“Miss Chapman?” the duke asked and motioned toward the piano. “Do you play?”
“Only a little, and only if you want me to chase away guests.”
Andrew chuckled and patted her hand. “Come now, Halle, I’m sure there is something you can play on the pianoforte.”
She shrugged. “I think the only song I remember is Chopsticks.”
“Chop—what?” the duchess asked.
Halle groaned inwardly. That song probably hadn’t been written yet.
Georgi’s playing stopped. “Miss Chapman, will you come play it for me?”
“Well, the song really is better with two people.”
“Then teach me.”
Halle hoped the original artist wouldn’t get upset for her introducing this song…and she prayed he wouldn’t blame her for stealing his idea, either. She rose, and Andrew stood with her as they walked to the piano. She sat next to Georgiana on the bench and began to teach her the song. It surprised Halle how quickly Georgiana caught on, and soon the girl was playing the song with Halle. When they finished it completely, the duke and duchess applauded and gave her approval nods. Halle glanced behind her at Andrew who had the same kind of expression…except love sparkled in his eyes.
The awkward mood had been broken, and so far everyone acted as if that little scene with Edward had never happened. At long last, dinner was announced, and Andrew escorted her and Georgiana into the dining room. He pulled out their chairs like the perfect gentleman, and then once they were seated, he sat beside Halle. Small talk floated around the table in which everyone participated. Thankfully, she didn’t feel as if everyone blamed her.
Dinner was finally over, and they all returned to the sitting room. Halle took her seat on the sofa, but instead of sitting by her, Andrew stood by the edge of the furniture.
“Mother, Father,” he began, “I hope you don’t mind, but I have an announcement to make.”
Both of his parents’ eyes widened. The duke nodded. “Continue then.”
“These past few months have been very busy for me, and I was very happy to take time away from the Foreign Office to stay here and relax. I’ve also been doing a lot of thinking about my life and what I want to have in the future.” He glanced at Halle and smiled. “Because of Halle, I have found the answers I’ve been seeking.” He looked back at his parents. “Mother, Father, I have fallen in love with Halle, and I have asked her to be my wife.”
Georgi and the duchess gasped, but thankfully it wasn’t a horrified sound. In fact, by their joyful expressions, Halle was relieved that they accepted this as good news. She turned her attention to the duke. A gleam of happiness was in his eyes although he didn’t quite smile. Halle wasn’t sure she liked that.
“Are you sure this is what you want, son?” the duke asked, arching his eyebrow.
Andrew reached down and took hold of Halle’s hand. She met his loving gaze.
“Yes, Father.” Although he spoke to his parent, he held Halle’s eyes. “I love her more than I could have ever imagined.”
“Well then, I suppose congratulations are in order.”
She looked at her soon-to-be father-in-law and grinned. Now the older man was smiling proudly. Relief flooded through her. At least they’d gotten past this particular obstacle.
Andrew tugged her arm and she stood next to him. Both the duke and duchess walked to them and gave Halle and Andrew hugs. Georgiana giggled and threw her arms around Halle, hugging her tightly.
“I have always wanted a sister,” the younger girl said.
“As have I,” Halle replied.
“We shall do many things together and be the best of friends.”
“Yes, we shall.” Halle nodded.
“I suppose we should open a bottle of champagne and celebrate—”
Just at that moment, the window shattered as a rock tumbled into the room. Georgi screamed and jumped to her mother, who wrapped the girl in comforting arms.
Andrew and his father rushed to the rock…which looked to have a paper tied around it. Andrew picked up the jagged object and unraveled the page.
“What’s the meaning of this?” the Duke of Harrington bellowed as he gaze swept the room before moving back to the window.
“Father, it’s a threat,” Andrew muttered as his face turned white.
Alarm slammed inside Halle’s chest. No! This could not be happening! The attack wasn’t supposed to happen until December 20th.
Moving on shaky legs, she hurried to Andrew and touched his arm. “Do you suppose…it’s happening now?”
