It was bleeding pretty heavily.”
Dr. Anderson touched the back of Anne’s head and she winced. “That is a nasty blow. Do you remember what happened, Miss Townsend?”
“It was Mr. Jones. He hit me in the head with something. He must have set the fire. The next thing I knew, Nathaniel had carried me outside.” Anne started coughing again.
Nathaniel and Lady Danford exchanged worried glances.
“You should be fine, Miss Townsend,” Dr. Anderson said. “I would recommend someone check on you throughout the night because of the knot on your head. Chances are you will just have a bad headache.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” Anne said hoarsely.
“No talking, and take a bit of honey for the throat.” Dr. Anderson turned to Lady Danford. “If you need me, send a footman.”
“Thank you for staying, Doctor,” Lady Danford said. “Perhaps a brandy before you leave?”
Dr. Anderson smiled. “Thank you, my lady.”
Anne watched Lady Danford lead the doctor out of the room and close the door. She looked over at Nathaniel, who sat next to her. “Nothing could be saved?”
“No, love. It’s gone.”
“I smell like smoke.”
“As do I. Want a bath?”
“Where are my sisters?”
“Probably just outside the door, waiting to talk to you.”
“And John?”
“I suspect he is helping Tony tie up loose ends at the house. They needed to make sure the fire didn’t spread. Do you want to tell me why you ran away?”
She looked away, wincing again when she moved her head. “Not yet.”
“You are the most stubborn female I’ve ever met.”
“Let’s leave the girl alone, Nathaniel,” Lady Danford said as she came back into the room. Sophia and Juliet followed her.
Nathaniel squeezed Anne’s hand one last time and kissed her on the mouth. “I’ll be back later.”
Anne watched him leave and then tried to sit up. The room spun around her and she collapsed back to the bed. “My head hurts.”
“I’ll have a bath prepared for you, and I’ve brought you one of my own night rails. Give that dress to the maid and she’ll see about getting the smoke out of it,” said Lady Danford.
“Thank you, my lady,” Anne murmured.
“Sophia and Juliet are settled in the room across the hall, so you can sleep undisturbed tonight. I’ll have some laudanum prepared for the pain.” She left the room again.
Sophia waited until the door closed before asking, “What happened?”
Anne hesitated, unsure how much she should tell her sisters. “I don’t know. I was making tea. Someone hit me on the back of the head and the next thing I know, Nathaniel is there.”
“How romantic—he saved your life,” Juliet said.
“He did, Anne,” Sophia reminded her.
“I know.”
“Have we lost everything, Anne?” Juliet looked lost.
Anne nodded and tears filled her eyes again. “I don’t know what we’ll do now.”
“Don’t worry about it now.” Juliet stepped forward to gently remove the pins from Anne’s hair. “We’ll deal with it tomorrow.”
Anne nodded and drew in a deep breath. She didn’t think she could deal with one more thing this evening.
“You should have seen Nathaniel’s face. What did you argue about?”
“It’s not important, Sophia.”
“Sophia told me about the wish. You are crazy, Anne, to let such a handsome man go,” Juliet said. “Everyone knows that magic can’t create true love.”
“You’ve been reading too many books,” Anne said.
“It is rather farfetched,” Sophia said. “Nathaniel isn’t acting like someone under a spell.”
“I know,” Anne said quietly.
“You are a coward, Anne Townsend,” Sophia said sharply. “You are the last person I expected to be afraid to take a chance. You’ve been taking chances for five years to provide for us.”
“Can we discuss this later?” Anne asked wearily. There was a knock on the door as a tub was brought in and filled with hot water. Anne waited until the servants left before saying, “Help me out of this dress, Sophia. Is it ruined?”
“I don’t think so.” Sophia laid the dress out on the bed. She helped Anne with her stays. Finally Anne could step into the steaming water and lean back.
“If you are all right, we’ll leave you and check on you later,” Sophia said.
“Thank you both.” Anne closed her eyes and sank into the warm water. It felt so good. A bath like this was such a luxury. She quickly washed her hair. She didn’t know how long she’d be alone nor how long the water would stay warm. She wanted to soak in it as long as possible.
A knock at the door interrupted her peace. “Yes?”
“It’s Nathaniel.”
“Don’t come in.” Anne sat up, looking for something to wrap around herself.
“Still in the bath?”
“Yes.”
He rattled the doorknob and Anne squealed and ducked into the water. “Don’t!”
He laughed. “Don’t stay in there too long.”
“Thank you.” Anne stood and wrapped the toweling around her. She dried her hair and slipped on the night rail Lady Danford had left on the bed. Her last thought before she slipped into sleep was that she hoped the maid could remove the smell of smoke from the dress she loved so much.
Nathaniel sat by Anne’s bed, watching her breathe. He never imagined he’d be one of those lovesick fools like Tony, yet here he was. Watching the woman he wanted to marry, the woman he almost lost, as her chest rose and fell in sleep.
Anne looked so painfully young. The coming days would be difficult as she decided what they would do next. He brushed the curls from her face.
“Nathaniel, let the poor girl sleep.” Lady Danford came in and closed the door quietly.
“Is the rest of the family settled?”
“Yes.” Lady Danford stood by the bed. “You shouldn’t be here, especially after tonight.”
“Does it really matter? I almost lost her.”
His grandmother gave him a knowing look. “You love her. I knew it. I knew you wouldn’t be able to help yourself.”
“She refused my suit.”
“Impossible. The girl loves you as well.”
“I never knew anyone so stubborn.”
“Are you sure about that?” Lady Danford chuckled. “She’s afraid.”
“Of what?”
“I don’t know. I’ve tried to figure that out for years. Anne is one of the strongest women I’ve met. Much stronger than her mother.”
Nathaniel realized he knew nothing about Anne’s mother. She never talked about her. “What was her mother like?”
“She was beautiful, but so fragile. She was French and had come to England to escape the revolution. I introduced her to Anne’s father.”
“How did she die?”
“I was never sure, and Anne never mentioned it. I suspect consumption.”
“What was Anne’s father like?”
“Very much like his son. He saw his wife’s beauty but not her fragility.”
“Did you see them much once they were married?”
“No. Mary rarely went to London,” Lady Danford said. “Anne could tell you more.”
“She doesn’t talk about it.”
Lady Danford was silent for a few seconds before speaking again. “What are you going to do?”
“Marry her.”
“Because of what Mrs. Worth said?”
Nathaniel shook his head. “I had always intended to marry her. Mrs. Worth and the gossip just forced me to ask her sooner.”
“Don’t let anyone see you leave this room. We need to protect what’s left of the girl’s reputation.”
Nathaniel nodded. He followed Lady Danford to the door and locked it behind her. He wasn’t leaving Anne alone. He stirred the fire in the grate to add warmth to the room.
After getting more comfortable, he climbed into the bed beside Anne and pulled her into his arms, tucking the blankets around them for warmth.
She smelled of roses from his grandmother’s soap. He’d bathed earlier, unable to bear the smell of smoke on his skin. Still asleep, Anne snuggled closer to him. It would be a long night, but worth it. He wouldn’t let her go again. Nathaniel brushed his lips against her cheek and closed his eyes.