by Merry Farmer
“James?” she called again, rushing across the street to the train station.
The gates were closed, which surprised Ruby, considering the train was coming. She glanced around, searching both for James and for Mr. Bolton, the stationmaster. Across the street, the women and children who had been watching the concert paused and crowded around the door, both watching what she was doing and blocking anyone else who wanted to come out.
She didn’t have time to worry about being watched, or whether Gil or the Croydons would come out to search for James with her. The train whistle was coming closer. She left the gate and tromped through Mr. Bolton’s frozen garden beds to the fence, which would give her a better view of the inside of the station and the tracks.
“James?”
She spotted him inside the station, packing snowballs right near the edge of the tracks. Her heart shot to her throat.
“James, get away from there!”
James turned at the sound of her voice and smiled. “Look, Ruby. Snow. And a train.” He grinned as though it was Christmas morning.
“Come away, James. You shouldn’t be there.”
He ignored her. The train whistle screeched louder, and the tracks began to hum. Ruby did the only thing she could think to do. She grabbed hold of the fence and attempted to pull herself up.
“Ay, oy! What do you think you’re doing?” Mr. Bolton came running out of his station house, gate keys jangling, and dashed through the garden toward her. “There’s an express train coming through. No pedestrians in the station.”
“Express train?” Ruby gasped, turning to Mr. Bolton with wide eyes.
“It’ll plow through at any moment,” Mr. Bolton confirmed, frowning as though Ruby were a disobedient child.
Ignoring Mr. Bolton, Ruby turned back to the fence and screamed, “James, get away from the tracks!”
“James?” Mr. Bolton said, confused. A moment later, as Ruby tried again to hoist herself up over the fence, a strangled cry escaped from him. “He can’t be there. He’ll be hit.”
It was the last thing Ruby wanted to hear, but the one thing she was all too aware of. With unaccountable strength, she pulled herself up to the top of the fence, scrambling to find purchase on its iron bars. She hardly noticed the pointed spikes at the top of the fence or the rip of fabric as she rolled over the top and dropped to the other side.
She hit the ground with a bruising thump, but forced herself to recover instantly. “James, come here,” she shouted, even as she raced toward him.
James had climbed over the first rail and stood squarely in the middle of the tracks. He held up his pink hands, snowballs in each one. “Look, Ruby.”
A moment later, his happy smile vanished as the express train turned the final corner and hurtled toward the station, replaced by an open-mouth look of terror.
“James,” Ruby shouted, but she could tell in an instant that fear had frozen James to his spot.
The train seemed to be coming on at an impossibly fast speed. The rails were vibrating like mad, and the whistle was so loud that it drowned out all other sound. Ruby didn’t have time to think. She shot forward, her eyes fixed exclusively on James. There wasn’t time to plan or calculate, only to hurl her body headlong at him.
Ruby’s senses deserted her as a rush of air and sound lifted her and James with a sickening whoosh. A moment later, they thumped to the ground on the far side of the tracks. The express train roared past, so close that she had no idea how her feet weren’t under its wheels. The sound was deafening, and the sheer size and speed of the train opened a gaping pit in her stomach and closed her throat. But her heart continued to pound, and the awkward shape of James under her told her they were both safe.
The train whooshed past, its whistle screaming one more time, and then cold and silence rushed in behind it. The rails continued to vibrate and the air to swish past, but within a few seconds, even that had stilled. Ruby was left lying where she was, panting and disoriented. Her body ached all over, and her head spun.
It wasn’t until James let out a terrified wail under her that she knew they were safe. She twisted and struggled to sit up, pulling James into her arms as if she would never let him go.
“We’re safe, my love. We’re safe. The train didn’t hit us,” she murmured, stroking his head with shaking hands and kissing his forehead.
James was beyond forming words. He merely clung to her, so tightly that Ruby doubted anyone could pry him away, wailing and screaming and shaking with fright.
