by Denise Daye
“Here, please sit down. I need to touch your head now to look at the wound.”
Emma sat down and leaned her head sideways to give him better access to the wound.
“What happened?” the man directed his question toward Lily and Skip, who appeared to be frozen like they were ice sculptures.
What was the matter with them? It took a second, but Skip finally took a step forward. “Robbed. We…we were robbed.”
The man gently tilted Emma’s head a bit more and split her hair to the side where the wound was located.
“It is not too deep. Do you know what year it is?”
Emma almost smiled because this was such a ridiculous situation. After time traveling and faking a robbery, she was asked what year it was! Still, she answered, “1881.”
“Good. I do not think it is serious, but we must get you out of the cold and have you seen by a doctor immediately.” It was almost as if the man had given Lily her cue, and she finally found her acting talents again.
“They took everything! The Mrs. refused to give them her trunks and her purse, so they hit her on the head with a pistol,” Lily said hysterically, throwing her head into her hands in despair. “We were all so scared for the Mrs., but we could not get help because they cut the horses loose. I thought she would die!”
Was Lily crying? Wow, she was really putting her heart into this masterpiece of a theater act. Even Skip, who was in on it, seemed to be taken by her performance and looked at Lily as if he wanted to comfort her.
Suddenly, another carriage arrived, and two women came launching out of it like their carriage was on fire. One of them was an older, heavier lady who had a motherly aura about her. She was clearly wearing too much makeup, and her dress was so colorful, it almost hurt Emma’s eyes. The other one was on the heavier side as well but was young and plain looking. There was no doubt they were mother and daughter. They both came running toward Emma.
“Oh Lord, Lord, LORD, WHYYYY!?” shouted the older one frantically, throwing her hands up to the sky as if she were talking to God in person. The younger one grabbed her mother by the arm and held a tissue to her face.
“Look how beautiful she is! How can the Lord let something terrible happen to an angel like this?” She started crying. Emma, Lily, and Skip exchanged confused looks. The good-looking man, however, turned around and looked lovingly at the two women, who were more emotional than the supposedly robbed Lily and Emma.
“It will be alright, Agnes. How about you take Mother back to the carriage, and make some room for the lady? She needs our help now.”
Mother? How could this man be related to those two? He was everything period dramas always tried to make a true gentleman look like. But then, Emma wasn’t judging people by their looks. And the fact that they instantly ran back to the carriage to help showed Emma that they were annoying but kind people. Emma glanced at the man again; he was kneeling right in front of her. He was nothing like Lily had described. Emma had expected a monster, but Blackwell was helpful and had the kindest eyes she had ever seen. He was very handsome, in face and form, and exuded a self-assuredness that drew her to him further.
All of a sudden, her rescuer jumped up and placed his impressive stature in front of Emma, as though he was ready to fight the returning robbers with nothing more than his fists and his sheer will. There were three men approaching on horses—fast. Like the cavalry, they came riding toward the group, making the ground shake underneath them. One horse was faster than the others and got to Emma and the rest of the group before the other two did. The man who was on top of this beautiful, black warhorse brought it to an abrupt standstill that covered Lily and Skip in a cloud of road dust. They both started coughing, waving the dust away from their eyes. He dismounted the black beast in one fluid motion and came running toward Emma.
“Out of the way, Evergreen!” the imposing man said, his voice deep and commanding as he pushed Emma’s rescuer out of the way—who let it happen without a fight. Though obviously annoyed, he deferred to the new arrival, his nod indicating he knew the rude man.
“Evergreen?” Emma asked in confusion.
“Oh, my goodness! Lord Blackwell! Thank the Lord!” shouted the older lady from her carriage. Her daughter followed suit. “Lord Blackwell! I am so relieved you came to our rescue!”
Emma saw Lily giving her a hasty nod that confirmed what she was slowly beginning to grasp.
“You…you are Lord Blackwell?” she asked the man now kneeling in front of her, who did a quick scan of the wound on her head.
“I certainly am. Lord William Blackwell. At your service, my lady.”
Things were starting to make sense now. Her first rescuer was not Lord Blackwell, he was a lord called Evergreen. That’s why Lily and Skip had appeared so confused when he came to Emma’s rescue. Yes, there was no doubt that the man in front of her was clearly the notorious Blackwell. He was probably the most attractive man Emma had ever seen in her life. He was nothing but muscles under his silky black suit; which made Evergreen’s coat look like yesterday’s fashion. His hair was as black as the night and his eyes as blue and clear as a winter storm. If this had still been the twenty-first century, William Blackwell would have been a movie star or an A-list model. No doubt. For some reason, Emma started to regain the confidence that Lord Evergreen had somehow held hostage with his hypnotizing brown eyes and sincere kindness. Lord Blackwell turned around to his companions, who, by the looks of their uniforms, must have been his servants.
“Now, do not just sit there idle on my horses! You! Ride into town to get the doctor! And you! Ride ahead to my estate and give notice that we are on our way and need the red room to be prepared for an injured guest!” The two servants immediately rode off in different directions like their jobs depended on it (and they probably did—judging Blackwell).
