by Wendy Vella
Struggling to her knees, Hannah tried to breathe. Looking left, she sought Alex, who had turned his horse and was riding back toward her. He held his gun and looked grim. Turning right, she found the men chasing them, and saw the lead rider was Lord McDonald.
“Stop or I shoot her!” McDonald said the words as he halted above her, his pistol pointed at Hannah.
“Let her go, McDonald,” Alex said, pulling his horse to a stop before Hannah. “We know you were behind the murder, as does the rest of society by now.”
“I care nothing about your English society, Hetherington, I care only that in marrying this woman I will get a great deal of money. Now lower your weapon, dismount, and release your horse then send it on its way.”
Hannah staggered to her feet, shaking her head to clear it. Her wrist throbbed and her body was bruised, but nothing felt broken. Alex still held his pistol pointed at McDonald.
“Alex, do as he says.”
“Come here, Hannah.”
“No.” She shook her head, her eyes begging him to listen to her. “You need to dismount and do as Lord McDonald asked you to before he or one of his men shoot you.”
“Listen to her, Hetherington, or I will shoot her in the leg to convince you.”
She saw Alex’s helpless fury as he looked at her, and Hannah knew only relief as he slowly lowered his pistol. He then dismounted and soon his horse was galloping away, leaving them both on foot.
“You were behind Lionel Jacobs’s death?” Hannah said.
“I was; the man who killed him was working for me. Fool that he is for getting caught. Then to have given my name… it is my hope he languishes in prison for some time.”
His brogue was thick now, and the handsome face that had made English hearts flutter was twisted into a menacing scowl.
“I will not let you take her, McDonald.”
Alex’s eyes narrowed as he looked up at the men. He was still a few feet from her, and Hannah wanted to close the distance and touch him, borrow some of his strength, but she stayed where she was; not wanting to distract him.
“I will kill you first, Hetherington, and then take her anyway, and as you are outnumbered you cannot hope to stop me.”
“No!” Hannah moved then. Stumbling forward, she placed herself between him and McDonald.
“Hannah, move!” Alex roared.
“You will not harm him, and I will have your word on this, Lord McDonald, or I shall not go with you.”
“You are not going with him!”
Ignoring Alex, Hannah continued to speak with McDonald. “I will come, but he remains unharmed.”
“He will follow, and I cannot allow that, Miss Wooller.”
“Once we are married, he can do nothing, therefore tie him up and we shall leave. No doubt you have secured someone to wed us nearby?”
The man smiled, and Hannah wanted to shudder. She’d never liked him, but never been afraid of him… until now.
“Shut up, Hannah, and come here!”
Turning her back on McDonald, Hannah looked at the face of the man she loved. “Alex, it must be this way, surely you can see that. I cannot let them harm you, so there is no choice but to go with him.”
“No!” He reached for her. “He’s not taking you.”
“Shoot him.”
Hannah turned in time to see one of McDonald’s men raise his pistol and aim. She just had time to push Alex hard enough so he lost his balance. The bullet grazed her arm, but she ignored it and ran back to McDonald. Seconds later, she was being lifted high and they were galloping away. She looked back in time to see Alex on his feet running after them.
Alex ran until his sides ached and sweat drenched his shirt. They had been riding an hour, so the inn should be in sight soon.
“Hannah,” Alex whispered, stopping briefly. The pain in his chest was fierce. She’d been shot; he’d seen the blood soaking into the pale rose pelisse she wore. He started running again, and minutes later saw the posting house they had left that morning. He opened the door with enough force that it banged loudly against the wall and ran inside.
“Mr. Hetherington!” The proprietor hurried forward. “What is amiss?”
“Miss Wooller has been kidnapped. I need a horse at once!”
“I shall see to it right away. Your brothers have arrived and are at present sitting down to a meal.”
Brothers? Alex ran past the proprietor and found Finn and Ben seated at a table. Never had he been happier to see them in his life
“McDonald has taken Hannah, we must leave at once!”
Finn jumped to his feet. Ben pulled out his handkerchief and wrapped up the wedge of pie he was about to eat, drank several mouthfuls of ale, and handed the glass to Alex, who finished it in two gulps
They were on horseback and leaving minutes later.
“How is it you are here, Finn?”
“When we realized McDonald was not in London, I left the following day and have been following your trail ever since.”
“Hannah has been shot,” Alex said as they galloped down the road. “I saw the blood coming from her arm as McDonald rode away from me with her.”
“He deliberately shot her?” Ben looked grim.
“He was aiming at me and she pushed me out of the way and took the bullet.” The ale swilled around inside his stomach, making him nauseated. Was she all right? Had McDonald seen to her arm?
“We will get her back, Alex. Tell us now everything that has happened, all the details,” Finn said.
He did, starting with finding Hannah in the woods yesterday and finishing with McDonald taking Hannah.
“You love her.”
“What?” Alex looked at his twin, hunched low over his horse’s mane beside him.
“You love her, Alex, admit it!”
“I can admit nothing until she is safe.”
The brothers did not speak again, instead riding hard until they found a horse-drawn cart. Pulling alongside, Alex asked if the man had seen four riders, one carrying a woman?
