Regency Romance: Fallen Duchess (A Historical Victorian Murder Mystery Love Regency Romance)

by Tracey D Morgan

  “That’s right, you’re safe now.” She settled into the dirt with the child. “I’m a long way from home, too, you know. I don’t think I’m ever going to see my family again. It’s not all bad, though, right? We can be each other’s family. But first, you need a name,” she said.

  Anne thought for a long moment about what she was going to call her little miracle. A smile spread across her face. She leaned down, her golden locks falling in the little girl’s face and tickling her dark skin. “You know, it was by the grace of God that I found you, so how about Grace?”

  The small child let out a happy giggle. Anne smiled and lifted Grace into her arms, bringing her close so their foreheads rested together. “Grace it is then.”

  It occurred to Anne that she should be terrified of this child. She didn’t know what it was like to be a mother. She’d taken care of her younger sisters, but an infant was something entirely different. She wasn’t sure how to care for Grace, but she was going to do everything she could to help the baby grow big and strong.

  As she cradled the baby close, Levi’s words echoed in her mind. “God has a plan for everything.” If this was God’s plan, then Anne would accept the responsibility with open arms.

  Chapter Seven

  Anne returned to the group with the baby in her arms and curled up on a blanket, tucking Grace between her own body and a satchel. She wanted the child hidden for now. She would have to think up a way to bring it up to the others.

  When the sun rose, Anne opened her eyes. She felt awful, like she hadn’t slept at all. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, suddenly remembering what happened the night before: She’d found Grace.

  A smile fluttered across her lips, and she glanced down at the spot where she’d left the baby. A feeling of dread filled her entire being when she realized the spot she’d left Grace in was empty. The child was gone. Tears came to Anne’s eyes, and she jumped up, darting around camp. It was still early and most everyone was asleep.

  Her breathing became erratic, and soft sobs escaped her lips. Who took her baby? Was it the women who’d so often played cruel jokes on her? She didn’t know but she needed to find her baby. She was in tears by the time she came around the side of one of the wagons and saw Maggie leaned against it, a dark-haired baby cradled in her arms. She held a makeshift bottle and was feeding little Grace.

  “She started crying, and I figured you wouldn’t want the camp to find out that way,” Maggie said.

  “No, thank you, Maggie,” Anne whispered softly.

  Maggie smiled gently and looked down at the child. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”

  “She is. I just couldn’t leave her out there alone. Her family was dead,” Anne explained.

  “Don’t get yourself in a fit over this. It happens more often than you’d think. This isn’t the first Native baby this train has taken in.”

  “It isn’t?”

  “No, it happens from time to time. There seems to be this silent agreement that children are exempt from the horrors of war,” Maggie explained. “The Natives have been known to take in our children, too, you know.” She looked up at Anne. “This is a brutal world, but children don’t deserve to die.”

  Anne nodded and walked over to Maggie. “You reckon they’ll say anything?”

  “Most likely not, but I didn’t want you to wake in a panic.”

  Anne was thankful for the reassurance. She was even more thankful that Maggie was right. She earned a few strange looks from the other mothers, but no one said anything about the child. Grace was welcomed and was immune to any kind of judgement or retaliation, which Anne was more than thankful for.

  Days passed without incident, and Anne fell in love with the giggling child. Of course, Grace wasn’t her child by blood, but she could tell that she would easily come to love the child as if she were. The fact that Anne was now a mother seemed to change the other mothers’ opinion of her. The women were much more welcoming now and eager to help Anne adjust to being a mother. All she could think was that it was some kind of bond all mothers had.

  Although having a baby in the group seemed to lift everyone’s mood, a silent fear crept into everyone’s minds. They were coming into enemy territory, though it wasn’t the Natives they were worried about.

  The people of the last town they’d stopped in a few days before warned them of a roaming band of gunmen who often overran wagon trains and stole all their supplies. They would either kill the members of the wagon train or leave them for dead. It would be a lie to say the story didn’t scare Anne, though she was trying to keep a brave face.

  As they settled in for the evening, however, that bravery began to fade and turn into a fear that gnawed at the back of her mind. It was hard to ignore the danger when it seemed so close. She sighed and curled up under a blanket, closing her eyes and holding Grace close to her body. She always slept with Grace tucked close, but tonight she kept the child even closer than normal.

  She slept through most the night, though she awoke to see the moon high in the sky. She scooped Grace up and decided to feed the child. Anne fetched one of the makeshift bottles and settled behind one of the wagons. Grace was a very loud sucker, and Anne didn’t want to wake anyone up. There were going to push hard the next day and try to make it out of this wild, dangerous country. No one wanted to sleep with one eye open, but it was the only way to make it in a place like this.

  Just as she settled down to feed Grace, she heard the sound of hoofs. She peaked around the wagon, wondering if the ox were getting antsy, but it wasn’t the ox at all. Instead she caught a glimpse of a group of men on horseback. None of the looked familiar or friendly.

  Her heart jumped into her throat, and for a moment she considered calling out to the group. The longer she considered that the worse it sounded. If she alerted her group, the bandits might just kill them all, including her.

