Chapter 20
CHAPTER 20
M ichael had been riding for just over an hour, but it felt like days by the time he finally saw his quarry on the road up ahead.
The dust was unsettled, a carriage ahead of him.
He had been pushing Patience hard, knowing he needed to rest the horse soon.
But if she was tiring, then the carriage horses would be too. Jack wouldn’t know enough about where to change them or when, for Michael was sure he had never had to arrange his own transport before.
Prior to Michael leaving Mandrake Hall, Edward had placed his pistol in Michael’s hand, although he had told him sternly that he shouldn’t use it unless he absolutely had to. While Michael had learned how to use a pistol, Edward had inherited all the deadly accuracy to be found in the family.
Michael was lucky if he shot in the right direction of a target, let alone hit the target himself.
But Jack wouldn’t know that.
“Come on,” he murmured. “Almost there, girl.”
He came even with the carriage, and Adelaide, of course, had her head out the window and her eyes on him the moment he pulled up parallel to them. If he knew her, she was already planning her own escape, but he was happy to help her out.
Jack hadn’t yet seen him, his eyes on the horses ahead of him, and Michael paused a moment too long next to Adelaide, for he lost himself in her eyes, which stared at him in such supplication. He wished he could read more into it, but he honestly wasn’t sure if she was happy to see him, simply asking him for help, or uncertain about his unexpected presence.
Now wasn’t the time to analyze it, however, for first, he had to remove her from the situation – from Jack.
He knew the moment the man noticed him, for suddenly there was a large cracking nose as Jack snapped the reins and urged his horses on faster, but it was a foolish move, for the tired horses pulling a carriage were never going to outrun a single horse with a rider.
Michael pulled up next to the carriage, brandishing the pistol.
“Stop, Jack!” he called out, but Jack only shook his head.
“Never for you!” he yelled back, reaching into his jacket and pulling out his own pistol. He tried to aim, and a snap rent the air, but the horses were moving too fast for him to aim properly – thank goodness.
Michael was still rattled, for even a poorly aimed gun could kill a man.
He would never actually shoot – he was just as likely to hit the carriage or the horses – but perhaps he could convince Jack that he meant what he said.
“Give me Adelaide and Mabel, and you can have what you want, Jack,” he shouted, wishing the man would have some sense and pull over.
He was trying to distract him so he could near one of the horses. He had to be careful, however, for he didn’t want to do anything that might put the safety of the woman he loved and their child in jeopardy.
He reached a hand under the horse’s bridle, grabbing on. The horse seemed uncertain, and Michael decided there was only one thing to do.
He might be a lousy shot, but he was a decent horseman, and in one move, he leapt from his horse and onto the carriage horse’s back, wincing when he landed on the horse’s harness.
He knew he was putting himself at risk of being shot once more, but it was a risk he would have to take.
He glanced over his shoulder at Jack’s shout, but fortunately, the man was too occupied with keeping both hands on the reins and control of the horses to be able to aim his pistol and take a shot at him.
Michael grabbed hold of the bridle of the other horse, mercifully and gradually bringing both of them to a stop. He dismounted quickly, lifting his pistol back to Jack again, turning just in time to see Jack aim. Adelaide cried out, “Michael!” and he vaulted to the side; his heart raced at the near miss.
Jack jumped down from his perch on the driver’s seat, advancing toward him, and Michael leaped toward Jack, tackling him to the ground before he could fire the pistol again, and thankfully, it went clattering to the ground.
Jack was a strong man, but anger and desperation fueled Michael to see Adelaide and Mabel safe.
It was unlike anything he had felt before, and he put all of his emotion into his every action as he allowed his fists to fly upon Jack, his rage blinding him to the pain he was inflicting.
“Michael!” he heard Adelaide cry out, and her voice, along with the knowledge that both she and Mabel were watching him, was the only thing that caused him to stop.
He stared down at his hands, bloodied by another man, shocked that they belonged to him, for he had never been violent. He had always been a lover, never a fighter.
But it seemed that love had caused him to become something else entirely.
“I’m sorry,” he gasped, not entirely sure who he was apologizing to but needing to get it out. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s all right, Michael,” Adelaide’s soothing voice came behind him. “You saved us.”
He had. He had saved them, and that’s all that mattered. He took a few shaky breaths as his entire body pulsed with his leftover rage. He had been acting purely on instinct, and now that he took a moment to look around him, he blinked at the shock of it all. He had actually jumped onto a horse and brought this entire carriage to a stop, had overcome a man with a pistol, and had saved the woman he loved and his daughter.
It seemed that he could perform the miraculous when he was doing it for the right reasons.
“You are both all right?” he asked Adelaide, about to run his hands over her arms to check but holding back as he didn’t want any of the blood to dirty her.
“We’re fine, Michael,” she said, blinking rapidly. “Thanks to you.”
