Chapter Twenty-Seven

 

Annabel managed to get Edward to take the medicine left by Doctor Henderson, although he complained with each dose. His fever had broken the previous night, and although he was still weak, he insisted they return her to the safety of Scarlett Hall. His suggestion that she return was sensible, and Annabel had gone into the village once more to hire a carriage and driver to take them to Rumsbury using the funds he had given her.

She had grown accustomed to living in the cottage but had to admit the idea of returning to her aunt’s home was appealing. The woman had to be worried beyond belief, and the sooner she learned that Annabel was well, the sooner Annabel could move on from the traumatic experience of being taken hostage and see to her future.

A sudden jolt of fear struck her, and she paused to catch her breath. When she returned, Lord Agar would be waiting.

“You look as if you have seen a ghost,” Edward said from the doorway to the bedroom. He held onto the door jamb but otherwise looked fitter than he had the previous day. With his freshly shaved chin and clean coat, he looked as handsome as the day he had spirited her away. The only thing he did not include in his attire was the red sash.

“I was just thinking of Lord Agar,” she said. “The man had meant to secure funds in order to buy my hand in marriage. I fear that when I return, he will be waiting for me.”

“Did you not say you would go to the home of your cousin?” Edward asked. “Surely the man is not residing at Scarlett Hall.”

“No,” Annabel said with a sigh. “However, Father will be worried for me, and…”

How could such a wonderful day suddenly feel so overwhelming? She felt as if she might break down weeping at any moment. Then a kind embrace took her in, and the sadness lessened.

“A wise woman once told me that it is best to approach problems once they are presented, not before.”

“You are right,” she said. How she loved the feeling of her head resting against his chest. In his arms she felt protected and no one could hurt her. “Thank you.”

He held her there for several moments, but to her disappointment, he pulled away. “It is time. The carriage has arrived.”

Annabel followed Edward, who collected a bag left beside the front door. The driver, a man in his middle years, stood waiting beside the carriage.

Annabel took hold of Edward’s wrist. “Wait. Let us look upon this place together once more. What do you see?”

He turned and smiled as he looked at the tiny house. “I see a cottage we shared. A home filled with adventure. What do you see?”

“I see a place where we both found happiness,” Annabel replied. “We entered this house carrying dreams that I believe have been realized.” She turned to him and matched his smile.

“I agree. I suspect that the feelings for which we once searched will now be with us forever.”

He handed her into the carriage, and she gave the cottage one last look. How amazing it was that what had begun as something so wrong had turned into something so right.

As the carriage pulled away, Annabel could not help but giggle. The man she had kissed on the cheek the night she had attempted to escape walked past with his wife. Upon seeing that it was Annabel in the carriage, the man’s eyes grew to the size of saucers. He turned on his heel and raced off in the opposite direction, his wife chasing after him, her hand rolled into a fist as she shouted at him.

“You get back here, you scoundrel!” the woman screamed. “I’ll teach you to keep your eyes—and lips—off other women if it’s the last thing I do!”

“What do you find so humorous?” Edward, who had been staring out the opposite window, asked. “Do you know him?”

“I do,” Annabel replied, still giggling. “Do you recall the night you thought I had escaped? Our first night at the cottage?”

Edward nodded. “I do.”

“Well, I must make an admission. I did attempt an escape. And that poor man? I thought he was a guard.”

She told him the story and soon they were both laughing. From that story came others, most from before they had met, which helped the time pass quickly.

And through it all, Annabel knew that the feelings in her heart for this man were growing, and one day, somehow, they would be together. Forever.

***

Although the journey to Scarlett Hall was only a day, they had left in the early afternoon. If the decision had been left to Edward, they would have left in the morning, but Annabel had insisted they wait to be certain he was well enough to travel. The man could be infuriating at times!

The late start, however, meant they would be forced to stop for the night at an inn. They presented themselves as siblings so their separate rooms—and more specifically their traveling alone together—would not draw suspicion, and the following morning they left just after sunrise.