“It’s all right, sweetheart. We’re all right,” she tried to tell him.
In the back of her mind, reason told her to get up and move away from the tracks as quickly as possible, but her legs didn’t want to work. She shifted to one side, then the other, but there didn’t seem to be any strength left in her at all.
Then, suddenly, she was being lifted up by a pair of strong arms. James was wrenched away from her.
“No!” she shouted, reaching for him, just as he was reaching for her and crying.
She blinked when she realized Mr. Croydon was the one who had taken James from her, and Gil had picked her up and now held her tightly in his embrace. A measure of calm filled her, but she couldn’t pull her eyes away from James.
At least not until James realized his father had him. As soon as he did, he twisted away from Ruby, clinging to Mr. Croydon with everything he had, and wailing against his shoulder.
Sense didn’t fully return to Ruby until they’d reached the train platform. Mr. Bolton must have opened the gates. Not only was Mrs. Croydon waiting for them, her face as pale as a sheet and streaked with tears, Mr. Edward and Lady Evangeline were there as well, along with a dozen townspeople, more flooding in by the second.
“You saved him,” Mrs. Croydon wept, hugging James and her husband both as they stepped up onto the platform. But her words were directed squarely at Ruby. “You saved my boy.”
Ruby couldn’t form a single word. She clung to Gil, who seemed utterly unwilling to let her go, even if she could have stood on her own.
“I’ve been such a fool,” Mr. Croydon said, his voice tight with emotion. “Such a bloody, blind idiot.”
“There, there, Alex.” Mr. Edward stepped up to his brother’s side, clapping his shoulder as Mr. Croydon handed James over to Mrs. Croydon.
“No,” Mr. Croydon said, shaking his head and turning to Ruby and Gil. “I’ve been a blasted idiot. No one could love James the way you do, Ruby. You would have given your life for him, now and then.”
Ruby didn’t need to ask what he meant by then. Her heart squeezed in her chest as hope filled her, but she was still beyond words.
“Of course she would, sir,” Gil said for her. “As I’ve said all along.”
“I’m sorry,” Mr. Croydon said, sounding as though the words came straight from his heart. “Please, Ruby, please forgive me. Forgive me for being swayed by an unjustified public opinion. Forgive me, and stay with us. Stay with us as James’s nursemaid, for as long as we need you and beyond.”
“Stay?” Ruby managed, hardly believing what she heard. She wriggled in Gil’s arms, signaling for him to put her down. He did, although reluctantly. Shock still made her weak, so she leaned against him. “Stay with you?”
“If you can bring yourself to forgive me,” Mr. Croydon said.
“I’m sorry, sir,” Gil said, looping an arm around Ruby’s waist, both to help her stand and hold her close. “She may not want to keep her position with you.”
Ruby’s insides quivered anxiously at Gil’s firm tone. Mr. Croydon bowed his head, looking chastised.
“She may not want to keep her position with you, because she may want to take up another position. As my wife.”
Ruby sucked in a breath and twisted to face Gil. “Your wife?”
Gil’s expression softened into a smile. “If you’ll have me.”
Emotion ran riot through Ruby. All she could manage was a smile and a nod, but that was enough. Gil scooped her
fully into his arms, kissing her with a passion that went far beyond what she could comprehend. She could only feel it, lose herself in it. His love set the world right in a way she hadn’t felt for years.
She wasn’t sure how long he kissed her before Mr. Croydon interrupted them with, “Of course, even after you marry, we would like you to be a strong part of James’s life. Of our lives too.”
Gil broke their kiss, and the two of them turned together to him. “Truly, sir?” Gil asked.
“Of course,” Mr. Croydon said with a smile. He turned to the curious crowd, his expression hardening. “And anyone who has anything to say about my family’s acceptance of Miss Murdoch as one of our own, or who dares to criticize her after the amazing heroism she has shown today will be beholden to me.”