  She pressed her back against the wagon and squeezed her eyes closed, praying for guidance. One word came to mind. It was as if someone was whispering in her ear. “Run.”

  It seemed so wrong to abandon her friends, but she knew she needed to listen. Staying here meant certain death. She pushed away from the wagon and took off into the darkness, disappearing before the bandits even caught wind of her.

  She ran blindly trough the darkness, clutching Grace tightly to her chest. The little girl was silent, and that was a blessing all on its own. As they made their way through the darkness, Anne’s mind began to spin. What was she going to do now?

  Before she could come up with an answer, a hand shot out of the darkness and clamped over her mouth, muffling the desperate scream that pushed its way out of her.

  Chapter Eight

  Anne screamed wildly and thrashed about, making sure to keep one arm around Grace. She fought against the person holding her, clawing and biting in an attempt to get away. Her heart was beating so hard in her chest that it was all she could hear.

  “Anne! Anne!!”

  The voice in the darkness broke her from her panic. Who was this? How did they know her name? After a moment, the man holding her spun her around. She could have wept with joy at the sight of Levi’s face. “Levi?”

  “Yes,” he smiled and gently stroked her cheek.

  As much as she wanted to enjoy the reunion, she knew there were bigger matters at hand. “What are you doing out here alone?”

  “I’m not alone. I came out here with another wagon train so that I could find you,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. “Why are you out here?”

  “Bandits attacked my train. I was feeding Grace, and I knew I needed to run. I don’t know how, but I knew I needed to run.”

  It was clear that Levi was curious about the child in her arms, but that wasn’t the focus right now. “We need to go back and get my train. We’ll help you. It’s OK. It’s all right, Anne,” he said.

  She leaned against him, forcing herself to relax. He pulled away and tugged her toward his wagon train. She followed in a blur.
It was all happening so fast, and she couldn’t keep her mind from racing. They woke Levi’s caravan and headed out, their guns ready and loaded. The sheer size of the wagon train gave Anne hope. She knew that they would outnumber those bandits easily.

  They rode through the night as quiet as possible, and as they came upon the endangered wagon train, Levi’s much larger train was able to sneak around. Each man and women drew their guns, waiting for the perfect moment.

  The bandits gathered everyone in a circle, and some of the women were holding their children to their chests and pleading with the bandits to let them go. One bandit walked over to a young woman named Marie and stroked her cheek with an evil snicker. “What are you going to do if we don’t let you go, huh? Gonna fight?” He let out a cruel laugh.

  Maggie, who was in the middle of the group with a bloody lip, threw sand up into the man’s face. “Leave that girl alone! She has a baby!”

  The man cursed and wiped the sand off his uniform, turning to her and glaring as he pulled his gun out of the holster and put it to Maggie’s head. “You want to try that again?” he hissed. He cocked the hammer back.

  “Leave Maggie alone,” Anne screamed, bursting through the ring of wagons.

  Maggie’s eyes widened. Anne stood before the group of bandits with Grace curled in her arms. The man who held a gun to Maggie’s head stepped forward and smirked. “Are you going to sacrifice yourself for her then?” Anne closed her eyes and tried to take a step back, but the man caught her by the arm and yanked her back. “I asked you a question, and I expect an answer,” he hissed. Anne swallowed and turned her head away. The man shook her violent, causing Grace to cry out. “What are you going to do?” he snapped again.

  After a long moment of silence, Anne looked up at him, offering a wicked smile that spread from ear to ear. “Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein, and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.”

  “What? What does that mean?” the man grunted.

  “Are you not a God-fearing man?” Anne asked, her voice strong with conviction.

  The sound of guns cocking echoed through the wagon train, and the barrel of a pistol pressed against the back of the bandit leader’s head.

  “It means you reap what you sow,” Levi said.

  They’d managed to sneak in during Anne’s altercation with the leader and had them all at gun point.

  “Put your hands up,” Levi demanded.

  The leader’s eyes widened, as he slowly raised his hands. The rest of the bandits followed suit. They dropped their weapons and fell to their knees with their hands behind their heads. A few of the men were grumbling angrily, cursing under their breaths as members of the two wagon trains tied them up.

  By the time the sun began to rise, all five of the bandits were tied up and cursing, scattered between the two wagon trains. Levi’s train agreed to ride with Anne’s, and they’d go to the next town together where they would turn the criminals in and collect a handsome ransom.

  Maggie was packing up the last of their things and glanced back at Anne. “You coming, girl?”

  Anne paused and glanced back at Levi’s wagon train and smiled softly. “I think I’m going to ride with them.”

  Maggie offered a knowing smile and went back to work before hoping into one of the wagons. Anne glanced back as Levi hopped up on one of the wagon seats, grabbing the reins. Anne walked over to him and smiled. “Got room for two more?”

  Levi smiled and scooted over, patting the seat beside him. “I’m sure we can find you a seat.”

  Anne clambered onto the seat and settled in, rocking Grace back and forth slowly. The wagon trains took off, and Anne glanced at Levi as the handsome man spoke. “It seems we have a lot to talk about.”