“She was screaming,” he said. “Something about a kidnapping. The man riding behind her clamped a hand over her mouth. Told me she was his wife, and they were fighting. Felt right sorry for the man I did. Especially after she bit him.”
Alex found no humor in the comment, and they were soon on their way again. McDonald had a head start, and Alex had no idea where it was they were going, but believed he would want to wed her fast, and to do that he needed a church and someone to carry out the service.
“He will force someone to wed them with haste.”
“Yes, and I’m not sure how he got a license, but if he does, then nobody can stop him,” Ben said.
“If, we do not reach them in time, she will not be staying with him.”
“Agreed,” Finn said.
Alex hoped Hannah could delay the ceremony until he reached her, but if she did not, he would be taking her back anyway. She would not stay wed to a man like McDonald. She was his, and if he had to shoot McDonald to keep her he would do it.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Lord McDonald had bound Hannah’s arm tight to stop it bleeding and she had glared at him the entire time, telling him what a horrid person he truly was. This man had tried to kill Alex twice, and for that alone, she would hate him till he drew his last breath. She feared that even now, Alex had secured a horse and was chasing them, and feared even more what would happen when he caught them.
“Ride straight to the church!” Lord McDonald said from behind her.
Hannah had tried to hold herself away from his body, but the horse’s motion did not allow that, so she had spent the last few hours pressed against him. It was horrible, and she wondered how two men could feel so different. Of course, one she loved and the other she hated, which could explain it.
“Are you ready to be Lady McDonald, my dear Miss Wooller?”
Hannah looked over her shoulder and into the mocking face.
“I would rather face a pit of snakes than we
d you, my Lord. I loathe and detest you, and if you manage to wed me, then you will need to sleep with one eye open, because retribution will be swift.”
His face flushed with color at her words.
“Be careful, my dear, I will have no need of you once we are wed, and as you know I am not averse to murder.”
“Do you really believe I will stay anywhere near you once we are married?” Hannah said, glaring at him. “I will run away the first chance I get, and you will never see me again.”
Her words had surprised him. Good, he needed to know he was not dealing with a woman who would sit idly by and let a man control her.
“You can have my money, but I will never let you touch me.”
“Oh, I will touch you, Miss Wooller. This marriage will be consummated, I assure you.”
Just the thought of this man’s hands on her body made her ill. She wanted no man but Alex to know her intimately, and would make him pay if he dared to try.
“Remember, my dear, I will soon have the power to do with you as I wish. A wife has no say in a marriage, only the husband.”
“You cannot watch me every second of the day,” Hannah muttered.
They entered a village and she felt her stomach plunge to her toes as she saw the church spire. It was going to happen and there would be little she could do about it, unless she could get help from whoever was to wed them.
Lord McDonald dismounted first, and then dragged her down. Hannah stumbled, but steadied herself.
“Such gentlemanly manners,” she said, but he ignored her.
“Two of you stay out here and watch for anyone approaching. You,” he said pointing to one of his men, “can come and witness my wedding.” He then pushed Hannah forward and into the cool dim interior of the small church.
“Remember, Miss Wooller, that if you create any trouble in here, I shall take action in whatever way I deem necessary.”
The vision of Lionel Jacobs slipped into her head and she swallowed. He would harm someone if she did not do as he wished.
The Reverend looked up as they entered, and made his way down the aisle toward them.
“Welcome, my name is Reverend Lindel. How may I help you?”
“We wish to be married, and I have the license.”
“Is that blood on your arm, madam?” Reverend Lindel moved forward and looked at Hannah’s arm.
“It is, I-I had an accident on the way here, but it is quite all right now.”
“We shall get someone to have a look at that before the service,” he said. “Just a moment, I shall locate my wife.”
“We wish to be married at once!” Lord McDonald bellowed, pulling a pistol from inside his waistband and pointing it at Reverend Lindel’s head.
The man didn’t look overly flustered, just angry at having a gun pointed at him. “This is God’s house, sir, and we do not allow guns in here.”
“Then marry us and we shall leave.”
Hannah felt the Reverend’s eyes on her. “Are you all right, my dear?”
She nodded. “Yes, just please do as he says.”
“Very well. I will see the license, if you please.” He held out a hand and Lord McDonald handed it to him. After reading it, he nodded, and they moved the rest of the way down the aisle to the altar.
Hannah was numb as the service started. She was to marry Lord McDonald and not Alex. It was not fair, because she realized she wanted to marry Alex now, desperately, even if he did not love her as she did him. She wanted to wake up next to him and have him hold her when she woke from a bad dream.
Would she see him again? After the wedding would Lord McDonald take her to Scotland? How would she find her way back to London? Would she see her father and Bridgette again?
As the Reverend began to read the vows, Hannah felt tears start to fall. She did nothing to hide them or wipe them away, instead standing straight and looking ahead. She felt Lord McDonald glance her way as the service continued but she kept her eyes forward.
At the first sound of gunshots, he cursed.
“I do not allow such language in here, my Lord.”
“I care nothing for what you allow!” Lord McDonald bellowed. “Just finish the service, and do so with haste.”
