Chapter 18
“A
re you ready?” Samuel asked.
Trevor sighed against his better wishes.
He had tried to protest against going to this ball, but his uncle was insistent, and it reached a point where Trevor agreed to go simply to stop the man from nagging him.
He wore a fine suit and wasn’t intending to make the acquaintance of any maidens, but his uncle insisted that Trevor would be introduced to some potential wives.
It felt to Trevor as though his life was being written for him, but perhaps that was for the best. After all, he had already made a mistake when he had been faced with the most important decision of his life.
They were about to leave the office when a red-faced man appeared, panting heavily.
“I…have…a…letter…for…Mr…Whitehall…” he said, gasping after every word.
“Get this lad a drink,” Samuel said as he took the letter and ripped it open. His eyes scanned the letter quickly, and he muttered something to himself. “Lyndsay? I don’t know any Lyndsay,” he said.
Trevor’s eyes went wide at the mention of the name. He ripped the letter from his uncle’s hands and read it eagerly.
Dear Mr. Whitehall,
I hope this letter finds you well. I write to you with a matter that is close to my heart, and one that brings me nothing but sorrow.
I have always tried to live my life by certain values, and one of these values is to be a good mother.
However, I fear that I have erred in my judgment.
I have only ever wanted a good life for Emma.
I thought that her father and I could give her everything she needed, but after seeing her spend time in your company I realize now that there’s something we cannot give her; a future.
We made the choice to bring her into this world, but she must have the choice to pursue her happiness.
I was so surprised by the news you brought with you that I did not realize the profound effect your company had on my daughter. In your absence she has changed quite dramatically, and I fear she is going to make a choice that she will be unable to escape from.
During our last conversation I got the sense that you care for our daughter deeply.
Perhaps you are afraid that by admitting these feelings you would ruin our happy life.
I can assure you that nothing is farther from the truth.
If you still have any affection for my daughter then I suggest you return to our village as soon as possible, for soon enough Emma will not be free to marry.
I managed to avoid marrying a man I did not love. The last thing I want for my daughter is to suffer that fate. Her mind is set because she is distraught. Please come back and save her from herself.
If I have misinterpreted your feelings or intentions in any way then please disregard this letter, but I believe that you might be regretting leaving the village so soon as well.
If I am right then I hope that you will return to us as soon as possible, because I believe that you can make my daughter happy.
I think that she might be able to make you happy as well.
Yours faithfully,
Lyndsay Galbrith
Trevor’s eyes danced upon the words, and he was filled with mixed emotions.
To be reminded of Emma’s feelings for him was joyous, but to hear that she was getting married sent anger spinning through his mind.
His hand clenched, and he almost crumpled the letter up in his fist. There was no doubt in his mind who she was marrying.
Leaving her had set this all in motion, and he wasn’t prepared to come to terms with her marrying another man, especially not him.
A knot tightened in his stomach as he marched outside and called for someone to prepare a horse.
“Trevor, what are you doing? We have a ball to attend,” Samuel said.
“I’m not going to be able to make it, Uncle. I have somewhere more important to be.”
“More important?” Samuel said indignantly. “I have made promises!”
“I’ll make it up to you when I return,” Trevor said, leaping on a horse that was brought to him.
He could not waste time explaining things to his uncle.
There would be time for all that when he returned…
if he returned. Now all he could think about was reaching Emma and correcting his mistake before he was too late.
Trevor rode harder than he had ever ridden before.
The way to Scotland was etched in his mind, and he pushed the horse to its limits, only stopping when the horse was on the verge of dropping.
Halfway there, he had to change horses, and then again when he reached the Highlands.
Shadows were under his eyes, for he slept as little as possible as time was of the essence.
He had always wasted so much time. He would never be able to forgive himself if he missed the wedding by moments and lost the chance to declare his feelings for Emma.
The moment the letter arrived, his spirit was awakened again, and it was clear that Trevor needed to be in the Highlands with Emma.
He had tried to delude himself and pretend that he could live without her, but that wasn’t the case.
Now he rode through the rain and through the night and through everything that might have been an obstacle.
He took no delight in the beautiful scenery he passed, for nothing mattered other than getting back to Emma.
He broached the border of the Highlands again and geed the horse on.
Trevor’s strength was flagging, but he experienced a second wind when he realized that he was close to the village.
All he had to do was keep going for a little while longer.
If he needed to collapse then he could do so soon enough, just as long as he told Emma the truth, that he loved her and he needed her and he couldn’t live without her, that being apart from her was like being in the coldest part of hell.
He dreaded to think what might happen if he was late.
He could well imagine the smug look on David’s face.
It humbled him that Emma would have been so desolate she would have turned to that man for marriage.
Trevor could see nothing about him that was worthy of being her husband, aside from the fact that he was in the village with her.
Perhaps that was enough. And he certainly wouldn’t have broken Emma’s heart like Trevor had done.
Trevor had to accept the fact that the damage he had caused might be irrevocable as well. There was no guarantee that Emma would even want to see him, let alone listen to a marriage proposal or a declaration of love. But he had to try.
That was all any man could do when things came to a head.
Clouds of dirt were kicked up by the horse as the powerful hooves drilled into the ground.
It whinnied and huffed, and Trevor knew it needed a break, but he urged it to keep going for just a while longer.
A familiar copse of trees appeared and plumes of smoke rose into the azure sky.
Relief filled his heart as he stormed toward the farm.
He leaped off the horse and flung the door open, calling out to Emma, but the farm was deserted.
Fear gripped his heart. The horse was guzzling water, and Trevor didn’t have the heart to torture the creature any longer, so he sprinted back toward the village, hoping against hope that he wasn’t too late.
He made his way toward the inn, asking people about the wedding.
His face was red, he looked more like a Highland beast than an English solicitor.
Two men who were drinking beer at the inn showed him the way to the chapel.
Trevor left the inn without saying a word and rushed to the chapel where people were gathered and pushed his way through, not caring about the curses that were muttered his way.
He broke through the crowd and saw Emma and David standing together, ready to make the final commitment to each other.
Trevor smiled, for he knew that he had arrived just in time, and there she was…
so beautiful, so radiant dressed in white, as though she was a drop of the sun that had trickled onto the earth and been given a human form.
Seeing her again made him wonder how he had ever been able to leave her in the first place.
He chastised himself and vowed to never be that foolish again.
“Stop the wedding!” he cried. “Emma, please, listen to what I have to say before you promise yourself to this man.”
Trevor reached out to her. A stunned silence fell upon the crowd.
Lyndsay’s lips curled into a smile, but it was difficult to gauge Emma’s reaction.
David, however, scowled. His face was thunder, and he stepped away from Emma, walking toward Trevor, ready to gain revenge for the humiliating defeat Trevor had bestowed upon him.