“Shhh,” Lucy said, stroking her hands through his hair. She kissed him, long and hard, and when she pulled away, it was to find his tears mingling with hers.
She pulled him close again, pressed her cheek to his so she could whisper in his ear. “This…this is what I’ll be thinking of. How your arms feel wrapped so tightly around me. What your hands feel like on my skin. The sound of your heart beating with mine. This. This moment. This is what will give me the strength I need.”
“Lucy.” Her name was a choked whisper on his lips. Finn brushed her hair from her face, his thumbs stroking her cheeks. He leaned down and kissed her, his lips drinking her in with a desperation that consumed them both.
“I love you,” he murmured, kissing her again and again. “I’ve loved you since the moment you walked into my life. I’ve wasted so much time when I should have been telling you every day how much you mean to me.”
“Hush, my love. I’ve always known. Even when you refused to admit it.”
“I guess you aren’t the only one who can be stubborn.”
Lucy’s laugh mingled with a sob. “Heaven forbid.”
Finn crushed her to him. “I’m not going to let them do this. Your sisters and I are coming up with a plan. We’ll get you out of this.”
Fresh fear spiked through Lucy and she grabbed Finn’s face, forced him to look at her. “No, Finn.”
He opened his mouth to argue, but Lucy cut him off. “No. The only way I can bear this is if I know the rest of you will go on living, if I can picture you happy, having a long, full life. I want you to leave here, before it happens. Make my sisters go. I don’t want any of you to see…to see…”
Lucy stopped, unable to force the words from her mouth.
“Lucy…”
She shook her head, wanting to finish what she had to say. “Mr. Fitzhugh helped me draw up a will. I’m leaving you my share of the mine and the ranch in California. If you don’t want to stay there, let my sisters buy you out. Use your share of the mine profits and find a place somewhere you can be happy.”
“I can’t be happy without you!”
“You will. In time.”
Finn stepped away from her, breathing as though he’d just run ten miles. He shook his head and grabbed her arms, hauling her back to him. “No.” He tucked her head under his chin, held her so tightly she could barely breathe. But she wouldn’t have moved for anything in the world.
“No,” he repeated again. He kissed her forehead. “No.” Kissed her eyes, her cheeks. “No.”
Finally, he kissed her lips once more. “There is no happiness for me without you. Ever.”
His lips covered hers, his mouth ravishing her, branding her as his.
The cell door opened once more and someone cleared his throat. Finn ignored it. But Lucy gently pulled away.
Mr. Fitzhugh waited with an officer to escort her to the courtroom.
Lucy gazed back at Finn, gave him a sad smile and stroked his cheek. “They can’t take anything from me,” she said quietly. “You are my life.”
She pressed one last kiss to his lips. “I love you,” she whispered.
She walked away, leaving him standing alone in the middle of the cell.
Lucy sat beside Mr. Fitzhugh as the jury filed in. Stood as the judge entered. Sat when told. Heard nothing but vague mutterings as the judge spoke. Her world had narrowed to the man she’d left in the jail cell. The man who was sitting beside her sisters in the observation balcony.
Nothing else mattered to her. Nothing else penetrated the haze surrounding her.
Mr. Fitzhugh touched her elbow, helping her to stand when the jury foreman stood to read her sentence.
She didn’t look at him. She turned so she could meet Finn’s gaze. Replayed the last moments they’d had together over and over.
“We the jury…”
I love you.
“Sentence the accused, Miss Lucy Richardson…”
I’ve loved you since the moment you walked into my life.
“To hang by the neck until dead.”
You are my life.
“And may God have mercy on your soul.”
Lucy closed her eyes, letting her tears fall, shutting out everything, everyone.
“No!”
Lucy’s eyes flew open and she looked around the courtroom. She knew that voice. The judge banged his gavel, trying to silence the sudden uproar.
“She didn’t do it! She’s innocent. You can’t hang her.”
“Lilah?” Lucy said, finally locating the woman in the back of the courtroom.
