Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
By the time Strachan was dragged from the townhouse, Hector had almost forgotten the man existed.
The authorities could have him. The courts could decide his fate. The evidence against him was overwhelming, and Hector felt certain the man who had haunted their lives would answer for what he had done.
Jane still knelt beside her mother on the floor. Lady Wynten was drifting in and out of consciousness, looking quite woozy.
“Zachary.”
The man startled. He had been standing near the doorway, looking as though he wanted to disappear into the walls.
“Find a physician.”
Zachary blinked. “What?”
Hector’s voice hardened. “Now.”
Jane looked at her uncle. “Please.”
That seemed to break whatever remained of his hesitation. He hurried from the room. Hector carefully slid one arm beneath Lady Wynten’s shoulders and another beneath her knees. He lifted her with ease.
Jane rose quickly beside him.
“Be careful.”
“I am.” He carried her to the sofa and lowered her gently.
Jane sat beside her mother immediately, taking her hand. “Mother? Please.”
A few seconds passed. Then a small sound escaped Lady Wynten.
Jane released a breath she had been holding. “She heard us.”
Hector stood behind her, watching. The relief on Jane’s face almost broke something inside him. He had been angry before. But now all he felt was exhaustion. He had nearly lost her. The thought was unbearable.
The physician arrived faster than Hector expected. Perhaps Zachary had finally discovered some usefulness. The examination was brief but thorough.
Lady Wynten had a significant bruise where the pistol had struck her, but thankfully no serious injury. The physician assured them she had simply suffered a severe shock and would need rest.
Only after the physician departed did the room finally grow quiet. Jane remained beside her mother for several moments. Then she slowly stood.
Hector knew immediately what was coming. She turned toward Zachary. Her uncle looked exhausted.
The slap echoed through the room. Hector did not move. He could not blame her. Zachary’s face turned sharply.
Jane’s hand trembled at her side. “How could you?” Her voice broke. “How could you bring that man near us?”
Zachary looked away. “I did not know.” The words came quickly. Almost desperately. “I swear to you, I did not know what he intended.”
Jane stared at him. “You expect me to believe that?”
“It is the truth.” His voice shook. “I thought he wanted leverage.”
Hector’s jaw tightened. “Leverage.”
Zachary flinched. “I believed he wanted to force the duke to stop interfering. To frighten you. Perhaps use information against him.”
“You thought kidnapping my wife and her mother was acceptable?”
“No.” Zachary shook his head. “No. I did not know it would become this.”
Hector stepped forward. The urge to put his fist through Zachary’s face was almost overwhelming. This man had handed Jane to a criminal. Whether he understood the consequences or not changed very little.
But Jane had already suffered enough. Another act of violence would not fix anything.
“You were bribed.”
Zachary lowered his eyes. “Yes.”
“Explain.”
He swallowed. “Strachan approached me after I became steward. He knew my frustrations. He knew I wanted control of the earldom.” A bitter laugh escaped him. “I thought he could help me.”
Hector looked at him with disgust. “You sold your own family for a title.”
Zachary had no answer.
Then Hector spoke. “You will leave London.”
Zachary looked up. “What?”
“You heard me.”
“But the earldom.”
Hector’s expression remained cold. “I will speak with the necessary authorities. You may continue managing the estate from the countryside.”
Zachary stared. “And here?”
“Any matters requiring attention in London will be handled through me.”
“You cannot simply take control.”
“Perhaps not, in ordinary circumstances.” Hector’s voice lowered. “But an accessory to attempted murder does not possess the bargaining position he believes he does.”
Zachary’s face fell.
Jane stepped forward. “You helped him trap us.” Her voice was quieter now. “You brought my mother and me into that room knowing something was wrong.”
“I did not know,” he insisted.
“But you knew enough.”
That silenced him. For once, Zachary had no argument. He looked down. His shoulders sagged. “I never intended for anyone to be hurt.”
Hector almost laughed. Intentions meant very little. Actions were what mattered.
He stepped closer. “There will be no second chance. If you approach Jane or her mother again...” Hector paused. He let the silence carry the threat. “You will discover that I am far less forgiving than I was today.”
Zachary swallowed. Then he lowered his head. For the first time since Hector had met him, he looked defeated. He should. Because Hector had spent years believing monsters were only men like Strachan. He knew better now. Sometimes they were the people who opened the door and invited them inside.
The journey home was quiet. Hector sat across from Jane in the carriage, watching her carefully. She had not cried. Not yet.
He knew her well enough now to understand that. Jane held herself together when things were at their worst. She became practical. Focused. She found what needed doing and did it.