“Evergreen, tell your mother and sister to make room in your carriage so we can move the injured lady to my estate.” Emma looked at Evergreen, who didn’t say a word but clearly analyzed the situation with cool eagle eyes. His mother and sister, on the other hand, made way to their own carriage immediately. Even Lily and Skip moved out of the way for Blackwell, although they weren’t even in his path. Clearly, he was used to giving orders and expected them to be followed to his liking.
This was Emma’s chance to let Blackwell know right then and there that she would be an uphill battle, not a maid in need. Men like Blackwell and her father loved nothing more than a woman who would be a trophy—not a freebie.
“No,” Emma said in a calm but determined voice. Everybody turned around at the same time, making Emma the centerstage. Blackwell looked like it was the first time he’d heard the word “no” in his life—ever.
“Pardon me?” Blackwell appeared so confused, he barely got the words out.
“We can tend to my wounds and hurt pride later; they are not fatal. I would rather try to follow the robbers. Not only did they hurt my pride, but they also took off with everything I brought from across the ocean. Time is of the essence now, so let’s not waste it.” Emma played up her American accent a bit.
And there it was. Blackwell truly looked at her for the first time. He had glanced at her earlier, of course, but now he really saw her. He seemed speechless. Everybody was speechless.
“Mrs…?”
“Mrs. Washington. Emma Washington.”
Evergreen walked by William and stopped right in front of her. Probably closer than appropriate under normal circumstances, but this situation was unusual for everybody, so nobody seemed to even notice.
“Evergreen. John Evergreen. It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He combined a charming smile with an elegant bow.
My gosh, this man can smile. It warmed Emma’s heart like no smile ever before.
“Mrs. Washington. I truly admire your strength and bravery. However, you are injured, and it would cause me and my family grave worry if we could not get you seen by the doctor as soon as possible. I promise you, we shall ch
ase those robbers to the end of this earth, if need be. But now, we need to get you somewhere warm and safe.”
“Lord Evergreen has a valid point,” Lily chipped up, grabbing Emma’s hand. She should have been an actress.
“I promise you, we shall not rest until we find the thieves. Until then, you will be safe in our care.” John made a gesture toward his family, who still stayed clear of their own carriage like William Blackwell’s earlier command was the law around here.
“Yes. Of course,” Emma responded. Too much arguing could annoy William, so she had to balance her performance of a free-spirited American woman and a reasonable lady well.
Before Emma could get another word out, William literally swept her off her feet. She didn’t protest but looked over William’s shoulder to get a quick glance of John, who did not seem to like any of this but again decided to let it slide.
William’s chest was as hard as steel. Emma could literally feel his muscles where her body touched his. He acted like he was carrying a small kitten, her weight and gown of little consequence to his bulging biceps. However, her body didn’t react in any way when they touched; she felt absolutely nothing. Gently, William put Emma inside the carriage, which looked a hell of a lot nicer than the one in which she was supposedly robbed. The fabrics were soft silk, and it had skillfully crafted decorations on the inside. William grabbed Emma’s hand and gave it a light squeeze.
“I shall meet you at my estate shortly. And do not worry, I shall not rest until I find those men and see that they receive the worst possible punishment for this cowardly crime.” Emma noticed a spark of anger in his eyes. He seemed to mean what he had said about the robbers, and something told Emma that he would indeed not rest until the robbers were found. Which, in this case, would be never—and could possibly expose Emma’s plot.
“Thank you, Lord Blackwell,” Emma forced herself to say. William didn’t bother to help any of the other women into the carriage. Instead, he swung himself back onto his impressive warhorse like it was a little pony.
“I entrust you will deliver her safely, Evergreen. I shall do a quick round to see if I can find any trace of the robbers while their tracks are still fresh.” Those were the last words of her intended future husband before he made the ground shake under the feet of Thunder, disappearing down the road.
Evergreen watched Blackwell ride off into the unknown as if he’d just finished watching the last act of a theater comedy. He had that dangerously attractive smile on his face again. He then came over to the carriage to help his mother, sister, and even Lily into the carriage.
“Mrs. Washington, please do not think badly of me, but I shall now direct the carriage driver to take you and my family back to Evergreen Castle.”
“But didn’t Lord Blackwell—” his sister protested, but John interrupted her.
“Lord Blackwell forgot that his mother and sister are both in London for the season…”
“Ooooohhhhhh,” mother and daughter responded simultaneously.
Why was that a problem? Emma was about to ask, but Lily quickly intercepted her.
“How very considerate of you, Lord Evergreen.”
She decided to trust Lily on this one.
“Thank you, Lord Evergreen,” Emma replied in a sincere tone.
“Mother, Sister…please remember that Mrs. Washington is very tired and would like to rest. I am sure we shall get to know her better sooner than later, but now is not the time for questions and excitement.”