“I do not know what I would have done if anything had happened to you,” he said.
She apparently didn’t care about the blood as she threw herself against him, one arm wrapped protectively around Mabel, who was wide-eyed and staring, the other now round Michael’s back.
“I made a mistake, Michael,” she choked out, and he started at the wetness that hit the side of his face, realizing that they were her tears. “I made so many mistakes. I should have believed in you. I should have trusted you. I should have agreed to marry you and understood that we could take what came our way — together.”
Michael swallowed hard as he realized just what she was saying — that she wanted him, as much as he wanted her. That she was, quite possibly, choosing a life with him.
“You… you want to be with me?”
“I do, Michael, if you will still have me,” she said, leaning back and sniffing. “Would you forgive me?”
“Oh, Adelaide,” he said, a flurry of emotions rushing through him — relief, gratitude, love. “I will always forgive you, and I could never deny you. Never. But there is nothing to forgive. You were only looking after yourself and our daughter, which is all I would ever want.”
“Thank goodness,” she breathed out. “Because I love you too. I denied it to myself for so long, believed that you were going to leave me, that you would break my heart, despite your words. It’s what happened to my mother. She thought my father would spend his life with her, so she gave him everything, and then he left her broken-hearted. But I should have known the moment you offered me the role of your wife instead of your mistress that you would never leave me in the same situation.”
“We all make mistakes,” he said. “Look at me and how I was living my life. I don’t blame you for your concern that I would not be the man for you. You were justified in wondering if I could provide for you and Mabel.”
“No one should be judged for their past.”
“Perhaps, then,” he said slowly, “we start over now and move forward?”
“I promise I will always believe in you from now on,” she said, sniffling.
“And I you.”
They stared at one another for a moment before the smile started to grow on her face, causing that beautiful light to practically radiate around her, and he couldn’t help his own grin in return. Soon enough, they laughed with pure joy, and even Mabel joined in with her baby giggles.
“I do not believe I’ve ever known such happiness,” Michael said in amazement.
“Nor I,” she said, even as they looked around them at the stopped carriage, the agitated horses, and the man lying unconscious on the ground.
“We have a bit of a mess,” he said, biting his lip. “Edward said he would send a few servants with me, but I couldn’t wait so they will be following. I knew if I wanted to have any chance of finding you, I had to move quickly.”
“How did you even know which way to go?”
“Jones saw the carriage driving away.”
“Jones!” She gasped in shock. “Is he all right?”
“He is, yes,” Michael said. “A bit shaken, but he will be fine. Now, why do we not get you back in the carriage and return to Mandrake Hall once Edward’s servants arrive? I’m sure we could all use some comfort.”
She nodded and they stood together, walking back to the carriage as the sound of horse’s hooves came from up the road. Michael’s breath caught for a moment as he wondered if there was any possibility that Jack or Gregory could have had more men, but fortunately, Jones came into view with one of the footmen.
“Jones, it is good to see you,” he said as the two men stopped their horses and stared in shock and all that surrounded them.
“Did you do this?” Jones asked, his jaw open.
“Apparently,” Michael said, barely believing it himself.
“Well, I’m glad you are all safe and unharmed.” He peered closer at Michael. “You are unharmed, are you not?”
“It’s his blood,” Michael said grimly.
“Well, good, I suppose,” Jones said. “We’ll drape him over one of the horses best we can, and then John here will lead back the extra horses while I drive you home.”
“Thank you,” Michael said with appreciation. He hadn’t wanted to leave Adelaide alone in the carriage, even though he knew she would be fine. She could take care of herself, yes, but that didn’t change the fact that he still wanted to be the one to look after her.
Michael noticed Adelaide take a breath before they entered the carriage, as though she had to steel herself to re-enter. He realized that as shaken as he had been, she probably had been even more so, except that she hadn’t been able to take any action but had been forced to sit in wait.
“Would you rather ride? I could hold Mabel,” he asked, and she shook her head.
“No,” she said. “Let’s all be together.”
He liked the sound of that.
They sat on the same side of the carriage, and Michael wrapped an arm around Adelaide, pulling her close, his head on the top of hers as she snuggled in against him.
“We still have much to figure out,” she said.
“We do,” he said with a nod. “But why do we not let that wait until later? Let’s just be glad we are safe and together.”
“Agreed,” she said before she lifted her head to look at him. “You never believed the note.”
“No.” He shook his head. “I knew that it wasn’t you. That, even if you did decide to leave, you wouldn’t have escaped without a word. That you would have looked me in the eye and told me your decision.”
“I ran away from you once before.”
“You did,” he agreed. “But you explained your choice. Now I know what you want. What scares you. Besides that, you are a practical woman. There was no way you would have left so suddenly without any planning or preparation.”
She laughed softly. “You are right about that.”
At that, she returned to rest in his arms, and, for the first time in a long time, Michael was completely at peace.