Lilah had rushed into the aisle, but a bailiff had stopped her. She tried to push him off, but he held tight.
“Bring her here,” the judge ordered.
Lucy looked up at Finn who was now nearly hanging over the balcony. His startled gaze met hers. But what made Lucy’s heart pound was the look on his face. There was hope in his eyes again. Her sisters beside him were pale and clinging to one another for support, but they too had lost the look of despair they’d both worn for the last several weeks.
Mr. Fitzhugh patted her on the shoulder and Lucy slumped back into her chair, her hand over her mouth.
The bailiff brought Lilah before the judge.
“What’s your name?” he ordered.
“Lilah, sir.”
“What was your mas— What’s your surname?”
“Lilah Halford, sir.”
There was a collective gasp in the courtroom. Even the judge’s brows rose a bit.
“And why did you feel the need to burst into my courtroom? Miss Richardson has already been tried and convicted of Mr. Halford’s murder.”
“But she didn’t do it! I did.”
Lucy’s hands trembled and she gripped them together in her lap. There were so many emotions rushing through her she wasn’t sure which to focus on. Hope for herself, fear for Lilah, anxiety for Finn who was still hanging precariously close to the edge of the balcony and looked as though he were ready to jump over to have his say so at any moment.
The judge spoke again. “Then why are you just coming forward now? This seems to me nothing more than a delay tactic, a scheme to try and save her from the noose where she rightfully belongs. I’ll not have such hysterics in my courtroom. Bailiff!”
The officer grasped Lilah again and made to haul her off, but Lilah pulled from his grasp.
“I can prove I done it!”
She swung the burlap bag she’d been clutching in her hand and slammed it onto the judge’s desk.
“What is this? What do you think you’re doing?”
“It’s a fry pan, sir. It’s what I kilt Mr. Halford with.”
Another gasp broke out and the judge banged his gavel again. Once some semblance of order had returned, the judge sat for a moment, clearly at a loss as how to proceed. Finally, he nodded and the bailiff came forward, pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, and gingerly opened the bag. He extracted the heavy iron pan, still crusted with Philip’s blood, and dropped it back on the table.
Mr. Button stood up. “Your Honor, I must object. This woman worked for Miss Richardson. She’d probably say anything to keep her from hanging. She could have picked up the frying pan and scurried it away at some point, to be used if the tides turned against them.”
There were murmurs of agreement from the audience and the judge banged his gavel again.
“I’m of a mind to agree with you, Mr. Button, but as the woman just plunked a bloody pan down on my desk I’m at least curious enough to hear her out.”
Lucy released a breath she hadn’t noticed she’d been holding.
Lilah was led to the witness chair and Lucy could see her trembling. She leaned over to Mr. Fitzhugh.
“Help her, please. I’ll retain you for your services. She needs counsel.”
Mr. Fitzhugh nodded and stood. “Your Honor, I’ve just been retained as counsel for Miss Halford. May I have a quick word with her?”
The judge frowned but nodded. “A v
ery quick word. This is all irregular enough. I’d like to get this circus over with sooner rather than later.”
Mr. Fitzhugh nodded and went to Lilah. After a few moments of hurried whispers, he came back to their table. “Miss Halford would like to formally confess to the murder of Mr. Philip Halford.”
“And what proof do you have?” Mr. Button insisted.
“Aside from that bloody pan,” Lilah said, skewering the attorney with a glare, “I can tell you details that nobody that weren’t there would know.”
“Such as?” Mr. Button asked.
Lucy leaned over the Mr. Fitzhugh. “You can’t let her confess. Then she’ll be hanged.”
Mr. Fitzhugh whispered back. “She’s insisting. Nothing I said would dissuade her.”
Lucy sat back and glanced up at Finn. He looked worried but gave her an encouraging smile.
Lilah went through the details of the moments leading up to the murder. She described the scene perfectly. Described where Philip was standing, what had happened, what he’d said. How she’d come in and heard Philip threatening Lucy and Finn. When she heard the gunshot she grabbed the frying pan and snuck up behind him.
