Chapter 27
CHAPTER 27
N othing could have prepared Emma for what she read.
Emma,
This is goodbye.
Father has summoned me to his study to inform me that not only am I no longer to speak with Lord Rosendale, but I am to marry the Viscount tomorrow. Father had this planned since that awful ball at the party, when I danced with the Baron all night. He told me that I had insulted his friend, and that the consequences would be swift, but they had never come. I had thought at the time that he had changed his mind, or that your situation made him forget about mine, but I was wrong. He simply did not want to give me any chance to escape it.
But he has been mistaken. I will not marry that man, not for anything in the world. I suppose he expects to drag me down that aisle tomorrow, and that I will follow him without protest, but if that is what he wants then he shall have to find me first. The Baron and I are going to Gretna Green, and he and I will run away together. I will be safe, Emma, and very happy, but I know the consequences that this decision will bring. It will mean that I will be an outcast from society, and unable to see you again, and for that I truly am sorry, but I know you will understand that this is how it must be. I cannot be the Viscountess. You know as well as I do that I cannot.
I love you. You have been the truest sister that anyone could ever ask for, and I wish there was another way. I will miss you endlessly.
Yours Faithfully,
Sarah
Emma’s hands trembled, and her first instinct was to tear the letter in two and scream. She restrained herself with difficult, the scream she wished to voice dying in her throat. She simply remained still, clutching the paper and hoping, praying, that it was a forgery.
“Emma?” Levi asked. “What is it?”
“It is… read it.”
She thrusted the letter to him, and he scanned it quickly. When he was done, he dropped it to the floor and stormed out of the room. At last, Emma felt herself become able to move.
“Levi, where are you going?”
“I am going to do what I must,” he explained, running into his room and slamming the door behind him.
“What are you talking about? You cannot do anything about this.”
“You cannot, but if your father does not want to be the head of a household then I certainly will. I will find Sarah, and I will issue my challenge to Rosendale. It is what must be done. I will return as soon as it is done.”
She wished that she could see his face, but she was on the other side of the door. She pounded her fist against it, willing him to open it, but when he eventually did he walked past her, dressed in black.
“I will be back soon,” he repeated not looking at her.
Emma chased after him, pulling on his arm and demanding that he stopped, and when he did turn back to her she saw that there was no emotion in his face. It pained her to see him so resolved about what he was doing.
“I am coming with you,” she ordered, but he rolled his eyes and shook her off.
“You are not. It is dangerous. It frightens me enough that Sarah is there without putting you in harm’s way too. This is a matter for gentlemen, and so it must be gentlemen that resolve it. You will stay here.”
“I will do no such thing. You cannot force me to.”
“I can and I will. Do not be a fool, Emma. You are better than that. You are not some hero that can resolve this in any way that does not involve bloodshed, and to see a life taken is something that you cannot unsee. Sit here, and wait. If I come back with Sarah, we will think of something together then.”
She swore her heart stopped for a moment.
“And if– if you do not?”
“Rosendale will be forced into hiding, and I will ensure that Sarah is brought to you. You may keep her here, and tell the Viscount whatever he needs to hear so that he will leave her be.”
“What if we just let them go?” she pleaded. “They will not be harming anyone by simply forging their own lives. They are giving up everything to be together. Why don’t we allow them to?”
“Because that is not how this works. You were never taught any of this, but this is what must happen. I will issue my challenge, and then it is in Rosendale’s hands what he chooses to do. If he has any wisdom at all, he will simply hand Sarah over to me.”
“And, if he does not, you will be willing to die over it. Is that how men are?”
“The good ones, yes.”
He gave her a tight embrace and promised one final time to return before leaving her behind. She followed him out of the door, but he motioned to the footman to block her exit. She called his name, but he did not turn back. He simply walked to his horse, climbed atop it, and rode away at great pace.
Emma felt her knees give way, and she fell down in the hallway. Two maids came to her at once, but she batted them away. She did not want to be helped, she wanted to help others. It was all that she had ever done, and now she could not, simply because the men in her life refused to listen to her.
Eventually, she pulled herself to her feet, running to her own room and dressing herself quickly. She was vaguely aware of her lady’s maid knocking, asking her if she needed any assistance, but she did not respond. She would have to do what needed to be done alone, so it was for the best that she started alone.
She wore her least favorite gown, an old and ill-fitting one, as it was the first she saw. It was too large, which would at least mean more comfort as she rode. Then, she went to the front door and tried to leave, only for yet more footmen to block her way again.
“My apologies, Your Grace,” one said, “but we cannot let you leave.”
“The Duke made it clear that you are to remain here. We cannot disobey him.”
She groaned, turning back and accepting defeat. For a moment. She did not have enough left in her to argue, not when she knew that she would be leaving one way or another. Thankfully, she had paid attention to the tour when she had arrived, and so she knew that there were other doors in the household and she knew precisely where they were, including one small one that was unmanned, as it was well-hidden by vines.
“Where are you off to?” Eloise asked, and Emma turned sharply to her.
“Oh! I was… well…”
“Is this something you would like me not to know?”
“It is.”
“Then I will not question it. How long shall I expect you to be gone?”