Only afterward did the emotions find her. He suspected tonight would be no different.
When they reached Sunderford House, the servants moved quickly to assist Lady Wynten. Jane remained at her mother’s side the entire time, refusing to leave until she was certain she was comfortable.
Her mother looked small beneath the blankets. Fragile in a way Hector knew Jane had never allowed herself to see.
“Jane?” The soft voice made her immediately lean forward.
“I’m here.”
Lady Wynten looked between her daughter and Hector. “Who was that man?”
Jane’s expression tightened. “Mother...”
“Why did he want us?”
Hector watched Jane struggle. She wanted to answer. He knew she did. But she also knew her mother had endured enough for one evening.
“He cannot hurt you anymore,” Jane said gently. “He has been arrested.”
Her mother’s eyes closed briefly. “Strachan?”
Jane nodded. “Yes.”
A flicker of fear crossed Lady Wynten’s face. “But why?”
Jane reached for her hand. “We will explain everything. I promise. But tonight, you need rest.”
Lady Wynten looked as though she wanted to argue. Then exhaustion won. She squeezed Jane’s hand weakly. “All right.”
It was nearly an hour before Jane finally left her mother’s bedside. Hector waited in the hallway. He had spent that time thinking. About the moment he had entered that room and seen her standing there. The possibility that he might have arrived too late. The memory still made his chest tighten.
“Jane.”
She looked up.
“May I speak with you?”
Something in his voice must have told her this was different. She nodded. They moved into a smaller sitting room nearby. The door closed behind them. For a moment, Hector said nothing.
Jane studied him. “Hector?”
He looked down. Everything he wanted to say felt too important to risk saying poorly. “When I realized you were in danger...”
He stopped. His throat tightened. “I have never been so afraid.”
Jane’s expression softened. He continued, “Not when Evan disappeared. Not during the search. Not when I thought I might never find my brother.”
He looked at her. “Nothing compared to that moment.”
She swallowed. “Why?”
“Because you are not simply my wife.” He stepped closer. “You are my home.”
The words sounded strange as they left his mouth. Not because they were untrue, but because they were the truest thing he had ever said.
“My entire life, I have believed love was another responsibility.”
Jane’s eyes remained fixed on him, so he continued. “I loved Evan, but even that love came with fear. Fear that I would fail him. Fear that I would not protect him. Fear that I would not be enough.”
He took a slow breath. “And when we spoke about children... I was afraid because I knew what it meant to love someone completely. I knew what it was like to build your entire life around protecting someone. I knew what it felt like to believe that if you failed, everything would fall apart.”
Jane stepped closer. “Hector...”
“But when I thought I might lose you tonight, none of those fears mattered.” His voice lowered. “Not the title. Not the future. Not the uncertainty.”
Only her.
That was the truth.
“Only you.”
Jane’s eyes filled.
Hector reached for her hand. “I spent so much of my life trying to avoid pain that I forgot avoiding love meant avoiding everything good that came with it.”
A tear slipped down her cheek.
“I want a future with you.” His thumb brushed gently over her fingers. “All of it. The fear. The uncertainty. The family.”
Her breath caught. “Even children?”
“Even that.” He nodded. “I cannot promise I will never be afraid. But I can promise I do not want fear making my choices anymore.”
Jane covered her mouth as another tear fell. “I thought...” She laughed softly through her tears. “I thought you married me because it was convenient.”
The pain in her voice made his chest ache. “Jane.”
“No, I know you care. I knew that. But I thought perhaps...” She shook her head. “I thought perhaps I was simply the safest choice.”
Hector stepped closer. “You were never the safest choice. You were the impossible one.”
A small laugh escaped her. “That sounds like an insult.”
“It is not.” His eyes held hers. “You challenged me. You frustrated me. You made me feel things I had spent years avoiding. And somehow, despite all of that, you made me want more.”
“I love you,” Jane said.
The words were quiet. Simple. But they struck him harder than anything else had tonight. He stared at her.
Then slowly, he smiled. “I love you, too.”
For once, saying it did not feel like a risk. It felt like coming home. Jane stepped into him, and he wrapped his arms around her. The kiss that followed was not desperate. It was relief. It was trust. It was two people finally admitting what they had both known for far too long.
When they finally pulled apart, Jane rested her forehead against his. “We have had a very dramatic marriage.”
A quiet laugh escaped him. “That may be an understatement.”
She smiled. “And now?”
Hector looked at her. “Now we live.”
And finally, Hector believed he could.