They heard the sound of more gunshots, and then silence, Hannah knew that Alex was out there. What she didn’t know was if he was shooting, or being shot at. Not knowing was agony. Was he lying in a pool of blood like Lionel Jacobs had?
“We must go and see.” She tried to leave, but Lord McDonald’s fingers bit into her arm where she had been shot. Fire burned through Hannah, robbing her breath and making her head spin.
“My Lord, unhand her at once!” Hannah felt Reverend Lindel’s hands pulling the vicious fingers free, and then she bent at the waist as pain gripped her.
“Stand up!” Lord McDonald pulled her upright.
“Those men out there,” Hannah said. “They are here for me. My real betrothed is among them.”
“She lies!” Lord McDonald stuck his gun into her neck. “Continue with the service!”
She heard it then, Alex calling her name, and seconds later, he was inside the church behind her. McDonald turned with her and she saw Finn and Ben, but her eyes went to Alex. His civil veneer had been chipped away and the man before her was hard, determined, and would do what it took to save her. She just prayed that no one was hurt as he did so.
“Don’t move or I shoot her!”
Alex walked into the church flanked by Finn and Ben. He found Hannah and McDonald, and one of his men at the altar. He had her by the arm with one hand, and his other held a gun at her head. She had lost her bonnet, her hair was a mass of tangled curls, and he could see the tears in her eyes. She had been through much more than any person should, and he wanted to destroy the man who had done this to her.
“Easy, Alex,” Finn cautioned him.
“It’s over, McDonald, we have disarmed your men and you have nowhere to run,” Alex said, keeping his eyes on Hannah as she in turn looked at him.
“It is not over; I will wed her and have her money!”
“I will never allow that to happen, now release her.” Alex watched the Reverend retreat into the shadows, but McDonald had not seen him go. The man at his side looked nervous, his gun wavering.
“There is nothing to stop me shooting you, Hetherington, and your brothers.”
“No!” Hannah screamed as he moved the gun from her head.
“Get down, Hannah!” Alex roared, and for the first time in her life she obeyed him and dropped to the floor of the church. His brothers fired, and McDonald stumbled backward, grabbing his chest, and then fell to the floor, his man dropped to his knees having taken a bullet to the shoulder.
“Hannah!” He ran down the aisle and dropped to his knees before her. She had scrambled to a pew for shelter. “Tell me you are all right.”
She got to her knees and then launched herself at him. He caught her, falling backward, cradling her on his lap, holding her in a fierce grip.
“Tell me it’s done, Alex, please tell me that we are rid of this madness?”
He pulled her head from his chest. Cupping her face, he looked down into her eyes. “It’s done now, my love, I promise you.”
She touched his cheek and jaw, pressed her fingers to his lips, and he felt them tremble as he kissed each one.
“I don’t want anyone else to be hurt because of me, Alex. I cannot live with that, but I most especially could not stand to see you hurt again.”
“You should never have pushed me aside, Hannah. My heart nearly stopped when I realized you had taken the bullet that was meant for me.” He began to unwrap the bindings on her arm. “Has anyone looked at this?”
“Alex, look at me please.”
He did as she asked, and behind him he heard his brothers removing the body of Lord McDonald.
“I need to tell you this, because had either of us died this day, you would not have known.”
“Know what, Hannah?” Ale
x touched the bruises beneath her eyes. She had endured too much, yet he knew her spirit would survive.
“Th-that I love you. That I have never felt as I do about another the way I do about you. I-I need to tell you that, Alex, but in doing so I—”
“Sssh.” He pressed his fingers to her lips. “I love you too, Hannah.”
“Oh… you do?”
“I do,” he said solemnly. “Will you marry me?”
“Yes, oh, Alex, yes, I want that so very much.”
“If only I had a marriage license we could marry now, at once.”
She smiled, the first real one he had seen in many days. “Our families would kill us if we did not allow them a ceremony.”
“My wife would kill you,” Finn said from above them.
“There is that,” Alex said, regaining his feet before helping Hannah to hers. “So I think we should make haste to return to our families and then we can begin to plan for our future happiness.” He smiled down at her.
“I want that so much, Alex.”
“As do I, my love, as do I.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“What if he is not there… in the church?”
“Of course he will be in there, you foolish woman!” Phoebe declared from her seat opposite Hannah. “The man is besotted with you.”
“You look beautiful, love,” her father said from beside her. “Alex will not be able to keep his eyes from you.”
He looked handsome in his gold-and-black-striped waistcoat, black trousers, and jacket. Her eyes then went to her beautiful friend. Dressed in pale blue satin, she seemed to glow, even with her gently rounded belly. Beside her sat Bridgette in a matching dress, looking equally as pretty.
“Surely you can allow me some nerves?” Hannah felt her palms start to sweat beneath her cream gloves. Smoothing them down the satin skirts of her wedding dress, she wondered why she was suddenly so jittery, when Alex had done nothing in the month since their betrothal to change her belief that he loved her.
“’Tis only natural,” Phoebe assured her. “I remember how ill I felt the day I wed Finn. I was unable to eat a thing, and as you know that never happens to me.”