“I do not know. I am going to find Levi.”
“You could be a very long time then. My husband was always so good at remaining hidden, and you know how the saying goes. Like father…”
Eloise turned away and disappeared. Emma wondered for a moment if that was truly what was happening, and that she would be chasing a man for the rest of her life, but she shook the thought from her head. Levi was not the same as his father, no matter what he or his mother thought. He was his own man, one that was doing what was necessary for his family, albeit in a way that disappointed her greatly.
She found the door, and as she left through it the thorny vines scraped at her skin, drawing blood, but she did not care. She pretended not to notice how it stung and instead left for the stables. Levi had taken his prize stallion. She would not be able to reach him before Scotland, but she could meet him there if she left then and there.
And so, she chose another mount that she knew was capable, and left the grounds through another gate. She was as prepared as she could be; she knew the roads which led to Gretna Green, and she knew that she was a good rider, and so nothing was stopping her except time. She had to move, and quickly, if she had any hope of finding them before something tragic happened.
The ride was long, and by afternoon her body had started to ache. She had not eaten anything at all, and felt herself weaken, but she forced herself onward. Mercifully, she had chosen a very hardy horse, one with plenty of stamina that could tolerate the journey. She stroked him gently as they galloped, trying to thank him for what he was doing for her.
By nightfall, she had almost reached the border of Scotland, and she would have been proud of herself were she not so afraid. The time came when she knew she had a chance of finding either her sister and her betrothed, or her husband. Either way, it would mean that she could truly do something of worth, and so even though she was exhausted, she forced herself to move forward.
At her first inn, she slid down from her horse and entered tentatively. There was no sign of Levi’s stallion, but that did not mean Sarah was not there.
“Excuse me,” she said gently to the owner. “Pardon my asking, but has a young lady that looks similar to me come here tonight? She is with a gentleman.”
The owner looked her up and down, and Emma regretted wearing her gown. Sarah likely would have been wearing something nicer, given that she was on her way to a wedding.
“My apologies, ma’am, but no. There are a lot of inns ‘ere, too, so you may be in for a long night.”
Emma had a feeling that would be the case. With a sigh, she thanked him for his time and went on her way. It was harder to mount the horse when her legs ached the way they did, but she tried not to notice. She hauled herself into position, and continued. She would have to repeat it over and over, and so it was best that she chose not to mind the pain.
After she had searched four more inns, each one as disappointing as the last, she at last found what she had been searching for. There, in the stables of an inn, was Levi’s stallion. She took her own horse there in an instant, jumping down with a newfound strength and running to the door, when out spilled three drunkards that eyed her in a way that she did not appreciate.
“Evening,” one slurred. “You come to see the duel?”
The word rang in her ears.
“What duel?” she demanded. “Who is dueling?”
“Two lords or something. An affair of honor, one of them said, but the other was laughing at him. It’s all very odd, isn’t it, John?”
“Extremely,” another man nodded, stumbling slightly. “But it will be entertaining all the same. We don’t see many of these, do we?”
“Where is it happening?” Emma asked, wishing she could have found gentlemen that were capable of speaking and understanding, but grateful that she could now at least know something.
“Come with us, Miss. We can take you.”
“What are you saying, Thomas?” the third man said, hitting his shoulder gently. “We can’t take a lady with us. It’s no place for her.”
Emma groaned, and it was so loud and graveled that the three men actually appeared quite frightened of her. The first man pointed to a nearby hill, his eyes wide and his mouth closed.
“We reckon it will be over there,” another man explained. “Over that hill in the woods. It is no place for you, though. You will see something that you do not want to see.”
“I would rather see what I do not want to see than hear of it. Thank you for your assistance.”
She ran without a moment’s breath. She climbed the hill clumsily, her tiredness taking over, and as she reached the top she at last saw them. Rosendale and Levi were not yet in position, but they were arguing, and Sarah stood close by, a man she did not recognize holding her back as she fought against him, trying to break free.
Emma, suddenly, could not bring herself to move. The sight of it made her miserable, terrified that something would soon happen and there was nothing that she could do to prevent it if she remained where she was, yet her feet would not move to run. She wished she had never opened her sister’s letter and instead lived in blissful ignorance, or never shown it to her husband and allowed Sarah to do what she wanted and disappear. That way, she would have been having dinner with her husband and then spending the evening together and hopefully find a way through their new marriage, rather than standing out in a cold night watching as two men prepared to kill each other.
Suddenly, Sarah turned and saw her.
“Emma!” she screamed, and both men turned to her. “Emma, help me! Tell this man to release me at once!”
Emma’s strength found her again, and she pushed herself forward, running down to where they were. She could hear the men telling her to get back, but she ignore their pleas and continued on her way. She watched her sister’s face as she approached, clearly expecting her to force the man to let her go, but in actuality she was pleased that Sarah was being held back. At least, that way, she was safe.
Instead, she walked directly between the two men, standing in the way of what would become the firing line. Both men looked furious with her, but it was a fury she met. At last, there was silence, and it gave her the chance to think for a moment. She was exhausted, and angry with them for doing what they had done, but her voice came out barely above a whisper.
“What do the two of you think you are doing?”