“I’d thought I’d only scare him, knock him cold maybe. I never intended to hurt him so bad. But if I hadn’t done it, he’d have kilt Mr. Taggart for sure, and maybe done worse to Miz Lucy. His men had already hurt her bad enough, as anyone could see who saw her that day. I did what I had to do to save Miz Lucy and Mr. Taggart.”
The judge called for the lead officer who’d been there that day to step forward. “Does Miss Halford’s description of the events measure up to what you saw that day?”
The pasty-faced officer looked like he was sucking a lemon as he answered, but he nodded his head. “Yes, she described it accurately.”
“They could have collaborated on a story, made sure their tales would match up,” Mr. Button insisted.
The officer shook his head. “There were witnesses on the scene almost immediately. When we arrived, Miss Richardson was still on the floor trying to stop Mr. Taggart’s bleeding. There wouldn’t have been time to discuss a story, and Miss Richardson has been in custody since then.”
The judge sat back, looking back and forth between Lucy and Lilah. Then finally, he sat forward and said, “I’m inclined to agree. Mr. Button?”
Mr. Button, his face mottled red, stood and glared at Lucy. But he said, “In light of this new evidence, the prosecution has no objection to all charges being dropped against Miss Richardson.”
“Agreed,” the judge said and banged his gavel. “Miss Lucy Richardson, you are hereby acquitted of the murder of Mr. Philip Halford.”
Lucy covered her hands with her mouth, unable to keep back the gasp of joy that leaped inside her. Chaos broke out in the courtroom. The judge banged his gavel until it broke. Then he chucked the pieces over his shoulder, got up from his bench and left.
Lucy’s joy was short-lived. In the ensuing chaos, no one else noticed as the bailiff grasped Lilah’s arm and led her from the courtroom. Before she was taken through the doors, she stopped and met Lucy’s gaze. Lucy looked at her friend, her eyes swimming with unshed tears. Lilah gave her a sad smile and let the bailiff lead her away.
Chapter Twenty
Lucy stretched, carefully extricating her arm from beneath Finn. He stirred but didn’t waken and Lucy curled on her side and watched him sleep. With the lines of his face softened by sleep, he looked years younger. Almost like the young man she’d first met so many years ago. She reached out a gentle finger and brushed a lock of hair off his forehead, overwhelmed with happiness at the thought that she’d get to wake up to his beloved face every day for the rest of her life.
After Lucy had been released, Finn had taken her straight to the first judge he could track down and demanded that they be married immediately. Lucy had no objection. And though her sisters had been a bit disappointed that they didn’t get to throw her a huge church wedding, everyone had been so euphoric over the outcome of Lilah’s revelation, no one had voiced any real complaints.
Lucy frowned. Lilah was the one concern that marred her happiness. Mr. Fitzhugh was very optimistic, more so than he’d been for Lucy, which, all things considered, was something indeed.
“What has put such a frown on your face?” Finn asked, his sleepy voice breaking into her thoughts. “I know it couldn’t be anything I’ve done…or didn’t do,” he said with a wicked smile.
Lucy’s stomach flipped at the reminder of how they’d spent their hours the night before. Just the memory made her toes tingle.
Finn drew a lazy finger across her brow, smoothing out the crease, and continued trailing it down her face until he reached her lips.
Lucy kissed his fingertip and then nuzzled her face in his hand.
“What’s wrong, love?” he asked.
“I’m just worried about Lilah.”
Finn pulled Lucy down for a kiss and then tucked her against him. “I’m actually very hopeful. Mr. Fitzhugh has been beside himself at the evidence we were able to give him. Coming from Lilah, they can be presented without implicating me, which fulfills your requirement that I keep out of it,” he said, pulling her closer. “Things are looking very good for her indeed.”
“I hope so,” Lucy said. “You never told me what sort of evidence you turned over.”
“You didn’t want to hear about it at the time,” Finn gently reminded her.
“Well my plate was a bit full at the moment.”