Andrew squeezed his eyes closed. “Oh, God help us all.”
Chapter Twenty-three
It was happening. Yet it couldn’t happen now. They needed more people to help them fight.
Tears stung his eyes, and he quickly blinked them away, nodding a silent acknowledgement to Halle. “Take my mother and sister upstairs.”
Moisture gathered in her eyes, pointing to his father. “I will, but get him out of this room immediately!”
“What in all that’s holy is going on?” his father shouted.
Halle grasped his mother and Georgi’s hands and pulled them out of the room. Just then a flaming arrow shot through the broken window, setting the drapes on fire. Both he and his father leapt into action, yanking it down and stamping out the flames.
“Father, get out of this room!”
His father scowled and shook his head. “I’m staying. If we are being attacked, this is not a time to turn and flee.”
Andrew grasped his parent’s arm and forced him out of the smoky room. “You will listen to me. Halle knows what will happen…what’s happening now. If you stay in that room, you will die. Do you understand?”
Heavy footsteps ran up the hallway as voices rose in alarm. White-faced servants with wide eyes rushed toward Andrew and his father. Some of the servants wailed in panic.
“Your Grace,” Mr. Pitt, the butler said breathlessly. “There is a mob of people out front carrying torches and weapons.”
Andrew’s father glanced toward the arms room. “My weapons are in there. We must get them now.”
From inside the sitting room, another window shattered. Andrew glanced inside as more flaming arrows soared in. Cursing under his breath, he quickly pulled away from the door and braced himself up against the wall.
As he watched his father hurry away to collect the weapons, Andrew said a silent prayer that all would be well…that they could conquer this attack. That history would not repeat itself.
The front door opened and in staggered a man. This wasn’t one of the servants, but instead, someone who had been terribly beaten. Cuts and bruises disfigured his face, and blood trickled from his mouth. He pointed a battered hand toward Andrew and called his name.
He stepped closer to the stranger until recognition finally struck him. Halle’s father! Andrew hurried to the man who fell in front of him.
“I…I tried to stop them,” he muttered through swollen, bloody lips. “Lord Andrew, I tried to stop Nigel. I swear I did.”
Andrew glanced over Will’s face again. “Did Nigel do this to you?”
“Yes.”
Noise from up the hall pulled Andrew’s attention to the servants as they scattered throughout the rooms, preparing for battle. When his father hurried back into the sitting room, Andrew panicked and ran to stop him.
“Father, no!” He hurried inside just as an arrow shot through the window, but luckily missed them both.
Andrew pushed his father to the ground. “Don’t you understand? I need you alive! You cannot be in this room. This is where you die.”
“Son, I cannot run and hide. I must be brave and fight to protect my family.”
Tears filled Andrew’s eyes again and he nodded. “I understand, but…” his voice broke, “I don’t want you to die. Shouldn’t we just give these people the jewels so they will leave us alone?”
Sadly, his father shook his head. “There are no jewels, Son. They have bee
n gone for many generations, but nobody will believe us.”
Groaning, Andrew rubbed his head. This was worse than he thought.
“Grab a weapon son, and help protect our family.”
Andrew nodded and moved, but before he reached the door, Halle ran inside, holding a pistol. His heart melted with love for this endearing woman who at every turn tried to protect those people he cared for the most. He loved her so much, and he feared they would not get to spend a lifetime together as they had wishfully planned.
“Halle, please go back upstairs.”
“I can’t, Andrew. I have to help. There aren’t enough people to help you fight, which is my fault because I altered history.” She stroked his arm and tried to smile through her shaky lips. “But I will feel proud to fight beside you, and if it means us all dying, then I will die beside you as well, because there is no other place I’d rather be.”
“Halle, I love you so much.”
“And I love you, but we don’t have time to stand around and chit-chat. We’ve got some serious butt-kicking to do, so let’s get to it.”