“Yes, of course…” Lady Evergreen and her daughter Agnes both made long faces as if they’d been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Both agreed with silent, disappointed nods. John gave the carriage a slap on its side, which seemed to mean “go” in Victorian carriage language, as the carriage took off immediately. John exchanged a quick word with Skip, then took his place riding alongside the carriage, like the escort of a princess. His elegance seemed to have skipped his mother and sister, Emma mused, trying to avoid eye contact with the Evergreen ladies. Both of them stared at Emma in what could only be described as pure excitement and anticipation for what was to come. She told herself to be grateful toward them and endure all the questions and annoyance they might bring. In the end, they had agreed to help her just as much as John Evergreen had, and that was a kind thing to do.
Emma looked out the small carriage window onto a gray English countryside. It started to rain, which made Emma thankful for having a roof over her head—at least for a little while. Was this really it? Was it that easy? She still had to win William Blackwell over completely, but he was already taken with her, or he wouldn’t have insisted on taking her to his estate. Interestingly enough, William scared her the least out of the whole mess she’d gotten herself into. She knew that sort of man better than she knew herself. Didn’t that mean that everything was going fantastic? Not really.
While the carriage took Emma on a romantic English countryside ride, her thoughts were heavily occupied with the very thing she had successfully managed to avoid her whole life—a man…and it wasn’t the ridiculously handsome, rich, and muscular Lord William Blackwell.
Chapter 5
J ohn rode his horse like the devil was after him. He didn’t leave the carriage out of sight even for a minute until they arrived on his lands, and he started to see farmers and servants going about their usual business. They would be safe from here on, so he decided to ride ahead to make the necessary preparations. John wanted to make sure that Mrs. Washington’s room was ready and the doctor waiting in it before she arrived. The doctor was actually an employee of his, and the room would be ready in no time, considering how clean his mother kept the estate at all times. So why was he so beside himself? Sure, today’s events were more than unfortunate, especially for poor Mrs. Washington, but John had seen so much worse. It made no sense to be so emotional about Mrs. Washington’s incident. He had been to war in the Far East not once but twice, and his charity work with lost veterans was more of a nightmare than a beautiful tale of love and kindness. Most of the veterans he worked with were beyond the trouble of alcoholism. Just last week, he was almost stabbed to death by Milly, a war veteran not much older than John himself, after John found him passed out in the streets. Milly had been having a nightmare about the war, and when John woke him, he thought he was the enemy and swung his knife at him, leaving a deep wound on John’s lower arm.
So, what was it that angered—no, enraged him so when he thought of someone hurting Mrs. Washington? Obviously, she wasn’t dying, unlike the many women and children he had witnessed in the Far East during his deployment. It had been a common sight for his troops—peaceful villages destroyed by the enemy to prevent them from providing John’s troops with supplies. The sight of it had been nothing short of unimaginable horror. So, what was it about this woman? It couldn’t be her beautiful green eyes or her noble face, the fact that she looked like she’d just stepped out of a DaVinci painting…John was never a man who paid much attention to looks. Had he become shallow in a matter of minutes thanks to Mrs. Washington?
No, there was something else about her. She had a kind and selfless sparkle in her eyes that had captivated John from the moment he looked into them, long before he even noticed her beauty. Those were the eyes of a woman who would give her life without a second thought for the people she loved.
John didn’t have to yell for servants when he arrived at the estate. The way he rode his horse up to the house forced servants to shout and come running on their own.
“Send for Ackley. An injured guest is arriving any minute. And prepare a room for our guest. Make sure it is in the family wing, on the same floor as my mother's and my own.”
Who knew—maybe those robbers knew Mrs. Washington from somewhere and would come back for her. Perhaps she was in trouble. She was certainly headstrong, and that could leave angry people behind. Blackwell would soon be one of them when he noticed that Mrs. Washington was not at his estate when he returned. Although, in all fairness, Blackwe
ll would be more upset with him than with the injured, beautiful Mrs. Washington. He couldn’t help but feel a bit of joy over that. It was not in his nature to rejoice over others’ unhappiness. Still, in the deepest corner of his heart, John had not yet forgiven Blackwell for what he did to him all those years ago. Upsetting him was nothing John would fret over. Quite the opposite.
“And send a messenger to Lord Blackwell to tell him that Mrs. Washington is in the care of Lady Evergreen and her daughter.”
John dismounted his horse and gave the reins to a servant, who took it to the stables. Servants were moving around in panic like ants preparing for battle.
“My lord, you have called for me?” Ackley asked, concern written all over his old face. Ackley was a one-legged, older veteran whom John had picked up out of the gutters of London’s worst quarter right after his first tour. He tended to blame Ackley for inspiring his little charity business of saving veterans whenever he returned from a trying night helping those forgotten souls. John did it in a joking manner, but there was some truth in it, as the whole saving-the-veterans thing had started with Ackley. A former army doctor, Ackley had lost his position and rank, as well as everything else, when he began drinking heavily to cope with the horrors of war.
“Yes, thank you for coming so quickly. Please prepare everything you may need to examine a lady with a head injury. We came across a robbery on our way home, and the lady was injured.”
“Dear God! Right away!” Ackley disappeared into the horse stables, where he lived in a small apartment that came with employment at John’s estate.