Now, with Scarlett Hall peeking over the horizon, Annabel could do nothing to temper the excitement at returning to the home she loved. Never had Twombly Hills, her parent’s home, given her such a sense of peace, and she could not stop smiling as she watched the familiar sights pass by.

“We are nearly there,” she said. “My poor Aunt Eleanor. To think of all the heartache she has been through.” Turning to look at Edward, she was surprised he sat with his head hanging low. “What is wrong?”

He sighed. “Your aunt has indeed suffered.” He shook his head. “All her worry for your safety over the last month is my doing. I do not know if I can face her.”

The carriage slowed and turned down the drive that led to Scarlett Hall.

“My aunt is an understanding woman. It may not be this day, but I do believe that, like me, she will see that you are not the evil man she likely considers you to be at this moment. You will see that she is a kind and forgiving woman. If forgiveness is what you want.” She held her breath.

However, he looked up at her earnestly. “It is what I wish. I still carry guilt, and she is the only one who can release me from it. Besides you, of course”

“And you have already received my forgiveness for all that has happened.”

The carriage came to a jarring halt, and Annabel grasped the handle to keep from toppling to the floor.

“There is one more thing.”

Annabel placed her hands in her lap. “Yes?”

“I will wait here until the time is right for me to make my appearance. You and your aunt need that initial time alone.” Her incertitude must have been evident, for he added, “I will not leave before speaking to her.”

“If that is what you wish.”

The door opened, and the driver helped her alight. For a moment, she stared up at the grand house, hardly believing she had returned.

The door opened and Aunt Eleanor came rushing out. “Annabel!” she cried. “Oh, Annabel, you are home.” She threw her arms around Annabel and held her tight for several moments and then held her at arm’s length. “Are you all right? Have you been hurt?”

“I am safe, Auntie,” Annabel replied. “No harm has come to me. I am so happy to be home.”

“How did you escape? The ransom is not to be paid until tonight.”

How weary her aunt appeared, her eyes red and puffy and her hair pulled back with a simple kerchief rather than styled as was typical of her.

“It is a long story,” Annabel replied. “But I will tell you when we go inside.” She turned and nodded at the carriage, and Edward stepped out.

“Don Ricardo?” her aunt said with a gasp. “How did he know where to find you?”

Annabel motioned for Edward to join them. “Auntie, I would like you to meet Lord Edward Wolcott, Fifth Viscount Wolcott.”

“I do not understand,” her aunt said with a frown. “Are you not Don Ricardo?”

“I am not, my lady,” Edward replied. “In fact, the man you knew as Don Ricardo Sánchez Ramírez is a fabrication. And it was he who caused the misfortune that fell upon your home.”

Aunt Eleanor stared at Edward for a moment, her features darkening before she pulled back her hand and landed a resounding slap on the side of the man’s face.

Edward made no move to retaliate, and Annabel hoped to keep her aunt from attacking him again.

“Auntie, I will tell you everything now, but Edward, that is…Lord Wolcott, is the man who also saved me. It is not exactly what you believe.”

Her aunt had yet to take her eyes off Edward. “Very well, if my niece says I should trust you, you may enter my home. For now.”

“And I thank you for that.”

“You, boy!” Aunt Eleanor called out as she approached a boy of perhaps twelve who had been hired to replace Daniel, the man who married Juliet. “I have an errand for you.” When her aunt returned, she said, “I have sent him to inform your parents of your return. Now, I suggest we go inside.”

With a nod, and with Edward beside her, she followed her aunt into the house. When they were all seated in the drawing room, Annabel on one end of the sofa and Edward on the other with Aunt Eleanor in one of the chairs across from them, Annabel began her story.

“The night you went to see Isabel,” she began, “I made a decision to leave the house. It was one I soon regretted, and although I know it has caused you great heartache, it is a decision I am now glad I made.”