She glanced behind him and her eyes widened. Pushing Andrew aside, she moved quickly toward his father. “Your Grace, you really need to move away from the window.”
Just then, a bunch of arrows whipped through the window. Halle screamed his father’s name and leapt in front of the man. An arrow, meant for his father, lodged itself in Halle’s chest. The pistol she’d been holding fell from her hand as she collapsed against his father.
Andrew cried out and dashed toward her. His father’s arms wound around her and lowered them both to the ground. Blood seeped around the arrow stuck in her chest. She gasped for air and reached for Andrew.
“No!” he screamed again as he took Halle away from his father, cradling her against his chest. “No, Halle. You will not die on me. Do you understand?” Tears filled his eyes quickly and he blinked to clear his vision.
“I…I…” she gasped and stroked his cheek. “I changed history. Your father didn’t die.”
Loud voices grew all around him and he tried to block out the sound and concentrate fully on her. Helpless, he held her gaze as he ran his hand over her face, smoothing back the hair that had fallen into her eyes. His chest grew so tight he could scarcely breathe. He didn’t know what to do to save her.
“You’re not going to die,” he whispered brokenly.
His father touched Andrew’s shoulder. “Stay with her. Help has arrived.” He nodded toward the door.
Andrew peeked over his shoulder as the magistrate and several men armed with pistols stormed through the rooms. Andrew switched his focus back to the woman in his arms…the love of his life… the only reason for his happiness. Slowly color disappeared from her face. His heart felt as if it was ripping apart, and he wanted to die with her.
“Andrew…I will love you…forever.” She closed her eyes and her bosom stopped moving.
His tears fell faster as cried out in agony, rocking her back and forth in his arms. How could this have happened? They were supposed to live together as husband and wife; raise children, and be blissfully happy.
Gently, he laid her on the floor. Her left hand dropped and rested above her head. Somehow she’d torn the shoulder of her gown. Slowly, he reached up and pulled her hair out of the styled coil it had been in, spreading it around her shoulders to cover the rip in the material.
With the final realization that she was dead and he’d never get to hold her or kiss her sweet lips again, desolation sliced through him like a jagged knife, shaking him to the very core of his soul. Using great care, he lay his head next to hers, resting his chin at the crook of her neck. Sobs tore from his chest, tearing his insides apart.
He didn’t know how much time passed—maybe only a minute, maybe several, but gradually the sounds around him returned. Men were shouting, pistols were still being fired, and upstairs his mother, Georgi, and the women servants wailed in panic.
Get on your feet soldier! Echoes from yesteryear rang through his mind when his commanding officer had instructed the unit into action. Save your family, he heard his father’s voice this time, but only in his head.
Andrew pulled away from Halle, placed a kiss on her still lips, and tore himself away to see what he could do to help save the family and their home.
From the doorway, he noticed Will Chapman again. He had a pistol and was shooting through the window. Panic etched his battered face as his gaze searched around him. When he noticed Andrew, Will point and shouted, “He’s getting away. Nigel is escaping!”
Anger and hatred unlike Andrew had ever experienced before filled him. His legs moved on their own accord and his hand grasped the pistol that Halle had been holding. He ran toward the door with one purpose in mind. Nigel would pay for his crimes!
Out the house, it surprised Andrew how many men were helping his family and their servants fight off the mob. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a familiar figure running toward the tree. Nigel.
Just as Halle had described, the tree was lit up, glowing as if it were on fire. This must have been what he’d seen when he passed through it to get to Halle’s world. And this was probably the same reason Nigel was going toward it.
Releasing a battle cry, Andrew raced toward Nigel, zeroing in on the devil and none other. If it took all of his energy, he would stop that man from going through time. If he had anything to do with it, Nigel would be punished here in 1848, England.
A shot rang through the night air, slicing through Andrew’s shoulder. Pain quickly spread through his arm, but he ignored it the best he could and focused on his target. As if fate had lent an assisting hand, Nigel tripped and fell. When the man tried to get up, he limped on his right leg. Good fortune was with Andrew now because this gave him the edge he needed to capture the lowlife murderer.
