The Runaway Duke (Regency Romance)
Page 7
“Go!” yelled Amelia. “Run home while you can.”
Prudence was trembling. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. I will make certain he does not follow you. Go and be safe.”
Prudence took a few steps, but hesitated. “You can come too. I do not want to leave you.”
“I do not have a home anymore.”
Amelia threw more apples at the fallen footman as her sister ran off through the trees. James curled up in a ball with his arms over his head and his knees pulled into his chest, trying to deflect the barrage of flying fruit.
“Stop it, you harpy!” he cried.
“This is nothing! You ruined my life!”
She kept pelting him until her ammunition was gone. Warily, he peeked out from behind his arm. James gritted his teeth as he got up and advanced toward her.
“Now your debt will be settled, Miss Amelia.”
She plucked another apple off a tree and threw it at him. He yelled as he began running. She turned and ran too. James chased her, zigzagging through the orchard paths, gaining steadily, reaching out for her. He lunged, tackling her from behind, and they both hit the ground, rolling. James was the first on his feet. He was right on her as she stood, grabbing onto her wrist.
“Now I will get my kiss from you,” he said.
“Kiss this.” Amelia slapped him right in the mouth.
James held his face. “What is it with your family and violence?”
“Any barbarity directed toward you is only a good cause. Now unhand me.”
He grunted as he grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back against a tree.
“It is only a kiss,” he said. “A woman such as yourself should be well used to them and more. Today, you will learn to like them from me. Do you hear me? We are all alone in this orchard. No one can save you from it.”
Amelia heard a horse’s gallop. It was getting closer to them.
***
Lord Thoram pushed his horse as fast as it would go, standing up in the stirrups, racing down the path through the orchard. His pulse was fast, his body tense. Anger overtook him as James shoved her hard. Thoram realized then that he loved her. And that made it worse.
The footman backed away from her as the horse approached at full gallop. Thoram jumped off, flying at him and colliding, crashing, falling, slamming to the ground. The world was a blur. He was on his feet again in moments.
James squared off, raising his fists. “I have wanted to have a brush with you for years, my lord. And if you do not mind me saying, I doubt you will display to advantage today.”
Thoram walked toward his opponent, eyes focused, jaw stiff.
“I have never been more ready to fight a man in my life,” said James.
“Good.”
The footman struck first, throwing a wild right hand. Thoram put his arm up, blocking it, sending the man off balance. He cocked his arm back, tightening his fist. It was for Amelia. For what he tried to do to her. Thoram’s punch was a hammer to the cheek. The second was too much to bear. It went quickly. James fell down. He did not try to get up, but lay cowering, clearly wanting no more.
“Leave, or it will get worse,” said Lord Thoram.
***
Amelia’s heart fluttered, and she bit her lower lip, unsettled from the violence. She could hear hard footfalls through the orchard as James ran away, flailing his arms and tripping over fallen apples. The more distant it got, the happier she was. Then Lord Thoram was beside her.
“Are you hurt?” he asked, cupping her chin in his hand.
“I am fine. I thought I would never see you again.”
“I imagined the same.”
Amelia looked at him, all starry eyed. “What are you doing here?”
“I was riding along the road where we met, with full intention to keep going, but I had to see our orchard one last time. There was no way I could live the rest of my life without knowing if you were waiting here for me.”
“We are together now, and that is all that matters. It must be destiny.”
“So, has destiny changed your answer?”
Amelia shook her head. “You do not know how much I wish it had. Maybe you can stay.”
“In time, I would resent you if I did. I care too much to let that be the end of us.”
“But it is impossible that we have to leave each other again.”
“You do not need to do anything. Just turn away, and I will walk off to get my horse. Do not look back at me. It would only cause sorrow if you look back. In just a moment, I will be gone. You will have your orchard again, the greatest peace you know.”
“Somehow, this place has lost its shine.”
“That will return. You have only to let it. We will always have memories here. Always this moment with you, Miss Amelia.”
Lord Thoram kissed her and it was better than before. Both their hearts beat together. It was love. And then he was walking away, to where his horse stopped, far down the orchard path. Amelia turned from it with a stoic, tear streaked face. Even though she couldn’t see him, she knew what was happening, and that was hard enough. All she wanted in the world was to go to him, be with him, go wherever they may go, but her family still needed her. The whole fight with Luke would fade away in time, and things could go back to normal at the house. Someone had to take care of everything.
A twig cracked to her side and Amelia jumped. Had James circled back around for her? She didn’t know if she had any fight left after that.
Prudence stepped underneath an apple tree.
“I did not mean to listen,” she said. “I really didn’t. I was going to run home. I started to, but could not leave you behind with that footman.”
“Everything is all right now.”
“This is the furthest thing from all right. You have to go with Lord Thoram.”
“How can I?”
“How could you not?”
“I have a family to raise here,” said Amelia.
“Our mother has a family. You have a life yet to really begin. You cannot go on this way. It is the path to bitterness and ruin.”
“I have to take care of you all.”
“You are my sister. I do not want your care. I want you to live a wonderful life. This chance that you have does not come around often. Men like Lord Thoram are rare.”
“Who will cheer our mother up?”
“That is not your job,” said Prudence. “Her grief will pass, as everything does.”
“And what about the baby, and the twins? They need to eat and be cared for.”
“I can do it.”
Amelia stood with arms akimbo and arched her eyebrow high.
“I am capable of cooking a meal on my own,” said Prudence. “I can work less at the vegetable garden. And I will have more time for everything since I do not want to see another man in my vicinity for a good, long while.”
“Has the footman turned you away from them completely?”
“It is my fondest wish to be a spinster now.”
Amelia smiled. “And who is going to look after you, you goose?”
“I can manage quite well. Especially since I will delight in the letters you send me frequently. Now, if you do not chase after Lord Thoram, I shall do the chasing for you. And I will tell him you stay awake until dawn, scribbling in your diary about how you love him more than drinking chocolate and you could sip him up.”
“I have never kept a diary.”
“He would not know it. It would delight me to say you draw hearts on every page.”
“You are a beast.”
“Then leave me behind.” Prudence had tears in her eyes. “Leave it all and live your life.”
Amelia hugged her, tightly. “Be especially kind to the twins. They will not understand.”
“Good luck.”
“I do not need it. I have good destiny.”
Amelia ran down the orchard path between trees. The sweet scent of apples hung in the air. Thoram was at his horse. She called to him, w
aving her hand high, and he turned around. He could not have smiled more broadly as he took long strides toward her. Amelia had never run so fast. There was an explosion building in the pit of her stomach. When they came together, she jumped into his arms. He spun her around in a circle as if she was soaring. Amelia kissed him passionately until her feet were on the ground again. Those arms felt so strong when he held her close.
He took her hand as they hurried to the waiting horse. Lord Thoram lifted her onto the saddle, then climbed on at her side. He held her with one hand and cracked the reins with the other. Amelia was safe. It had been a long time since she truly felt that way. They rode through the woods, then on the dirt road again, the horse’s hooves smacking loudly against it. The bonnet he brought back to her hung around her neck, its thick threads lapping at her. Amelia felt the wind in her hair. The sky was pink and purple with full twilight setting in.
“Do you think we will ever be back here again?” she said.
“I hope so.”
“Do you think it will all be the same?”
“We won’t be the same.”
“Who else would we become?”
“We can find out together.”
The sky slowly turned jet black as they rode. They became cloaked in darkness. His eyes were vivid and bright by the full moon. She looked into them, so absolutely in love.
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