by Kari Miller
"Yes, well Thomas came back and just knew that we had to be married" she boasted as she shoved her diamond ring in Katherine's face.
"I'm genuinely happy for the both of you. Now if you'll excuse me..."
She didn't hear what they had to say next, all she knew was that she needed air.
She had heard the whispers in the ballroom - whispers and speculations as to what had happened to her. More than once she was referred to as a tramp and more than once it was made clear that she wasn't welcomed. Her Father had destroyed their reputation and it looked as though she was the one paying for that.
The terrace doors were locked and she felt as though the walls were caving in around her. Peering onto the dance floor to see if she could spot Ed or Peter, instead found her husband dancing with another woman. Her head started to spin and she ran.
When she stopped running, she had made her way out of the front door and onto the perfectly manicured lawns of the Van Horne's. she gasped for air and was rewarded with a wave of nausea and a dizzy spell.
She could hear the laughter from within and all she could think was that she didn't belong. She was a fool to believe she belonged in Salvador's world and she already knew she didn't belong here.
She lifted to her feet and let them carry her further from the noise of the party - blinded as to where she was going and her thoughts a whirlwind of turmoil and despair.
Chapter 38 - Lost & Found
"Have you seen Kat?" Peter called out to Salvador over the music and voices.
"No. I thought she was with you." Salvador replied in an uninterested tone. Really he had felt anxious and not himself since he had arrived.
Peter looked at him accusingly and then shook his head in disgust.
"I apologize my Dear, but we will have to put this conversation off until another time." He apologized to his dance partner.
"I understand Lord Cresta, but do speak with my husband please. I believe his business has much to offer you." She replied with a kind smile.
Lady Livingston had been pitching her husbands business to Salvador for nearly an hour. She was genuine in her pursuit and had brought up some good points. But right now his concern was his wife.
He tried to harden his heart towards her and tried to convince himself that he didn't care that the ton was eating her alive. She had declared she wanted nothing to do with him, he wanted to show her what that meant. But as hard as he tried, he felt beaten down with each scowl these people put on her beautiful face. He wanted to rush her out of here, kiss her from head to toe and make her forget that they ever came here. He cursed himself for allowing her to get her way in this. He should have known what tonight would bring her and should have never let her come; no matter how much she screamed and cursed him. He was grateful that Peter had taken her under his wing. When he spoke to the brothers and Henry of what had happened, they were speechless. All of them would have done the same had it been them, except for Henry. But even he would have found one of us so that we could do the deed. She was too innocent to understand them. This is why they hid these kinds of things from their wives. Angel knew what they were like, but she had tougher skin and agreed with their way of thinking. Rachel and Katherine were different however in their own way. Rachel liked to believe that everyone should be given a second chance where as Katherine just couldn't comprehend the evil that lurked outside her door. No matter what she had been through, she would always see the good in man and make excuses for their behaviour.
Salvador got a glimpse of Peter and Ed exiting the ballroom and started his pursuit. They were already outside when he caught up with them. Salvador reached out to grab Ed's shoulder but before he could he was greeted with Peter’s fist.
Stars burst from beneath his eyelids and he fell backwards onto the lawn.
"How could you!" Peter bellowed at him, shaking his fists in the air. "How could you disregard your own wife? If I thought you were capable of stooping so low, I would have never left her alone!" He spat out in disgust.
"No no Peter - that was your mistake! You didn't see him dancing with that woman? His attention was already engaged elsewhere." Ed barked out sarcastically.
Salvador allowed them to verbally beat him down. He knew he deserved it.
"The carriage is still here which means she has taken off by foot."
"Are you sure she's not inside?" Ed inquired.
"Damn certain" Peter replied absently as he scanned the property.
It was dark outside and there was not a trace of her to be found.
"Her cape is still checked in but I know she's not here." Peter continued.
That brought Salvador out of his self loathing. His head shot up and the realness of the situation came crashing upon him.
"We need to split up." He finally piped in.
"Are you certain Salvador? There is a woman waiting for you inside, wouldn't want to keep her waiting..." Ed spat out.
"Enough!" Salvador boomed out. "That woman is married to a gentleman that I have had business ventures with in the past! She was trying to secure our business relationship, nothing more!"
His fists were on his side and he was starting to see red.
"Katherine is my wife! The mother of my unborn child! I would die before I ever thought about another woman! I would die for her!"
"Then start acting like her Husband. Tonight she needed you most and you turned your back on her. Now she's missing." Peter stated flatly.
If Salvador didn't know Peters feelings towards Katherine, he would have laid him out right there. But he knew Peter was right and also knew that he was scared to death for Kat.
"We split up and don't stop until we find her." Was his final command before disappearing into the night.