Nigel glanced over his shoulder and met Andrew’s piercing glare. The other man’s eyes widened as the stumbled toward the tree more. When he fell again, he lifted his hand to stop Andrew.
“Don’t hurt me. I’m unarmed.”
Andrew reached him and loomed over her like a threatening cloud of doom. His chest burned from the heavy breaths he took. “You are unarmed now, but you weren’t earlier.”
“I know, but I didn’t kill anyone.”
“Who shot the arrows through the window?” Andrew growled.
“Well…I did, as well as a few others.”
He grasped the lapels of Nigel’s coat and shook him hard. “Then you did kill someone. You killed the woman I love.”
“Miss Chapman?” His eyes widened. “She’s…dead?”
“I should kill you now…” he hissed and threw him back on the ground. He reached for his pistol, cocked it, and aimed.
Nigel squeezed his eyes closed and cried out. “Please, no! I was being paid to attack the house. It’s not my fault.”
Andrew hesitated. “Paid? Who would pay you to attack my home?”
From out of nowhere, the eerie cackle of a man’s laugh filled the air. Andrew swung his gaze toward the familiar sound. Out of the shadows walked his brother, and in his hand was a pistol, pointing right at Andrew.
“I paid him, dear brother.”
“You?” Andrew gasped. “Are you demented?”
“No, I’m as wily as a fox, if you must know.” Edward shrugged. “How else can I become duke while I’m still young and vibrant? Father is too stubborn to die, which means I won’t become duke until I’m old and feeble. That will not work for me.”
Not believing what he just heard, Andrew shook his head. “Tell me you’re jesting. You cannot be serious. You have caused all of this mayhem…just to get our Father’s title?”
“No, I have caused all of this because of your lover, Miss Chapman. If she had left well-enough alone, my plans would have gone much smoother and Agnes and I would be happily married by now.”
Hearing Halle’s name caused pain to clench his chest again and tears to sting his eyes. “Do not blame H
alle for your mistakes. Those are yours and yours alone. Rest assured, God will punish you, not her.”
“Regardless,” Edward sneered aiming his pistol at Andrew’s head. “It’s now time to end this and come out the victor.”
“My lord?” Nigel asked. “What about me? Your family and the magistrate know I’m involved.”
Edward tilted his head and studied the other man still on the ground. “I had not thought of that, but you are correct. We need to take care of that matter, immediately.”
“Yes, my lord.”
In a split second, Edward switched the aim of his pistol toward Nigel and pulled the trigger. Nigel slumped to the ground in a dead heap.
Andrew groaned, not believing the evil man his brother had become.
Edward chuckled. “There, Mr. Radcliff. The matter has been resolved.”
With Edward’s attention on Nigel, Andrew took the perfect opportunity to stop his sibling. He jumped toward him; his body slammed into his brother’s, they fell to the ground. A shriek tore through the night air, sounding too high-pitched to be the marquis’, yet it was.
Edward’s hands flayed through the air as he tried to gain control. Andrew pulled back his fists and pounded them into his brother’s face several times. Blood trickled out of Edward’s mouth, but Andrew kept striking his sibling. Anger built inside Andrew’s chest, reminding him that Edward was the one responsible for killing Halle. If his brother hadn’t been so greedy, Halle would still be alive. Second by second, the elder brother grew weaker, until his struggling finally ceased.
“Andrew, that’s enough.”
The stern voice of his father was what made him stop. He glanced up at his parent standing beside him. A frown marred the man’s face as sadness coated his expression. “You have injured your brother quite enough now.”
“But Father, he’s responsible for killing—”
“Son.” His father placed his hand on Andrew’s shoulder. “What’s done is done. We cannot change what happened.”
Love Lost in Time (Victorian Time-Travel) Page 28