A muffled murmur went through the crowd. Whatever the women who had put her down and spoken out against her so thoroughly thought of Ruby, they still held Mr. Croydon in high regard. Several nodded, while a few of the others lowered their heads and slunk off without further comment.
Mr. Croydon turned back to Ruby and Gil. “That should count for something, even if it’s not much.” He gave them an apologetic smile. “It’s the very least I can do.”
As the crowd dispersed, the tension of the situation began to drain away. Ruby was still shaky, but she had Gil with her, and that was all that mattered.
“I guess this means we’ll have to look for a new maid elsewhere,” Mr. Edward said with a jovial smile.
Ruby wasn’t sure she approved of his humor, under the circumstances, but she smiled at him for trying. “Thank you for your kind offer, sir, but I’m afraid I can’t accept.”
“As well you shouldn’t,” Lady Evangeline added with a smile and a nod. “Not when you’ve had a much better offer.” She smiled at Gil.
Ruby turned to smile at him as well. “I’m sorry it had to turn out like this,” she said, her head still spinning just a little.
“Turn out like what?” He grinned at her, sliding his arms around her and holding her close. “You’re alive and safe, and those who should finally see your worth, as I do.”
“I should have accepted your proposal the first time,” she whispered, lowering her head.
Gil caught her chin and lifted it so that she faced him. “I understand your hesitation,” he said. “I was as much of an idiot as anyone else for a time. I never should have doubted you, not from the start.”
“It’s all right,” she said, circling her arms around him. “We’re here now.”
“And we’ll put the past forever in the past,” he said. “Our lives start here and now. And I’m never going to let you, and Faith, go again.”
“I won’t let you go either,” she said, leaning into him.
They met in a kiss, and for the first time, Ruby was certain she would be safe and loved for the rest of her life.
Whew! I’m so glad Ruby is finally with someone who loves and appreciates her, and that they’ll be able to start a new life together! But what about Ada? The way she stood up for Ruby against Mary and Martha Mull was admirable, but what consequences could it bring? Especially when Mary finds out that Ada has been in love with Mr. Turnbridge for ages? You’ll be able to find out in Winterberry Fire! And good news, as heavy and serious as Winterberry Spark was, Winterberry Fire will be exactly the opposite. Get ready for some mad-capped fun and a comedy of errors!
And coming July 20th, find out what happened to the Missing Earl of Waltham and whether Miss Elaine Bond is able to keep herself out of trouble now that she’s on her own (hint: nope, no way!) in The Silver Foxes of Westminster, book three, May Mistakes! But if you’d like to get a few hints and a preview of what’s to come with Elaine and Basil, be sure to read A Wild Adventure from the West Meets East series! It’s available now.
Be sure to sign up for my newsletter so that you can be alerted when all of these exciting books are released!
Click here for a complete list of other works by Merry Farmer.
About the Author
I hope you have enjoyed Winterberry Spark. If you’d like to be the first to learn about when new books in the series come out and more, please sign up for my newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/cbaVMH And remember, Read it, Review it, Share it! For a complete list of works by Merry Farmer with links, please visit http://wp.me/P5ttjb-14F.
Merry Farmer is an award-winning novelist who lives in suburban Philadelphia with her cats, Torpedo, her grumpy old man, and Justine, her hyperactive new baby. She has been writing since she was ten years old and realized one day that she didn't have to wait for the teacher to assign a creative writing project to write something. It was the best day of her life. She then went on to earn not one but two degrees in History so that she would always have something to write about. Her books have reached the Top 100 at Amazon, iBooks, and Barnes & Noble, and have been named finalists in the prestigious RONE and Rom Com Reader’s Crown awards.
Acknowledgments
I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my awesome beta-readers, Caroline Lee and Jolene Stewart, for their suggestions and advice. And double thanks to Julie Tague, for being a truly excellent editor and assistant!
Click here for a complete list of other works by Merry Farmer.