  Chapter Nine

  That was the understatement of the year. There was so much to talk about. She opened her eyes slowly and glanced up at Levi, biting her bottom lip.

  “I know. Who goes first?” she asked with a little laugh.

  Levi nodded toward the baby. “I believe it’s safe to assume that you did not give birth while you’ve been away these past few months.”

  Anne blushed and shook her head. “No, Grace is my little miracle. I found her.” Levi glanced at Anne curiously. “I left camp one night because I heard crying. I wasn’t sure what it was, so I went out and I found her. She was alone, and her mother was dead. I knew I couldn’t leave her out there, so I brought her back to the train.”

  “No one seemed upset?”

  “No, Maggie explained to me that it happens sometimes, and that no one seems too bothered by it.” A long moment of silence passed between them, and Anne looked up at Levi. “And you? Why are you out here?”

  He was silent for a moment and sighed, taking his hat off. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I couldn’t stop thinking about what you said.”

  “About what I said?” she asked softly, biting her lip.

  He sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. “You told me that you wanted to be with me. I should have told you right then, I should have told you how I felt about you, but I was afraid. You were leaving, and I was afraid if I told you how I felt you might stay in Pikeville.”

  Her eyes widened and she reached out with a shaking hand to touch his face. “Levi, what do you mean?”

  He looked down and closed his eyes. “After you left, I sold everything. I sold my home, my animals. I even sold the school. I offered your mother more than your other suitor, and she called off the engagement and sent the money back to the man in Wyoming.”

  “Levi, you didn’t! You sold the school?” He nodded and offered her a weak smile as she cupped his cheeks. “Why would you do that?”

  “Because none of it mattered without you,” he whispered, turning his head and kissing the inside of her palm. “I wanted to be yours. I wanted to marry you and have a family with you because I knew that you were the one God wanted me to be with. I could feel it in my soul, but I needed to make it happen.”

  “You want to marry me?”

  Levi nodded again and looked up at her. “I knew from the day we met that we had something special, Anne,” he whispered. “I knew we had a future together, but I was too scared to tell you.”

  “Tell me what?” she whispered breathlessly.

  “I was too afraid to tell you I loved you.”

  Anne’s heart nearly leapt from her chest, and she threw her arms around Levi as best she could while still holding onto Grace. The child was nestled between the comfortably, giggling at the soft warmth that surrounded her. “Say it again,” Anne pleaded.

  “I love you.”

  She let out a sob of happiness and clung to him, her fingers tangled in his hair. “I love you, too,” she whispered, her chest aching with the love she felt for him. Anne had dreamed of falling in love with Levi or so long now that this seemed impossible. She’d wanted nothing but love from him, and it was hard to believe that God was finally answering her prayers.

  Levi kept his arms wrapped around her, holding her close and smiling softly. “Let’s start a life together,” he whispered, leaning in close so that their foreheads were pressed together. “Let’s start over somewhere new, somewhere better than Pikeville. It will be a place that we build together with love. We can raise Grace and show her the wonder of God’s land. Please, Anne, say yes. Say you’ll be mine.”

  Anne smiled softly and looked up at him, her eyes wet and shining with tears. “You silly man.”

  Levi’s smile faltered just slightly until Anne spoke again. “I’m already yours.”

  A grin spread across his face, and he pulled her close for a kiss. Their lips met, and stars exploded behind Anne’s eyes. The kiss was everything she’d ever imagined it would be. It was soft, warm and full of love. Levi held her in that kiss for a long moment until the need for air became too strong to ignore. When they finally parted, the others in the wagon train around them erupted into cheers. Anne could only smile at her one true love, hope filling every i
nch of her. Things were going to be OK. In fact, they were going to be better than OK. They were going to be perfect.

  Chapter Ten

  Perfect wasn’t even the word to describe Anne’s life. After they brought in the bandits, the ransom money was offered to the entire wagon train, though everyone ended up donating most of their share to Anne and Levi so that they could start their lives together.

  After they reached the town, Anne said her tearful goodbyes to Maggie and the rest of the women who’d become her friends. It was sad to see them go, but Anne knew that it meant she was going to start her life with Levi.

  They completed the perilous journey West, and eventually settled down in Colorado among the snowy mountains. They bought a small plot of land that was just big enough for them to grow their own food and keep a few cows. Levi was not a farmer, and he didn’t intend to become one. He was a teacher through and through and eventually found a job at a local schoolhouse.

  Anne stayed home with Grace, taking care of the child and raising her to love God. She cared for their small garden and animals, enjoying the freedom she felt when it came to her home. Levi never made her feel like she was less than him and was happy to let her do as she pleased with their small farm.

  Soon after they bought their home, they were married in the local church. A few members of the congregation showed up to congratulate them, but that was it. Their families were far away now, so they only had each other, but that was all they needed.

  Anne was soon carrying Levi’s child, and excitement pervaded every inch of their small home. Even little Grace seemed to understand that something was happening, despite the fact that she was barely a year old.

  Snow was falling from the sky in thick white sheets, completely covering their barren lawn. In the spring and summer, the grass was lush, green and full of flowers, but winter brought blankets of snow.