Finn laughed. “Very true. Well, once I found Lilah, I was able to get back onto Halford’s property. More importantly, with Lilah’s help, I was able to get the servants to trust me enough to cooperate with me. After Halford’s death, they’d begun cleaning out the house, putting everything in storage, which made finding the evidence I needed very difficult. But with Lilah to smooth the way, we were able to find what we needed.
“We went back to the shacks on Halford’s property.”
“The shacks?” Lucy shivered. “But what about…those men, what happened to…?”
“Lilah and I buried them.”
Lucy’s eyes widened and Finn continued. “They won’t be found, and I doubt anyone misses them. If any of the servants saw what we did, they won’t betray us.”
Lucy let that sink in for a moment and then nodded. “What did you find when you went back?”
“With the help of Halford’s staff, who were only too happy to assist now that Halford was no longer there to beat terror into them, we recovered the secret shipments he’d been ferrying in. Cases of opium had been stockpiled, and the crates of contraband. I was also able to retrieve the papers and ledgers and it all proved how corrupt Halford was.”
“Well, glad to discover you kept busy while I was locked up,” Lucy said with an attempt at levity. In truth, she was overwhelmed with what her husband and her friend had gone through in order to set her free.
“Lilah did society a favor by getting rid of Halford, and I think there are very few people left who don’t agree. Add to the fact that Halford was the only one armed in the whole altercation and had already shot me and was threatening to harm you, Mr. Fitzhugh says that Lilah’s act is being hailed by many as heroic. She might be given a cursory sentence since she had, in fact, killed the man, but the main consensus seems to be that the verdict will be light.”
“I hope so, but I won’t rest easy until Lilah is free.”
“I know, my love. And we’ll do everything we can to ensure she is.”
Lucy buried her head against Finn’s chest and breathed deeply.
With a sudden growl, Finn rolled, pulling Lucy along with him. She yelped in surprise, giggling as Finn rolled her beneath him.
“There’s only one sure way I know to keep your mind off your troubles,” he said. He ground his hips against her and Lucy gasped, arching into him. All thoughts of anything but the magnificent man above her evaporated on a wave of love and desire, and Finn gamely kept her distracted until they fell ba
ck into a satisfyingly exhausted sleep.
Epilogue
Lucy stepped down from the coach and took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the clean, Californian air. She was home. She had never seen anything so beautiful. The house nestled in its clearing. The stables and paddocks spread out behind the house, flowing into the cow pastures. The ranch’s garden was bursting with vegetables, and Lucy’s mouth was already watering at the thought of sinking her teeth into one of the crisp apples from the orchard. She felt like she’d died and gone to heaven.
A squeal from the direction of the house stole her attention and she braced herself as Carmen, the Richardson’s housekeeper and surrogate mother, came barreling out of the house. She crashed into Lucy and swept her into a smothering hug.
“Ah, mija, you’re home at last,” Carmen said, backing away just enough to squish Lucy’s cheeks between her hands.
Lucy laughed and returned Carmen’s hug. “It’s long overdue, I know.”
Miguel, Carmen’s husband, hung back, waiting for his wife to finish her hellos before he came to envelope Lucy in his arms. “It’s good to have you home. We’ll have to make sure we keep you here this time, eh?”
“I think we’ll be sticking around awhile,” Lucy said, glancing back at the coach where Finn was unloading their luggage.
“So,” Carmen said, her hands on her hips as she sized up Finn, “you are the one who stole our Lucy’s heart.”
“And brought me home,” Lucy reminded her.
“For that,” Carmen said, opening her arms wide to give him a welcoming hug, “we’ll be forever grateful. Welcome home.”
Finn nodded, his eyes looking suspiciously bright to Lucy. But he went back to the luggage and the moment was lost in a flurry of activity as Cilla and Leo and their son clambered down and came forward for their hugs and kisses.
It wasn’t until later that night, when Finn and Lucy were settled in the bunkhouse, where they’d stay until their own home could be built on the property, that Lucy had a chance to gauge how Finn was really feeling.
Blood Blade Sisters Series (Entangled Scandalous) Page 59