~
Katherine could barely see through the steady stream of tears. It was hurting her to breath. Visions of Salvador and that woman kept coming back to her and she knew she had been cast aside, and that it was her fault. She had let her emotions get the best of her and spoke in anger and confusion. Now that she had lost his heart, she knew she had made a terrible mistake. He was defending her and their child. Period. She had no idea how men thought and had no business assuming she knew a mans world. Her job was to love him and his job was to protect her. She threw his love away when he was only acting on instincts, and now he was lost to her forever.
She stumbled over a branch and caught herself on a tree before toppling over. Closing her eyes, she laid her forehead against the cool bark of the tree and tried to steady her breaths. When she opened her eyes again, she gasped at the vision in front of her. She was home again. Right back to the beginning. The cottage looked the same as it did when she left, only the vines had started to take over and rather than looking like the home she had made it into, it now stood out appearing as the abandoned shack that it was.
Wiping away the tears, she slowly made her way to the door. As she entered, she had to bat away the cobwebs and adjust her eyes. Her lantern was right beside her and she was pretty sure it still worked, but she wanted her surroundings to be as dark as she felt. Running her fingers along the empty bureau, she made her way over to the single cot in the corner. Bending down, she picked up an old tattered petticoat that was left behind. As she sat on the cot, she buried her face into the torn rag. She couldn't imagine how she lived like this all those moons ago. But the reality of her situation had her facing the truth that maybe this was to be her fate after all. Salvador would come looking for her of course, she was carrying his child. She hugged her unborn child as the thought occurred to her that he could take the child away from her after it is born and toss her aside then. Would she ever get to hold it? Another bought of tears started to well up as multitudes of dark thoughts crossed her mind. She could beg his forgiveness, but for him to hold another woman meant that he was well past her already. She wondered if he ever loved her as he claimed he had. It had taken him no time to move on.
She would run away. She would wait until he had left town and
then make her way back here. Once he convinced himself that she wasn't here, he would move on and search other places. She would of course try to find a way to stay healthy and alive until then, but she was a survivor and could manage. She would never see Salvador again. She would only be left with nothing but memories of a happier time.
Her breath hitched in her throat when she heard sudden movements from outside of the cottage. It sounded like clumsy footsteps surrounding her, and there was more than one. She held her breath as a faint light crossed the window and drew her hand over her mouth when the door started to open. Could it be that Salvador had already found her? What would she say or do? Beg his forgiveness or meekly comply with his demands and find another way to escape?
A figure filled the doorway as she looked on with horror. Behind him was another figure holding the lantern, illuminating this mans outline. Salvador was taller and much more built. Her heart sped up as the man took a step inside followed by the other man.
"Well well well, look who we got here."
~
Salvador could feel her terror. He could taste it on his tongue. His Katherine was in danger and he thought he had an idea as to where he could find her. Peter and Ed had met up with him an hour prior. They had been searching the town and surrounding areas for her. But he knew without a doubt where she would go. Ed wanted to return to the estate to see if she had shown up there, but Salvador knew that he would be disappointed.
"Salvador?" Peter called out as he picked up his pace and changed direction.
"I know where she is, and God help me I know something is wrong!" He yelled back.
They didn't question him. They entered the dark woods together and Salvador prayed that he would not get them lost.
~
"Pennington!" She shrieked out. "What are you doing here?"
"I would ask you the same thing, my Dear."
Tongue tied, she couldn't think of what she could do or say. They were blocking the only exit out of the cabin and she was certain they wouldn't just let her leave.
"Your husband and his friends are very naughty" he continued on. "They should know that money can buy loyalties." He chuckled out.
Katherine had no idea what he was talking about.
"No matter, their plan failed and I am still alive."
She knew that they would go after him, and also knew that they were justified in whatever they had planned for him. But she had no idea as to how they planned to go about it; that was something they always kept from her.
"I have no idea what you are taking about." She admitted, her voice shaking with fear.
"I do believe you. Assassination is not something a man would discuss with his wife, I suppose."
He took another step forward and the man behind him closed them in. Katherine gave out a whimper as Pennington approached.
Grabbing her by the hair, he pulled her to her feet. Katherine cried out at the assault and reached behind her to try and loosen his grip.
"Is it true?" He growled into her face.
Her reply was merely another whimper.
"Are you carrying that mad mans child?"
Her lips trembled and she tried to squirm out of his grip as his other hand splayed across her stomach, none too gently.
"No!" She cried out "Don't hurt me or my child!"
He threw her back onto the cot and snorted in disgust as he took a step back. The other man placed the lantern on the table beside them, brightening the room and illuminating their faces. She had never seen the second man before and she was thankful that he looked disinterested in the turn of events.
"Katherine, you have something that I want. If you give it to me, I will allow you...and your baby to live."
Katherine scowled at him but said nothing.
"Where are the recipes?" He finally asked after a long moment of silence.
Her mind reeled. How could he know?
"I know your Father had never learned of them, he would have sold his soul had it been worth anything." He sneered. "But you, my Dear Katherine, would know of their whereabouts...wouldn't you?"
