Chapter Thirty-Five
Lisbeth took a deep breath. Her hand holding the lantern was shaking so hard that she had to stop and gather herself. She needed to stay calm no matter what. A girlish voice was chattering away, and she frowned, listening.
“Thomas and I will go far away and make discoveries together.”
Alice flatly said, “He is married to my mother.”
The girlish voice became screechy. “No, he isn’t. It is a trick.”
Jeremy whimpered, and Lisbeth stepped closer to see Alice push him behind her. She understood now why they hadn’t run. Miss Sanders held a pistol in her hand. She scooted forward, and a leaf crackled under her foot.
Miss Sanders peered into the trees. “I see a lantern. Is that you, Your Grace?”
Lisbeth took a deep breath and joined them in the middle of the woods by the stone ruins.
It was a building that still had three walls standing, but everything else was gone.
Miss Sanders grinned at her as if she were delighted to see her.
This woman wasn’t well, and if she wasn’t holding her children, Lisbeth suspected she might feel a degree of compassion for her.
Still, she had Alice and Jeremy to think about. Right now, all she cared about was seeing them safely away from Miss Sanders.
“I received your missive. I won’t speak with Mr. Easton. He is yours,” she explained.
Jeremy frowned at her, confused. “You are Thomas’s wife.”
Miss Sanders spun in his direction, along with the pistol. Jeremy whimpered behind Alice. Her daughter glared at the woman. Lisbeth stepped forward. “Please let them go. They have nothing to do with this.”
“They shouldn’t tell lies,” Miss Sanders spat out.
“They are young and don’t know any better. I promise Thomas is yours,” Lisbeth pleaded.
She just wanted this woman to send Alice and Jeremy on their way. She studied Lisbeth and then glared. “You tricked him once into believing you were his wife. How do I know you won’t do it again?”
The pistol swung back and forth as it dangled from one of Miss Sanders’ fingers.
“I give you my word.”
The woman scoffed. “What good is that? You are already an indecent and deceptive woman.”
Alice snapped, “Don’t call my mother those things.”
Lisbeth cringed, both loving her daughter for her defense but also wishing she would, for once, not feel the need to speak up.
“Your mother is the worst sort of woman.”
Alice and Jeremy’s faces scrunched up with anger. Lisbeth pleaded, “How can I convince you?”
Miss Sanders turned back to her. “I don’t know.”
“There has to be some way,” Lisbeth insisted.
Jeremy and Alice moved closer to the tree line from which Lisbeth had emerged.
Perhaps they could make a run for it. Noticing movement out of the corner of her eyes, she swung back towards them and aimed the gun.
They froze, and Lisbeth threw herself in front of them. “I will not let you hurt them.”
Miss Sanders’s face became angry. She screamed, “You have no control. I decide everything.”
Lisbeth decided she would charge the woman and wrestle the pistol from her. She eyed her, trying to determine the best way to do it, but then Thomas stepped out of the tree line. “I’m right here, Georgina.”
The woman’s eyes widened, and then her face filled with pure joy.
*
Thomas eyed Miss Sanders, who was looking at him as if he’d just confessed, he loved her. She sighed. “You came for me.”
He glanced at Lisbeth, Alice, and Jeremy, who were huddled together.
Lisbeth frowned at him with worry, but happiness shone in Alice and Jeremy’s eyes.
Yes, he was here for them. He would not allow them to be hurt.
He tried to convey that to them silently.
Thomas didn’t care what happened to him as long as they were safe.
“Georgina, I’m here for you.”
She scowled at him. “Don’t call me that. You know I only like Cadence. My uncle made me go by Georgina. What an awful name.”
Thomas smiled at her. “I agree, Cadence is beautiful.”
She blushed and said, “I knew you would eventually come for me. I’ve been waiting so long, Thomas. I’m ready to be your bride and to see the world with you.”
Alice wrinkled her nose in disgust, and for a mad moment, Thomas thought he might laugh. The entire situation was absurd, but his biggest worry right now was why his daughter seemed to have no idea how to hide her emotions.
He turned away from the family he loved more than anything and said, “Cadence, let them go. You don’t need them anymore. I’m here only for you.”
Happiness bloomed in her, and Thomas felt a sliver of compassion for this woman. It was apparent she desperately wanted love and that she wasn’t well. Softly, he requested, “Please release them.”
Her gaze darted between him and his family. She frowned. “How do I know you won’t leave?”
“Because I’m here now. I could have not appeared.”
The pistol swung back in his direction. It wasn’t intentional, but the woman was careless with the weapon. It unnerved him, but he preferred for it to be pointed at him rather than Lisbeth, Alice, and Jeremy.
“We will have to leave right away. My uncle is likely looking for me. I locked my cousin in her room. She was going to tell my uncle that our love was unhealthy.”
He nodded. “We will deal with that after they are gone.”
She smiled at him one more time and then swung back towards Lisbeth, Alice, and Jeremy. “Leave.”
Lisbeth pushed Alice and Jeremy in front of her, but she glanced back at him. He shook his head. “Leave. Cadence and I have plans to make.”
He silently screamed at Lisbeth not to fight him on this. Thomas was grateful that in the darkness, Miss Sanders likely couldn’t see the stricken look on Lisbeth’s face. More firmly, he said, “Go.”
She rushed through the trees, and when he turned back, Miss Sanders smiled at him adoringly.
He forced himself to smile back at her. “Cadence, may I have the pistol?”
Her demeanor changed, and she immediately became suspicious. “No.”
Thomas didn’t want to push her on it and hoped Lisbeth and the children would be on their way home.
Lisbeth had left the lantern she carried earlier behind.
He reached for it and held his arm out to Miss Sanders.
She took it and said, “I knew you would find your way to me. When I started writing to you years ago, I felt such a strong connection between the two of us. I didn’t tell anyone because they would have said it was just like Albert. ”
“Who is Albert?” he asked.
Pain flashed across Miss Sanders’ face, and then she shook her head as if trying to make a memory go away. “It doesn’t matter.”
They made their way through the trees, but once they reached the other side, Miss Sanders stopped. Her uncle and the constables stood by two carriages. Lisbeth and the children were standing by another one further down.
Her look of adoration turned to pure fury. “You tricked me!”
“Your uncle is going to help you.”
She stomped her foot as she still clutched the pistol. Her eyes went wild as she looked around. Lisbeth stood with Benson, who made sure to position himself between him and Miss Sanders. Thomas was grateful to the guard.
Miss Sanders screeched loudly and kicked him before taking off.
He grunted and grabbed his leg. Her uncle and the constables chased after her, but she was too fast. She ran in a large curve, and Thomas realized she was trying to make her way to Lisbeth.
He took off running towards the unwell woman.
She suddenly stopped and raised her pistol, aiming at Lisbeth. No!