"Is this why you had me kidnapped? Why you wanted to marry me?" She spat at him, letting her anger get the best of her.
"What's yours becomes mine. And of course you would have been a nice perk." He chuckled out evilly as he took the chair and sat it down in front of her.
Taking his seat, he continued.
"My grandfather was obsessed with those recipes. He insisted they held the cure to his disease. When he approached your family, they turned him away at the door. They were actually going to let him die to preserve a secret! Isn't that tragic?"
Katherine diverted her eyes. Although she had no recollection of that, she would have not turned someone away. The recipes were there to be used, not hidden.
"Yes Katherine, he knew of their existence and passed all that he knew down to me. Perhaps he had an idea that I too would contract the same illness as he had, but he was certain that the cure lies within your family."
Katherine gasped.
"Where are they? I sent Clair back to the estate to search every nook and cranny, but your blasted husband relieved her of her duty before she could get her hands on them. She almost had them too had he not entered your room."
"You put me through hell so you could get to the recipes? Do you even know what I went through! And how could you use Clair like that!"
"That is none of my concern and as I have stated before, anyone can be bought."
She was starting to see red. Had he simply asked her for the journals and explained his situation, she would have helped him. But for the first time in her life, she wanted to see this man suffer. She still had nightmares about what Pennington and Sebastian had done to her - although she would never admit it to Salvador,
She could still feel them touching her sometimes when it was indeed Salvador's gentle ministrations. Every time he tried to be gentle with her, it would remind her of Sebastian. She would urge him to make love to her harder and of course he would comply.
"It should be your concern! It's because of you that I still have nightmares!" She cried out. "Sorry Pennington but I can't help you."
She screamed when he stood up abruptly and kicked the chair away.
He dashed for her, but she was quicker. She managed to escape his reach and move away from him and the cot. But she had been so wrapped up in Pennington that she had forgotten about his partner. As she backed up into him, his arms came around her and he held her in place.
Pennington had the look of murder in his eyes as he slowly approached her. The strangers hand cupped her throat when Pennington stood before her.
"You were saying?" He managed to ask calmly.
"I don't care anymore. I have lost my husbands heart and find no reason to live." She sobbed out.
"Not even for your child?"
Tears were streaming down her cheeks and her body was shaking with the waves of adrenaline that had consumed her.
"He will marry again and have another child. I doubt he wants this one tainted with my blood."
He was silent for a moment. Watching as she broke down and cried her heart out.
"I'll ask you one more time, and consider carefully Katherine for your death will not be a quick one. Where are the recipes?"
Before Katherine could answer, the door burst open. There stood her husband who looked more like a raging bull at the moment.
The man who was holding her loosened his grip for just a moment and then tightened it again, only this time he moved his hand away from her neck.
"My business is not with you Salvador, leave now and I will spare you." Pennington stated arrogantly.
Salvador ignored Pennington and instead took a step towards Katherine and the stranger.
"Take your hands off of my wife. NOW!" He raged.
The man was shaking. He kept looking to Pennington for support but Pennington was busy staring Salvador down.
He obviously made his decision and p
ushed Katherine towards Pennington.
Because he was not expecting it, he faltered for only a moment, giving Katherine the chance she needed to avoid his arms. She dropped to her knees and rolled out of reach.
Salvador grabbed her by the upper arm and hauled her to her feet, never taking his eyes off of his prey.
"Go now." He ordered her as he pushed her towards the door.
"Salvador..." She started to say but was cut off when he screamed at her to leave.
Finding her feet again, she dashed out into the night, shrieking when a strong pair of arms wrapped around her and hauled her to the side of the cabin.
"Shhh, you're safe now." She heard Ed whisper into her ear.
"Quiet, ok?" He whispered again.
She nodded her head in understanding.
She could hear muffled voices in the cabin and was scared to death for her husband. She gave out another silent gasp as Peter came into view. He winked at her and blew her a kiss, then disappeared again. The argument inside became heated. Ed jumped to his feet when a loud clang came from inside.
"Stay here. If you move, I will personally tan your hide!" He threatened her and then disappeared before receiving her acknowledgment.
She worried her bottom lip as the fight grew louder. She wanted desperately to know that her husband and brothers were safe, but she also knew that Ed was serious in his threat. The scuffle continued and her anxiety grew to a new peek.
Just when she was about to throw caution to the wind and go to them, there was silence. She buried her face into her knees and prayed to God they were ok.
She screamed when she felt a hand touch her head then blacked out.
Chapter 39 - Where You Belong.
Finally she was safe. He arrived before any harm could come to her and was able to secure her and their unborn baby to safety.
He hadn't left her side since he carried her home. Peter had gone to fetch a doctor and after careful examination, it was determined that both she and the baby were in perfect health. The doctor explained that stress can sometimes overcome a person resulting in blackouts. Until Katherine opened her eyes and convinced him she was indeed fine, he would continue to worry.
